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We have ordered from Digging Dog for the past 4 years. In the Spring of 2009, we order several items including 12 eringium giganticum. When they arrived in April, there was nothing in the small pot, but we were game and went ahead and planted them any way. We waited until the end of June and nothing had come up. I emailed Digging Dog, referenced my order..while it took a little while to hear back from them, they indeed stood by their plants and sent me out 12 new plants, no questions asked. We appreciate the specialty nurseries that offer hard to find plants and know that it is a tough business. We appreciate them even more when the plants they sell are high quality and they stand behind them. Digging Dog gets a big thumbs up from us!
I ordered 6 salvia plants over the telephone. They arrived on the date promised and were in better shape than some of the plants in local nurseries! Nicely packed, still moist and with the leaves protected. They are thriving in my garden. This is a very service oriented business and I will be getting more plants from them for sure.
The smallest perennial and the largest shrubs I have ordered have all had deepepots and arrived with exceptionally healthy root systems - Digging Dog Nursery ships the most well established plants !
TheDiging Dog plants I put into my garden last year are thriving better - larger and healther - than those from other nurseries planted two and three years ago.
While I very seldom post on blogs, as I work fulltime and simply don't have time to do this, I am writing this rave review for all who check out Daves Garden Wathdog for honest, impartial information.
On Jul 9, 2009, crazymary Lodi, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:
I just received my order of 6 plants and they arrived in beautiful condition and were very carefully packaged. The plants had large root systems and were larger than I expected. They gave complete instructions on how to care for plants shipped in warm weather and I was also happy with the friendly service I received via telephone. I will definitely be ordering again. Their selection of plants is terrific too.
I go back to this company again and again. In general, the plants are well sized and are securely packaged. My first orders were placed in 2007 and I've made several orders since then. I wait for the clearance/special sales and find them competitive with other mailorder nurseries. The shipping is typically competitive as well, but I only live a couple states away and am comparing them to other west coast mailorder sources. Right now I'm waiting for my 2009 Father's Day 15% off order (grin).
The only negative I can state is that they offer some really nice plants that are not hardy in my area so I need to be very careful not to be seduced by their descriptions and buy another plant that needs to be lugged into the garage every time the temperature plummets (sigh).
Last year I placed an order and included in that order were 8 Mavis Simpson geraniums. Their website stated they were hardy to zone 5. I am zone 6 so I ordered them. None of the 8 grew this year. I've been reading about geraniums and I have found that Mavis Simpson is a tender perennial and a wonderful geranium specialty company has them listed as zone 7. I guess I know why mine didn't survive. I emailed the company to let them know the information for this plant is incorrect and had it been correct I never would have spent over 50 dollars for 8 geraniums that aren't hardy to my area. I feel the least this company could have done was respond to my email. Since I have heard nothing I decided to include a review on this site.
On June 26th, 2009, suscwbuff changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I did receive a check in the mail today compensating me for the Mavis Simpsons and an apology.
On Jun 8, 2009, diggindragon Newark Valley, NY wrote:
They shipped my plants from California to New York. 3 days in a UPS box, and they weren't even WILTED! Every specimen I've ever purchased from them has come back like gangbusters the following season. I've even found plants I've never heard of before - making my upstate NY garden very unique. My neighbors are green with envy. This is simply the BEST mail order nursery I've ever dealt with.
On Nov 22, 2008, ineedacupoftea Grand Junction, CO (Zone 7a) wrote:
Brilliant. Perhaps the finest plants I have seen, betraying what must be well-adjusted specific and individual care. They are lush and noticably thick-stemmed. The company was very accomodating as far as shipping plants in early winter.
Under all of this, they offered not one, but five specific and hard-to-find plants I was seeking, at a price that makes me wonder how they survive.
On Aug 22, 2008, Susi_So_Callif Vista, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
I ordered 17 plants and got a virtually immediate response when it turned out that a couple were out of stock. I chose substitutes and they sent a shipping date with their confirmation. The plants arrived right on time and in excellent condition, beautifully packed and labeled. Best of all, they're having a sale for people affected by the drought and I saved 15% on my order. I'd definitely order again.
On Jun 20, 2008, ElizabethAnneM Birmingham, AL wrote:
My first order with this company came right on time. The plants are nice. The packaging was great. Despite the heat, the plants were happy and moist. Customer Service took the time to call me with a question. Good experience. Just wish they had photos online. Would order again.
On May 11, 2008, dannygates58 Jefferson, NH wrote:
Every year I order from Digging Dog and every year I recieve beautiful plants. This year was no exception. In fact I made some last minute additions and and all was shipped at once exactly on time. Packed well and amazingly healthy well rooted big plants. I could not be more pleased. Excellent company
This is the second time I have ordered from Digging Dog and I am very pleased with their plants. They have a great selection and their plants have always arrived healthy. The plants I purchased and planted in the fall have come up nicely. I will continue to order from them.
On Apr 18, 2008, Shellsfarm Grass Valley, CA (Zone 8b) wrote:
I had ordered 2 cistus plants and when they arrived their main stems were broken in half. My feeling was that the packaging was pressed down in a way that may have resulted in the damage. I was very disappointed since the plants were so healthy and even had buds on them. When I called the company, they offered to replace the plants, even though we both knew the broken plants would grow just fine. I felt that their offer was generous and very fair. The replacement plants arrived today and they are just as beautiful as the first and in one piece.
Great prices, beautiful plants... I just received my order from Digging Dog, placed way before the season. They don't have online order tracking like some of the bigger websites, but the plants I received were good-sized and healthy. For the prices, I was gratified at how well-established the plants were.
On Jan 3, 2008, ncpepper Pilot Mountain, NC (Zone 7a) wrote:
Huge huge roots! Ordered some penstemons from DD and they arrived well-packed with the best root system I have ever seen. Will definitely order from this company again.
On Sep 27, 2007, riolindarena Rio Linda, CA wrote:
I ordered four Brunnera (Jack Frost). I have been waiting for my area Sacramento, California to get them in for a few years with no luck. I decided to order from Digging Dog and wanted my plants ASAP. They emailed me quickly to let me know me know their concerns about the heat effecting the plants. I told them to send them anyway. The plants arrived early and packaged wonderfully. The plants had the perfect amount of roots, healthy, with great foliage. A+++ to this company.
I bought several Salvia species from Digging Dog Nursery. The plants arrived at the time I asked them to arrive. When I repotted each plant, each one had the most massive root system I had ever seen on a mail order plant (they were not rootbound). The plants were full of life, and I am enjoying the flowers very much. I highly recommend this nursery for Salvia purchases.
My first experience ordering with this company. Punctual shipping and good packaging. The plants were large. A great value. They have many unusual offerings for those looking for something a little different or hard to find. I will order again.
I ordered 5 Helianthemums which are hard to find locally or through my usual mail order sources. Very healthy plants arrived a day ahead of the promised delivery date. There was an unexpected bonus in the root ball of one of the plants: a real live wriggling worm! That has to be a first. In addition, for the price I paid the plants were huge. I took a chance and figured they would be quite small. I was pleasantly surprised.
This was my first order with this company and I look forward to more in the future.
On Apr 14, 2007, jennyblue2 Earling, IA (Zone 4b) wrote:
I was looking for some hard to find plants and had heard good things about Digging Dog here. I was very pleased with my order. Received promptly, well-packed and in excellent condition. I've never seen such huge root systems on a mail order plant!
I do not doubt that these plants will take off and thrive in my garden! I will definitely order from them again.
On Sep 21, 2006, Missyinbama Louisville, KY (Zone 6b) wrote:
Just got my order today- nice, healthy well packaged plants. Shipping is ok, considering they made it across the country with no problem, and price is on average with other mail order nurseries. Although I may have ordered some plants that would do better on the west coast, (lavender) than in the heat and humidity of the southeast, sometimes I like a challenge.
I just visited Digging Dog Nursery over the weekend, and was very impressed, both by their plants and their beautifully landscaped surroundings. They have a wide range of plants (many which you don't see elsewhere) and everything was healthy, vigorous and picture perfect. The word which comes to mind is "cherished." I bought a few of these beauties and they are blooming already! Thanks Cat and Barbara for your help.
On Aug 4, 2006, fruitlands Jefferson, NH (Zone 3b) wrote:
I found Digging Dog in a gardening magizine and am so thrilled I did. I went to their website after reading about them and was so impressed I immediatly placed an order ( after checking with Garden Watchdog of course !)
My plants were delayed 3 weeks due to the hot weather. Each Monday someone from Digging Dog called, explained the sitution and explained the delay. What service!!
My plants arrived today happy healthy and good size. I could not be happier and will shop Digging Dog much in the future
Ordered a bunch of Cistus. They came very well rooted and looking healthy. One even had flowers on it. They were well packaged. Shipping was rather expensive, but about the same as other companies. I'd order from them again.
My plants arrived from Digging Dog yesterday: healthy, large, beautifully packed, and on time. From the website to the customer service to the arrival of these lovely grasses, this has been a very satisfying experience. Although website ordering is easy, I encourage you to call your order in to benefit from the friendly and knowledgable staff.
Ordered a selection of plants from Digging Dog earlier this year: campanula, ajuga, columbine, etc. All looked great, with healthy root systems. They've all settled in well and are thriving. I will order from them again.
As one other person commented, it would be nice to have pictures on the website, but I just keep google open in another browser window and search for pictures as I browse.
On Jul 7, 2005, paste592 Westminster, MD (Zone 6b) wrote:
In early April 2004, I ordered 4 hakonechloa from this company. That particular grass is hard to find, but not impossible -- I also ordered 4 others elsewhere that same week. A week later they told me it was sold out, and offered a substitute, which of course I declined. They then promised shipment in early June. On July 7 I received an email thanking me for my recent order (?) and telling me that they were shipping on July 19th, and informing me that since it was hot, shipment would be at my own risk!! (This is $50 worth of plants!) So I cancelled -- it looks like the other four I bought from a more conscientious seller will be ready to divide by then, anyway! All this trouble could have been avoided by simply posting "sold out" on the listing, -- I'd have bought the others from the other source. I note from other comments here that this is their common practice.
On July 28th, 2005, paste592 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
Changing this rating certainly makes me feel better: The company more than "made it right" by sending a nice gift certificate. As a web seller myself, I know what kind of attention to detail it takes to keep good customers, and I appreciate Digging Dog taking this extra step.
On May 28, 2005, jessmerritt Roswell, NM (Zone 7b) wrote:
I ordered a few things and had a pleasant experience. Email communication was prompt. The plants themselves arrived swiftly, were very well packed and were very large and had impressively healthy root systems. I would definitely order from them again.
On May 15, 2005, SoCal Huntington Beach, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
I place an order for 3 Salivia's and 2 Astrantia's last month. After receiving my order, they informed me that one of the Astrantia's would not be up and ready for shipping for another 2 weeks. They asked me if I wanted them to ship the partial shipment or wait for the whole shipment. I told them to wait until the Astrantia was ready and ship them all at the same time. When they gave me the date of shipment, I was not going to be here to accept the box, and asked them to ship the following week. They were very helpful and waited for another week.
The plants arrived in wonderful condition and I was amazed at the root system of all the plants.
I was very happy with my order and the communication that we had. I will order from them again.
Donna
