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Ive ordered from Stark Bros twice, and was happy with both orders. Their pawpaw trees were taller and their cherry trees were thicker in diameter than expected for the price. Ive only had one plant from them die so far, but all the others are as healthy as can be.
On May 16, 2013, Cymbelina Prattville, AL (Zone 8a) wrote:
I ordered several hundred dollars of plants by mail this year and Stark Brothers is a company I will do business with again. I ordered the dwarf peach collection and a southern blueberry collection. The blueberries arrived about a week or so before the peaches but both arrived within a fast-reasonable shipping time. Having never really grown anything bareroot, I believed the Watchdog rating and took the chance. We planted the peach trees and within a week or so, all had new growth. Amazing! The potted blueberries are up and growing as well. Everything was well packaged and didn't lose a grain of soil during shipping. Great company and thanks to Garden Watchdog for pointing me in the right direction!
I have ordered from Stark Bros. 4 times during the last 8 months. All orders have been shipped on time and arrived in excellent condition. All orders were for Knockout Roses and totaled approximately 80 plants. There was a small glitch with my most recent order that I received a few days ago. One plant out of 17 was very small and not healthy. It died one day after receipt. However, I Emailed Stark Bros. regarding the problem and received a response immediately from Elaine stating they would issue a credit for the one plant. Great company to work with and will order from them again.
I ordered 16 fruit trees, 75 strawberry plants, 27 raspberry plants, and 18 blackberry plants.
The trees & raspberries were bare root and of the size and kind I ordered.
I was unable to get the trees in the ground as soon as I received them due to heavy snow followed by a business trip. Stark told me how to keep them alive and healthy during their nearly three week wait.
I have them in the ground and 15 of the 16 trees immediately sprung to life. I will give the last one another two or three weeks and then call if no luck. The raspberries are coming to life nicely and the blackberries are doing ok. The strawberries are a mixed lot, some ok, some not flourishing but this is due to heavy rain and standing water in my garden, not Stark Bros.
Bottom line:
Received what I ordered? Yes
Received when promised? Yes
Answered the phone every time I called (x 4)? Yes
Charged what I was told? Yes
Would order again? Most likely. I found that my local Tractor Supply Company has Berries and some fruit trees so I will give them first shot, but for specialty items I will likely be using Stark.
I ordered 7 dwarf fruit trees from Stark Bros. and 18 blackberry plants. These fruit trees were very sturdy compared to what I had received from other companies in the past. I am very happy so far.
On Apr 17, 2013, jameswewing Bainbridge Island, WA wrote:
I've been buying from Stark Bros. for decades and have always been satisfied with the quality and service. This year I noticed that while still healthy and vigorous, the plant size seemed smaller than in the past. The honeyberry plants were nothing more than twigs. Stark's great customer service came through and we arrived at a good solution. The bottom line is that I will still buy from Stark's but will definitely pay more attention to size and special pricing than I did in the past.
wow what a company, I ordered 10 hybrid willows, 10 lombardy poplars and 2 wisteria trees. I was blown away by the size of the willows, huge, beautiful, and they are the picture of health. the poplars were also a nice size and look very healthy. the wisteria trees also look very healthy, but could have been larger. This is my first time ordering from this company, since then I have placed two more orders with them. I cannot wait for them to arrive. I also want to say that they have knowledgeable people on the phone, I inadvertantly messed up on my most recent order and the lady I had on the phone was nice as can be, patient, explaining things, just an overall great company to do business with.
On Apr 11, 2013, cjparker Kennewick, WA (Zone 7a) wrote:
I have ordered twice a year now from Stark for the past 3 years. Each item I've received is doing fine! I got raspberries the first year I planted the canes, the peach trees are full of blossoms, the Honeycrisp apple tree is growing like mad, the blackberries have come up strong and healthy, and the 2 in 1 plum and 2 in 1 cherry have grown more than expected. I am delighted with the quality of my plants and look forward to reaping the harvest when the trees are mature enough to set fruit. My plants have all arrived in excellent condition, healthy and strong.
On Apr 8, 2013, hoosierbananna Indianapolis, IN wrote:
Posted on April 3, 2012, updated April 8, 2013
Posted on April 26, 2011, updated April 3, 2012
Ordered a paw paw tree and a rose bush this Spring. Promptly shipped, well-packed. Tree was small but had good roots, rose was small but healthy. Will be doing business with Starks again. Urban gardener in Indy, 5-B.
On April 3rd, 2012, hoosierbananna added the following:
Spring 2012: ordered five more trees from Stark Brothers; 2 paw paws, 2 asian pear dwarfs, and a Mimosa. Don't know if the Mimosa will survive the winters in Indy, unless they are a repeat of this year, but giving it a try nevertheless. All of the trees exceeded my expectations, were large and well-rooted, carefully packed, delivered right on time. This is my favorite company to order from, and I commend them for their integrity and great service.On April 8th, 2013, hoosierbananna added the following:
I ordered several more dwarf fruit trees from Stark Brothers this Spring, along with a bunch of Raspberries. All exceeded my expectations in quality and the service and delivery were perfect. Still my favorite mail order nursery. Love your catalogs and website and e-mailings, wish I had a larger yard to indulge my gardening compulsion. Thanks and kudos.
On Apr 7, 2013, kattrox Floyds Knobs, IN (Zone 6b) wrote:
Order was received in less than a week and trees and bushes arrived in excellent condition, well taken care of at the nursery level, root systems were healthy. Highly recommend Stark. Guarantee is second to none! Thanks so much!
On Apr 1, 2013, mmercedes Houtzdale, PA (Zone 5a) wrote:
I have to join the happy customers here to post an exceptionally postive experience with customer service. I placed two orders this Spring of 2013 with Stark Brothers. I received the first order (about $400 worth) for 3 Apricot, 4 Sweet Cherry, 3 Peach, 2 Beach Plum, 1 Mulberry, 2 Elderberry, 1 Almond and 2 Honey Berry last Friday. The ground was a sheet of solid ice and it was snowing heavily. The temps here are still in the teens at night. (The ground is still frozen solid as of April 1st.) I had no safe, cool place to store two huge boxes of dormant plants.
I called customer service to complain that I was upset that no one had monitored the weather in this exceptionally long, cold winter here in the N.E. and was not happy to receive these plants under such difficult conditions. It is impossible to "heel" them in while the ground is rock solid frozen... and the cellar is just too warm to store them.
I called on a Friday and Customer Service immediately offered to send FedEx on Monday to take the entire order back and reship my order later at the date of my choice. You CAN NOT beat that kind of service! Because I ordered a number of "supreme" trees that were sold out and would not be in the replacement order, I decided to open the boxes and go ahead and keep everything when I saw how nice the plants looked. Instead of returning it, I spent the weekend in the cellar planting everything in large pots and tubs and then moved them out to a protected small greenhouse.
One of the shrubs had a twisted taproot and customer service also agreed, without hesitation, to send out a replacement with my second order.
To summarize, the plants look good to date, though still dormant. The customer service has been top rate so far.
If you live in a northern climate, I suggest you call your order in and *specify* a shipping date that will work for you, especially for Spring orders.
On Mar 22, 2013, balconygardner New York, NY wrote:
After multiple pre-orders and cancellations I finally made up my mind on which trees to purchase -- Honeycrisp supreme dwarf apple, Pink Lady supreme dwarf apple, Stanley supreme dwarf plum, and Montmorency semi-dwarf cherry. I finalized my order in the beginning of February with an estimated ship date of March 4th. It shipped on the 6th due to a passing snowstorm, and it arrived on 9th in great condition.
The two apple trees were plump and well branched at 4.5 feet tall, the plum (although very stocky) was just under 4 feet with a few branches, and the cherry was on the short side, but had great bud activity. All the trees had a healthy root system, and all the grafts looked solid. There was some bud loss and a few snapped branches (to be expected from shipping) otherwise the trees were in great shape.
I soaked the trees in water for two hours and immediately planted each in a 15 gallon pot. They were dormant upon arrival and are all showing signs of bud growth. I am very impressed so far and look forward to the growing season! I'll post another update farther into the year.
Posted on October 30, 2012, updated March 20, 2013
Posted on April 4, 2012, updated October 30, 2012
I placed an order for several raspberry plants last fall. On January I added more raspberries to my order as well as a pair of elderberries. I was very please when I opened the boxes. The plant were obviously dormant, however they had very large root systems.
I was told my order was going to be shipped on March 27th. I was surprised when I received one box on the 24th and another on the 25th. My only fear was that if this was a regular Michigan winter I would have not been able to plant them right away. Probably not a big issue. Where I live the ground is not workable until the second week of April.
This is my first time ordering plants online, however I did my research and decided to order from Stark Brothers because most of the reviews were positives. I will order from them again.
On October 30th, 2012, camalianus added the following:
I'm very please with the raspberry plants. They sent me one extra because one was very small. All plants(37) except one came back to life, grew like weeds and even bear fruits. I was really concerned because of the drought and heat. However I made sure to water them at least twice a week. They were still blooming and giving more fruits when the first frost hit. Very healthy and vigorous plants. I highly recomend them and will buy more trees next year. On March 19th, 2013, camalianus added the following:
I placed an order of 2 hardy figs and Satin Plumcot on 11-17-12 to be shipped by the second week of April. Last week I recieived a letter stating they were sold out of the Satin Plumcot. I was very disappointed. I called them and was told some trees didn't survive the winter. They told me that trees will be available to be shipped by November. November is too late for my area to plant a tree and if they didn't survive in the nursery, most likely won't survive the outside conditions. Obviously they oversold, because after being on the business for this long they should've known the survival rate of their trees. I decided to cancelled my order. There was no charge for it which was good. A bitter sweet experience
After having a bad experience with ordering paw paw trees from another company, I decided to pay a little more and order from Stark Bros. They shipped sturdy little trees about 3 ft. tall (not at all like the tiny, pathetic twigs from the other place.) They had well-developed root systems and were carefully packaged.
The trees have now been in my garden a couple of seasons and although they have yet to bear fruit, they are still growing and doing fine. I wish I had ordered from Stark first!
On Nov 30, 2012, OldChurchEggery Mechanicsville, VA wrote:
I am in zone 7 and had a fall shipment of plants from Stark: 3 Anne raspberries, 1 cherry as a back-up pollinator for my existing trees, 1 nectarine, and 1 plum. Everything arrived in early November and went right into the ground the same day. I was pleased with the size and condition of everything though I won't know how things do until spring when they leaf out. It looked like the trees had good buds, though. Next year I'll provide a progress report, but I already feel that I got my money's worth.
On Nov 21, 2012, GPBurdell Kennesaw, GA (Zone 7b) wrote:
Big fan and repeat customer. Over the last 2 years I have bought 33 fruit trees from 6 different sources. The Stark trees did the best by far in their first year, which is why i have gone back to them to fill in dead holes left by others. I now have 4 different cherries, 3 Pawpaw, mulberry, 2in1 pear, and an apple from stark. Next year I may replace some of the trees from other vendors that lived, but I will be pruning them them using the stark shipments as a model first.
For everything else I want in the future I will check stark first. They don't do pomogranate.
I have ordered trees/plants from Stark Bro's two times. Last year I purchased one persimon, blackberry, raspberry and other garden plants. I called them and asked when I expect to fruit, I was told for 3 or 4 years for persimons, and 2 years for blackberry. When I received the order, I was a little dispointed about the blackberry, they was new plant in less than two inch. I said well I will wait for two years. By summer, I noticed they were growing crazy, till last winter they were around 5 feet. This summer they started bearing fruits--big and many! Now (it is the second year) they are about 10 feet and grew many twigs expending around the root. (I bought "Tripple Crown")
About the persimon tree, last year we had extremely hot summer, the tree died. I phoned them and as they committed I had a new tree mailed last fall. This tree was alive this summer but it looks not very vigrous. I think this type tree is not suitable for planting in my place.
This years I had ordered more raspberry plants, and 2-in-1 asian pears. I was satisfied with the caliper of the trees and these trees were growing good this summer. The raspberry plants were growing good too. In fall I had harvested some (not many). I compared with their catelog, the berries are like what they described about the size, production, and taste.
I have read about one negtive comment about the small size of blackberry. My experience is that wait until one year to comment. I actually bought two "big" blackberry plant from local store last year. They were $20 each, with flowers on. After picking some very small fruits, one died, one although not die but did not grow vey well.
So for berry plants, it does not mean the bigger you plant the better.
I ordered 4 blueberry plants and 2 packages (50 plants if I remember correctly) of bare root strawberry plants early this spring (about 4 months ago). The blueberry plants were packaged well and in good condition, but were heavily pruned without many leaves. One blueberry plant had shifted a bit during shipping and had 1 branch broken. The strawberries were a bunched together tangle of bare roots without any leaves, it was a bit surprising as it was my first time ordering bare root, but obviously it was how they were supposed to come. It was actually my first time ordering plants online. I followed all of the directions in the very nice pamphlet that came with the shipment. Now 4 months later all of my plants look fantastic and are growing very well. Only about 2-3 of the strawberry plants didn't make it, all of the others have grown great, produced strawberries and are now sending out runners. I think that Stark Bros. did an excellent job and I will be ordering from them next time.
On May 28, 2012, hah Waukesha County, WI (Zone 5a) wrote:
I ordered Contender Peach Dwarf Supreme and Illinois Everbearing Mulberry .
The Mulberry was in a pot, but all pruned up (so looked like a long stick). It is just a few weeks later, and it has budded huge leaves all around. A very happy tree, despite me planting it way in the back and pretty much ignoring it.
The contender tree was bareroot (also a stick). I could see leaves just starting to bud after about 2.5 weeks. They are still just starting to peek out, but the tree is green and seems to be growing. Came taller than expected.
When choosing a company to buy apple trees from, save your time and just order from Stark Bros. Needless to say, you will not be disappointed. Like me, you will be extremely pleased by the vigorous, healthy, well rooted, nice diameter trees. I would also recommend to get their supreme versions, as these are advertised to be their best of the bunch. Stark Bros also preprunes these bargain trees prior to sending them on their journey thru the mail system to your house. Just as a comparison, I purchased a similar Golden Delicious from a big box store since it was priced at only 5 bucks. The roots on the big box store tree were pathetically shallow and weak. That bamboo rod they shove in the pot is really needed to keep this tree standing. I also bought a couple of tree wisteria plants for landscaping, and they are doing well. Stark Bros already is reaping benefits from my word of mouth as my boss at work will be ordering from them based on my experience. Stark Bros has made a happy customer in PA.
I have a moderately large (25 trees) seasonal orchard in Minnesota of 95% Stark trees. I have been planting Stark trees for three years now. In all that time I have lost only 3 trees (during the summer months) and they have been replaced with quality stock -- no questions asked.
Any company can grow/ship trees and have them die no matter the care, once in a while. These are living things and you can't bat 100% all the time.
These Stark trees are ALL blooming now (3 years on most -- 2 trees bloomed the year they were planted). This is the kind of quality and customer service that makes me come back time and time again.
I can honestly say that I have ordered a few trees from other companies and it has been hit and miss. With Stark's trees I really don't have any issues.
I love Stark Brothers. I ordered 50 fruit and nut trees of various varieties last year, as well as blackberries, blueberries and grapes. Everything came in great condition. We only had 2 trees & 1 blueberry bush of the group not make it through the season, and Stark Brothers promptly replaced them when I called without any hassle at all. We ordered several new trees this year, and all are thriving.
Every thing we have received from Stark Bros. has been packaged well and arrives very quickly in tip top shape. Nut trees, fruit trees, and berries arrived looking as if they never went through transit and took off growing happily.
On Apr 28, 2012, newbie2006 Alachua, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:
I have done a lot of mail order shopping for plants, and have found this site to be be quite reliable. I wanted to take a moment to let y'all know about the *amazing* experience I had with Stark Bros. not only was the shipment delivered in a timely manner, but when they arruved they were in excellent condition, packed beautifully and the soil was still moist. To top it off shipping was even free!
This was my first order with Stark Bros, though this was not the first time I tried an "online nursery." I was worried about ordering again from an online nursery since so many others I've tried in the past were just pathetic (not to mention none of the plants from the other companies have survived).
I have to say I was blown away by the quality of their products. I ordered 23 trees (mostly fruit and nut trees) and 5 grapevines. The trees were extremly well packaged and arrived in pristine condition. We planted them same-day and the plants seem to be doing well. The trees were much bigger than I anticipated! In fact, for trees of similar size from our local nursery or home improvement store, I would have paid a signficant amount more, so I am glad I gave Stark Bros a try!
Everything has gone smoothly with this order, and I fully intend to purchase more trees from Stark Bros in the very near future. I would most definitely recommend Stark Bros to anyone looking for a quality product!
I am so very excited to see our beautiful new trees start to bloom and thrive!
I have ordered 4 times from Stark Bros Nursery and I had an issue with a few plants that died, probably because how i planted them and where I planted them. When I called Stark Bros Nursery about the plants, they promptly replaced them with new plants. no hassles, no extra charges, just prompt and courtious service. It has been a pleasure dealing with Star Bros Nursery. I highly recommend them.
On Apr 6, 2012, oosa Northbrook, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
Absolutely wonderful healthy trees. Exceeded my expectations.
I ordered from different nurseries before. This year we are planting a large new orchard of over 20 trees. I ordered 5 of them from Stark Bro's. Should have ordered all 20 trees from them. Very high quality, especially compared to other mail order places. I wish I found this place earlier.
I ordered from Stark Bros. for the first time this spring, based on the information and reviews from this site. I was not disappointed! I ordered an Asian plum, which came beautifully packaged with gorgeous roots. It was a full inch diameter, and over three feet tall! I have ordered from Gurney's in the past, and based on the price, I expected a teeny stick. It's only been in the ground a week, and already the buds are swelling.
Stark Bros. has gained a customer, and Gurney's has lost one.
On Mar 29, 2012, auntnana21 Fall Branch, TN wrote:
I've ordered from Stark Brothers for years. My little orchard is now 100+ of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and apricots. I recently moved an ugly apple tree (not a Stark but one I grafted myself) and ordered a Stark Orleans apple to replace it. Now I know we've had an unusually warm spring but their growing rate is ridiculous! I mean that in a good way. A couple of weeks after planting I was walking through the newest part of the orchard and had to think about which tree was the replacement because it had leafed out so well! I've only had to call in for a replacement a couple of times over the past decade or so and the customer service is top notch. No hassles or haggles and the replacements did well. Last year I had an unusual ailment with one of my trees. I sent pictures to Stark asking for help and advice. They responded very promptly, courteously, and were exactly right on the diagnosis! I lost the tree but the new one is flourishing.
How about the fruits? They seem to always produce within at least two years. I've now won two master baker awards at the regional fair using the Montmorency cherries in my pie! Nuf said? Although my mother was a little disappointed over the peaches last year. My father came to help me pick fruit and noticed some of the newer peach trees had their first ripe peaches. Well we stood right there next to the tree and ate them all. None left for him to take home! Maybe I'll save her some this year.
My sister thought she wanted to plant an apple tree so I gave her my catalog. She thought they were expensive but I told her "You get what you pay for. Order the Stark!" I've made the mistake in the past and bought a couple from Home Depot or Lowes. They were dug up and burned. She ordered the Stark and uttered the oh so painful "You were right about Stark" phrase. She has an all-around black thumb but her tree is thriving.
Are they a little more expensive than the local big box stores? Yes. Are they worth it? Absolutely! The customer service alone makes up for the price difference. I will be a long time customer and hope my kids will be one day also.
I have been trying to grow Paw Paw trees for about 10-12 years now (back in the day when all I could find were the little sticks in cellophane sleeves). I have planted probably 7 or 8 of the bare root variety (not from Stark) with little success.
Last year (2011), I was please to find 4 different varieties from Stark. I planted 2 of them in the spring and was so happy with them that I ordered, and planted, 4 more in the fall.
They look to all be doing well this spring (with one of the little guys even producing flowers -- I will use those flowers to pollinate one of the previous plants).
So far so good, the ordering process was definately easier than the searching and choosing parts. I placed a small order, though I could easily have placed a much larger order, I want to have a good idea of what I am dealing with before commiting a lot of my gardening dollars to a company.
I searched for a fruit tree supplier that would hae a good reputation on Dave's Garden, whihc is how I found Stark Bros at all. I crossed my fingers that they would offer fair sized, study apricot trees as this years addition to my dwarf home orchard. Since they do, I ordered two Dwarf Supreme trees at 27.99 each:
Wilson Delicious Apricot Dwarf Supreme
Harglow Apricot Dwarf Supreme
and then found some Hinnonmaki Red Gooseberries that I would like to grow too, so bought two of those at 11.99 each.
There was a shipping special that added up to free shipping on my order, which is a big plus since most companies charge almost as much for shipping per tree as they do for the trees!
Anyway, if this company pans out and is as good as I hope it is, I saw peaches, pears, plums, nectarines, cherries and currents I'd love to add to my orchard.
On Mar 12, 2012, suzyqorchids Lexington, KY wrote:
Ordered dwarf 'Blushingstar' peach. Arrived on time and roots are in great shape. However, two of the 5 side branches are broken; I planted it anyway since I think it is healthy and will grow new ones. Sure hope so! They were great about no substitutions as I requested too. Hope in a few years to have beautiful white peaches!
Posted on March 17, 2011, updated March 9, 2012
Posted on June 24, 2010, updated March 17, 2011
Posted on May 2, 2010, updated June 24, 2010
Posted on March 8, 2010, updated May 2, 2010
Posted on March 10, 2004, updated March 8, 2010
I've always been happy with their fruit trees - they really HAVE started bearing after a couple of years and have grown well for me.
I've also been pleased with their strawberry plants, bareroot raspberries and blackberries.
Not too happy with their dogwood tree, though - $20 is a lot to pay for an unbranched whip, with a trunk less than 1/2 inch diameter, in a very small (4 inch, I think) pot. It looks healthy and like it will grow, but it'll be a while before it amounts to much.
On July 9th, 2004, AS added the following:
I'd definitely be cautious about the dogwood, unless you can baby it for a year or two. Its tiny root system didn't survive a month of our hot, dry summer, even in improved soil - needed watering every other day and finally wilted irreversibly. I'm sure they'd replace it if I asked, but I won't bother since I can't give it the care it obviously needs. The peach tree, on the other hand, is now 7 feet tall in its second year and had 10-15 peaches (before the squirrels ate them all while they were still green, small and hard!) On March 8th, 2010, AS changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:
Mixed experience this time, somewhere between positive and neutral. I was very pleased with the two apple trees - they were big and well-branched, like the trees I used to get from Stark. The rest looked almost as if they had chosen small stock so they could ship the whole lot (8 fruit trees) in a single, not terribly wide, box. The peach was small but well-branched - but I'll be very surprised if this one bears fruit within the next 2-3 years. The rest had trunks smaller than my little finger. A couple were unbranched whips, and the others had one or two puny branches. The roots looked decent, and provided they thrive, I'll be satisfied. I can't get these same varieties locally. But for roughly $25 a tree, I expect a bit better.
So for now, I'm withholding judgement. If the tiny trees do better than I expect, I'll upgrade to positive.On May 2nd, 2010, AS added the following:
Most of the trees leafed out nicely, though a third of them (the whips) look like bushes rather than trees and will need a lot more training than I expected. As I expected, I'm very pleased with the apples and one peach. Most of the others are healthy, and satisfactory except for the small size for the price. But one tree, which had a very crooked graft and a poorer root system than the others, is sickly and looks like it's trying to die. On June 24th, 2010, AS changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Most of the trees did about as I expected. The sickly one never managed to leaf out, but Stark gave me no trouble about scheduling a replacement for this fall. The 3 biggest trees are doing great - they remind me of the old Stark trees I used to buy. Of the whips and smaller trees, one impressed me by growing to almost the same height as the apples, so far. The others are maybe a year or two behind. I can live with that, though I wish they grew their smaller stock for another year before selling it. Provided the replacement for the dead tree is fine, I'd call the experience mostly positive. The size was a mixed bag, but most were very healthy and the problem tree (which can happen with any company) was replaced without hassles. On March 17th, 2011, AS added the following:
Final impression is still "mostly positive." Got a replacement tree that was unbranched but with much better roots and a much thicker trunk than the original tree (which was pretty puny).
After their second spring pruning (this year), I'm definitely happier with the 3 big trees than the rest. I had an abundance of new branches to work with on those, and it was easy to pick good branches to keep. The smaller trees still have only a few branches, and some never developed one in the right direction to use as a central leader. With good pruning, that should change this year. Still, it's a nuisance. A pity they don't offer more than one size, with different prices and a description of the caliper on the trees.On March 9th, 2012, AS added the following:
Final update: Mostly positive, but with caveats.
The apples and peach did very well, and are turning into nice, big trees. Looks like they might even have fruit this year. Most of the others (which arrived as thin whips) are growing well enough, though still quite small. Right now, they're mostly about the size I could buy at our local stores - so basically, I would have been better off buying locally, as long as I wasn't too picky as far as variety. The pear whips are still ridiculously small. I'd forgotten that pears are slow growers. Definitely wouldn't buy those again as whips from Stark unless there was something I absolutely had to have and was very, veeery patient... On Mar 9, 2012, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
"On Aug 9, 2010 1:25 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
Please be sure to let us know the condition of your replacement when you receive it this fall! Customer Service can be reached by phone (800.325.4180) or email (info@starkbros.com).
So glad to hear your other trees are growing strong and well. : )"
Posted on March 7, 2012, updated March 7, 2012
I purchased 3 Pink Lady dwarf apple trees. I was completely satisfied with the transaction. Their website is well organized and their order process simple and efficient. The plants arrived promptly, they were as described, well packed and in excellent condition. I asked their customer service when when the plants would produce first fruit (I didn't know if they were 1 or 2 year stock). They answered promptly (2 to 3 yrs, which i hope may be a bit pessimistic) but nevertheless a prompt answer.
Now then, when i asked them what is the rootstock for these plants, i got crickets. Nothing. Zilch. I asked again same thing. Silence.
I paid $27 each for the plants, i think i am entitled to simple answer. It cannot be that difficult!
On March 7th, 2012, RidleyWalker changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
On Mar 7, 2012, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
"On Mar 7, 2012 12:44 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
You are certainly entitled to an answer! Please accept our apologies for failing to give you a timely response. All of our dwarf apple trees are budded to either M26 or M9 rootstock. We do not sell our trees specifically by their rootstock, and our Customer Service representatives do not know which of those two are exactly on the trees shipped to you. You can be sure that your Pink Lady dwarf apple trees have either M26 or M9 rootstocks, though.
Has your question been answered, or can we explain this better? Please feel free to email us directly at info@starkbros.com, or call our Customer Service Manager at 800.325.4180. However we can be of help, we'd like to be!
I have been a stark customer for many years, my beloved late grandfather was a lifelong stark customer and when I decided to grow a small orchard on my farm,just like he did, he said these words to me, boy you need to order your new trees from stark brothers ,here is my catalogue they are the very best trees money can buy I only grow stark here,his trees are still producing to this day,my trees are doing well, now my son has purchased four apple trees from stark last fall, I told him the exact words my grandpa told me,,,three generations of stark growers ,,anyone reading this can feel safe buying stark,they are the best trees money can buy. thank you stark for all your good work.
On Feb 29, 2012, melody Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote:
I ordered asparagus and rhubarb crowns. My order was promptly shipped and arrived in wonderful condition. I'm quite pleased with everything and can't wait to get them in the ground!
I ordered some Asian Persimmon trees from Stark Bros. year before last. I got them shipped in fall, since I am in zone 8, and the trees looked great when they arrived. Well 2 out of 3 didn't make it through the harsh winter - but I had no problems getting Stark to refund my credit card.
I ordered replacements this past fall, but soon after ordering I unexpectedly had to move to another county (long story). I forgot to email them and when it came time to ship, they of course shipped to the address I had given them - my old address. Oops. Well I contacted them just to see if the person at my old place had maybe called them about getting plants they didn't order - no such luck. However, they were generous enough to reship my order to my new address free of charge, no questions asked. And it was totally my mistake for getting swept up in the drama of life and not emailing them my new address. I'm awestruck. You just don't find that kind of customer service these days. I'll be a customer for life.
On Feb 24, 2012, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
"On Mar 2, 2012 12:02 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
Your review gave our Customer Service Team all smiles! : ) We're so happy you'll get your order this spring. Thank you for letting us grow with you.
I have been ordering fruit trees from Starks for about ten years. Ten years ago they were just a mediocre nursery but they were bought by new owners a few years ago and since then I have gotten quality stock every time. Their website is much improved from the old one and their variety selections have improved as well. I wouldn't quite go so far as to say they are top-5 but they are definitely above average and a place I don't hesitate to order from if they have what I want. Their shipping rates are also very reasonable, lower than most places.
This was my first fruit tree order from Stark Brothers. I have purchased fruit tree from several sources over the years so I was surprised that Stark Bros. trees were so much better than the others including other high rated fruit tree suppliers.
I wished I would have started ordering from Stark when I first started my home orchard.
On Feb 23, 2012, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
"On Mar 2, 2012 11:58 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:
It's true that customer satisfaction is our highest priority here, so you've no idea how *good* it is to hear that your first-time order was so pleasantly received! : ) Thank you for sharing. We're proud of our stock-- and it sounds like it's in good hands in your home orchard. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to grow with you! : )
