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On Nov 21, 2009, MaryCorbett Niceville, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:
I have ordered many times over the years from this company, and have always received nice, healthy plants. The orders have included perennials and bulbs of all sorts. I have never had any problem with shipping or with them substituting another item for what I requested. My last order was for several double Asiatic lilies, and the bulbs were in excellent condition.....plump and of good size. Any time I called or emailed Customer Service, they were courteous and knowledgeable as well. I will continue to order from them.
On Sep 26, 2009, Steve812 Prescott, AZ (Zone 7a) wrote:
I ordered three hundred daffodils and fifty hyacinths through their wholesale branch last fall, and (without stopping to count them all) most or all of them were true to form and bloomed very nicely this spring. I also ordered six echinacea which were DOA.
It has frequently been my experience with bulb companies that one can get great bulbs but only dead perennials; so VBW may be a very good place to get bulbs, but a terrible place to get perennials. Recommended for bulbs, not for perennials.
On Jun 15, 2009, catloverrachel Columbia, SC (Zone 8a) wrote:
I recently sent a large order of clearance items (mainly daylilies and OT lilies) to Van Bourgondien. Given the negative feedback I've seen on DG, I was rather apprehensive as I waited for my order to arrive. My order arrived less than a week after I sent it, and the bulbs and fans were nice, fresh, and healthy. I think dornancy makes a big difference when one is ordering plants, especially at the end of the season. If the plant material can be refrigerated and kept cool, they should be able to survive the shipping ordeal. There is no way I would order plants with fibrous roots via mailorder at this time of year; I live in South Carolina and they would probably be cooked by the time they arrived. Bulbs, rhizomes, etc., are a different matter, as they can (and should) be kept cool until planted.
The packing is not that good. The box is a bit oversized. One root of peony broke when I got the shipment.
The peony is growing fast at the beginning. Now the leaves are getting thicker and bigger, but growing slowly.
The 3 gold stargazer lilies are healthy and producing bubs.
2 elodie asiatic lilies are growing healthy. One didn't grow, but I got the replacement within a week, They sent me a bag of 3 bulbs. One replacement is shooting out.
I have to call them for replacement because they didn't reply my emails.
The shipping charge is so high, so I only order when it provides special offer.
Prior to ordering bulbs on line for the first time I researched suppliers. I chose Van Bourgandien in February because of the relatively short distance my order would travel, the reviews I read at DG , and the ease of navigating their website.
While waiting for my first order to arrive Van Bourgandien's customer service e mailed that my card had been compromised ( ID theft). That headsup allowed me to make other arrangements for payment in time to avoid any delay of the scheduled delivery date.
I could not have been more pleased with the care of filling and shipping the order. The quality of the bulbs was such that only one bulb was not viable. The replacement bulb and a backorder arrived just a few days later- both are growing very well.
In April I made another order-this time for well over 100 bulbs. Again my order arrived on time and in excellent condition To date not one one bulb has needed to be replaced.
Here in lenoir we are limited to bulbs sold by big box stores such as Lowes and Walmart. Although their prices are competitive for the few varieties they carry quality is lacking.
On May 29, 2009, Karldan Norfolk, VA (Zone 8a) wrote:
I wanted a white amaryllis for Christmas last year. I bought a (rather expensive) kit from Van Bourgondiens. It bloomed red. I returned it for another kit, and this one late January bloomed red. Oh well, I was not meant to have a white one.
I complained to our delivery driver, who also delivers to V B,
indeed he is a friend of Mrs V B. She sent me 4 huge (leftover) replacement bulbs, (which bloomed red, no surprise here), a pack of President canna, and a pack of 4 different Summer bulbs. These had in them the hardy fragrant Glads, you know the ones, white with red center, and the little claws of ranunculus. I have never in the past been able to grow these, but upon planting them in my garden, they
postively flew up out of the ground. I can only speak for myself, I am very pleased with the bulb lady's above and beyond gifts to ensure my satisfaction at not having a white (amaryllis) Christmas.
We've ordered from this company on and off for quite some time, and have always been pleased. I usually wait until they're having their 50% off sales, and then make a fairly substantial order. I had to utilize their customer service department for the first time on my most recent purchase due to an issue with the website not processing my order; their IT department promptly found my order, and the rep I'd spoken with even called me to make sure I'd received the confirmation e-mail. My entire order arrived yesterday, and everything is very healthy, especially the hemerocallis; the bulbs are medium-large sized stock and have no signs of problems. Though I see they've had very mixed reviews, we have never had one bad thing to say about them!
I ordered a variety of perennials, both starter plants and bare root stock, about 36 plants in all. I emailed the company after placing the order to request a specific "not to ship" date as I was going to be out of town for 10 days. I received a very polite reply indicating they would honor my request. My plants all arrived before I left town and all in good condition. I saved quite a bit over buying 4" or larger pots in town, and several of the plants are not offered locally. Overall, a very pleasant and worthwhile purchase.
On May 1, 2009, Cornpatch_IL Litchfield, IL wrote:
Ordered about 10 items ranging from Hostas to Geraniums, and everything looked great. While the packing was dry, it did take 3 days for UPS ground to get it here, if you live further away, you might want to pay for quicker shipping if you are worried.
The only thing I could suggest would be a little more moisture retentive soil mix, but other than that, everything seems to be great.
I have been buying from VB's for many years, both from their "wholesale" catalog and their standard one. I have always received top quality plants in good condition and shipped quickly. The one time I received some rotted daffodils they were promptly replaced. I can usually get very good plant material here at a fraction of what I pay elsewhere, either locally or by mail. Highly recommeded!!
About three weeks ago I ordered around $100 of clearance bulbs for some landscaping I'm doing. The job is a nonprofit deal for a friend whose health issues doesnt allow them to garden. Being clearance fall bulbs, I expected a good amount of damage and/or rot. I was pleasantly surprised with neither. The ferns and hostas were fat and had nice heathly buds on them. The lillies and poppy I received were equally large and in good condition. I received them about 4 days after ordering, planted them 2 days later. I live on the florida panhandle coast so I'm very lucky to have a very mild winter and I'm thrilled to say the ferns are already starting to frond up and I have nice 3in sprouts on the iris I ordered. My only complaint would be that I ordered a mixed lot (50 bulbs)of daffodils to naturalize the back of her property and they sent 14 pink daffodils in place of them. The price was comparable but I was looking more for quantity in the use. It would have been nice if they had called to confirm the substitution, but overall a very fantastic shipment of very nice healthy plants.
On Dec 16, 2008, 4trowelanderror Paradise, CA wrote:
As part of a community wide project to plant daffodils I recently ordered 60,000 wholesale naturalizing daffodil bulbs from VB. I used this company on the recommendation of a daffodil planter who has been using the bulbs for 20 plus years. We received outstanding service from the company, including personal phone calls, reduced price and free shipping. The bulbs were in wonderful condition. The bulbs were the size as described and minimal decay or rot was found. Of the 60,000 bulbs, we still have about 10,000 to plant. At this point I am satisfied with the company and their service. If there is need to change my opinion in the spring when the daffodils are set to bloom I will certainly update my evaluation. But at this point I feel certain that the bulbs will preform beautifully in our area as I have seen the VB bulbs in bloom in a local private garden that has a million or more bulbs.
On Aug 10, 2008, curlyjoe1967 Marshfield, WI wrote:
I have ordered dahlias, daylilies, and tulips. After they have bloomed, I see they aren't the kind I had ordered. I'm very disappointed, especially about the daylily. I was really looking forward to that one. I won't order from them again.
On December 5th, 2008, curlyjoe1967 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
I was contacted by this company with an offer to send a replacement for the daylily. I really have to say that I was surprised. Most companies don't seem to care about customer service anymore. Thankyou Van Bourgondien.
On Jul 8, 2008, kays_camelot Port Sanilac, MI wrote:
I have ordered from this company for several years and, overall, have been satisfied. I had a bad experience with 3 of the 4 plants I ordered this spring. Two were DOA and one is sickly. When I called, they cheerfully gave me a credit against my fall order Two years ago, I ordered 20 iris and are very happy with them. There was only one that wasn't as marked and I have no problem with that. However, last fall I ordered 4 more. Three bloomed and all of them were mis-marked! I am disappointed, but they were healthy or they wouldn't have bloomed and I am not going to complain to them.
I have gotten a large number of daffidills from them over the last several years; can't find a better price and they are beautiful. I take advantage of the $25 off offer and have gotten a lot of different plants that I wouldn't buy otherwise. Some don't grow but I expect that. I ordered a collection of 20 lilies for $5 that I have really enjoyed. No, they didn't all grow but I didn't expect they would.
Yes, I have received larger, healthier plants from Bluestone but they cost more. For the price, I think Van Bourgondien is a good deal and I have never had a problem with their customer service.
On October 1st, 2008, kays_camelot added the following:
I just received my fall order. I almost didn't even place it because of all the negative comments on DG. I was extremely nervous when opening it but the bulbs are excellent! Large and healthy as they have been every other time I dealt with them. In fact, I had purchased a few daffodils from Bluestone that I wanted to make sure were OK, and there was absolutely no difference in the quality. I will definitely continue to buy bulbs from them.
I placed an order with this company in early Spring (March) this year. Order arrived fine and timely but the 2 Brunnera Looking Glass plants never did come up.
I wrote to the company and even though they did not have any available for replacement they did send me a credit by e mail as well as snail mail for the cost of the 2 plants. I placed another order and the credit was applied with no problem at all. I will do business with this fine and reliable company again.
I recently ordered some daylilies and lilies on clearance. After placing the orders, I read the reviews here and my expectations were thus set very low. To make matters worse, the floods in the midwest played havoc with the UPS schedules, and the first order spent 12 days in transit with often hot summer weather.
Having now received the orders and potted everything up, I am quite pleasantly surprised by the plants I received. No, it was not perfect, but assuming the plants turn out to be as labeled (it will be quite a long time before I will be certain), overall I received healthy plants which I already can see will grow well.
A couple of the daylilies did perish in transit and replacements will be on their way, but out of quite a large order which endured an unfortunately protracted journey west, I felt the packaging was quite good overall and the health of the plants was fine. So far so good, and much better than expected.
This is the 2nd year our Church has ordered bulbs for a fund raiser from Van Bourgondien. Both times the company has been professional on the phone and with the order. The bulbs have arrived in a timely matter and in great conditon. Everyone who ordered last year were very happy with their flowers, and have reordered again for this year. Our Church made 50% profit and received free lily bulbs for our garden.
I spend $5,000 every Spring on my gardens. I spent about $1,000 with this company. What drew me in was the huge variety. What came up was really great, pink heart shaped leaves, don't recall name ,maybe calladiam. The Canna were also spectacular. I have always wanted Gunnera Manicata and the 3 came up and are doing well. Asian Lillies were also very nice and bloomed at a time when everything else was done. Sea Holly was a bust, I think housekeeper thought it was a weed. Will try again. I took a chance on V-B, did not use a coupon, did not let them know about plants that did not come up (about 30%, most of the shade plants) I just assumed that it was my fault. Waiting too long to plant or putting plants where conditions were not ideal. They were out of a lot of items because I ordered late, but my order was accurate and price was correct. It was my goal to have more perennials rather than annuals. I am going to try some of their Spring bulbs. Will keep you posted. heirai1
On Sep 28, 2007, soapwort243 South Milwaukee, WI wrote:
I ordered some bulbs and they were just received (promptly after ordering) and are all good-sized, healthy, nice looking bulbs. Local, hardware store-(Menards)- also sells the Van Bourgondien bulbs- but they do not have the extensive selection you can get thru the catalog. They have Beautiful Items!! I have no idea why this company doesn't have a better rating--I don't know about the plants--but the bulbs are nice. I am very happy with them.
On October 13th, 2007, soapwort243 added the following:
The proof is in the pudding. I keep getting coupons and free shipping offers and I can't resist ordering more. The tulip bulbs I just received are really huge!!! (Cummins). I am so impressed with all the stuff from them.
I ordered 9 25-count bags of hyacinths and tulips from the wholesale catalog, which requires a minimum order of $50 and sells multipacks at a great discount.
When they arrived, I opened the bags to examine the tulip bulbs, and saw that 4 bags contained 1-8 rotten bulbs. Half of the bulbs in the the hyacinth bag appeared to have been damaged during digging, as if they were cut by the machines.
I called the company and the representative asked me if I wanted replacements or what. I said replacements, and before I could tell her how many of each type were unsatisfactory, she told me I would receive a new bag of 25 of each variety that contained rotten ones.
She didn't try to argue with me at all, and I have complete faith that my replacements will arrive soon. I've ordered from them before, and whenever I've had problems, they've been happy to send replacements or refund my money.
On Aug 10, 2007, vabchprincess Virginia Beach, VA wrote:
I placed my first order with Van Bourgondien this past spring. I ordered many $5 items along with some beautiful cannas! I was so excited when I received my order and was anxious to plant them.
I did have a couple of items that did not grow and I called Van Bourgondien and spoke to a wonderful customer service representative who was more than happy to issue me a replacement for the plants that did not grow for next season.
The rest of my garden is gorgeous! I am so happy to have placed my order with Van Bourgondien!
I have read many of the negative comments in this forum and can not believe what is being said!
I have had nothing but a fantastic experience with this company and can not wait until I order my fall products.
Wow - I am clearly in the minority here. I've only ordered from Van Bourgondien once. I got a half bushel of daffodil bulbs last December - which is quite late. They were a great price, shipped quickly, and they bloomed beautifully this spring. Nice size flowers, all bloomed... I'm a little worried now, though, about ordering from them again. I'll have to think about that some!!
On November 19th, 2007, vvesper added the following:
I made an additional order for 300 more bulbs this fall out of the wholesale catalog. I had some trepidation after seeing the reviews here, but their prices are fabulous! The 100 daffodil bulbs I got were all nice and firm, and they were the largest I've ever gotten anywhere. The snow glories and Siberian squill were also good quality bulbs. I don't have a reference point on their size, as I've never planted them before.
I've gotten very good bulbs from this company. And as my husband said when I was debating placing the order--their prices are so much better than everyone else's that even if a few bulbs aren't good, you're still ahead!
I ordered eight begonias among other items. Order was split into three separate shipments. However the second shipment, four of the begonias, clearly shown along with the shipment dates, never arrived. When I contacted VanB about this, there was no hesitation. They immediately sent a replacement. All bulbs received appeared to be in great shape. I was very happy with their customer service.
On May 16, 2007, javajunkiewa Silverdale, WA (Zone 8b) wrote:
Even though I knew of their reputation from reading the feedback here at Dave's Garden, I gave them a shot because of their prices and the coupon. I ordered the obligatory amount in order to use the coupon (only daffodil and tulip bulbs) and every one came up and bloomed true to type - my yard was gorgeous. I can't vouch for the live plants they offer, but I won't hesistate to order bulbs again. I'm already looking through the catalog.
I've ordered from VB quite a few times, although not for a couple of years. I've been satisfied with the quality of their products and don't recall any special problems. It sounds like they may have gone downhill, though but since it's been two years and all went well I can't offer any negatives.
On Mar 29, 2007, Shellyb Lehighton United States wrote:
Most of the plant by mail are gimmicks. And it is buyer beware as I found by Michigan bulb. But I have had some great success with vB. I had gotten some unusual plants last year and were afraid they may not make it but they are pushing thru. I am awaiting a back order for last fall. I had a confirmation and will give until beginning of May. I am thinking of putting in an order when I found this site..so it has me wondering if they are over achieving.
I prefer shopping by catalog because local nurseries do not have all the new flowers and bulbs. Breck of Holland and VB I have been dealing with for years. And do know that you have a guarantee and the right to file a complaint. It is quite simple. Most companies are decent enough to believe us and do not ask for flowers back. But if you are receiveing dead or damaged bulbs..send them back return receipt. If there is a disease do you really want it..
Another great seed company I have dealt with for 35 years is Thompson and Morgan. This year I am going to try some seeds from Horizon Herb in Oregon..they have native, unusual..plants and seeds. They are not a bulb company.
I wish you all well, but never accept loss of money or plants lightly or they will continue. Happy Planting all.
On Mar 17, 2007, DixieDirtDiva Nashville, TN wrote:
When I joined Dave's Garden last fall, I had already placed a huge order with VB (wholesale catalog) & was sick to read the neg. reviews & very worried. I had used this company abt. 10 yrs. before at my old house w/ beautiful results, but now I was scared; had they gone bad in the passing years? The order was in, so I waited; I did have to call and ask them to send what was in w/out waiting for backordered items. When I rec'd 1700 daffodil bulbs (b/ord came a week later) I found only 3 bags (150) to be mushy; I called, we went over the order, and they promptly sent replacements. I don't know what to say, except that my spring yard is absolutely awash in the most lucious, beautiful daffodils of every description. I'm in the south, so I can't do tulips. Perhaps I'm alone, but I got wonderful, large daffodil bulbs from this company. I don't know why, when so many reviews are horrible, unless it's something to do with the large qty. I ordered. ? I just didn't have a problem, and my resulting flowers are breathtaking, & I just had to say so.
On Jul 13, 2006, Nana3 Hanson, KY (Zone 6a) wrote:
I have placed two orders with this company. I was very pleased with the communication, quick shipping with good packing and the quality of the plants and bulbs I ordered. I feel that I received good products at a fastastic price. I would recommend them.
On Jun 23, 2006, barbinvegas Gulf Breeze, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:
I ordered 6 egret flowers form this company and after 3 weeks there was no sign of them coming up. I sent an email to them figuring that I would either not get a response or they would tell me that I hadn't allowed enough time and to wait at least a year as had happened with some of the other companies I have ordered through. I heard from them in approximately a week and was told that a replacement order had been authorized. In less than a week I had my replacement order. Also, when they sent the email, they included tips for getting these difficult flowers to grow. I will certainly order from them again and I will tell anyone that is considering ordering from this company to feel free. They sure stand behind their products.
On Jun 11, 2006, gianetta Mechanicsville, VA wrote:
I ordered numerous lily bulbs from VB this spring and received them as expected. They looked a bit less firm than desired, but I'm not an experienced gardener, and I planted them anyway. My Mt. Duckling lilies are in full bloom on my deck right now, and the oriental lilies are gearing up with lots of flower buds.
I was surprised to see such low marks for this company because it had the best service/merchandise of the three companies I ordered from this past spring. My Springhill order a year ago was very good, but their alstromeria and toad lilies were half dead when they arrived this spring. They're all recovering, but I didn't pay to nurse plants back to health.
I'm finding that my local stores have a lot of decent merchandise at a lot lower risk, so I'm not planning to order perennials online again. I'd order bulbs from VB again.
I ordered from this company several times. All the products I received were in excellent condition and everything has grown well. Most of my purchases were lily bulbs. They arrived in good condition, very good size, well packaged and on time.
I have purchased several times and my experience with Van Bourgondien has been nothing but excellent. I will continue using them as one of my main suppliers.
Last fall I placed 3 seperate orders from van bourgondien's and have to say that I was very impressed with the quality of the bulbs I have received. They were large in size, healthy, and each order I placed was promptly received in a timely manner. It's spring, and all the bulbs that I have planted have all started to come up. Im very excited ! I was so impressed with this company that I placed another order for perenials and plan on buying more bulbs this fall! Im really suprised to have read some of the negative comments and can only wonder if the proper planting steps were not taken causing certain bulbs/plants not to grow?? I would highly recommend this company !
I am so surprised by the comments I've read. I have been buying from Van Bourgondien's for almost twenty-five years and I would never order from anyone else. Yes, sometimes the perennials are small but the value for the money is incredible and almost everything I've planted has thrived and grown. In fact, ,many of their perennnials are now in my children's gardens because I've divided and shared. Their daffodils and tulips have made my neighbors envious. I could never have the gardens I have with the budget I've had without them. I even got to talk to the bulblady in person and she told me to come visit her garden. I do like this company...
On Jan 24, 2006, 1baylady Newport Beach, CA wrote:
For over four years I have been responsible for ordering paperwhite bulbs (over 3000) for many residents in my small Southern California neighborhood.
I used VanB. for the first time this past season. The service and shipping was perfect and the bulbs were by far the best we have ever used. I will order from them again this season without hesitation. Additionally I am in the process of ordering dahlias from them for late spring planting. I will let you know how that order was shipped and in what condition - I expect the best!
On Jan 18, 2006, tombaak High Desert, NV (Zone 5a) wrote:
I am saddened to see so many negative comments about this company. I have spent well over $2000 dollars with them (mostly wholesale) over the last 5 years and had an overall excellent experience. I am planning to order from them in the next few weeks and i expect to get the same.
Of the plants purchased from them the dahlias were by far the biggest most outrageously sized tubers i've ever bought. They were HUGE and performed very well. The lady who i planted them for says they are magnificent to this day. I also bought many tree peonies from them, unfortunately left behind in a move, but the new owner reports they are doing well.
I did buy a very large quantity of oriental poppies that just didn't do well at all. I was really disappointed, but the company offered me a replacement or refund with no trouble when i contacted them. The poppies were the only thing i've really had trouble with as a whole.
In the years i've dealt with them, i've certainly had many things that didn't make it, or never came up, and once i received a dahlia that was not what i had ordered, but with the quantity of product i've ordered from them, i've had few problems. They have always been great with replacements / credits.
So, from my experience i would rate this as an excellent company. If the quality or service has diminished i will certainly edit this, but i have high hopes for my impending order.
Melissa Lewis
Dayton, NV
On June 29th, 2006, tombaak added the following:
I was so taken aback by the negative comments that i didn't plan to order here this year. But, i noticed that they were having a big sale, so i thought i would take a chance and order some more dahlias. They arrived today and i was pleasantly surprised at how well they looked. I also ordered some clematis that don't look very good, but i'll give them time... They had a rough go of it in transit (crushed box) and appear to still be mostly dormant.
It has been tough for me watching this company go down in flames. It had been one of my favorites and most ordered from.
I was annoyed when I placed a wholesale order recently that the items I needed were available only from retail. Still I placed the orders (both wholesale and retail) as this order was for someone else's yard and they wanted them.
I am hoping that when my shipment arrives I will be pleasantly surprised and all will be well with the order. If not I guess I will have to change my rating to negative and come to terms with the fact that this once great supplier is no longer reliable.
Everything I ordered was in excellent condition !!.....
I had many Questions, which were promptly answered via email
I did have some dead plants, told them and received good once later.
Never had to wait long for my orders !
I truly enjoy this Company and there staff(customer care), besides they had plants which I could not find around here(Wisconsin)
