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I was not entirely pleased with Direct Gardening, but after reading all the other comments here, I guess I should feel lucky that my experience was not nearly as bad as these poor folks.
I placed my order in early Feb., hoping that I get an early start in temperate California. The order consisted of lots of hybrid willows, forsythia, mock orange, Hall's honeysuckle, hydrangea trees, firethorn, wintercreeper, and candy tuft. I got an email confirmation of my order, and that was that. Nothing was said about shipping date. When I inquired a couple of weeks later, I was told it would take several more weeks. I finally received the green bag in mid March.
My experience is that most of the bigger plants survived the tortuous shipping and some are doing reasonably well and some are alive but not really growing, while most of the tiny ones like the candy tufts were DOA and the ones that survived are still looking puny bad after 4 months. I requested for replacements for the dead ones, and after 4 weeks, I again had to inquire about shipping for the replacement plants. I got the replacement plants 3 weeks later, and they too were DOA. I doubt I will request for more dead plants. My inquiries were always answered promptly by email, but I was bothered by the fact that I have to make inquiries at all.
Last week, I bought quite a few of gallon potted plants at Walmart for $1 each on clearance!! These are beautifully lush good sized plants that are making an immediate visual impact in my yard already, unlike the sticks that I got from Direct Gardening. I doubt I will ever buy plants through mail order again. What I will do is to keep an eye out for sales at the local nurseries. In summary, I may pay a little more, but I get so much more back in return. As for the plants I bought at Walmart. they turned out to be cheaper than the ones I got from DG.
On Jun 2, 2009, StellysPapa Dothan, AL (Zone 8a) wrote:
I have bought from them in the past without any problems. But, I just recently bought 8 Pardon Me daylilies and received them today. They were each in a separate plastic bag, with no soil. Each one had mold and mildew on them. Most of them do have some sign of life but a few do not. I will plant them and see what happens, and report back with an update.
The prices were really low, so I gave them a try before reading their reviews. My merchandise arrived promptly but was not in great shape. A couple asparagus roots were rotten, but the others were fine. The douglas fir trees were brown and dry, but, after a week, it appears they will recover. The strawberry plants were small, but seem to be doing ok. I've received better quality plants from other companies, so I'm not planning on being a return customer to Direct Gardening.
On Apr 28, 2009, mom24cuties Silverdale, WA wrote:
I placed my order in Dec. and received the first of 2 shipments in March. I ordered 3 dwarf trees ( Apple, Plum, Peach ) , 25 Strawberry plants and 2 Butterfly bushes. The strawberry plants were a somewhat rotten, the butterfly bushes were completely dried out and the trees, err sticks looked pretty dead too. Did the scratch test and they were still green. Bagged them in 50% compost 50% topsoil and set them out in the sun. After about 2 weeks the apple tree started leaving. I decided to plant them and now the apple tree has plenty of leaves. It is only about 2 feet, nothing more than a stick with leaves but it is alive and a dwarf so hopefully it will become a tree one day. The plum is a little bigger with a few branches ( all dried out ) but is showing new buds, here's hoping. The peach stick is just that , a dried stick with no sign of life.
Of the 25 strawberry plants 15 have survived and started growing.
I will try to return the peach and butterfly and see what happens.
I guess for the price I can't complain too much.
Second package contained 1 Lemon and 1 Orange dwarf tree. Came about 10" tall with bright green leaves. The soil had spilled out of the little container but the roots were undamaged. Pot planted them the next day ( about 2 weeks ago) and they are doing good. The orange tree has several new leaves and the Lemon is starting a few.
OTOH my neighbor ordered several plants just about a month ago and received them last week. Much better looking stuff than what I got. Perhaps the time of year when you place your order has something to do with it?
Since I only need a few items I would again order from them knowing that it is a 50/50 thing and for the price I'm willing to take that chance. However the customer service is not very good and can be frustrating.
I hadn't heard about this company before I placed my order, but the price on the red maples, blueberries and aspargus inticed me to give them a try.
My first discomfort with them was when I sent an e-mail asking when the order would ship. They responded that they needed the address and my name along with the order number I had already provided. I also asked if there was a better way to check shipping.
I recieved a canned response stating they had received my order, but did not address my questions. So, I tried again. Within two weeks I had a date narrowed down to a six week time frame and some of my other questions answered, but not all.
I recieved the large green bag with my bare root stick trees, asparagus roots inside an additional bag and two potted blueberry bushes with no packing materials, two weeks before the begining of the shipping window.
Asparagus roots were starting to rot, but called customer service and agreed to plant them anyway. I ended up trimming the roots and planting. Believe it or not some are coming up. I doubt that more than half will make it.
I planted the Maple sticks - no current sign of life, but I do not think they are dead.
Blueberries - one is dead and the other was already sprouting a great deal of new growth when recieved. It is planted and I hope it will continue to tolerate the strange weather.
Not a terrible experience, but I do urge the company to work on their customer service skills, packaging practices and electronic systems for tracking. There are other much better internet companies, but few can meet the price. But again if the stock is consistently a problem, is it truly the cheaper alternative? . I doubt I will do business with this company again, but then again the price is a great inticer. I know that I can't trust the stock to be delivered in great shape so if I do get inticed to try them again it will be on a very limited basis.
Recently I received a promotional e-mail ad to buy a Direct Gardening gift card. The card was promoted as a bargain gift: $20 for a $25 card. The ad suggested buying a card for oneself, which is precisely what I intended to do. Not in the ad, and not disclosed until online checkout, is a $9.49 shipping/handling fee, bringing the cost of a $25 gift cost to $29.49. During this holiday season, I have purchased a number of gift cards. Most retailers are pleased to process online purchases of gift cards and waive shipping and handling fees. (Gift cards tend to be favorable to retailers, since they receive payment upfront, and a proportion of the cards are never redeemed.) Be aware that Direct Gardening has chosen not to waive these fees, and customers who purchase a small number of cards will not enjoy the bargain savings promoted in the ad.
On Jun 1, 2008, HeritageFarm B, CO (Zone 5a) wrote:
So June has arrived & my plants have all had 4 to 6 weeks to get settled & growing. Here's the break down of successful per quantity ordered....
I have mixed feelings with this company right now. They have assured me via telephone that per their gaurentee, all I have to do is request replacements & they'll send them out free & keep sending them out until I have a living plant for every plant paid for ...... I really wonder about that, though I guess it's worth a try.
I'll give everything the course of the summer before I request replacements - every opportunity.
50/80 Asparagus Roots have sent up shoots
13/50 Blazing Stars poking thru the dirt
1/10 Eye Of Tiger Dutch iris
5/90 Mixed Dutch Iris
3/4 Rhubarb
3/6 Perenial Sweet Pea
0/2 Red Gooseberry
0/2 Jostaberry
1/2 Pink Weigelia
2/4 Mancharin Apricots
About half of the 2 lbs of Jerusalem Artichokes
3/10 Pussy Willows (most appeared to have dried wilted root systems on receipt)
2/4 Forsythia
2/6 Red Lake Currant (all were sealed in plastic bags & moldy!)
0/4 Gooseberry (again, sealed in plastic bacgs & moldy!)
0/3 Mtn Ash
4/12 Lombardy Poplar (all had sent out growing tips long before I received them - those growing tips long ago died off & molded)
0/2 White Spirea
0/4 Hardy Roses (all 4 had lots of dead sticks on them like they had been pulled from the ground last fall beforer the new growth had a chance to harden into solid wood. Less then 3 inches of good solid woody portions existed on each bush)
5/10 Hybrid Willows (these were in bundles of 5. Ironically the 5 that are growing were all in 1 bundle & the 5 that appear dead & are dried twigs were all bundled together)
2/4 Weeping Willow (2 bundles of 2. 1 large well rooted tree & 1 small poorly rooted tree in each bundle. The 2 small poorly rooted trees have done nothing!)
SEEDS: About 60% germination in the soil. Tested like we do native grass & forbes seeds, & the seeds from Direct Gardening ran about 65% germination .... bit disappointed.
I'm not some novice gardener. My degree is in Botany & Forestry & have many years working with the parks department rooting tree cuttings for reforestation projects. I'd think if there was the possibility of life in these plants, I likely would have gotten them to live!
They claim they send out the plants at the correct planting time for your area. My experience in my area is that the best success requires having them in the ground before daily temps routinely reach above 60 degrees. The heat & the wind & the dry air of late spring all the way thru to September can not be overcome in my neck of the woods regardless of how well you water the dormat dry root plants!!
We'll make our requets for replacements in the fall after temps have cooled a bt & after giving everything lots of water all summer long & ample opportunity to grow.
We'll see how the replacement thing goes & if they really do as they stated via telephone - keep replacing until I have the number originally ordered in live plants.
On May 22, 2008, pixiesadelle San Diego, CA wrote:
Strangely, I ordered from this company again this year. Here's the trick: treat an order like a slot pull at a casino; you don't know what you're going to get, so don't put more money in than you can easily lose.
Last year I ordered about thirty bucks worth of all kinds of ultra-cheap stuff. Right now, my Shell Vine and Silver Lace Vine from last spring's order are covering my front fence, looking beautiful. Yes, they arrived about two inches tall, but they took off, and I can't get either from local nurseries. My Angel's Trumpet from last year is now about six feet tall--but it's yellow-orange, and I ordered white. Some Arum Italicum came up nicely, but no blooms. Everything else was either DOA or died sometime after.
This year I ordered in January, was promptly charged on my credit card, and then I forgot about it. I got my order yesterday (the third week in May!). Here in San Diego, it was 89 degrees out when I got home from work, to a plastic bag of more plastic bags inside. You can figure out that everything inside was cooked.
But, the Butterfly Bush looks alive (yes, it's two inches tall in a one inch pot, but hey), and the Blazing Star bulbs look fine. A few things in my order were replaced, with a little notation of "crop failure." Amusingly, they sent stuff like Trillium, which couldn't survive zone 10 under the best of circumstances, never mind being planted in a heat wave.
Anyways, recently half of my spring seedlings were struck down by a mob of marauding caterpillars and a hellishly dry and hot weekend--and isn't that what gardening's about? The surprise? OK, maybe I'm just trying to justify my cheapskate ways. :)
I would have to rate this company both negative and positive. If you are expecting to get large perfect plants, Don’t shop here. I made a few purchases of a variety of plants and will rate them below:
Hedges
100 Privet Hedges….they arrived small to medium size and the shipment was short by 5 pieces. I notified them of the shortage and they sent me 10 new ones. We planted them and all but about 5 are fine.
15 Jumbo Hemlock hedges $23.00….Mostly junk…received plants from 6 inches to 18 inches (and these are JUMBOS LOL. After 2 weeks most of them are dead
100 Hybrid Willows…they arrived small to medium in size. After about a week they started showing life and are growing very fast
Various ground cover…..Periwinkles, Walk on Me, Phlox, and Wintercreeper They are very cheap, but so small you can hardly see them in the bags…definitely not worth the bother.
Various vines….Arrived very small and didn’t think they would grow but planted them anyway. Silver Lace, Trumpet Hummingbird are growing very fast Hall's Honeysuckle, Passion Flower and sweet pea barely alive. Kiwi ….ordered 8 (6 f and 2 M) one female was received dead. The others are growing, but much slower than expected
Trees….
2 Magnolia…receiver 2 mini pots with 3 inch trees….After about 2 weeks they started growing but very slow @ $3.00 each, they could hva e been better but are ok.
10 Weeping Willow Trees… We received 10 sticks. We planted them and they are growing fine. Considering they were $1.00 each we are satisfied.
2 Fig Trees…@ $7.50 each JUNK..received 2 tree’s approximately 3 inches each. After 1 ½ months, still alive, but still 3 inches .
2 Red maple…only $1.43 ea. Received 2 sticks, but they are growing fine
Shrubs
2 Rose of Sharon @ $1.25 ea….received 2 …about 2 foot high well branched.. After 2 weeks growing very nice
10 Red Twig Dogwood total $7.50….received 10 small sticks. After 1 month they are growing ok
4 Hansen Cherry bushes. total $5.80….. Received 4 sticks about 2 foot. They bloomed after a few days and even got a handful of cherries on them.
2 Firethorn…total $4.75 ..received 2 approx 2 inches. After 1 month, growing very slowly, but alive.
2 Mock Orange…only $1.50 for both. Received 2 about 3 ½ ft high well branched. After 1 month, I stone dead, one is just barely showing some sign of life.
9 Hibiscus total $5.75 received 9 about 1 inch. After a month 2 are about an 1 ½ but alive, the remainder show no life at all
3 Arkansas Ansonia total $10.95 Received 3 about 1 inch. After a month, there is nothing left but dirt.
2 Huron Sunrise Grass…..total $9.50 received 2 about 1inch…. After 1 month, growing about 3 inches now so very slow.
Various Roses…. Good price…received nice bushes but was short one. Notified them and they replaced the one missing. After a month growing very nice.
The purchases were made from Burgess Seed, Honeycreek Nurseries, and Direct Gardening. I contacted them by email and got quick response to the e mail; however; it took over a month for me to receive the missing items. It only takes 1 to 2 days to charge your credit card, but well over a month to process your order. I have not contacted them yet about the dead items that I received, so I can’t comment on how they will respond.
To sum it up, There are a lot of better nurseries out there, but not at these bargain prices. If you have the time to wait for these plants to grow, then you are getting a bargain. If they honor there guarantee to replace the dead plants, I will definitely shop there again.
Their website indicates they ship using multiple shippers, including US Mail.
Living in a very rural area, US Mail is delivered ONLY to a PO Box & is frequently delayed by 3 to 7 days if both the PO Box 3 & the street address are not on the package.
AFTER we placed our order & stated "prefer no shpping via US Mail", Direct Gardening contacted us saying they ONLY ship via US Mail though if we wish to pay an extra $10 they would ship via DHL.
REALITY: They gaurentee the plants live for 1 year from purchase or they replace them ...... they can ship to the PO Box as long as they understand their risks.
Seems deceptive though to claim the use multiple shippers & then AFTER THE FACT state they us only US Mail & charge extra from alternatives......
Will weigh this information heavily before we order from them or any member nursery again!
On April 18th, 2008, FarmBoyzWorld added the following:
We did have GREAT experiences with Burgess Seed & another affiliated nursery a few years back, but then, a few years back we lived in a more populated area then we do now.
Guess we'll see how this new order goes with a very rural address & then post an update. I'm just peeved that they claim they use multiple shippers & then AFTER THE FACT advise they us only US MAIL & that they will use DHL for an additional $10. That seems very deceptive to me & as a business operator, I don't routinely do repeat business with anyone who seems deceptive or shady!!On April 22nd, 2008, FarmBoyzWorld added the following:
1st of 3 packages was picked up at the post office today. Didn't even know they had shipped it, I just happened to have to run into town to get some Nitrofurazone Salve & livestock pennicillian & stopped at the PO while in town .... otherwise would have been 6 days before I picked up the package.
ANYHOW: the package was the seed portion of my order. 3 of 4 packages of seeds had split open down the sides of their envelopes. Spent my evening sorting thru 3 pounds of seeds seperating them by kind.
JUST WHAT I WANTED TO SPEND MY EVENING DOING - SORTING SEEDS!
They have now advised me that if they choose the carrier there is no extra charge but if I specify the carrier they charge an additional fee; however, they do not disclose that on their website.
I have simply advised them the reasons why I prefer they not ship US Mail & that packages may sit at the Post Office a week or more unless I am provided tracking numbers & can see on the web that the parcels are at the post office.
They now know that I will hold them to their gaurentee & that if they wish to save themselves money & please the customer they will provide me with tracking numers for each shipment. On April 22nd, 2008, FarmBoyzWorld changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
Package #2 of 3 arrived today. Figured if 3 of 3 arrived yesterday I'd make the 30-mile trip to the post office today to see if 1 & 2 were there. Just #2 was there though.
Wonder where #1 is?
Feeling very positive & hopeful in view of the conditions of this package.
5 bags of asparagus roots look good. 2 other bags have good growth already forming which might be a downfal when planting. the final bag was dried out & had no soil, the root appear withered.
The 2 red gooseberries appear to be alive & dormant with good root formations.
The 2 Jostaberries appear to have started growing some weeks ago with the new growth having since died. The stems & roots are still flexible, indicating they are still alive - hopefully they will start growing again once they are planted out.
The Rhubarb roots are a disappontment. They appear to be alive though are about 1/4 of the size I'd get at HomeDeopt for only $0.50 more each.
Blazing Star bulbs are larger then I expected, very surprising. They are already forming good roots which is good, a couple have started sending out stems which may be a pitfal when planted out - we'll give it a try though.
The Perenial Sweet Peas are growing & green already, hey appear to have good root balls.
All in all we are impressed based on the experiences of others & our first interactions with DG. We will plant everything & give everything a try & of course seek replacements for any failures.
One Question: Since they ship DHL Express & have a tracking # & also have a US Mail Delivery Confirmation # ...... Couldn't they provide those #s to the customer so that we can look them up on the net & see if the packages are at the Post Office.
Couldn't DG at least advise when the packages ship so the resipients has an idea of when to expect delivery?
It currently costs me $10/trip in gas to drive to the post office. I can't do that everyday & hate doing it as a jab in the dark just to see if there is a package.On May 13th, 2008, FarmBoyzWorld added the following:
Finally package 1 of 3 of this order arrived last week!
6 Red Currants & 4 Gooseberries: All we sealed tightly in plastic bags & all had portions of their roots & stems mushy rotton. 2 of the currants looked okay but the rest were likely a futile effort in planting. The gooseberries were likely too a futile effort.
4 Weeping Willows: these were in bunddles of 2. 1 of each bundle was good & healthy. The 2nd in each bundle had little to no root development & were little more then twigs. Willows are remarkable so we planted them & will try.
10 Hybrid Willows: Mixed results here. Some were dried out the others were looking okay. Planted them all & will try them all though I don't suspect anything of the 5 that were dried out.
Hardy Roses: Again rotton! Roots & apperant new growth all had rotting materials. The plants were barerooted last afll before the new growth had hardened, leaving a bunch of blackened shriveled dead twigs on each one.
Lobardy Poplars: Again, miraculous plants that can recover from most anything though some have few roots on them & the trees wood have dried. Planted them anyway - can always get free replacements & to get a refund will require I pay the postage to send these items back.
Forsythia Bushes were small sticks with very little root development. Once again, many of the roots & the twig ends were dried out.
Pussy Willows: They look remarkably good as compaired to the other items in the order.
Over all, I am neutral in my assessment of this order.
I would like more communication regarding when the order actually ships as the Post Office does not deliver to my home so a package can sit at the PO for a week before I retrieve it unless I know it's on the way.
I've made large purchases from wholesalers, got decent plants with fair to good success - they cost more then does Direct Gardening & Direct Gardening does honor (repeatedly if you keep at it) their garuentee of replacements until you get every item to live.
The secret is, DON'T order or request replacements after it warms up or you'll get a lot of rotton stuff as they pack & seal the order tightly in plastic .... which holds the moisture & doesn't breath & when it's hot, well, you get the idea.
This order was placed on-line at DirectGardening.com The seeds were shipped from Burgess all of the plants were from House Of Wesley.
This company is by far the worst i have dealt with in any form in my life. I tried to be open minded when ordering from them (prior to reading all of the negative reviews about them). They have some of the rudest customer service reps I have dealt with ( with the exception of yhe DMV.) I would like to go into detail my story but it seems useless. This company has several complaints with the BBB and they have not fixed their practices yet. I would just like to let everyone know that the possibility of your experience with direct gardening being any better than the others who have sent negative feedback are highly unlikely. I am stilll just trying to get a tracking # for my order.
On May 14th, 2007, Jagdan changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
I would like to add that after several calls to "customer NO service" and after posting my original comment on 05/08/07 I received my order and have planted it. I would like to say that my purple leaf plum hedges and plants did look dead to me and my wife. Days after planting the majority of my order is looking very good. My hedges are budding and most of my plants are growing also. I am pretty happy with the order. If only their customer service was willing to help and didn't have such bad attitudes I would give Direct gardening a more positive review.
I originally ordered a 'bunch' of plants from this company. Among them were cushion mums, weigelas, creeping phlox and a tree peony. The plants were ridiculously small, primarily pieces of roots in some cases, and had virtually no chance for survival. I'm currently awaiting a second round of replacements for the mums, weigelas and tree peony. Not all of the phlox seem to have made it, but they're pretty hardy so I'm holding out some hope for regrowth after the winter months. Even though the company didn't give me any problem with the initial replacements, the plants are of such poor quality that I can't imagine ever getting them to grow. 20 mums and NONE made it? 3 weigelas and only 1 is hanging on by a wing and a prayer? Tree peonies that are no more than a decorative stick in my garden? I'm not holding out much hope.... Of course, no refunds are possible due to the timeframe (who can tell in 30 days if something is going to grow or not?!), but I wonder how many times is too many to request replacements.
On Jun 10, 2006, carolrees Arlington, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:
This was my first time using this company.
On 4/21/06 I ordered
4 Symphytum
2 Astrantia Moulin Rouge
20 Anemone
1 Shell Plant
2 Trillium, mixed
6 Virginia Blue Bells
They sent as free gifts:
4 Oxalis
10 blue anemone
The anemones were bulbs that I planted in containers and so far haven't sprouted. The others that I purchased earlier from Spring Hill Nurseries as bulbs sprouted and are doing great but these seem to be duds.
The free Oxalis bulbs did sprout and I planted them outside and they are doing well.
The shell plant was very small and is still the same height - like 2 inches. I consider this a complete failure since this is an annual in my zone which is 7.
All others were shipped bare root. The Symphytum sprouted and are doing great and have even bloomed. The Viriginia Blue Bells also sprouted and appear to be doing OK. However, the Astrantia and Trillium have not sprouted and appear to be total loses.
Overall I would consider their packaging pretty bad and the Astrania was expensive.
I did get some unusual items that I hadn't been able to find elsewhere. However, that was before I found this site and the hundreds of other more reliable mail order nurseries that using the plant search I could have obtained from other sources.
I will not be ordering from them again.
On June 16th, 2006, carolrees added the following:
My response to DG Customer Support who contacted me saying that I needed to mail them the shipping label in order to get any refund.
"I didn't keep the shipping label as I'm sure that most people don't. In my opinion that is a terrible policy and is made solely to discourage people from trying to get a refund. You've got my order on file and I've got my receipt in PDF format. There should be no need for a customer to keep a shipping label off of a package/plastic bag."On June 16th, 2006, carolrees changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
It appears that the 2 Astrantia are finally coming up and are 1/2" above the ground and since they were expensive I'm pleased with that but I don't know if they'll live. However, the 2 cheaper Astrania that I later got from Forest Farm came with lots of follage about 8" tall. Also a couple of the anemone bulbs are finally coming up. Considering the Shell Plant and Trillium were cheap - well I guess you get what you pay for.
On May 26, 2006, Soylent_Green Pittsburgh, PA wrote:
Over the years I have ordered several times. Directgardening and related companies are a mixed bag.
The GOOD:
I have 2 fast growing hybrid poplars that are now 50 feet tall which started out as 2 sticks with roots 7 years ago. 2 other trees (forget what they are!) are doing well. Rose of Sharon hedges that are 6 feet tall and a few Burning Bushes were good buys. Various Daylillies are also doing well. Basics like seeds and green onions do well. Basic seeds, trees, shrubs and items that can take a beating during shipping are probably worth the risk due to the low prices (assume that 1/2 the order will fail to grow - its usually closer to 3/4)
Bulbs are a mixed bag. I ordered 2 Holly plants last fall - while they are still alive they arent any taller. Maybe the heat of summer will get them growing.
The BAD:
Customer service is definitely a problem as is the way the items are shipped in flimsy plastic bags. On a recent order it took complaints and threats of a credit card chargeback to get action. I think they lost or misplaced my order and then rushed it out - it arrived a week later. Half the order was Burgess seed packs which should have been shipped immediately but werent; which is why I suspect they misplaced the order. They charge credit cards lightning fast but shipping is very slow. I can understand some live plant orders taking a few weeks to ship, but seeds and bulbs should fly out the door the moment the credit card is charged. Rather than require people to send back dead sticks and rotting plants at the customers expense they should just send replacements. If people abuse the replacement policy by doing it way too often then the company could refuse to sell them anything else. Its clear this company has generated alot of ill will by their guarantee that requires dead crap to be sent back.
The UGLY:
Things to NEVER order from them? Fragile plants like live tomato and pepper plants, groundcover (usually arrives waterlogged and rotting with the stink of death about them) They really shouldnt sell items that cant take a beating when shipped. I planted some rotting Creeping Red Sedum 3 weeks ago and none of it grew. There were supposed to be 12 plants but there maybe 6-8 tiny plants and several small bits. I might take the remains then stick it in an envelope and mail it back for 39 cents just for kicks to see what happens; provided they dont rot completely out of existence.
Overall I give them a neutral rating since they have major problems as many here can testify, but they are cheap. Its probably better to order twice as much as you need when ordering live plants, figuring 1/2 the order will die or be DOA. Its best to order the smallest quantity you can of a particular item until you see what kind of shape it arrives in.
They should concentrate more on improving quality control and customer service.
Again I seem to be lucky. Had I read this site before, I would have never ordered from them. But being new tot he country, I had no idea. I bought via internet a Sweet Cherrie which costed me about 12 dollars including shipping. The tree is nothing more but a stick of which the top few inches had broken, bare root with some small roots. But I had not expected anything more than that that would be ok, which indeed seems to be the case. I planted it according to intstructions and it is getting green on the sides. I expect it to take quite a few years to be a nice tree, but so far, so good.
I am giving it a 'neutral', as my inquiery about the shipping remained unanswered. But one day after the order arrived. Also, packing could have been better, as the tree was shipped in a plastic bag and could have been easily more damaged. But I'm happy. Let's see if I get cherries after all, and not pears or anything , like the one with the pinky roses! LOL
I recently bought 10 hybrid willows from them and they arrived looking fresh and so far they have taken. They are growing pretty well, but last year I bought 10 others that arrived dead looking or "dormant" as they say and I planted them anyways and they never took. The jury is out.
On May 12, 2006, Direct Gardening responded with:
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On May 12, 2006 4:35 PM, Direct Gardening added:
We are glad to hear that this customer's willows are doing well from this year's order and sent a d-mail reminding him of our one year replacement guarantee that he may wish to utilize on last year's order."
As a buyer of mail order plants one must always beware. As the saying goes, "You get what you pay for". To ship live plants packaged in a manner that insures they get to you in premium quality costs more. The truth is that when you order from Direct Gardening, whatever name the company uses, you are going to get small bare root plants in bags. It is unfortunate that most of us trying to save a buck have found this out only after receiving our orders. I have had great success with the shrubs, roses, and blubs that I have ordered. The bulbs are much smaller than those you would receive from Brecks or other mail order companies and the shrubs are generally 1-3 foot sent bare root in a bag. I have not always had time to plant them right away when they have arrived but have been able to but them in a bucket with a mixture or root starter and water for several weeks until I got around to planting them. I think this has actually been a benefit to the plants and me, being that the plants they send are often dried out, it gives the plants the much needed moisture they need and allows me to see which ones show signs of life as they start budding out so that I don't waste time planting something that is already dead. I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING OTHER THAN SHRUBS, TREES, OR BLUBS FROM THIS COMPANY. It has been my experience that the other plants cannot survive the manner in which they are shipped. I have ordered three or four times and only had trouble once getting a refund in which case they gave me a gift certificate instead that I didn't want or could use at the time but didn't feel it was worth disputing.
On Apr 17, 2006, Direct Gardening responded with:
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On Apr 18, 2006 2:57 PM, Direct Gardening added:
We encourage customers to try our full product line. This would also include our seeds, hard goods and perennials. All of our plant material and seeds are covered by our one year replacement guarantee."
I have read many comments, but decided to move foward with my purchase, with the belief that most of the negative comments had to do with high expectations of people getting full grown trees in bloom shipped to them via mail.
So - to help everyone out - I am creating a section on my webshots picture storage site to show what arrived, how it was shipped, and how well it is growing. I will do my best to keep up with this.
Please - sign the guesbook to let me know you are actually looking at these pictures for help. If I do not get any entries in the guestbook, I will probably not keep up with the pictures.
On June 16th, 2005, tnrsxs changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
So far all but one of my 35 poplars are beginning to grow. Some actually have full branches forming, and complete leaves out. They have only been in the gound just under one week! The 4 Red Maples,that I planted have not shown any changes since planting. They are not dead, and they do have buds, but still no sign of extra growth.
I also received some free small bulbs with my shippment. I just planted them 2 days ago, so I do not expect anything from them yet. I will update my Webshots page today with the progress.
Also - Although, I have had over 200 poeple view the pictures, Ihave not seen anyone put anything in the Guestbook yet, so I may not keep up with this much longer.
On July 7th, 2005, tnrsxs changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:
Updated Webshots with new pictures.
Ok - The Poplar trees are doing great. I am amazed how far they have come along in only 1 month. All of them are doing great except for 2 of them, and that is my fault. I planted one out of reach of the hose, and I ran the other over with my lawn tractor! If you are going to order poplar trees, do not be scared.
But....
I moved my rating back to Neutral due to the other Non-Poplar items. None of the 4 red Maples have any sign of life. I have given them the same attention as the Poplars, so I do not think that I am the issue. Also, I recieved the Free Gifts of 5 different items. Only one of them are growing. This forces me to send the rating back down to Neutral. I will give them the additional time, as asked in the instructions, and then see how the resolve the issues.
So far one e-mail to me has kept me posting my results. I would like to keep hearing if I am helping anyone else out.
On Apr 6, 2005, Liila Lantana, FL (Zone 10a) wrote:
I ordered from this company back in January. What a tragic mistake! Like a fool I've spent almost $100 and received nothing but a padded envelope with the "free gift with purchase"....Dessicated bulbs which I've planted but don't expect much from. The live plants haven't arrived though it's now April, and attempts to contact *anyone* at the company are fruitless. Endless busy signals, emails ignored. I'm so angry I could spit nails! Don't waste your money, don't waste your time, and for heaven's sake avoid the offshoot companies they hide behind! I'm sorry to lose all my money, but on the upside now that I've found Garden Watchdog it will never happen again.
On April 7th, 2005, Liila changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
Boy was I surprised! I received a package from them today with most of my order in it! The box said 2nd package out of 3, so I assume the rest of it's on the way sometime. Everything is in 2" pots, wrapped in plastic and clearly marked. One or two of them are very good looking, relatively large for the pot size. About one third, however, looked barely viable and a couple of them had mold growing on them, leaves were rotted and slimy. 2 of them had barely any root structure upon turning them over and removing from the pots. Good thing I'm great with rooting cuttings or they'd be goners for sure, if they even survive now, with my skills.
One or two had great, healthy root systems poking out through the bottoms of the pots. I pulled off the rotting leaves and repotted everything into 4" pots. The shipping label states that most of these plants are grown in different states, so I reckon Direct Gardening is a middle man of sorts. They don't grow their own plants (and it shows in the extreme inconsistency) and basically receive them from all over the country before boxing up and shipping order. Obviously the guys at the "warehouse" know nothing about live plants and get paid minimum wage for stuffing boxes.
I'm changing my rating to neutral because they *did* ship, and this isn't the first time I've been left in limbo for weeks/months. I don't expect all of them to pull through, and if you order from this company you had *better* have a green thumb because most of the plants you receive (if you get them) will need desperate help upon arrival. I would never buy from them again, and would not recommend them to even my worst enemy. Go to Ecolage, go to Yuccado, go to Logee's if you want beautiful mail-order plants.
On Mar 27, 2005, JenniferSabatie Lawrenceville, GA wrote:
I've ordered probably 1000s of dollars worth of stuff from the various companies associated with Direct Gardening. I've developed a system to increase my chances of success that seems to work. In the beginning, when I was very new to gardening and I would recieve an order from Direct it was usually on a week day when I was very busy so I would put the plants in a bucket in my garage and leave them until the weekend. I might have sprinkled them with water, worried they would dry out. More often than not, much of the order would die. Same with Michigan Bulb...
But now, when I get an order in I deal with it immediately. I don't have a greenhouse (I need one!) so I pull out a bunch of tupperware, throw some really good potting soil in it, and plant everything. Then I give it a real good water and set them out in front of the windows in my kitching and dining room, all over the table and counters. And I leave them there, usually for about a month. I keep a good eye on them, watering them somewhat frequently (not too much because the containers they're in don't have holes in them). I don't leave them in there much longer than a month because the potting soil will start to get moldy.
So, usually, after a month or so of this sort of nursery care, they're ready to go outside. And they usually do very well.
I used this method for everything from bushes, to bulbs, to perrenials, to trees. They don't get planted until they start growing inside. And a month is about all they usually need.
Things like bushes or trees get an overnight root soak in a bucket before I plant them in potting soil, that's the only difference.
I know this is a bit of work, but I can't afford the better nurseries and I can do this and end up with a nice end product.
On Jan 25, 2005, margcail New Boston, NH (Zone 5a) wrote:
I found GardenWatchDog shortly after placing my order from DirectGardening, and in the interest of avoiding future problems, quickly called the company to cancel my order. Just canceling it months before it is scheduled to ship is a hassle. They told me I could try cancelling online, but that it "probably wouldn't work" and that I should write a letter. I wrote a letter, faxed a letter and emailed in addition to phoning in a cancellation request. I called after two weeks and they can't even confirm that they've received my cancellation request. Not at all the excellent and personal customer service I've become used to from other online vendors.
On Jun 15, 2004, Heatherweh Fredericksburg, VA wrote:
My trees and flowers arrived promptly and of course the prices were unbeatable. One packet of the four bulb packets I had ordered did appear moldy, so I'll plant it right away and hope for the best. The trees and bushes are dormant, but look better than those I received from the Arbor Day Foundation. The roots do appear to be in good shape on them. I am unsure of the trillium as they look like large bulbs, I will have to look that one up for instructions. The flowers are in pretty bad shape though, they were either dried up and brown or yellow approaching brown. My experience was not as bad as many had listed here. Overall, everything was OK, but I will definitely choose other companies before this one.
My initial experiences with this company were positive, but I had to ask for replacements plants on about 75% of my order. The replacements plants are not fairing well, so I will be asking for their replacement.
The failure of the plant material to establish has been very frustrating and delaying my landscaping. Getting replacement plants helps ease the pain, but the barespots in the garden are troubling.
The plant material that has succeeded are those plants that are very vigourous and considered invasives by some sources such as: honeysuckle, vinca minor, corkscrew willow, violas, and rugosa roses.
Don't waste your time with the rhododendrums, hellebores, mountain laurels as these are so small that it will take years before they are even a small nursery size plant.
My best success has also been to order in late winter for delvery in early spring, as this seems to be their best plant material. Their plants appear to be primarily newly rooted cuttings which are not fully hardened off.
On September 19th, 2006, isabella added the following:
My most recent DG purchases have been vinca minor ordered in early spring 2006. My order came in on time. These guys have the lowest prices for VM that I have seen, but it is the common variety. I wouldn't order any other plant from them.
The hydrangeas have been the most disappointing.
I ordered in the past their PG tree standard, which actually was just a rooted cutting. It had a single trunk (actually a twig), so I guess it's a "tree standard". I believe the hype in the catalog is overly exaggerated, but what do you expect for such a low price. Further disappointed was their tri-colored hydrangea. I ordered that, planted it, and now its about 4 feet tall. The tri-color hydrangea is actually just a Nikko blue. Nothing like a little research after fact and input from other internet active gardners to set me straight. But this is typical of the overly exaggerated claims catalog plant descriptions.
Not to buy from DG or affiliates; hydrangeas, Mt. Laurel (2 inch cuttings), Rhodies (2 inch cutting), bulbs, bittersweet, siberian elm.
On a positive note they do honor they guarantees. But you must keep the shipping label. I had to return my original order 3X before the plants survived, but they were good to their guarantee.
Well, like many, I wish we'd have known of this site before we ordered about a month ago. We received our plants five days ago and gave them tons of loving care. 24 Canadian Hemlocks. We didn't do anything so extravagant as one mentioned on this site with the soaking. We simply put them into the ground immediately with a lot of peat, water, tilled rich soil, mulch, and love. We try to do things organically so there is a limited amount of tactics we employ with new growths on our forty acres of nearly wild Montana land. They arrived with green needles and moist roots, slightly entangled, in a green plastic bag. We were very lucky they arrived in about a month rather than three as some have suggested, and that the stock wasn't moldy, dry, or completely dead. I realize they're supposed to be dormant but these little guys had an even spread of needles and many had multiple twinnings in their branches so they were fairly along. However, five days from planting, nearly half have dropped their needles. This could simply be transplant shock but after reading these reviews, I can't help but worry it is far worse. Will post an update. BTW, the note on ours says wait six weeks, not 14 days, to declare them dead and ask for a refund/replacement. Hoping for the best. For the delay, inability to reach them via phone, no shipping notice, no email response, and the half now needleless trees, they earn a neutral thus far. I hope for better and will post an update later.
I have ordered 2 times from this company b/c their prices were so attractive. The first time was before this web site existed and the free bulbs never grew. I was not so disappointed b/c they were free. The second time, I dutifully saved the packaging label in order to have a valid warranty. What I didn't realize was the warranty is only good for 14 days. Well, I sent the packaging label back approximately 9 months later under what I thought was the warranty, since the perennials I ordered never came up. They gave me a credit to spend in their catalog but said that my warranty had expired. Of course, I couldn't have known in 14 days whether the perennials would grow the next season, so the warranty length is a little misleading. Now I'm debating whether I should spend the credit for more plants that may not grow and whether I'll just be using it towards shipping since it's only for $7.75.
I ordered 3 bargain trees. 2 yuccas and 2 rose of sharons....my money was taken from my bank account 4 weeks ago. When I've sent them an e-mail I have gotten a response. They told me last week 05/06/03 that my order had been sent out, when enquiring what my trees would be ...I was told they couldn't tell me but they would be labelled. I was then reminded that the shipment had JUST been sent out 05/13/03. Hope they're not fobbing me off...after reading some of the e-mails I'm not so sure. Will keep everyone up to date....or I'm letting the bank sort it.
On May 18th, 2003, alison08 added the following:
Here I am again...its the 18th and still waiting for my plants. However, I did get an e-mail from them answering my questions, on how come the plants many people receive are dead on arrival or are not as described on their web page.....I was told they are shipped by UPS ground and are in a dormant state when they arrive because that is the only way they can be shipped. They need to be soaked long on arrival...and that their guarantee is replacement. What I couldn't understand was, after initially e-mailing them the first time...I was told that the plants were just being picked for shipment from the fields...so why are they arriving dead...their excuse was it was UPS fault. We'll just have to wait and see. On May 21st, 2003, alison08 added the following:
Well...it's 21st May and I have just received my plants. Theye were in a plastic delivery bag.....about 2ft tall....the rose of sharons are pretty good....even got new growth on them. The three bargain trees I ordered are smoke trees...they are about 5" long...and the yuccas...well.....2" long.....and look like side shoots....the roots were not protected on any of them. I have them soaking now....I suppose 1 out of three isn't bad...I think the rose of sharons are going to survive. Will keep you posted.
It took 5 1/2 weeks for my $100 order to arrive. Everything is identifiable as plant material, but the bittersweet vines weren't even wrapped in plastic, just loose twigs, now broken, throwing around the pillowcase sized plastic bag. The dianthus plugs were moldy. The creeping juniper, not identified by variety, look okay, except for the moss growing on top of the plugs. The mother of thyme in bags looks fairly alive. Everything else is bare root, so only time will tell. I'll try planting everything, and I've cut the shipping labels off in case I need anything replaced. It does say clearly on the labels to keep them for the warranty.
The prices are cheap, as is what you receive. I won't order from them again, although for the price I am not violently disappointed.
I liked the plants mostly. I ordered many shrubs of variety. Flowering plants and evergreens, also a few trees. My order took a very long time however. Almost three months. The plants are of good size and pretty healthy. They however substituted two plants for an ornamental grass that I would rather of had because I do not like the two replacement plants. I did not want a replacement. I would rather have my credit back. I will see if all or any survive and let everyone now come the new season. Hopefully they will all live.
Debbie Andrews
Allentown,PA.
I ordered 3 roses from this company (despite bad web reviews) as I could not find the varieties I wanted elsewhere. The bareroot plants arrived at the appropriate time, but were of mixed quality and poorly packed. Given the cheap prices and lack of other options I'm not complaining, but would not yet recommend them to others.
The roses I received from this company turned out great but the trees and bushes never bloomed. The phone is always busy. I did get replacements for my lilacs that look like they are going to make it (green buds on them) but the trees never had a chance. It is a definite risk ordering form these folks!
