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I really like the McClure and Zimmerman catalogue, and placed an order for spring planted bulbs. I got three kinds of bulbs and a small species iris. I was very disappointed with the results. One kind of bulb never came up at all. Another kind came up, but not a single plant bloomed. The third kind came up, but only one of the six plants bloomed. The iris was perfectly healthy, but had been stored upside-down before shipping, so the leaf sprouts were facing the same direction as the roots, making it very hard to plant. It is doing fine, but is growing at a strong slant. I called and complained, and they have refunded most of my money. However, the woman I spoke to did not apologize for my disappointment. She did not act as though she cared that their company had disappointed me. I will not order from McClure and Zimmerman again.
In the fall of 1999, I ordered a variety of bulbs from McClure & Zimmerman. The bulbs I promptly received were large, fresh and well-packaged to protect from shipping damage. Although I still don't have the results of the bulbs I planted, those that I forced produced lush, fragrant blooms.
Another one of my favorite catalogs--a wide variety of unusual bulbs, many of which I can't order from other bulb catalogs at the proper planting time (many spring-planted bulbs are planted in the fall here in my zone 9 Gulf Coast garden). The bulbs I've received have performed beautifully, arrived at the proper planting time and were reasonably priced. The customer service staff couldn't be nicer or have a better sense of humor (I called back four times after my initial order to add to it.) Great catalog, great company, order from McClure & Zimmerman if you've never tried them.
I recently ordered in excess of $400.00 from McCLure & Zimmerman and I couldn't be more satisfied. Not only do they have a beautiful, well-organized catalog, but their service can't be beat. When I had questions about which bulbs I could force indoors the operator almost gave me too much customer support! (I'm fairly sure I was speaking to a master gardener.) Although my order has not yet arrived, I have heard the praises of McClure & Zimmerman from many friends and family, I can't wait for my order to arrive.
I recently ordered from them as well. This was my first garden, even though I come from a long line of big gardeners. My mother remembers ordering from this company when they were operating out of an apartment building a couple of blocks from her house in Chicago. She has always loved them and told me to order from them. Because my yard had not been tended to for some time before we moved in, I had large,empty flower beds. I ordered in excess of $100 in bulbs in August. Because I was doing my bulb beds in layers, I needed to have everything in order to begin planting. I received one package here, and one package there for 2 ½ months, but I still had not received everything.After 2 months had passed, I began calling and e-mailing every week, only to be told that the rest of my order would arrive the following week. After more than three months since I had placed my order, I was informed that the rest of my order would not arrive because it was not it stock. Not once during any of the 8 or 10 times that I called and e-mail did anyone mention this. Each time I was told that the items were in stock and would be arriving the following week. If this wasn't bad enough, I never once received an apology, nor was there any attempt to make it up to me. Because they had waited so long to inform me that they were out of stock, I was unable to purchase what I wanted anywhere else because other nurseries were, by then, out of stock. As a result, I will have huge holes in my garden next year. I guess the holes will keep me from being tempted to order from McZ, because each time I look at them, I will be reminded of this experience. I guess this is just a case of a small company trying to grow, and losing sight of what made itsuccessful in the first place. Incidentally, a few days after I sent this, I received a notice that I would not be receiving the rest of my order. In short, that means that in the first week of December they decided to let me know ( I live in Chicago) that they weren't shipping the rest of my bulbs. That doesn't make any sense since it would have been too late to plant by then anyway.
When I made the decision to make only one bulb order each Fall, I choose McClure & Zimmerman. Although there are no color pictures, they include detailed plant descriptions, good zone information and excellent cultivation instructions. I find this last point unusual where bulbs are concerned. There are many things which wont grow well where the soil doesn't drain in the winter and you will find this information in the M&Z catalog. The bulbs are top size and I have had mostly good results from things I planted. In addition they offer many items that you won't see elsewhere.
