You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I purchased a 40lb bag of WOW for our lawn from Gardens Alive. I ordered the product at 11:30 a.m. on Wed. and it arrived the next afternoon! They gave me a $25.00 coupon, also. I work in retail, and couldn't have asked for better service. The Cust. Serv. rep was very helpful and polite. I rate Gardens Alive an A1 company, and will shop with them again.
On Aug 21, 2009, bolino Swanton, OH (Zone 5b) wrote:
I ordered several different things from them, and they were shipped in 3 different shipments. They kept me notified of all shipments, which arrived here in 2 business days from notification, and all were as described. The prices were not high and neither was shipping amount considering the number of shipments. I would recommend!
On Aug 21, 2009, Gardens Alive! responded with:
"On Aug 24, 2009 2:12 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with:
Thank you for your kind words; we greatly appreciate you taking the time to post this. We strive for 100% Customer Satisfaction. We are always here to answer any questions you may have or assist in any way we can. We look forward to serving you in the future. Happy Gardening!"
On Jul 28, 2009, clpgirl Chippewa Lake, OH (Zone 6a) wrote:
It was with great trepidation that I placed an order with Gardens Alive. I had used their product for years when they first started, but it's been at least 7years since I ordered anything. (NOT becaue of product but changes in my life.)
I have to say I'm quite content. I ordered Japanese Beetle Traps, Roses Alive #3, and Liquid Rotenone/Pyrethrin on July 25. The box arrive today, July 28, standart shipping, plus I got to use a $25 off coupon. I was just getting ready to go to the local nursery to buy traps, as I thought it would be next week before delivery!
Perhaps they are tuning in to DG? Regardless, I am both relieved and pleased. Hopefully I can again rely on them for their excellant product line as I have in the past.
On August 20th, 2009, clpgirl added the following:
Found spider mites in my newly planted perennial beds, and went to local nurseries, lots of driving-I'm in a very rural area,and found them sold out of organic solutions for this problem-an also out of JBeetle replacement bags-only had the full kits ($$)
Placed my order on-line Tuesday afternoon w/GA for beetle bags , Oil-Away Supremee, and Pest Away Traps, regular shipping. Imagine my delight when the box arrived today, Thursday, less than 48 hours after ordering! This transaction was easier than driving into town-with organic products as a bonus.
Five stars from me. I hope my last two transactions indicate a return to their past conscietious customer service. On Jul 28, 2009, Gardens Alive! responded with:
"On Aug 6, 2009 1:56 PM, Gardens Alive! responded with:
Valued Customer:
Thank you for your kind words; it is greatly appreciated. Our company is based on 100% Customer Service; if you are not satisfied, then we have not done our job. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. We look forward to serving you in the future."
I have ordered from this company several times over the years, most recently last month, and have never had any trouble. They've honored the $25 off coupons, and my order has come within a week. With the coupon, the WOW (corn gluten) is cheaper than any other place I've found (factoring in shipping). Without the coupon, it is comparable. I have never ordered plants or live products from them, only gardening supplies, and have been very happy with the products, and the results.
On June 22nd, 2009, m2jhub added the following:
6/22/09 I emailed Gardens Alive because I needed the usage instructions that I had lost for one of their products. They emailed the information to me within a few hours. I couldn't ask for better service!
I had a bad experience with the company two years ago regarding the free $25 coupon. They tried to bill me for products they refused to send, but we finally got it fixed.
I am trying them again today and we will see if they get this order correct and in a timely way. I am not using a coupon, by the way. I think there is a reason there is so much hassle using them.
I will post back my experience with this order. If there is any problem, they have lost me for good, and I will be sure to let DG know.
On May 20th, 2009, lilygrandma changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
I am pleased to report a very quick filling of my order. I received it in 4 days, including Sunday.On June 9th, 2009, lilygrandma changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:
I just ordered some more items from GA and had an interesting experience. I had received an on-line offer for 25$ off a 50$ order, etc. I filled out the on line order then decided to call it in. When I placed the order, it was twice what the on-line amount added to! First, the on-line automatically gave the 25$ credit. (The person on the phone said I had to have an offer number, which is NOT on the on line offer!) She agreed to give the discount. But the order was still off by $10. The price she had quoted for one item was $10 more than it lists on line. I pointed it out, and she went back and "found" the price I was quoted. Whole thing took over 5 minutes because she then keyed in the wrong correct priceTWICE.
Be sure you double check with on-line and catalogue to see that you are getting the best price!
I am hopeful this order will come as quickly as the last one.On June 12th, 2009, lilygrandma changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Items arrived in 2 days! It seems like GA has really put more emphasis on customer service. Kudos to them!
I've ordered from GA several times, and so far so good. Shipping was promt. Items arrived in good shape, and I like that they use compostable packing peanuts.
First time customer this year, ordered 4 bags of Wow pre-emergent. Order came quickly and was well packaged. Still too early to tell how the product is working.
On Mar 26, 2009, Horseshoe Efland, NC (Zone 7a) wrote:
Sorry to read of some of the negative posts regarding Gardens Alive. Maybe I've been one of the lucky ones; am elated that I've been "lucky" for over 15 years of doing business with them!
Once again I've ordered from them this year, and will place a second order in a few weeks. Products rec'd always arrive in good condition with very fast shipping. (I tend to lean towards buying some of their pest products as well as TomtoesAlive.)
On Mar 26, 2009, jlp222 Hammond, LA (Zone 8b) wrote:
I received, via e-mail, a coupon for $25.00 off an order of any price. I ordered about $20.00 worth of product, and they used the remaining $5.00 toward shipping. I paid only 2.13 for the whole order. Both were soil amenders which I am very big into, and could no tbe happier! If this offer ever happenes again, I will definitely be taking part.
The items I ordered seem to be having a positive effect. I have 2 pots of the same plants, and the one that I used the products in are greener and bushier.
Have ordered from Gardens Alive 2 or 3 times each year for the past 2 years. Always positive experience. Love their seed starting mix and the veggie fertilizer. Last order one bag of powder was busted in box, they promptly sent me another. They always honor the coupons, have quick shipping and great quality products.
I'm surprised to see all these complaints. I've never had a negative experience with this company. Just now I placed an order, as I've done every year for the past seven years. Ordering online today was easy--first a Google search for a coupon, follow the link and added my item to my shopping cart. I logged in with my user name and put in my CC info, done. No problems, no weird things. I'm sure my items will arrive in a few days as always.
Once in the past my order of WOW was destroyed in transit (I can only imagine what the inside of that UPS truck must have looked like!) Gardens Alive was quick to resend, no problems at all.
On Sep 15, 2008, DaveH San Francisco, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
I have ordered from Gardens Alive for many years and have never had a problem with any order. My most recent order was a couple weeks ago, and I received the order in good condition in a few days. My only complaint is that they always have those silly discount coupons to deal with. Their regular prices are fairly high, but with the coupons it's more reasonable. I wish they would just forget the coupons and have lower prices.
I'm not sure what the previous complaint was about... if you went to burger king on monday and bought a combo meal for $4.99..... and saw that they are having a special on it on thursday for $2.99 would you show up and ask for a refund? Get real, if the attorney general even listens to anything you say I'd be surprised... Your acting like just because they don't have a storefront and real people you can meet and interact with you can just do whatever you would like and make them cave to your demands its just because they deal with you over the phone and email you think you can do whatever you please, . Gardens has been a fantastic company thier products are a little overpriced but the garauntee makes up for it. I think you are being unrealistic in your complaint.
I'm quite frankly surprised to see all of the negative comments with this company. I always order from Garden's Alive online, with no problems at all. I have found that their Pyola spray is the best around for instantly getting rid of the Japanese Beetles and aphids on my rose bushes and other plants. The Soap Shield and Shield All both work wonders on rose fungus. The Roses Alive is the reason I have big healthy roses. I also have their Bulbs Alive and Perinneals Alive feeds to and they are all wonderful. Their lawn weed and feed, while it takes longer than chemical's to work, does work over time. I am a member of the Garden Solutions club and enjoy my 10% discount with every purchase from their member companies. People who want instant gratification shouldn't try organic gardening as it take more work and more time to see the results. But those results are wonderful with a little patience!
On Jun 1, 2008, cacolos Auburn Hills, MI (Zone 6a) wrote:
I have ordered from most of those linked companies and knock on wood I have been very happy,, I did have a coupon problem once, I called and they corrected it,, the products work and flowers have been in good condition, i have been ordering from most of them for years..
I have ordered from Gardens Alive in 3 of the last 4 years I have had a garden and have been pretty happy with each transaction. Of about 9 [purchases I have made with them, I only had a minor issue with one that really was half my fault and half theirs- maybe 2/3's mine and 1/3 theirs. I do have to confess to a bit of sticker shock each time I order due to the shipping costs. I know they can't do much about it but it is pretty eye opening to have about 35% of my order paying for shipping. I would shop somewhere local to save the shipping but their products truly are superior to anything I can get around here (Northern VA). Yep- I am a satisfied customer and expect I will be again in about 30 minutes.
I've purchased fertilizers, soil additions, and both pyola and soapshield from Gardens Alive!. I've been satisfied with their products, but am switching to a local rose fertilizer after having joined the local rose society, as it is made for Colorado soils (a challenge all its own!). I am very concerned at how similar some of the negative comments are to what I've experienced with Brecks (as have many others). I will purchase from them again, but will be alert for problems stemming from whatever internal changes they've recently made. Like other reviewers, I too wish they would more adequately list fertilizer ingredients and analyses. I had to call to get the #-#-# rating for several of them - couldn't even find it on the website. But overall, I've liked their products. There are not very many sources for organic gardeners at this point, so GA is a pretty safe fallback.
Let me tell you of my recent order. I ordered around noon on a Wednesday and the next day, Thursday, the UPS guy was getting my order out of his truck. Pretty impressive isn't it? Okay, I'm only one state away, but 24 hours!?!? I was very happy with GA.
Here's the kicker: I had given them the wrong expiration date on my credit card and had a message waiting on the phone from GA when I was finished with the UPS guy. We got all of the billing straightened out and I had my order in my hands before GA had any idea they would be paid.
I've been ordering from GA for years-can't plant a tomato plant without Tomatoes Alive-and have never,ever had a bad product or experience.
I was a bit trepidatious about this company after seeing the reviews, but I had a coupon for $25 toward products, so I decided to give them a try. I have been quite happy with what I ordered.
Although one item I ordered arrived damaged, they immediately sent me a replacement--no questions asked. It arrived without delay and in perfect condition. All other items were very pleasing.
Their customer service is through a handling center that also handles Springhill Nursery, Henry Fields, etc. and I've ordered from all three and ALWAYS received excellent service through them. I've had to contact their service center several times, for reasons ranging from receiving a plant that was dead, having a plant die shortly after planting, to UPS damaging items in transit. No matter what the reason for the concern, the companies always send me a replacement ASAP with no questions asked. I have loved that aspect of service the most about these companies.
Regarding their affiliates, (of those I've ordered from) the only one I've really been absolutely disappointed with is Gurney's. The others have always offered nice plants, decent prices, good specials, and great service!
On Feb 12, 2008, earmbruster Batavia, OH (Zone 6b) wrote:
I just made my first purchase with Gardens Alive and I couldn't be more pleased. The website worked fine, although initially the confirmation showed an incorrect total. I was charged the correct total, and I received everything 2 days later. Can't ask for better service than that. I just hope the products are as effective as the service.
On Oct 22, 2007, nitzi1944 Kings Park, NY (Zone 7a) wrote:
I love some of Gardens Alive's products such as the soil activator and the Bio Flo drain maintenance. Their turf Alive 3 with rhizomes grass seed comes up a medium green and falls over and mats. Not as expected. It germinates quickly though. I have also used thier insect repellant and the Escargo. Their oirders come promptly and the CS people are always nice. I spoke to a Gloria. I'll continue ordering selectively from them.
On Oct 13, 2007, Cearbhaill Russell, KY (Zone 6b) wrote:
I have ordered from Gardens Alive numerous times and have always been very satisfied with both the products and the service. I have ordered with a coupon, without a coupon, via telephone, via online, and always good results. I really like the variety of fertilizers they offer but wish with all my heart that they would see fit to list ingredients on all products.
I have a shady front lawn that seems to be a magnet for every white tailed deer in the state of Ohio. I’ve tried every type of grass seed but it would always get trampled and look sparse. I enjoy watching the Deer so I figured that I would have to accept a sad looking lawn. This year I seeded my lawn with Self-repairing Turf Alive! III with Rhizomes early this spring. It is October now and my lawn looks great! Thank You Gardens Alive for coming up with a grass that can hold its own under heavy Deer traffic. Your coupons are Great also! Please keep them coming!
On Aug 20, 2007, compostuser Bremerton, WA (Zone 8b) wrote:
Gardens Alive. I love their $25 coupon (if your purchase is less than $25, your entire purchase is FREE). Can't beat the FREE price. Went throught the entire catalog looking for items that total $19.95. When you include shipping cost the total was $24.95. So what did I get... I purchase some organic compost starter for green matter, an bird netting. ALL FOR FREE
I was able to convince my neighbor (he was about to throw away the catalog and valuable $25 coupon), he placed an order on my behalf and I was able to get 2 super light insect barrier. ALL FOR FREE.
On Jul 16, 2007, Juls123 Metro East, IL (Zone 6a) wrote:
I got a real deal by using one of their first timer coupons. The info on the site said several business days for shipping, so I wasn't expecting the order for a week or two, and it came FAST. I ordered on a Friday and it was here on Tuesday.
What I LOVE were the starch-based shipping peanuts they use as packing. They mentioned on the shipping form that they were made of starch and could be added to your compost pile.
One of my cats thought they were delicious, so I quickly put them in the pile.
I'm very pleased with the speed in which my order arrived, and LOVE those peanuts. I'm thrilled to see a company carry out their environmental efforts into shipping too. Bravo.
On Apr 17, 2007, Elayne1947 Detroit, MI (Zone 6a) wrote:
I've ordered from this company for the past four years...mostly moth traps and a few chemicals. I've had nothing but a positive experience each time. No complaints from me!
Excellent ! Used their $25.00 for new customers I only had to pay little over $4.00 . So free items, ordered had them 4 days later . Could not ask for better .
On Mar 30, 2007, Joan Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) wrote:
I've ordered from this company in the past and have had no problems.
This year I wanted to order before my $25 coupon expired, but I couldn't find my catalog. I emailed them and was told to just make a note in the online comment box about that and they would deduct it from the order.
When I placed my order, I was a little worried, because I never received any notification that they HAD given me the discount. Today I received my credit card billing, and they DID give me the discount.
I'm very happy with that service, and will be ordering some more products soon.
On Mar 30, 2007, gardenwife Newark, OH (Zone 5b) wrote:
This spring, using their $25 off any order coupon, I ordered some of their cupboard moth traps and additional refills. I didn't realize the refills were just the pheromone lures and didn't include the sticky traps.
I wrote to customer service and explained this, asking if I could use the lures in a yellow jacket trap, or if they had any suggestions about what to do with them - it seemed silly to spend the postage to send them back when the order was free to begin with. Within a day, one of their master gardeners wrote back with a polite e-mail and said two more moth traps were on the way, at no charge. They arrived within three days of the e-mail.
Considering the order was a free one to begin with, the misunderstanding was on my part, and I didn't expect them to send anything, I was very pleased by their service! I've ordered their red plastic mulch in the past and it arrived quickly and held up well.
On Mar 20, 2007, adina72 Pennellville, NY (Zone 5a) wrote:
I am extremely dissapointed in GardensAlive's service this year. I ordered from them last year with no problem, but this year it is a nightmare so far. I placed an order for WOW supreme online on 3/4/07 and used a $25 coupon with no problems. It shipped on 3/5/07 and the tracking information said it would be in my home between 3/10/07-3/12/07. I called on 3/15/07 to see if they could track it further because I still had not received it. I talked with a very pleasant woman who said that they cannot reship the item until it has left their facility for 14 days, so she suggested I call back the following week if I still had not received it. So I called this morning, 3/20/07 because I still haven't received the package and the tracking information is the same as it was the day it shipped. I spoke with a pleasant woman (Gloria) this morning, but she was no help at all. It was obvious that she had no idea where my package was and just kept repeating that it will arrive this week. I pressed her further and she put me on hold and then came back on the phone and said that her supervisor said that they would ship another one today and that I should have it in 10 days exactly. They are using the postal service again, so I hope this doesn't keep happening. As of right now, I do not have an e-mail confirmation of the new shipment. I will return in 10 days and update this review....hopefully I can change it to a positive.
On March 28th, 2007, adina72 added the following:
Update 3/28/07 - I called Customer Service back again and spoke with a pleasant knowledgable woman named Becky. She was extremely helpful. I told her of my previous problem and asked if she could check to see if my replacement order had shipped. It hadn't...it was never entered by Gloria. She entered the replacement order and said they would ship UPS instead of the postal service so I would get it faster. She also gave me a new order number, which the other woman had not done. I am hopeful I can eventually change this neutral review to a positive.On April 3rd, 2007, adina72 changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
I am changing my Neutral rating to Positive since my issue has been resolved. I received my order yesterday by way of UPS. The 40# bag of WOW was not in a box, just the original bag that it comes in, so that may be why I never received it the first time (it was damaged by USPS).
My advice, if you have an issue, call them during their normal business hours and you should get a satisfactory result. They did not charge me any additonal shipping fees to resend the product.
On Mar 8, 2007, weasel71 Elmhurst, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
I ordered Tomatoes Alive and Shrubs Alive (for acid-loving plants) in March, 2006. The order arrived promptly. I was very happy with these products, especially the Tomatoes Alive fertilizer. I had so many tomatoes, I couldn't eat them fast enough. Plus I have plenty of fertilizer left over for this season! Anyway, I just placed a $75 order online today and experienced absolutely no drama. Their system accepted my catalog codes, gave me my $25 discount without hassle and I ended up paying $50 for 5 products, one of which was a 10# bag of rose fertilizer..not a bad deal.
Last year I got a 25$ free coupon. I went online and ordered a bunch of seeds. They arrived in no time at all and germinated and grew successfully. This year I received another coupon so I tried again to go online and order. I could not it would not take my codes so I called. I must admit I was on hold for a very long time and it did take a few minutes to get my info. (the U0 on my acct # on my catalog was a temporary one so that was why it did not work) The last time I ordered apparently someone did not type in the - between the zip code ie432231603 instead of properly 43223-1603) and the girl had a hard time understanding how to spell my last name. Anyway after about 10min of finding my real acct number and getting my order placed she took my credit card number (they don't do the discount until the card number is given) sure enough the discount came off and I got my confirmation in the email within a few hours of the proper charge amt (I ordered more then the 25$)
This is neutral because it was inconvient but since it is free/freeish I will not overly complain.I like the idea that they are no longer going to be selling plants just seeds and organic care products. Will post again once I get results.
On April 4th, 2007, kin2mice changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
I got everything in and so did my mum, seed germination was very high on the hot peppers and I am hopeful it will be high on the rest of the seeds. The fertilizers and pet care products have been working just like the company said they would (though my cat is allergic to the Pets alive suppliments - he is allergic to everything it does work on my coworkers cat)
If anything changes I will up date.
I have ordered Grub-Away Nematodes North which seemed to reduce grubs around my 2 old blue spruces, and also Soap-Shield & Pyola combo which again, seems to be effective on disease and insects. They advertise "all-natural" products and that matters to me!
Their catalog always has a large section illustrated with plant problems -- but, since they recommend a lot of products, try the Soap-Shield and Pyola first (works most of the time).
I found the products (plus shipping) were quite a bit more expensive than buying them at a large, locally-owned garden center an hour away -- but they are price-comparable if you use the $20 or $25 "gift coupons" they send. I would consider trying additional products, but only with coupons because of the price. I would definitely order the nematodes again, since they aren't available from local nurseries.
I have ordered only intermittently from Gardens Alive but have always been pleased. Items were promptly shipped and in good conditions, order was complete, and items performed as described. I've purchased ladybugs, praying mantis cocoons (twice on these), non-toxic slug repellant, Safer insecticidal soap that I can recall.
On Sep 16, 2006, Anitabryk2 Long Island, NY (Zone 6b) wrote:
I have used them for regular orders as well as multi delivery order [ladybugs] and was quite pleased. The order was filled correctly and promptly. I will continue to use this company.
On Jun 16, 2006, Pashta Moncks Corner, SC (Zone 8b) wrote:
I ordered a bottle of condensed neem oil for natural insect repellant. It arrived exactly as I expected when I expected. Its just really nice when something is completely hassle free.
