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I ordered from Four Seasons Nursery back in the early spring and that was before I had read all the ratings on this company. But I must say that everyting I ordered has been living and doing well. I ordered a couple citrus plants, a dwarf apple tree and several stone cherry bushes. I even went by to visit this company a few weeks ago when I was in the area. The name out front says Owen Nursery in large letters and then there are about a half-dozen other company names listed on the bill-board out by the road. Company names such as Four Seasons, Burgess, Direct Gardening, etc., etc. So, it is hard to tell which company you are actually dealing with! But again, I must say that I am pleased with what I ordered and what I received.
I've ordered a few times over the past 5 years and have always had good luck. This time I ordered 10 Poplar Hybrids trees, got one extra. Amazingly cheap, arrived in the twig state, but healthy. I stuck them in a bucket of water, then a few weeks later after the last frost, started setting them out. By then all 11 trees had starting leafing out. All I did was dig a hole, put each one in it, added some extra dirt, watered them for a few days. They are all thriving, have added two feet in height, making them almost as tall as me, over 5', healthy leaves, they will be shade trees and tall as my house in 3 years.
On Jun 13, 2009, deborahstull Rutherfordton, NC wrote:
After reading some of the negative comments here I must say I was skeptical. I placed my order anyway, I got 2 purple empress trees, 2 manchurian apricots, 2 hydrangea trees, 12 phlox, and 12 creeping red sedum. They all arrived fine, shipping did take a while though. So far everything is doing fine except for the phlox which I planted on a very steep hill with no good dirt at all on it. They are still trying to make it so we'll see. All in all, the plants were in good shape when they arrived and besides the shipping taking a long time, I have to say the experience was positive so far.
We received their catalog out of the blue sometime in may and decided to place a "test" order with them to see what we got. We ordered 6 rose of sharon, 4 hydrangea trees, 3 pampas grasses, some irish moss, a few red sedum and a couple of walk on mes. I knew they would be bare root and that wasn't a problem. I have limited experience with bare root stuff and gardening in general but knew they would be "twigs" . After placing the order, I came across this site and saw all the negative reviews and was somewhat dissapointed I had placed the order. I was expecting to receive either mush, dead twigs or nothing at all...Few weeks went by and we finally received our order. Everything we ordered was in the bag delivered by DHL. The rose of sharons were around 2' tall 'twigs' as described in their catalog, the hydrangeas were 2-3' (much bigger than I expected), the pampas grass was alive (it was actually green in their own little peat pots) but were rather small 6"-8", the irish mosses were all alive but were somewhat small, the red sedum looked like it was DOA, the walk on me looked DOA as well. I was still skeptical any of this stuff would do anything (based on the reviews) but we planted everything anyway. The small stuff was planted first, we then soaked and "heeled" in the hydrangea and rose of sharon in a wheel barrow with soil because we didn't have time to plant those during the week. Saturday came along and we went out to see our "twigs", to our surprise, most of the Rose of sharons had started to bud, a couple of the hydrangea did as well. So we planted everything based on their recomendations. By the end of the week the RS had small leaves and the hydrangeas had a few buds. Two weeks later, the hydrangeas began to bud and now all have leaves. The sedum also began to bud and has some growth though not a whole lot. To be honest our dogs have trampled them a few times. The Irish mosses didn't fare so well, 3 of the 4 have disapeared (dead or buried probably due to their small size) one is still there and somewhat green but has not grown (might be getting too much water). Pampas grass is dead (they were probably too small and should have gone in a container until they got some size)The walk on my was truly DOA. So all in all we are pretty satisfied with our order considering the cost. If there was one negative it would just be the size of some of the items we received but then again they are inexpensive for a reason. We won't bother with the refund for the stuff that died as it was not very expensive and not worth the time. So our average cost for the surviving plants based on our order total is probably around $1-$2 so I can't complain.
I will try to be as honest as possible with my rating of this company. I have received three shipments of plants from them, the first two were timely, the third shipment took more time (2-3 weeks from time of order). All of the plants we have received looked fine and are doing just fine. We have ordered items such as trees, grapevines, blueberry plants, hostas and strawberry plants. I will remind people to keep their shipping labels for one year...the package and website both tell customers to do that (just put them in a drawer like me!). I had some strawberries that died after we planted them, and I simply followed the instructions...sent the shipping label back to them with a letter detailing which plants died. I called them today (about 2 weeks after sending the information), and the representative told me the replacement order has shipped. So far, I have had good dealings with this company.
I read all the negative reports posted here and decided to give Four Seasons Nursery a shot anyway and placed an order for lots of mostly bare root trees. When my order arrived, I inspected everything and everything looked healthy. I was short three Colorado Blue Spruce and six Rose of Sharon bushes and immediately e-mailed customer service. Within a short time, the missing stock arrived and were healthy also. All 96 are in the ground and doing beautifully. I would definitely order from Four Seasons Nursery again.
Just felt I should give credit where credit is due!
On Apr 10, 2008, Len123 Adrian, MO (Zone 6a) wrote:
I got much more than i expected after reading the reviews, but for the price of three nursery plants, I consider it a bargain. My order arrived at the time i wanted it to even though you can't pick your date. the order was complete plus extra seed packs,and 3 varieties of bulbs. I ordered 3 paw paw,16 wash. hawthorn,5 red twig dogwood,2 peegee hydrang.,10 aparagus,4 snowball bushes. plants are well rooted, easy to plant, came with a planting and instruction booklet, no damage whatsoever, very surprised because they came in a green bag. everything was dormant and bareroot(nice roots for size), the snowballs came potted like a large rose band. After learning my lesson on the large $300 trees, now suffering transplant shock, this seems to be a more sensible way to go. I don't have a cardiac if i have a loss! Would order again from this company.
Shipping time was reasonable and my order was sent complete. Everything is in good shape, though dormant - exactly like they said. We are in the process of planting our items - a bunch of rose of sharons, strawberries, strazzberries, rasberries, asparagus and a fruit cocktail tree. The roots look healthy and nothing was dry or brittle. I will update once I see how they come in.
Not sure how anyone could miss the return policy on keeping the shipping label. Its on their website and also written clearly on the front page of the booklet they send with the items.
On May 17th, 2008, Jungle_cat added the following:
Here is my update.
It took us almost 2 weeks from the arrival date to get everything planted. That really worried me. In that time, while we had things sitting, a few things got mold on them (our fault, not 4 seasons). That makes me wonder if the "moldy" items that others recieved was because of how long it took to get their items due to shipping time?
Anyway, despite that, everything got planted. All of the rose of sharons have leaves coming in, and some of them are getting really full now. The Fruit Cocktail tree is covered in leaves. All but one raspberry bush came in - still giving the last one some time before I request a replacement. All of the asparagus have come up - and those are the ones we planted moldy. In fact the moldy ones were the first to come up and are now the biggest. And all but a couple strawberry plants have come in and some are starting to get flowers. Again, I'm giving the remaining strawberries a little more time before we request replacements.
Overall I am extremely pleased with this shipment. There is no way I would have been able to get all of this locally for the price they offer. I am already planning to order more fruit trees and bulbs from them next year.
On Apr 7, 2008, legallorelei Chateaugay, NY wrote:
I bought a lot of different plants from 4 Seasons last spring (2007). I live way up north and we get BRUTALLY COLD winters! I ordered hibiscus, delphiniums, butterfly bushes, a silver lace vine, fern leaf bleeding hearts, strawberries, and many more. Everything arrived in an appropriate time to plant, in "dormant" conditions. One of the hibiscus did have mold on it, but I planted it anyway. Everything I put in the ground performed beautifully! Even the moldy hibiscus! Spring has just barely begun, but so far everything is coming back nicely. I've found their products to be very hardy, so far. I just ordered another batch of plants, and hope to do as well as last year. I've recommended 4 Seasons to others in my area, as well.
On June 6th, 2008, legallorelei added the following:
Well, everything came back BEAUTIFULLY!! The products I purchased from 4 Seasons came back better than some I bought locally. PLUS, the new plants I purchased this spring are doing so well! The 6 sand cherries I bought already have lots of new growth! And the Maximillian sunflowers are up about 5 inches! I know a lot of people have been dissatisfied with this company, but honestly, my experience with them has been great, and I'm really a BIG FAN!
I considered giving a neutral instead of a positive, because admittedly a quarter of my order was obviously Dead On Arrival even to my novice eyes, and now I suspect half of my order was actually DOA.
Still I decided to give everything a chance before I tried to get replacements/refund. Oops, because I didn't store/hide the bags and someone else in the home assumed they were trash and tossed them out before I knew whether things would live or die.
One really positive (for me) was that I experienced speedy shipping from them, and I always give bonus points for speedy shipping. Hence the main reason I gave them a positive over a neutral rating.
Interestly enough some of order that arrived alive later died, in at least three cases I still don't know why they failed. Admittedly, the rest that didn't make it was either my fault (in one single case), or they were eaten/destroyed by pests, and Four Seasons can hardly be blamed for those last two.
Still it is disappointing that in the end less than a quarter of the stuff I wanted/ordered survived. The plus side is the stuff that did survive is thriving, and I suspect once warm weather arrives those things will actually look like the pictures on the website.
So, based on my 2007 experience with Four Seasons, I'd say if you order trees/shrubs and/or potted plants then Four Seasons is as good a place as any to get them, especially since they tend to be cheaper at Four Seasons than anywhere else (seeds and bulbs are iffy, I'd say fifty-fifty), but if you order bare root or "dormant" plants then you probably won't be happy with the product.
(Honestly, I was thinking about ordering from them again this year, but much of the stuff I wanted this year was not listed in the book or on the website, so I used other sites to order from this year.)
On March 3rd, 2008, ConGar added the following:
I should update about my comment on the seeds. I'd say seeds from Four Seasons are above 50/50, and since in this case they were free seeds with my order I suppose I must say they are wonderful.
(Still 50/50 on bulbs, though.)
Last year I placed two orders, and got two packets of L-Crop Tomatoe seeds (among other things) - there were lots of seeds in each packet, which while I do love Tomatoes it was more than I could plant (lack of space because I'd already planted tom seeds), so I saved the seeds I didn't plant.
Just over a week ago I decide to put four seeds in some dirt and see what might happen. I wasn't expecting much, but I do believe at least two of the four planted are going to come up, and if I recall properly (from last year) sometimes these seeds start slower than other toms, so I might yet end up with all four planted coming up.
(Therefore I felt I should come back and say that - after this - I'd trust buying seeds from Four Seasons, as well.)
I'm going to try some of the remaining Vine Peach seeds (also free) in a couple weeks, perhaps I'll get some of them growing as well. I'd like to because thanks to pests (ants and bunnies) I didn't actually get any peaches off the ones I planted last year.On July 9th, 2009, ConGar added the following:
If I hadn't all ready rated this company positive, after my experience this year I would change my rating to postive.
This spring I placed an order, and it was divided into two shipments - the first shipment arrived short one item. I decided to call rather than send the packing label back since this was about a missing item and not one that failed I wasn't sure what to do. Turns out sending the packing label is pretty standard for everything with this company.
(I also want to note that the lady I spoke to on the phone was very nice and friendly despite the fact that I'm sure she was having a busy (if not rough) day - the phone was so busy that it took me three/four tries to get through.)
Anyway, I believe it took about three weeks, but the missing item did get shipped to me. Interestingly enough that item was healthier than the one with the original shipment. I had ordered two 3-in-1 Butterfly Bushes, and with the first one only one of the "three" has lived. In the end, I decided not to request a replacement for that one since the survivor was the purple section, and I'm happy enough with that, and so far the "missing" still appears that all "three" bushes are healthy, so I should still get at least one 3-in-1.
Seriously, though aside from one Lavender Astilbe (that still after several months has not shot up any green growth - I may end up having to request a replacement here, but I recently checked and the root system still seems to be healthy) and that one 3-in-1 BB I was very impressed by the quailty of items I received from FSN this year.
I ordered 3 snowball bushes, 4 lilacs, 2 hydrangea trees, 2 apricot trees (of some sort), 2 pink pussy willows and got some bulbs for free back in November 2007. Total was about 30 some odd dollars/change. The snowball bushes were packed in dirt, bulbs packed in sawdust, and the rest was bare root. I did not unpackage or soak/plant my items for about 5 days after arrival, but when I did- I noticed I was missing one of the apricot trees (no big deal, it cost me an extra cent.) I used this hormone growth formula that has brought many of my "dead" plants back to life on the items I did have and am very pleased to say, they are all sprouting nicely this time of year in Florida. I was afraid the cold chill we got in January would kill them all, but only one of my lilacs died from the chill (it was sprouting before the chill.)
The pussy willow and two of the snowball bushes were a gift to my boyfriend, and they are doing quite well at his house as well. And, yes, here we have the worst kind of soil possible...sandy, swampy, super compact soil.
Everthing is still small, and I may not be able to enjoy any flowers for some years to come, but they were all very cheap and are still alive.
If Four Seasons Nursery has a fantastic sale on hybrid willows, I would make a purchase from them again.
On March 12th, 2008, hlibebe added the following:
In the middle of February I placed an order for several plants (after pouring over their catalog along w/ other mail order catalogs for four months) for 60 hybrid willow, 2 weeping willows, 2 bluemoon clematis, and 9 robin hood rose hedges. All of which have arrived today! :D (The catalog stated delivery would begin in March, so I wasn't expecting it right away when I ordered those plants.) Everything looks good, and if only the Florida weather will allow, I hope to plant them tomorrow. This was definately another positive experience for me again.
An update to the plants received back in Nov 2007: when i went to move the plant bed for the snowball bush at my boyfriend's house last week, thinking we should put some good soil in the area since we just dug a hole n planted it back in Nov, we saw that the plant had several long feeder roots that reached out about 2-3 feet from under the 6 inch branch that made up the snowball bush. I was very impressed with this plant's vigor! needless to say, we carefully reburied the roots n just put top soil n fertilizer around the plant. **This may have also been due the hormone growth formula I applied to the plant, but I'm still pleased.**
On Jan 4, 2008, jhuot South Windsor, CT (Zone 5b) wrote:
I have not always had the best of luck with plants from Four Seasons, but I took a chance last spring on a 'Blue Moon' rose and a couple of butterfly bushes.
They all arrived on schedule and were packed very well. And while everything was small (about what I might have expected for the price), everything grew nicely this year. In fact the Blue Moon rose still had green leaves up until a couple of weeks ago even after many hard frosts and a snow storm.
On Sep 20, 2007, soapwort243 South Milwaukee, WI wrote:
This past winter, I had spring fever and placed an order for some very inexpensive rose bushes. To my shock, they were delivered the end of March--which is Very early for Wisconsin. I didn't have a place ready for them, but planted them close to the house. Well- they are beautiful right now !! (especially the cheapest ones) They are better than the expensive ones I bought from another place. And I don not have a lot of success with roses- but these were hardy.
Received two plants from Four Seasons Nursery today..they arrived in excellent condition. Plants were well-packaged, and plants arrived sooner than I expected. Toni
On Jun 15, 2007, unicornangel Brownwood, TX wrote:
I ordered from this company in april of this yr and I ordered a blue moon rose along with the angle trumpet collection , everything came to me looking very well , with the exception of one angel trumpet and the blue moon rose , I contacted the company about the plants , they asked for the packing slip from the packing box and bag the plants came in ,I cut them off the bag and box and returned them along with a letter explaining to them that these two plants where very dead upon arriving , they have since replaced the two plants ,no questions asked ,all of my plants are thriving and doing great , I will not hesitae to order from them again .
I have purchased items from 4 seasons that arrived healthy and eventually died. With my shiping label they either promplty replaced the item or sent me a gift certificate. I've had plants and fowers die from mail order firms as well as stores. Things die.
I recently had to return my last order as I was not completely satisfied with the trees. I received a check for the full amount (minus shipping) within three weeks of the return. No questions, no complications, no hassels. This was my second order with them, and my experience with them has been very good. Having now dealt with their customer service and coming away completely satisfied, I would not hessitate to us them again
My recent order to Four Seasons Nursery arrived with the plants, mostly shrubs and trees in excellent condition. The trees were at least as tall if not taller than advertised, the bare roots were still moist on all products and the green on the spruce was remarkable. In the last 3 Springs I have planted some 600-700 trees and shrubs, I wish I would have found Four Seasons sooner.
On Apr 10, 2007, smalltowngirlVA Gladys, VA wrote:
I read all of the negative comments about 4 seasons before I ordered from them, but I chose to order anyway. I figured that the prices were low enough to give it a try. I'm glad I did.
My husband and I ordered 2 apple trees, 1 cherry tree, 1 red bud tree, 9 spruce trees, and 50 strawberry plants. Our order arrived within a couple of weeks and we planted everything within 2 days following their planting directions exactly. Now, I will admit that when the order arrived the fruit trees and the red buds looked like a bunch of sticks, the strawberries were all root with a little top, the spruce trees looked okay though. Of course, from reading these reviews, I had expected that and I figured it was no different than me digging up a slip from my neighbors garden and babying it to make it grow. About a week after we planted, the area received a deep freeze for about four nights straight. We covered the plants each night and continued to water each day. To my amazement the plants are doing great! My strawberries are growing at an unbelievable rate. I may have lost a few but the others are doing so well it's hard to tell. The apple trees and the cherry tree all have buds on them. It does appear that one or two of my spruce trees will not survive but I am going to give it a little more time before I ask for replacements. With a little more TLC they may even make it. The little red bud tree isn't giving me any sign one way or another yet but they are such hardy little trees I believe it will be fine too. Even the free seeds that they sent are coming up!
For everyone that complains about how the plants and trees arrive, please remember that if they mailed you full size plants you would pay much more. Smaller plants will actually do better because they are better able to adapt to their new environment.
All in all I am very pleased and would definately order from 4 seasons again!! They have survived better than the plants I bought last year from Walmart.
On Apr 8, 2007, blackfootproud Annville, PA wrote:
Last summer we ordered 45 red salix for a hedge. At such a low price (and having dealt with many mail order plant companies) we knew we would receive "dead-looking little sticks". Just as our "sticks" arrived - we had a death in the family. We took them out of the packaging, and stuck them in a couple of buckets of water. For the next 1 1/2 months, about once a week, we changed the water in the buckets until we got around to planting them (in the middle of a hot, dry July). Over half of them survived, and are still going strong after nasty ice/snow storms. We thought this was pretty incredible under such adverse conditions! We would order from this company again.
MY EXPERIENCE WASN'T DIRECTLY WITH 4 SEASON'S BUT WITH ONE OF THE AFFILIATED GROUPS. GO TO DIRECTGARDENING.COM FOR THIS.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A GROUP OF NURSERIES THAT OFFER ITEMS AT A LOWER PRICE. THEY HAVE THE SAME ITEMS LISTED AND USUALLY AROUND THE SAME PRICES. IF NOT REALLY CLOSE.
IN RESPONSE TO THE PERSON THAT ORDERED THE BLUE ROSE AND GOT A PINK ONE, I HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN TOO. IT IS A SIMPLE HUMAN MISTAKE. FOR THOSE THAT HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH PLANTS BEING "DEAD" ON ARRIVAL, I CAN HONESTLY SAY THEY AREN'T DEAD BUT IN A DORMANT STATE. I HAVE ALSO HAD SOME THAT DIDN'T SURVIVE OR EVEN POP UP AFTER PLANTING. THIS CAN HAPPEN. I SIMPLY WROTE A NOTE AND PLACED THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL IN AN ENVELOPE AND ASKED FOR REPLACEMENTS. WITHIN 6 WEEKS I HAD TH E REPLACEMENTS. WHEN Y'ALL ORDER EARLY AND THEY DON'T SHIP UNTIL APRIL OR LATER IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP THE STRESS OFF THE PLANTS THAT CAN BE RELATED TO SHIPMENT AND CLIMATE ISSUES ALONG THE WAY.
I have used 4seasons nursery for several years. At their prices I do not expect large plants, but all in all they have done very well. The exception is this last year, where in Kansas nothing grew due to the very high temps and lack of water. I can not fault 4seasons for this problem. My experience has been good and If I want a LARGE tree I order one for a much higher price.
On Jun 3, 2006, crookedtree Rentz, GA (Zone 8a) wrote:
I've done business with 4 Seasons for about 5 years, and so far have no real complaints. The initial survival rate for trees is very good if you baby them a little at first. Sometimes to the point of potting them for the first season ans etting them out the next. I have Hybrid poplars, Rose of Sharon, Pee Gee Hydrangeas, and others that are 3 or 4 years old and doing very well. The other plants have a survival rate of about 50% for me, but as of yet I've had little trouble getting a satisfactory replacement. Their big attraction is low prices, and as with any discount outlet, some difficulties are to be expected. I love paying less and can deal with the minor hassles
Spring 2005... I ordered 6 blueberries, 26 hybrid poplars, 3 weeping willows, 4 elderberries, 2 corkscrew willows, 4 lilacs, and 3 hydrangeas...all for less than $100.
Yes they looked like dead sticks when they came in the green plastic bag. But I soaked the roots in warm water, planted them, and almost everything grew VERY well.
I thought for sure the elderberries were dead...each one was a VERY dry stick about 6" long. But by the end of the summer all 4 were 5 feet tall x 3 feet wide and very healthy.
I accidentilly killed the hydrangeas before I could plant them (left them out in hot sun without water...oops!), but they were green and healthy (and small) upon arrival.
The only thing that grew poorly were my lilacs...only 1 really grew... but I believe that was due to poor soil where I planted them. I also had 1 out of 26 hydrid poplars die, although it initially grew several leaves. The other 25 are between 4' and 6' tall now.
Here's my thinking folks...this company (and all of its Plantron affiliates) sell plants for DIRT CHEAP. So yes, the plants will be small, shipping will be bad, customer service will be bad, and it is easy to feel like you got ripped off. But, since I have a limited budget, I am willing to put up with it. I plan on ordering again this spring...we'll see how it turns out this year! (My 2¢)
I ordered several fruit and nut trees (16 total) and a strawberry collection (3 varieties) from this company in Spring of 2005. All items were received at the appropriate planting time and in good condition with the exception of one variety of strawberry. The other two strawberry varieties grew well in their first season and 13 of the 16 dormant trees leafed out and grew well. I waited until September to send in my shipping label along with a note stating what items needed replaced.My replacement trees and strawberries arrived within 2 weeks. They actually sent a couple of extra trees. The strawberries were in good condition and several of the trees started to break dormancy right away due to some unseasonably warm weather. I plan on ordering from this company again.
On Jun 2, 2005, BuckyLastard Ozark, MO (Zone 6b) wrote:
I ordered 5 Hybrid Willow trees on May 07, 2005 from their web site. I had seen their ad in Rural Missouri magazine and took that as a sign of credibility.
I found the Dave's Garden web site a day after I placed my order. I then became resigned to the fact that I had just lost $15.45. I didn't even bother to dig any holes.
I received my order on May 27. I opened the green plastic bag and took out my bare-root twigs. They were bundled together which gave them added strength to survive the brutal shipping. I figured I'd try to soak them in water and SuperThrive (5 ml/gal) to see if they'd given up the ghost.
Six days later all five trees are still soaking and are greening up beautifully. I'm going to plant them today.
I understand that non-woody plants couldn't be treated this way. I think this method of shipping is totally inappropriate for tender plants, but I got exactly what I ordered and I'm happy.
On May 29, 2005, mtnbamboogirl Mountain City, TN wrote:
last year i bought a bunch of plants, trees ets from them and many did not make it...i contacted them per there instructions and they replaced all that died...i was lerry of them doing it as they said, but they did...i bought from them this year and will in years to come..i am very happy with them...you get what you ordered...a great discount nursery.
On May 20, 2005, wyosundancer Kansas City, MO wrote:
We recently ordered approximately 120 plants consisting of lillies and hostas. All were in very good condition (somewhat small, but very healthy). All came up.
On May 16, 2005, chazparas Haverhill, MA (Zone 6b) wrote:
I ordered over $100. worth of merchandise from 4 seasons the end of March 2005, I read the catalog and new that everything would be coming dormant and bareroot. Of course I was shocked by the size of the plants all were small, but you get what you pay for no? in my order were 4 Kwanzan cherry trees, all bareroot and very dead looking. They are all leafing out now and at over $300 each for fullsize trees I will wait until these grow. 7 subzero roses came and I had to wait over a week before planting them. I thought that I would loose them because of the wait, they stayed dormant in a cool room and now are sprouting in the garden. I did loose a hellebore, seaholly, and have not received 8 redbud trees yet. But so far am happy with the order. Again, you get what you pay for. I have paid much more for plants from Park seed and have recieved potted plants in poor quality and insect infestations from them, yet I keep going back so I will be going back to 4 seasons knowing what to expect.
On May 3, 2005, IamJodi Rensselaer, IN (Zone 5a) wrote:
I recently received an order from this company. I was not aware of their bad reputation nor about the other companies they are affiliated with. I may not have ordered from them had I know, but this one order was received in fine shape and all are growing.
I ordered one fruit tree, and some decorative grasses. They came looking dormant, but all are greening up nicely.
I have had a very positive experience with Four Seasons Nursery (4SN). I ordered from them last spring (2004). If you read the catalog or the website you will see that they don't immediately send out your order. They wait until its time to plant in your region. So I waited.
I received the package and was a little taken aback by the twigs inside but I FOLLOWED THE PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS. I ordered 8 Rose of Sharon bushes, 2 smoke trees, 8 russian olives, 3 screen poplars, 2 yucca plants, and one thula green giant. The yuccas looked pretty rough and died within days. Most everything else took off. THe green giant just held steady.
I held onto my shipping label and this spring (2005) and took stock of what had died: 2 yuccas, 2 poplars, 1 smoke tree and 1 russian olive. I sent the label back with a note and a few weeks later I received replacements. They sent me 3 extra Russian olives!
I got all of those plants, with shipping for $34. All are growing, and I couldn't be happier. My one smoke tree grew almost 5' last year!
I would not hesitate to order more trees or shrubs from 4SN.
I have had a good experience dealing with the Four Seasons Company. I have ordered numerous times from them and Yes there were a few times plants came "Dead" but I read their instructions about keeping the receipt and they promptly and graciously sent me more plants until I was satisfied. On several occasions they also sent me "more:" plants then I had ordered. I found their prices very competitive and their product to be as stated. I understand people becoming upset about companies but I found them to be reputable. Just read their instructions and follow them by keeping the original packing slip and they "will" send you more plants until you are satisfied. I noticed many of the complaints were from customers who lived a great distance from Illinois this could be the reason for the plants dying. I would suggest you buy from a nursery close to your home location to prevent this from happening,. That is what I have done and it has been to my satisfaction.
This is the second time I have ordered from this company. I received 18 bare root rose bushes. They looked like they had been in the packaging a little too long, but otherwise I was very happy with them. All were a nice sturdy size and had good color. At these prices I think the quality of plants is very satisfactory. These plants sure beat the bare root roses I have gotten for a similar price at places like Wal-Mart . I will continue to order from Four Seasons.
I had ordered several plants/seeds/bulbs in August of 2004. After I placed my order I found a website "Garden Watchdog". When I found 4 seasons listed with positive and much to my surprise negative comments as well. I said to myself "Oh Sh__" my husband is going to kill be for one ordering over the internet and two for choosing a negative, poor managed nursery. Well, let me tell you my order did arrive on two different days and so what, JC Penney/Sears catalog arrives the same way. The roots look good and healthy. I do believe the persons who are complaining are either one lousy gardeners or two they may not know that roots are of brown color and look dead. Four Season Nursery thank you for being available to me and to my neighbors and friends , we enjoy ordering from you and look forward to doing more business in the near future. When my garden is aged and blooming I look froward to sending a picture of my garden to four season nursery to show what wonderful quality plants they sell. Gardeners out there that had negative problems perhaps brought it on themselves.
I am a new gardener and placed an order with Four Seasons before reading all of the negative remarks. I was very nervous about how my order, however, I decided not to cancel it. I am so happy I did not cancel. Everything arrived looking dead and my friends laughed at the product I received. However, a couple weeks later, I was the one laughing. Everything is growing beautifully. I have contacted Four Seasons a couple times, once to question whether the hedges I ordered were hardy to my zone and the second time to let them know I did not receive my free gifts. Both times the customer service personnel were very pleasant and knowledgeable. I got through on the first try with both calls also. I have had such wonderful experiences with this company I will definately order from again!
On Jun 25, 2004, Heatherweh Fredericksburg, VA wrote:
I had wanted to reserve judgement until I had seen whether or not the dormant trees and shrubs came to life and they did! Everything looked like sticks when they came, but I put them in a pail of water with just a bit of Miracle Grow and they all sprouted buds and leaves within the week! I was very relieved. The roots on them were very large as well, much better than those from the Arbor Day Foundation. Of the free bulbs I received, one packet had some moldy bulbs in it, but the other two packets of bulbs were in good shape. The two little hollyhocks I received were quite wilted, but have since perked up under that shade of a nearby tree. Not the best company I've ever ordered from, but for the cut-rate price, it was still a good deal.
Ordered blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes, and a few shrubs. The plants arrived in a couple weeks. They looked pretty sorry when I took them out of the bag, but when planted, they took right off. Four weeks later, all are looking great. They're much healthier than the expensive plants I bought from the local nursery. My only "complaint" (not really much of a problem for me) was they substituted some seeds for the "free gift plants" I was supposed to receive.
Although I didn't recieve all of my order on the first shipment and had the same misgivings as a lot of the people who have given negetive responses, when I planted my hedge I found that the seeming dead twigs sprang to life within a day.
I consider myself an educated and enthusiastic garden hobbiest and I am very pleased with the plants I received from Four Season Nursery. My neighbor is quite the gardener and when I asked where he had procurred so many nut trees (because they as SO expensive at local nurseries) he gave me the catalogue for Four Seasons. He did so with the caveat that I needed to be aware that all the stock would be very small on arrival. I told him I understood. (And I actually appreciate that, because dirt, pots, etc. are rather pricey to ship and can really add to the bottom line when ordering mail order.) I placed my order with the knowledge that the plants would be bare-root and dormant (it says so in their catalogue) and that they would arrive at their designated planting time, not strictly by ordering date.
I was very pleased when they arrived about 2.5 weeks after I ordered them. I think part of this was I ordered right about the optimal planting time for my area. I recieved my entire shipment (2 almond trees, 1 rose bush, 75 assorted strawberry plants, 3 raspberry bushes, 1 blackberry, 2 seedless grapes, 1 indoor lemon tree, 1 indoor orange tree, and one indoor banana tree.) They were small. Yes, the almond trees do look like sticks to the untrained eye, and yes the strawberries look like a bundle of roots. But just follow the enclosed instructions. Within a few days, my June bearing strawberries are sending up some leaves, and my almond trees are shooting out some little leaf buds. My blackberries have lots of new growth too. I actually anticipate survival of nearly all, if not all, of my plants. They just need a little babying (and isn't that the fun of gardening anyway?) and they will do nicely. I have also seen a lot of the stock that my neighbor has used from Four Seasons, and it is all magnificent at about 2 years out.
I am very pleased with my experience and will order again when I have the need for more plants. My advice is to read the instructions when you get the plants and follow them. You won't be disapointed (but you have to be patient!)and you will save yourself a LOT of money over your local garden centers.
