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On Aug 6, 2009, fredastaire Rhinelander, WI wrote:
I was able to visit the HostasDirect retail site and found it to be very organized and easy to find my way around in. The best part was being able to meet Tom and sit down and talk hostas with him. He answered so many of my hosta questions! He is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. I was also able to visit the business site and after observing the "operation", I will be comfortable purchasing hostas at HostasDirect. The instruction sheet I got with my hosta has more useful information on 1 page than any hosta source I have previously used. Thanks again, Tom-I'll be back!
I am very pleased with Hostas Direct! The website has great information and is easy to use. I was very impressed with the size of the plants I ordered, as well as the careful packaging and super-fast shipping. I will be ordering from them again!
I had a wonderful experience with this company. The owner Tom provided important and interesting information about hostas in general and about my purchase in particular. He really goes the extra distance to make sure his customers are satisfied. I intend to buy all my future hostas from this company and recommend it to others who are as crazy about hostas as me.
On Jun 24, 2009, singercats Minneapolis, MN wrote:
Service is very good, starting with good quality stock items and well educated staff providing a comfortable shopping experiance.
I have purchased several plants over a period of three years and all plants are doing just fine. All are healthy and disease free.
Having the choice to purchase divisions or tissue culture plugs is a plus.
Highly recommand.
I have mail ordered from hostasdirect before, I had an opportunity to visit their retail site and was very pleased with their selection and pricing. The owner Tom Carlson was at the site and invited his customers to check out mature plants at his home. Several of us took him up on his offer.Had a great time with Tom and did end up taking home several very nice plants. Will definately be making return visits!
This company is very organized and customer friendly. We bought a new house last year and had NO plant material. I found HostaDirect while searching for Hosta sources online. I ordered both TC and divisions all of which arrived in a timely manor and were healthy. Best of all I filled out a customer survey and won a hundred dollar gift certificate, YIPPEE. So, now I am shopping for this year.
On Aug 21, 2008, ILuvHostas2 Reading, PA (Zone 6a) wrote:
I loved all your hostas I had purchased from you.But the Tiarias,I'm not too happy with, They do not want to stand up high in my Hosta garden,Like the others do well in. Maybe I didn't dig a big hole for them. Its not the sun either ,It has been slight sunny here,Temperature has come down a bit. .they are just dragging.I hope maybe next year,They will come up (perk up ) better. I can't wait till I buy more Hostas from you. I started to collect Hostas last year and seeds. I also grow mine from seeds, But due to gnats, lime.I cant get them to grow, So Thanks to You.I can buy more and more of your Excellent Beautiful Hosta's. Thanks.
Lori =)
On Aug 21, 2008, HostasDirect Inc. responded with:
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On Sep 7, 2008 10:13 AM, HostasDirect Inc. added:
Hi Lori,
Thanks again for your business and writing here. I want to reassure you your Golden Tiaras are going to look great next spring. If not, please contact me. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM with the Golden Tiara's I transplanted in my yard about the same time we shipped your order - the plants have not stood straight up - yet. I attribute this problem to the following
Golden Tiara has a petiole (stem) that is inbetween the diameter of martini straw (I have never had a martini by the way!) and a Mac's straw. So, when those hostas with thin stems go through shock, as in transplanting, they might not bounce back as fast.
The time of the year may also have been a factor. Your order was later in the season.
Golden Tiara is one of my favorite plants, as inexpensive as we sell it. I have it in 70 foot border in the front of my home. It multiplies fast, I love the leaves, it has a beautiful bloom, and tolerates the sun quite well. And, it was hybridized right here in Minnesota!
Feel free to write or call if I can be of further assistance. Thanks again for your business and nice compliments here. Please don't worry about a thing - just keep your Golden Tiara moist til winter and consider covering it the first year with mulch or straw or a garbage bag full of either (which prevents covering from blowing away and makes clean up easier in the spring!
On Aug 21, 2008, gmaconi Savage, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:
I have purchased hostas from Dave's retail sight and by mail. I was impressed with both purchases. Of all of the hostas I have purchased (close to 50), I have only lost one. All others are thriving, including the minis that I purchased last year. They made it through a cold Minnesota winter just fine! I recommend Dave's sight to all that are interested.
I ordered several of the TC value hostas and I am quite happy with them. They are small but are exactly what I expected since the website described them accurately. Although the hostas had only a couple of leaves when I received them, they are growing fast & several of them flowered within a month of being planted! The plants were carefully packed & shipped quickly. There was even a handwritten note included with my hostas which was a very nice personal touch. The website itself is informative & easy to use. The pictures & descriptions are wonderful which makes researching easy. Order with confidence from hostasdirect.com! I will definitely be a repeat customer with this company.
I enjoyed the large selection of hosta available and ordered plants twice and also ordered great looking labels. I highly recommend this source for the best and newest hosta.
I recently placed my first order with HostasDirect. To say I am extremely impressed would be understating my feelings by several orders of magnitude!!
The variety of hostas offered is extraordinary, the database outstanding, the plants are excellent value for money, the packing and shipping designed to get the plants to you in the quickest time possible in the healthiest condition; and the customer service is some of the best ever!
I have become an obsessed collector of hostas and HostasDirect is now at the head of my list of hosta suppliers!
I would recommend this company without reservation.
On Aug 14, 2008, perennial_gal Caledonia, MN wrote:
Wonderful plants and the best customer service anywhere. I have been doing business with Tom for the past three seasons and will continue to do so in the future. The quality of the hostas are wonderful, pricing fantastic and the selection can't be beat. The hostas always arrive in wonderful condition because of the careful packaging that is done. Customer service is wonderful, great, fantastic. I highly recommend Hostas Direct. Tom is very hands on with his business and is making sure he provides an excellent product.
I wish Hostas Direct success in future years of business. Without Tom / Hostas Direct my hosta collection would not number over 200 varieties with the majority being the small to dwarf varieties.
HostasDirect is simply the greatest place ever! Besides having great plants at reasonable prices the website is awsome. The pictures and information about all the hostas is very complete. You can even look up information about hostas that they do not sell. Can you imagine that? I hope to order some plant markers too, if I ever slow down buying plants!
My plants were all healthy and have started to grow. Some were small, but they were priced accordingly. All in all I am very happy with Hostas Direct and will order again.
My name is Anthony, from Central New Jersey
I found your website to be easy to navigate, the information and photos of the plants were just great. The details of each plant next to the photo were very helpful in deciding which plants to choose. When I did order it was very easy and I was very pleased with how quickly the plants did arive. They were in good condition I followed the simple instructions that came with the plants and all of them a growing just fine. This was my first order with your company and I was very pleased with every thing. I put you on my favorites list and I will be back to order more of your hostas. Thank you,
The website is fantastic with great photos and descriptions of an incredible variety of Hostas. The website also allows you to search by size, color, etc. which makes shopping for hostas a more efficient process. The packaging is great and the plants are extremely healthy and take off as soon as they are planted. Tom Carlson is very easy to work with and is very customer-oriented. I've already recommended this site to others.
Everything about my experience has been fantastic. Plants are great and growing fantastic. Service was great, shipping was great, price was great, I'm very please with the news letter and all the information that it is possible to get on this web site.
I ordered several hosta offered in a special last summer/fall. They came and looked great. I planted them in pots as I really didn't have a place ready for them. They were put in a cage in a wooded area with other shade plants that were waiting of a place to be planted. In October I moved them into a larger area( 48' X 18' cage, we have deer and rabbits that eat everything off) that has raised beds. I put them, pot and all, into the raised bed for the winter. I wondered how they would look in the spring. In spring everything was great. Hope to get more hostas from Hosta Direct next year once I get all my plants into new beds this year. I bought both TC and divisions. Service was great too.
Great Hostas!! Last year I attended the sale they had locally and was very impressed with the quality of Hostas and the excellent staff.
The only negative that I have experienced with the company has been a E-mail I sent for a ID on a Hosta that bought from another source and Tom was a little snide on his reply. Maybe because I didn't buy it from him.
But this would not stop me from buying again from Hostas Direct.
Mike
On Aug 13, 2008, HostasDirect Inc. responded with:
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On Aug 13, 2008 7:05 PM, HostasDirect Inc. added:
Thanks for your wonderful comments about our plants. I was SHOCKED when you said something about my making a "snide" comment, In fact, I looked up the word and it says, "Derogatory in a malicious, superior way." I don't make snide comments - to anyone! I have a sweet mother that taught me well - ask anyone. I help many, many, many people identify their plants even if they don't purchase from us. In fact, our world's largest HostaSearch database is entirely free - but a great expense to me. So, I am frankly a little angry about this being posted on this web site. I have reviewed my emails and can not find one from you but if I wrote something that you took wrong, please email me at tomcarlson@comcast.net I can have an off the wall sense of humor at times. If I owe you an apology, I will gladly apologize. Again, my thanks for your nice compliments about our hostas."
Last year I stumbled upon this website quite by accident. Immediately I loved everything about it. The information was easy to locate, comprehensive, and concise. The prices are unbeatable, and although the plants are small, as was mentioned by another reviewer, in just one year they are much larger. Personally, I would much rather pay HostaDirect's lower prices and be able to afford more plants :) . If I remember correctly, there was a slight problem wth my order, but I contacted the company and Tom, himself, made sure the problem was corrected. The only downside is that the prices were so good that I bought so many hostas and now have no room for any more. Guess I'll just have to move! All in all, I have never had, nor could I imagine having, a better experience and would never hesitate to order from them again.
Hosta Direct is a great company to deal with. Prices are fair, especially for the quality of the plants. Now that they have worked on the website it is fairly easy to use, the pictures and descriptions are very helpful The plants have strong, healthy roots and are true to their description. Customer service is quick to respond and helpful. I highly reccommend them to everyone. My only problem is that I want every one I see and I am running out of planting space!!!
I am in my second year of doing business with HostasDirect and more so Tom Carlson... Mr. Carlson is very hands on with his business and is making sure he provides an excellent product. I continue to be impressed with the healthy plants and more importantly for me the roots of the plants that are substantial. The order I placed last month was going to be delayed and I was contacted promptly regarding the delay (bad MN weather). My order arrived today, couldn't wait to get it open, again was impressed with the care taken with the packaging and the the healthy plants.
On May 13, 2008, nevadagdn Sparks, NV (Zone 7a) wrote:
I have got to stop magnifying advertised plant sizes in my head! I ordered Tissue Culture plug sized plants from this company, and I had a mental image of quart-sized plants in my head. That's not HostasDirect's fault at all--they state and show quite clearly what size hostas you get for what price. Still, I get surprised every time (and not just with this company) how little my plants are when they arrive. Ah, well--the prices are good, the plants are healthy, and I was planning to grow them up in containers until Fall anyways. Service was pretty good, too. It was a very cold, wet spring in the Midwest by all accounts, and I'd forgotten that, too.
On May 17th, 2008, nevadagdn added the following:
Everything I ordered is growing quite nicely. I still plan to keep the plants growing on in containers until fall, but that's due to the strangeness of my climate. For some unknown reason, Hostas prefer to be planted in Fall here, while everything else wants spring planting.On May 22nd, 2008, nevadagdn added the following:
I won't ever worry about the small size of the plants from this company again! Yes, they were small TC plugs when they arrived, but they have grown so much in the last 5 days that they have exceeded all my expectations! (I haven't given them fertilizer, either). These plants are giving my kitten a run for the money in the growth department--both grow so much in one day you can see the difference--and the kitten's nickname is "Moose" because he's just gotten SO big. The plants still aren't ready to go out in the hurly-burly of my densely planted beds, but they will most certainly be ready by late summer.On June 6th, 2008, nevadagdn added the following:
I received the last of my Spring order today--a very nice division of 'Elvis Lives'. I expect I'll end up ordering more Hostas before the summer is out, or failing that, in a couple of years when the Hosta compulsion gets me again...On July 9th, 2008, nevadagdn added the following:
sho'nuff--I just received the latest e-newsletter from Tom et al., and I felt compelled to place another order. This time I ordered 7 Hostas plus two free Hostas. Like I NEED more Hostas--I still have 20-odd Hostas I'm growing on for planting this Fall.On July 12th, 2008, nevadagdn added the following:
Wow! Lightning-fast service! My plants arrived July 11 in the mail. Unfortunately I was sound asleep and didn't wake up until after dark so I didn't pot/plant today. More when I open the box in the morning...On July 12th, 2008, nevadagdn added the following:
Hey, 1:45 AM is still morning...I couldn't sleep, so I opened the box and put the plants in water until the sun comes up. The plants range from the size I'd expect for a TC plant to "ginormous" for a couple of the divisions. All are in excellent shape. I'm very pleased.On May 13, 2008, HostasDirect Inc. responded with:
"
On May 12, 2008 8:07 PM, HostasDirect Inc. added:
Thanks for your order and your positive rating.
Please keep in mind it is only early May and most perennials are not very larger yet. I know in Nevada your climate is different. Your plants will grow well. We have had the worst spring in recorded history in Minnesota. Everything from the ice being out of the lakes to horticulture and agriculture are at least 3 weeks late. Our Tissue Culture plants are grown by some of top growers in the world located primarily in the north.
I looked up your order and know that Spilt Milk and Fantabulous are likely two year old plants.
We do go to great effort to provide pictures and information about our Best Value TC so that people can make informed decisions about what they purchase. We have no desire to mislead anyone. We believe, and thousands of others feel the same, that they would rather enjoy growing the Best Value TC plant and save money instead of purchasing large plants. Plus, TC are disease free - no foliar nematodes, viruses etc because they were checked for diseases before being mass produced. Most have never even touched the ground!
Many of our TC are 1.5 feet tall right now and have a great deal of growth. Our growers and us fertilize through the leaves twice a day.
Thanks again for your business. As always, if you have any questions please write or call me.
Tom Carlson
President - HostasDirect and IDeal Garden Markers
I doubt that I could say enough good things about this company.
I ordered a dozen or so hostas from them last summer, and they arrived quickly and were far larger than I had anticipated. Needless to say, I was suprised when I got an email from the President of the company saying that they were actually sending out my order again because the plants they sent were smaller than Hosta Direct standards!
Shortly after I planted, I worried a bit, because the weather turned HOT!! Some of the hostas withered away, but because of their strong root systems, every single one of them bounced back within just a few weeks.
What has impressed me the most about Hostas Direct though is the outstanding service. Every question I've had, has been addressed quickly and VERY courteously, and I've received friendly periodic emails to inform me about company events.
Even if you only place one order...you'll feel like part of the family!
I am a Landscape Designer, and I will definitely be ordering from Hostas Direct in the future!
On Feb 7, 2008, trioadastra Ellsworth, WI (Zone 4a) wrote:
I purchased a handful of hostas last spring online, based solely on the selection and price. They arrived quickly, intact, and with huge root systems for such tiny plants. (I ordered tissue culture sizes.) One of the types I had ordered was out of stock, which was disappointing, but they sent me a different variety, plus a free one to make up for it. All of the hostas grew well once planted. Later on in the summer, I visited the retail outlet, and met the owner, Tom Carlson, in person. Not only was he friendly, he was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about all the varieties he sold. He also insisted we take a tour of his own personal garden at his home, and to let him know if there was any other variety we saw there that we would like.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this company to anyone interested in purchasing hostas: the selection of hostas is unrivaled anywhere, the prices are very reasonable, you can buy larger sizes if you prefer, the shipping is fast, and the service is personal and outstanding. I will definitely be buying more hostas from HostasDirect this spring!
On August 19th, 2009, trioadastra added the following:
It's become an annual trip for me to visit the retail site to add to my hosta collection, and this year was also a wonderful experience. At first, it seemed they were sold out of a variety I really wanted, but I did find a couple "iffy" plants off to the side. I asked about their odds of survival, and since the chances weren't very good, they gave me the two hostas for free, with helpful hints and best wishes... ^_^ There were also a few other great hostas I couldn't pass up! The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly, and I always leave with a better deal every time. HostasDirect is the ONLY place I will ever buy hostas from.
On Jul 6, 2007, RaytheGardener Abingdon, MD (Zone 7a) wrote:
I sincerely hope my experience was just a mistake as other reviews here are favorable and the plants were healthy and shipped rapidly...we'll see.
If you are looking for a company that makes order errors and then does not respond to your inquiries, then this may be the company for you.
As a new (to me) Hosta supplier, I placed a relatively small order for (4) Hosta's from HostasDirect Inc. on June the 19th and was surprised at the speed of packing and delivery as I received my order within four days...that is quick shipping by any standard.
So far, so good...the plants were packed well and healthy so I was quite pleased until I noticed that (1) plant was missing. There was no "backorder" or other notation on my packing slip so I assumed it was just a simple oversight.
I planted the Hosta's I had received and emailed the company on June 22nd requesting the missing plant be shipped.
On June the 28th, after a week with no reponse, I again emailed HostasDirect explaining the order error, that it was my second attempt and requesting that they (again) respond with a plan to address the issue.
Again, no response...
When a company shortchanges me on an order, makes no mention of it and won't reply to me I start thinking "fraud".
I don't have time to make long distance calls or send dozens of emails as some do. It's a simple problem that requires a simple solution. Send the plant (preferably) or send a refund.
My sincere hope is that they at least read this post and do the right thing soon. I also emailed them directly from this DG website to see if that helps. I'll gladly change my rating if someone can convince me that this was a mistake, but I do have to wonder why:
1. The missing Hosta was not noted on the packing slip.
2. No effort (yet) was made to reply to my first email on June 22nd.
3. No effort (yet) was made to reply to my second email on June 28th.
4. It is now July 5th and still no effort (yet) to reply.
Again, I hope this was a "fluke" and I will post any and all information/emails/replies from HostasDirect if received.
Ray
On July 9th, 2007, RaytheGardener changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:
UPDATE: After posting here on DG and emailing to an alternate address, I was immediately contacted by HostasDirect/Tom Carlson and we determined that, although there was a small shipping error on their part, the email address I used to contact their company was no longer in use. They have taken steps to alleviate the email isue, replace the missing plant and offered three additional plants for my troubles.
You can't ask for more than that and most companies would have offered considerably less.
That said, I'd like to retract the post as written above and heartily recommend this company to anyone looking to purchase Hosta's...as long as you have the email address correct!...you can't go wrong ordering here.
On Jul 2, 2007, go2glenn Suwanee, GA (Zone 7a) wrote:
If you are looking for hard to find hosta varieties at a fair price, then this company if for you. The owner has a large stock of tissue-cultured hostas. I was a bit concerned when I first placed my order since I had not grown hostas propagated by this technique. I was pleasantly surprised. The plants I received were small, but had excellent root systems. Once planted in the garden, they "jumped" out of the ground and developed several new leaves and at least one additional "eye" each. Each plant appears true to it's named variety in every way. This company also does an excellent job with packaging and shipping. One of the hostas I ordered, "Spilt Milk," did suffer a sudden, unexplained death about three weeks after planting. This was my favorite of the order but I did not seek a replacement since I had the plant for three weeks. As an experienced hosta collector, I was quite impressed with the growth rate of the tissue-cultured plants I received from this company.
I am pleased to report i have nothing but good things to say about this company. My plants were shipped promptly and the order was accurate. Tom the owner has been very nice even offering me some ideas on arranging my plants over the phone. After a month I had a couple plants that were not doing well, mind you this was probably more related to too much fertilizer I added to the soil, Tom sent me replacement plants without hesitation. How can you do any better then this? I would STRONGLY recommend purchasing your hostas from HostasDirect, the prices are reasonable, and you can't beat the selection of plants to choose from. Plus the selection of dwarf hostas something more difficult to find was impressive. Would do business again in the future without hesitation...
Bill
On Sep 1, 2006, red57chevy Pine City, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:
Having seen an ad for HostasDirect end of season close-out sale, I had to go and check it out! I was very glad that I did. I had a my list in hand and got all but a few on it. All of the plants I purchased were the healthiest T.C.'s that I have seen. Some were 2 or more eyes. I also picked up a large order for a friend and mailed them out to PA. She was also excited about her plants.
I also met owner Tom Carlson while there. Very friendly and was nice to chat with. I hope to meet up with him again.
I hope that he keeps this business open for years to come!!!
chevy
