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On Feb 15, 2005, Zuzu Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:
Please don't be conned by the 40%-off sale on this Website. 40% off something that's almost worthless is not a bargain, and there is no warranty because they're going out of business. The iris I ordered have good-looking fans, but that's all. The rhizomes and roots are a squishy mess. There is no mystery involved: They were planted too far below the surface, which was sporting a deep layer of moss, and all of the pots were full of sowbugs and some other pests (nothing I've seen before in Northern California) resembling small centipedes. The vines, shrubs, and bulbs are pitifully tiny and look unhealthy. The perennials are tiny, but they seem to be alive, so they probably just needed to be sterilized and repotted. Their pots were also full of pests. These people apparently don't believe in pesticides. I agree that no one should go overboard in the use of chemicals, but there are alternatives, and I'll take pesticides over pests any day. Predictably, the hepatica--the main reason I placed the order--were out of stock and were not enclosed in the order.
On February 15th, 2005, Zuzu added the following:
I almost forgot to mention that half of the pots in the shipping box were upside-down. The dirt, and the plants in two cases, had fallen out of them. There is no solution to this kind of problem: If you turn the box the other way, the other pots are upside-down.
On Nov 8, 2004, rutholive Tonasket, WA (Zone 5a) wrote:
Eight years ago I ordered a Red Haven peach on dwarf rootstock. It arrived in a reasonable time and I planted it immediately. Well it takes about four years for a fruit tree to produce fruit, and four years later I did have fruit on the tree, but was not what i order, was neither a Red Haven nor dwarf. I wrote to them, they replaced the tree the next spring, so again I wait four years for fruit. Again neither Red Haven or dwarf. Actually it is a terrible peach, it is a tight cling, no flavor and won't hang on the tree until ripe. I again wrote to them about four weeks ago, The tree cost $12.95 plus shipping. I asked them to refund me $20.00 since i to wait 8 years and still didn't have what I had order. I received a check in the mail last week for $12.95, which did not even include the shipping and not one word of apology.
On another note, about 6 years ago I ordered 35 poplars, which they described as a hybrid, . Well they did grow fast but that was the only good thing about them. I planted them for a windbreak. I could not grow anything within 100 feet because of their very spreading, surface, thick root systems. 2 1/2 years ago I hired a couple of fellows to come and cut down and chip all 25 trees, and since that time I have been fighting all the root volunteers. Am just now getting pretty much rid of the roots and other shrubs and plants are beginning to grow in the area.
You can bet I will never order from that company again if they stay in business. Donna
On Oct 1, 2004, kennyr Saugus, MA (Zone 6a) wrote:
Have been waiting two months for the balance of my order. I can't even email them anymore!! Any, and all email I now send does not go through as they have a full mail box, and don't seem bother to read their emails. Might have to stop doing business with them due to this most recent problem. Email from their long time customers is very important, but apparently they don't seem to be aware of their problems! All current email to them has gone undeliverable to several email addresses they have posted on their web site.
About two years ago I purchased approximately $200 worth of plants from Mellingers that I could not locate in my immediate area. They arrived in such poor quality-dried out, nonexistant root systems, packed in torn newspaper. I coddled and tried to revive them for a month when I called for help. A very rude women informed me there was nothing that could be done since I had waited over their 10 day limit. I only wish I had known about programs such as yours before my wasted purchase. With this company it is definately BUYER BEWARE.
On Jun 22, 2004, Mellinger's responded with:
"We are a bit confused over your recent comments to Garden Watchdog. Our plant warranties are 13 months on non sale plants and 30 days on sale plants. If someone told you that some sort of 10 day limit was a policy, they were wrong and we apologize. We have always taken pride in "going that extra mile" for customers and this is disturbing. We've been here since 1927 and 100% of our employees have been here more then 5 years and know all of our policies.
We tried to bring you up in our system by your email address to find out more information but you were not in there. Again, we apologize for you being mis-informed.
On Dec 4, 2003, DonnaMack Grayslake, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
Seeing the Mellinger name brings back unpleasant memories. My garden is based on ornamental grasses (I have seventy plus) and over the years I have successfully ordered from Milaegers (when they were a mail order company), Paradise Gardens and Wayside, in addition to the 30 the landscapers installed. The Mellingers grasses were disasters. I ordered seven Miscanthus Sinensis Gracilliumus and Sarabanda, installed them, as I had installed many others, and 13 months later, in July of 1999, dug them up and discarded them in disgust at their poor quality and weak growth. Normally, ornamental grasses are difficult to dislodge, but these pathetic specimens (right next to thriving ones from Wayside installed the same day at the same time) gave minimal resistence as I pulled them from the ground. I replaced them with identical grasses from the other companies mentioned above, and the replacements thrived. I should have complained to the company and requested a credit, but somehow I doubted that they would have any plant material that would have been of interest to me.
I did learn a valuable lesson. I look to this forum before purchasing plant material.
I am an experienced gardner who has been ordering plants by mail for years. I recently order over $200.00 worth of plants from this company. For the prices listed, I had expected to received healthy, established plants. Instead, I received dying, sunscorched and mildewed plants without established root systems. I tried to revive the plants but some died within a few days. I called the company about the situation and received no support or an offer to replace the plants.
I boxed the plants and sent them back at my own expense with a letter explaining the problem and requesting a refund. I never received a credit letter or apology from the company and I had to call them to find out about getting a credit. I was told that I would receive only a partial refund and that I had been slapped with a 10% penalty charge. I was also told that not all the plants were alive when I returned them - no kidding!
I wasted about $100 on shipping costs (both ways) penalty charges and charges for dead plants. I will never order here again.
I recently purchased the same plants from a local garden center. The plants were 3 times as big and cost less.
I live an hour away from Mellinger's. I had planned on buying an apple tree. I visited their website, and picked one out. Instead of ordering it, which I could have done, I visited them in person. When I got there I found that they claim to stop having apple trees as of June 15th. How you can still order them from their web site, I don't know. And there is nothing on the web site about not having the trees. But, the people there were oddly rude about it. In my whole visit, I found one employee who was actually helpful and nice. This is not a place I would visit again.
I have ordered from Mellingers for years. Yes, the stuff is small but the price always seems appropriate to what you get. Some plant material grows quickly so the size was not an issue. In the past I have had plants arrive die or arrive DOA. On each occasion I use their guarantee and they replaced the plants. In the past they have been extremely rude when asking for replacement. Again this year some plants arrived DOA and again I get an aggravated surly attitude because they shipped plants that did not have a chance to survive. They are replacing the plants but maybe they figure if they are rude enough you will not want to call them about replacements. They win because I will not order from them again. I have given them the benefit of the doubt for too long. So I will say so long to Mellingers.
I just received a large order, and I was stunned. To be fair, I've recently received other plants from down south (we live in AK) and have gotten much better stuff. I'm pretty disappointed. Mellinger's stock is miniscule, with leafing on some trees that looks dead. Everything is tiny, but hey, their prices are low so you get what you pay for. The Potentillas are sooo tiny...it will probably take 2-3 lightyears before they're the size they should be when they grow up. The package was damaged and open, but everything appeared okay in the box. The packaging was interesting in how they use newspaper...:) I guess I'm spoiled by getting great plants at reasonable prices in superb packing. I also didn't receive dry goods I had ordered and understood would be received first. I'm calling them to cancel anything additional being sent. Admittedly, I am a tough customer to please, but I'm not giving them repeat business.
On Apr 5, 2003, karenhane Manchester, CT (Zone 5a) wrote:
ordered small magnolia grandiflora, arrived bare root dried up and with insect nests,ordered small tamarix got crunchy little bag of powdered plant. ordered sassafrass, not much root not much growth but still alive. replacement policy ok however. send them letter stating problem they send new plants. not real impressed with their plant quality so far, but perhaps my choices dont ship well.
I have purchased several items including plants and I am very disappointed at how small the first set of plants are. I am hoping the columbine survives. I will let people know in the coming season. I am however still waiting for the rest of my order. That was 6 weeks ago. I wanted my order right away and was firm to let them no that I did not want seperate shipping or substitutes. I recently called and now I have to wait until SPRING 2003!! That is not what I wanted. I do not understand why rose markers can not be delivered until the Spring planting season.
Debbie Andrews
Allentown,PA.
I placed an order on June 29th. I got less than half of what I ordered. The plants that came were the right ones. However one of the plants hasn't done well from the start. The rest of the plants seemed okay. I now hear that they dont ship bare root plants during June 30th and November 1. (via order acknowledgement) When you order you aren't aware that certain plants won't be shipped right away. (bare root) That was discouraging.
This was on my acknowledgement *You will receive an acknowledgment
telling you when the plants will be shipped UNLESS they are shipped within 30-45 days after ordering.
Supplies are usually sent within a weeks time. If a supply item cannot be
shipped within 30 days, you will receive an acknowledgment.*
I found this unacceptable. Surely they can let us know faster, or send us our money back. They have a great selection at reasonable prices. I will wait to see what happens. I hope they will make me change my mind about their business. I like giving nurseries a high rating, that is well deserved.
On July 19th, 2002, Kelly333 added the following:
I got a letter from Mellingers. Apparently they read the Garden Watchdog, or maybe one of their employees does. They were very kind, and tried to explain the bare root shipping and why they werent shipped during the timeframe of June 30th and November 1. They said it wasn't safe.
My beef is that when you do order you aren't aware what is bare root. However she said that the plants are guaranteed for 13 months, excluding sale items.
I will await further to see if I will change my rating. I wrote them back and explained my side as a customer to them. I told them also I usually rate highly, and prefer to do so. I would be happy to change my rating if the situation warrants it. I was impressed they wrote me. That is worth something!
On Apr 20, 2002, lupinelover Grove City, OH (Zone 6a) wrote:
The one and only time I ordered from this company, 1999, the bareroot and potted plants I ordered in January had still not arrived in May. I called repeatedly in March and April (bareroot planting season). They kept assuring me that the plants would be sent that day. Finally, the day after Mother's Day, I called one more time and threatened legal action if I did not get them by the end of the week (we live 100 miles away). They arrived on Friday. The bareroot trees had leafed out and the leaves were white and very withered. The same with the bareroot shrubs. The potted perennials had dried out weeks before, and were dead. One potted shrub had its only stem (3" tall) snapped off at the base, due to bad packing.
Out of an order of 13 plants, one survived.
I immediately called and demanded a full refund on my credit card. The paperwork arrived in July. Never again.
On Apr 19, 2002, heidski Arlington Heights, IL wrote:
I ordered a number of different items from them. Most of the items were OK. One was completely different than it was described. I was able to return it, but then they charge a return fee of 10%. I know of no other company that charges this return fee. Afterall, I paid the shipping cost to have it sent to me and then the shipping cost to return it to them.
On Mar 15, 2002, Copperbaron Vicksburg, MS (Zone 8a) wrote:
I ordered about 15 trees from them at very reasonable prices and they all arrived safe and sound. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of many of them and would order from them again.
On April 2nd, 2003, Copperbaron changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:
Well, I spoke too soon. The two sassafras and two bald cypresses that I ordered died on me. They sent me replacements, but they are pitiful. One of the sassafras trees had no roots (literally) and the bald cypresses were so root pruned as to be suspect as well. Additionally, I ordered five pyracantha that were 4" tall and shipped bareroot with nothing but some dry newspaper wrapped around them. The leaves were like potato chips and I doubt they will survive. Basically, some really crummy plants.
Before buying from Mellingers, go to ForesFarm's, Camelia Forest, Greer Gardens, or Arrowhead Alpines website or get Woodlander's catalog and see what they have. You will get a whole lot better plants packed a whole lot better for shipment.
On Feb 7, 2002, DawnG Chardon, OH (Zone 5a) wrote:
Although I do appreciate the varied selection, I have had three different plants arrive under the wrong cultivar names. It's a little disappointing when you wait for a year or two for a specific plant to bloom and it ends up being the wrong plant.
In early 2000, I ordered two vanilla orchid plants and three aromatic ferns. Neither of which our local nurseries had. The vanilla orchids arrived poorly packed and in poor shape. Very small to start with, perhaps an inch high. One had already had the terminal bud nipped off.They were not well-rooted, so they were mostly out of their two inch pots. One survived - hardly. And we are in the tropics, so it is not the climate.The ferns arrived bare-root with no green whatsoever. They were as dry as twigs. It is the first time I ordered fern by catalogue, and I was used to planting green, living plants. So I emailed them and asked them what to do with these twigs - is there some secret to planting them. Plant in a cool, shady place was the best answer they could give. Six weeks later, after planting one in a pot and the others in soil, I had nothing more than underground dead twigs to show for it. I mailed them and told them that they did not sprout. I gave them my address again, they still have not have replaced them - six weeks later. They used to have a good reputation - I guess they don't care any more. Order from somebody else, or buy from your local nursery.
I to would not order from Mellinger's again. I had to make repeated calls where I was treated poorly. Plants DOA - not worth the effort. Do they know that are killing their business by such shoddy practices?
I was disappointed in their bare-root stock. Ordered 2 honeysuckles and 2 snowberries from them. The honeysuckles are now doing well but as we know it's not easy to kill a honeysuckle even if you try. The snowberries were DOA; never leafed out.
I have to say I had the same experience with this company. I ordered 35 Japanese Barberry from them two years ago. When they arrived, they were tiny and most were broken or had damaged roots. Also, the bare roots had dried out pretty badly. Out of those original 35, only two survived. Same story with a Burning Bush. Same story with Echinacea and Coreopsis, which are pretty difficult to kill. I gave up calling to request replacements or money back from them, and wrote them instead. Got a nasty letter in reply, but they did give me a percentage of the money in return - the only problem was that it was a credit, not cash refund. Never used it. I don't need the hassle!
I was burnt here with very poor bare root stock. Undersized, poorly packed, back-ordered into infinity. I learned quickly. But you have to look at each catalog for what they do best. The gardening aids and supplies they offer are extensive and reasonably priced. If you are looking for seed trays, etc. they offer everything under the sun at any quantity needed; even hoop-house components. It almost seems as though the plants they offer are just a "side-line" for them to fill the catalog.
The worst bare-root shipments I've ever seen. Less than 30% survival rate on the original order; the replacement order was all DOA; and the second replacement shipment I cajoled out of them that got shipped this Spring had bone-dry roots on arrival. Still hoping against the odds on that one. Very shoddy packaging, low-quality plant material.
I had the same problems as previous responders, attempting to get a large variety of new plants at reasonable cost I ordered from them. Most plants arrived in poor condition and few survived. Of those that survived, many were not the variety or even species I ordered. Never again!
I, too, had an awful experience with this company. The order I received contained none of the plants I requested. I called to explain the situation and was treated poorly. After repeated attempts, I finally got my requested plants but the quality was inferior.
I also had more time than money and very carefully ordered many starts of the shrubs I wanted at very low cost. I set up a shrub nursery in the garden. Many did not make it, despite pampering. The ones that did were not the varieties advertised by botanical name but inferior ones. Imagine my disappointment pampering and waiting two years to find out the wonderfully fragrant shrubs I had dreamed of and worked for were not fragrant at all, but varieties that specifically had no fragrance to start with. The only thing I will still use Mellinger's for is supplies like flats, etc. I did have a problem there also - I ordered fade proof markers and got the run of the mill Sharpies that you can get anywhere and DO fade quickly!
I have been getting this catalogue for more than six years and have seen it change from having a huge variety of plants and seeds to having a huge variety of supplies and garden ornaments. I absolutely hate the way that they split the order form so that they get you twice for shipping charges if you order plants and seeds on the same order. (Seeds and supplies are shipped separately from plants.) I have ordered live plants, and have been impressed with how nice they looked and how well they were packed. I did not order from them in 1998 because their seed selection has become so poor. Even the feed store display has more varieties of vegetables than Mellinger's now has. Alas. And they were once such a huge catalog.
What can I say, but a poor choice. I ordered from them a few years ago. A lot of the plants were not true to name. I asked for replacements, but got more plants that I didn't order. I haven't ordered from them since.
I was very disappointed in my spring order from Mellinger's. While they have some very interesting and unusual plants the chance of your receiving them in viable condition is very poor. I found most of my order to be very small plants, bareroot, and badly stressed. I do not believe I would reorder from them.
