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On Jul 8, 2005, Vanderstelt Orangeville Canada wrote:
I had wanted to establish a substantial rose garden to compliment the perrenial beds. I found Hortico through the City of Brampton, where they have the most beautiful and healthiest varieties. I called Hortico for travel directions as I wanted to see the business and the varieties they would offer. In late spring, I took the trip to take advantage of their spring sales and found the roses (although not all their varieties were available on sale) were strong and healthly. Both my husband & I bought 16 to start and after planting, the roses took right off. Not having a lot of experience with Roses, we fell on John's advise for planting & care and this significantly established the stock we just had purchased. I went on line and found to my amazement so many more which I knew would accent my gardens and I knew I could open up the beds for future plantings. I placed my order in mid-summer 2004 for bare root planting. I became concerned in Sept when we did not have arrival of the approx. 75 new roots. We do live in a colder climate and it was necessary to have the plants come when the ground was still workable. After a few repeated telephone calls expressing my frustration and real concern, the bare roots arrived mid-October with only one which they were unable to fill and as a good will gesture, Hortico sent Best Wishes which now has the lovliest blooms. I lost only 2 of the plantings from the entire order and it is felt because of the lateness of the year with the ground almost frozen hard and the needed watering which crystallized, these bare roots could not stand the severe adjustment. By following the planting guideline, in the spring of 2005, the roses came up strong and very well established, blooming pofusely to add a wonderful highlight to our gardens. In 2004, I mentioned Hortico's varieties and prices to friends and neighbours and do know that 4 have already bought substantial stock. I now have ordered 9 varieties more and it leaves me with a real concern that Hortico may not be able to fill my order and there is also the real possiblity that the order may be shipped again so very late in the year. I have successfully dealt with John and found his customer service skills outstanding. Perhaps this year I will get my order complete and in good time.
On Jun 24, 2005, dovey Columbus, OH (Zone 5b) wrote:
Dealing with Hortico has gone from frustrating and disappointing to a total nightmare.
The order took weeks of emails to get half way correct.
At one point I was so frustrated I requested my order to be cancelled and my deposit refunded.
(A 20% deposit they deducted as soon as I placed the order although 1/3 of my requested roses were not available.)
Customer Service refused my cancellation request.
Besides refusing to cancel the order and refusing to refund my deposit.
The experience also involved dead and nearly dead roses upon delivery. A second refusal to refund my money and I was told I had to wait until fall for replacement roses, because their stock was depleted and in unsatisfactory condition.
John convinced me to plant the sickly twigs and I foolishly agreed to give it a go.
Every plant appeared to have some sort of blight coupled with fuzzy mold and brown cankered stems.
They have continued to worsen and one by one are dying.
I feel ripped off. (Heck, I have been ripped off!)
I paid for healthy roses, I should not have been asked to try to save blighted roses.
Any reputable company would have replaced the roses and if replacement was not possible, refunded the money.
OK, if that's not bad enough, it continues, oh yes it gets worse.
Remember John told me all their roses we in unsatisfactory condition and I would have to wait until fall for replacements.
I received an email notice today that the order I "placed yesterday" will be shipped Monday and my Credit Card (which they have on file) will be charged $83.00.
I never placed a second order.
4 out of 5 roses on this bogus order were in the original dead shipment.
The 5th rose was one of the many roses that were out of stock and therefore deleted from my original order.
I have read where people have had good experiences with Hortico, personally I think they got lucky.
This company isn't worth the risk.
Roses are small, poor quality, customer service is a joke and they are so disorganized that I am being fraudulently charged for an order I did not place.
Buyer Beware!
On September 12th, 2005, dovey added the following:
Hortico finally promised to refund my money...
3 months later I'm still waiting.
Dealing with the company is a nightmare!On March 13th, 2006, dovey added the following:
As far as I'm concerned Hortico Nurseries Inc is ashes in my mouth.
Even after numerous phone conversations and promises of a refund, Hortico still owes me $104.50 for a shipment of 10 very sick and then soon dead roses I received early last June.
In 2 1/2 months and it will be a year, I've seen no refund and no replacement roses.
John may come across as very sincere - but his word means nothing.
Although I knew about their less than stellar reputation (for additional info check out http://www.gardenweb.com, and go to Roses Forum and Antique Roses Forum), I ordered one rose, Deep Secret, from them which I couldn't get anywhere else. It arrived on time in late February 2005, in good condition, and looked ok, five or six canes, all a bit on the small side, but with a decent root system, comparable to Pickering's plants in appearance. However, the poor rose experienced continuous and severe dieback during the spring until only one cane remained, and that one put out barely any growth - half a foot and one little bloom (plus one new bud now) so far. Frankly, at some point I thought this plant would be my first rose casualty ever, although it looks like it might pull through, but what a tiny weakling! At least it's the correct variety. Over the past years, I have purchased and planted about 100 roses from other vendors, and I've never had never any problems like this with their plants. Thus, my experience with Hortico indicates that this company does probably not sell good quality, and I'll avoid ordering from them again.
I have to express my significant disappointment and surprise after receiving my late 2005 shipment of roses from Hortico.
I think that it is reasonable for a repeat customer like myself, who typically orders 30 to 50 roses per year (yes, I have a lot of roses), to expect that a full order would be sent on time when the order is placed 6 to 7 months before spring delivery. In my case, I placed my order on October 18th (2004) and requested delivery for May 1st - 2nd, 2005 (6+ months later). One would think that this is ample time and, I strongly suspect, well before the majority of other customer orders are placed. I finally received my order on May 31st, 5 weeks after my requested delivery date and this is after many emails, a fax sent directly to John, frantic phone calls and broken promises. Now, even worse news - the roses received are substantially short of my order. This is the second year in a row that some roses were ordered and were not delivered. Apart from the 50 species roses that I ordered for a hedgerow planting, I also ordered 32 roses which were a combination of hybrid teas, shrubs, floribunda and grandiflora. Of this total, I only received 16! That is, only 50%.
I think that this is appalling service, to say the least, and it seems to be repeating itself all too often.
I ordered Rhapsody in Blue, and am very pleased with it. The bareroot I received was slightly smaller than bareroots Ive ordered from American vendors, but I expected that. I planted it and its thriving, new leaves and little canes starting.
Size matters, and mine was adequate. More important is vigor, and this little rose is very vigorous! I will order again.
On May 12, 2005, celestialrose Belmont, NH (Zone 4b) wrote:
I have had mixed experiences with this company which is why I give it the neutral rating. Last year I ordered 5 rose bushes from them; they were small but healthy, and all but one flourished. The one that died was not their fault, as it was an unusually wet spring and where they were planted the soil remained waterlogged far too long....it was a miracle that the others lived at all, and they grew to be quite large by summer's end. However, they have yet to bloom, so I don't know yet whether they are true to name. So I ordered again from them this year, hoping for the same experience, and even though I had read some negative reviews I wanted to give them another chance since my experience previously had been positive. Well this year was a vastly different experience....I am quite disappointed. For one thing, they did not ship on the requested date (even though I placed the order EARLY, back in January) and the order was 2 1/2 weeks late (and sent only because I kept e-mailing and calling!). But it was the size of the plants that was most upsetting....now, I was aware that their rosebushes are not very large compared to other companies and I expected them to be small, but one of them was no more than a TWIG! It must have been a seedling by the size of it...only 4 inches tall at best, with 2 matchstick-sized canes (the I.D. tag attached to the plant was taller than the plant!) They had bundled up all the roses, and this extra-pathetic rose was hidden in the center of the bundle; when I saw it I basically cried because it was the variety that I most wanted and now if it survives it will be YEARS before it puts out any flowers. I immediately sent an e-mail to demand either a refund or a replacement, then because they did not respond, a personal letter, but I am still waiting for a response.....I'm sure my letter ended up in the wastebasket, along with all the other letters of complaint! What is most infuriating to me is that I ordered these roses early so that I would be assured of getting top quality stock....but it appears that it makes no difference when you place your order because if you live in a cold zone like I do, we are the last customers to receive plants, and by the time they ship ours out all the GOOD STOCK has been exhausted......we are sent the LEFTOVERS! I would have given them a completely negative rating, but for the fact that the other tiny plants they sent me seem to be o.k. in terms of signs of life...they are beginning to leaf out so I think they'll be o.k.....although I don't expect any blossoms this year! I will post a review again at a later date, if and when my roses I bought from Hortico last year bloom for me....then I will be able to tell if I was sent the correct variety. This has been a concern for me, ever since I started reading the Garden Watchdog, so I've got my fingers crossed!
On May 15th, 2005, celestialrose changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Yesterday I received a personal phone call from John at Hortico (although I was out, he did leave a message for me) in response to the letter of compaint I sent. I appreciate that he acknowledged my letter and my disappointment. I was told that I would be credited for that particular rose, and he was very nice and appreciated that I had taken the time to write a letter explaining the problem. I am babying that one tiny little rose (she's in a pot) and she might just make it, but there's no doubt she shouldn't have been sent out as a Grade 1. But mistakes happen, and fortunately this company owned up to it and is going to make it right. I feel much better about Hortico now. I will say this.....don't expect huge rose bushes, as their plants are normally small, but the ones I have received last year and this year do GROW ! They are tougher than they look, although smaller than what you might get from other nurseries, but they important thing is they are usually healthy. On June 26th, 2005, celestialrose changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:
I would like to update on my experiences with Hortico, now that the roses I obtained from them last year are blooming, and also to post the latest on what's happening with roses planted this Spring.....First off, I am OVERJOYED that the roses I planted last Spring (all four of them, the alba, Celestial) are not only blooming, but they are indeed true to name, and they are huge, healthy, fragrant and literally covered in blossoms....gorgeous! But unfortunately, two of the 7 bareroots I planted this Spring have perished, and I am not a novice gardener....I gave them the best of care. All the roses I bought from other sources are doing wonderfully, so I think the quality was inferior; those 2 struggled and eventually gave up. Of the other 5, four of them are doing just O.K., with only 1 doing very well. I really do believe that those of you in colder zones who order from Hortico mail-order, BEWARE. I'ts possible you might get lucky and receive some good stock, but its more likely that you'll end up with whatever they have left in storage which unfortunately may be weak, small and diseased. IT'S A GAMBLE...I doubt I'll even use my credit they offered, because that just means I'd have to deal with them again, and I think I've learned there are better companies out there to give my hard-earned money to! I don't want to bash Hortico, or anyone, but I feel obligated to share my experiences. On October 7th, 2005, celestialrose added the following:
Well, its October now and in all fairness, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well the surviving 5 roses did! They caught up to all the others from other sources, and so far are very healthy and disease-free (and by the way, true to name). What prompted me to add to my previous posts is the one tiny, pathetic rose (remember the one with 2 canes the diameter of matchsticks, so itty-bitty it had to be put in a pot?) The name of the rose is "Mrs. John Laing", a hybrid perpetual, and I have to brag that she grew too large for her pot, and once in the ground just took off! She grew to be a 5 foot beauty, rewarding me with multitudes of perfect, cupped blooms that smell like heaven....and now that all my other roses are pretty much done for the year, she's still blooming!!! I just had to add this, because this rose started out looking like she would never make it, and now she's the belle of my garden! Whether its to Hortico's credit, to mine for giving her so much TLC, or a bit of both, I just want to say never give up on your roses, because you never know ....and maybe, in all fairness when it comes to bareroots.....size isn't everything. On April 22nd, 2006, celestialrose changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Well, here it is another year later, and I took the plunge and ordered from Hortico, to give them another chance, so to speak. I was glad I did. I kept my order small (4 roses, one of which was a free replacement for a rose that died last year), specified that I only wanted grade #1 roses this time and listed alternate choices in the event my requested roses were sold out. I was pleased with the customer service and corresponded by email with Diane, who was always quick to respond to my inquiries. My roses arrived on time, in great shape, and were small, as I expected (but not TOO small) but I now know from experience that sometimes the little ones grow the fastest so I'm o.k. with that! They all are planted out and appear to be doing well. This was a positive experience, and I will do business with them in the future. (BTW, I received all 4 roses that I requested.....no substitutes.)
Okay, we all live and learn from our mistakes, I had placed two orders with this company. What a pain in the rear, Their web-site is not accurate, For the stock that they carry. Also I received E-mails asking me what I have ordered. Then I call back, I was told my order was shipped out, Then I was told the next time I called, it was too be shipped in a week. I am very upset with the size of the roses I received to, They are grade 1- 1/2, and tiny. Never again will I do business with them. What a joke. I just pray these are the right roses. Next time I will order from their competition (pickering) A great company to deal with.
I live in the north, zone 4, so buying plants grown in the north is essential for their success. Hortico actually grows their own plants, which has sadly become rare in the nursery trade. Most nurseries in the north actually grow their plants in the south to maximize size and then ship them out. So they are not acclimatized, and many do not do well. I have had half of an order die because of this. So Hortico's growing methods are a real asset. Yes, the plants may be smaller that the husky ones you get at big box stores, but they quickly make up for that. The husky ones live off the energy stores in those huge stems, and then decline, unable to replace their carbohydrates in cooler temperatures and with less sun.
Labeling can be a problem, and I noticed one complaint listed Duchess of Montebello being the wrong plant, which I had too, but they quickly refunded my money. (By the way, it was Alba semi-plena, also a very good plant for our area, can climb, is hardy and beautiful.)
It must be a phenominal chore to keep track of so many thousands of different (and many rare) plants, and I hope their new system helps them. Nevertheless, their selection is a treasure for those of us looking for plants that will be successful in the north.
The staff have always been very nice and helpful. Communication from them is sketchy, but ultimately I get what I need, and have learned to not worry about not knowing what is coming when. I will get something nice.
I chair a native plant sale in the N.E. U.S. for a local land trust and have had problems finding woodland plants which have not been collected in the wild and which are affordable. I am happy to say that I have fround Hortico's woodland plants to be of high quality and of good value. It is clear that they are propagated by the nursery rather than collected which is absolutely essential for us. I would readily recommend this company for its woodland natives. I would also like to say that the company has worked hard to accommodate our needs and schedule.
Maintaining a garden of 300 roses has forced me to order from a number of different sources. I have ordered roses from Hortico a number of times. Most recently there was a slight mis-communication about the delevery date. This has been corrected and I am currently anticipating the arrival of my order early this spring.
Hortico offers a large variety of roses some of which are not available in the States. They also bud their roses on multiflora understock. It survives well in my climate and I don't have to worry that the roses will arrive on fortuniana understock (very popular among exhibitors lately) thereby wasting my money by having purchased an "annual".
Once or twice I have been surprised that a plant arrived smaller in size than I would have liked. Within a couple of months the vigor of the plant more than make up for its initial size. All in all I've experienced very little inconvenience considering I've been ordering hard to find or new varieties of roses. I will continue to purchase roses from Hortico as long as they carry a product I need and continue to perform as well as they have.
On Nov 8, 2004, Cottage_Rose Cedar Springs, MI (Zone 5b) wrote:
I have heard alot of negative reports about Hortico but I just received (Nov. 2004) my first order of 5 dormant bare root roses from them and I am happy to report they are in fine condition. They are not small or dried up and they came securely packaged. The customer service was nothing but friendly and cooperative when I dealt with them and they even allowed me to change my order at the last minute. They promptly answered all my emails too.
I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.
Thanks Hortico!
On Nov 2, 2004, patj burlington, ON (Zone 6a) wrote:
I have been dealing with Hortico for over 10 years. My gardens are filled with a large variety of plants from their extensive collection. I have received many favourable comments on the plant material chosen for my garden, and I have directed many fellow gardeners to Hortico. I have pre-ordered and picked up plants there when ready, and I have also chosen plants directly from some of their greenhouses. The staff is friendly and helpful, and give excellent advice on plants for a specific area. This year they have been installing weedmat in the greenhouses, which has tidied them up a great deal.
The plants I have purchased have well-developed root systems, and in a retail establishment, most of their plants in 4 inch pots would have been placed into gallon containers and priced much higher. I have been exceedingly pleased with the quality and size of plants purchased at Hortico. They have a superb selection of plants to choose from.
My experiences with Hortico has been very positive! The selection is great and they truly are your "source for unique plants." I would also like to commend them on the wealth of information you can gain from them. They have very qualified staff who have a passion for their work. They are eager to help you with questions and give you valuable advice. The plants I have purchased from them range from shrubs to roses to perennials and have all been great additions to our farm! Keep up the great work!
Sharon Rhoda
Hortico is a wonderful place to hunt for treasures. Be sure to have a lot of time to spend and do your research ahead of time so you can do justice to the large amount of varieties that they have!
On Sep 19, 2004, woodside Erin, Ontario Canada wrote:
I have been visiting Hortico for plants for my garden for about three years now, although I don't believe I have gone there more than twice in a year. I am not aware of any other place that carries a selection of plant material this large in my area. Often, I have found Hortico to be the only place to carry an uncommon plant variety that I wanted. Hortico also carries more sizes of plants. Their catalgue tells you it is a four inch or a gallon or a five gallon pot while other catalogues seem to forget to tell you that their plants are shipped in 50mm pots. I was also very impressed with the size and selection (not to mention the infernal conditions!) within their ornamental grasses greenhouse. Where common nurseries would have from a few to a dozen varieties of common perennials, Hortico would list scores of them. Also, the cost of the plants is very low compared to more "flashy" places owing to their low over head. Sure, if you are dressed in your Sunday best, I suggest you go to the mall to buy your plants but if you don't mind some mud on your shoes and tires, this is the place to go. I must admit that I was surprised to read some of the negative comments about this site, but I have never used mail order when dealing with Hortico. I have simply e-mailed my order to them and then arranged a pick up date. Other times I have simply driven there and had someone collect the plants I wanted. If you want to shop in an air conditioned store with music and a latte stand, don't go to Hortico. If you want a place with a vast selection of variety and colour, go to Hortico. Never mind the fancy catalogue with the most perfect pictures of plants that don't look like that in real life. Use web sites like this one to identify the plants you want and the simple black and white pdf pages of the Hortico catalogue to buy them.
I've start knowing Hortico last year through the internet. There website is as good as it gets: informative, easy to fallow and full with information. They made it very easy to choose the roses that were suited for me and my garden. In April, I went to pick up my order and since than I became a constant client of there perennials, shrubs & roses. My garden is a living example of what beautiful and rare species they have.
The people are very friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you for a lovely experience.
Sincerely, Michelle
Since moving to a farm in rural Ontario eleven years ago, we have been developing our gardens as time and finances allow. We have purchased all our plant material from Hortico and have been very happy with the outstanding quality. We have found unique plants at Hortico over the years that have created interest in our gardens. The large variety and hard-to-find plants at Hortico has been most impressive. We have been greeted with friendly staff and our visits have become personal and most enjoyable.
On Aug 18, 2004, laurawilliams Hamilton Canada wrote:
Was referred to this website by a friend, so I decided to look through which companies I have dealt with, when I typed in Hortico I was shocked by the feedback that has been left for them, so I decided to leave my experience with them.
Now I did not deal with their mail order service, as I live in Hamilton I drove there, so this will deal with my experience as a walk-in customer. This was my first year as a customer of their's but will not be my last.
My experience there was excellent (even though it can get a bit muddy), it was so good I went there twice. Once in the spring, and then again around early summer.
I was looking to get some perennials for my new house.
Once I got there I had a general idea of what I wanted.
Once I got out of my car, and walked past their office I was greeted by their great staff, especially Chris. He was great! He asked what I was looking for, and I explanied my situation, and what I was looking for. He made some suggestions to some changes to some of the plants I wanted, as they wouldn't do very well where I wanted them to go. But he helped me pick out some great subs. And he took me through all of their greenhouses showing me where I could find the plants I decided on. Furthermore he helped me pick out the best plants, and explaining each plants needs along the way. Also answering all the questions I had. All the plants that I saw were in excellent condition, weeds were a bit of a problem, but was told that they were taking care of that. After choosing all my plants we went to the office to pay for my new plants. The girl behind the counter was also great, however I forgot her name. There were only two people in the offce, as it was a Saturday (had it explanied to me by the girl) The staff looked happy working together, and they seemed just as happy to help customers. I left there feeling great, had a great time, and my plants are doing great.
The second time I went there same story, great time, great plants, and importantly great service. The staff were great, Chris helped out again. One of the best staffers I've ever encountered at any nursery/greenhouse/plant store.
So if you do have the chance go to Hortico, the plants are good, service is good, and the prices are great. But remeber to come with a bit of time as it's quite large and there is alot to see.
Still working to resolve issues. Roses were very small: as of today 3 of 5 showed little and weak growth. (Roses from other vendors planted at same time doing well or replaced by supplier.) Reported to Hortico by e-mail immediately on receipt that I was unhappy with quality of plants. One was a single cane the diameter of a pencil, two with canes smaller yet. No immediate response, but several weeks later got a lengthy phone call: suggested cutting growth back severely. I have done this, but the suggested solution does not address my real concerns. This started out as a "neutral" experience - I've changed that to "negative as I write this: expensive plants and shipping to USA, plants not even close to no.1 grade, delayed customer service and unsatisfactory remedy to my dissatisfaction.
On June 25th, 2005, garyon added the following:
Replacements promised in 2004 have not been delivered. I was told that they would be included in my "next order". I advised them that at present there would be no next order My expectation had been that plants would be sent postpaid and with no additional charges to me. It has been a disappointing experience. Although all survived the winter, two have failed to show any marked improvement, one is marginally acceptable. The two that arrived with strong canes and well developed root systems are doing well.
This is a small company that truly loves creating and selling plants and wants to make available many fine but hard-to-find fine varieties. I know a lot about roses and these guys have rare access to some great European roses from Kordes and Poulsen (the world's best breeders). I have read the posts of some people that haven't had good experiences, but I believe this is a firm worth patronizing. They've promised to do better in their customer service, and they're worth ordering your roses from. If they were to not stay in business, it would be a real loss to the gardening public.
As a former employee of Hortico I have to say this.
The company is very disorganized. The employees do try very hard to provide good service but the majority of complaints I have read about are the result of poor organization.
The company does have a giant selection of hard to find plants. And the managers know more about plants than many other nursery managers.
Because of their selection and price a lot of the nurseries around Hortico are selling plants that they bought from Hortico at an inflated price.
I would definately buy plants from Hortico.
On Jun 11, 2004, clematisss grand forks Canada wrote:
I ordered my perenials in Janurary and finally got a quarter of what I ordered and they were in poor condition they were small most died and they never refunded my money.They told me the shipping would be 29.00 and they billed my credit card 100.00 and they never will get back to me.I would never order from this company again.
On July 12th, 2004, clematisss added the following:
THEY TELL YOU THAT THERE PLANTS ARE GUARANTEED THEY LIE THEY ARE NOT GUARANTEED THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THE PLANTS AND THEY DIE AND YOUR OUT THE PLANT AND YOUR MONEY THEY ARE A BIG RIPE OFF COMPANY. KELLY
Having dealt with 10 mail order rose suppliers in the past 12 months, Hortico is the worst. They sent grade 1 1/2's despite my specific instructions not, promised a refund which I never received, and charged me a deposit which was never credited toward the total purchase price. I have complained twice by phone and twice by e-mail to no avail.
The roses I received were so scrawny that I would never purchase from them again - the poor customer service just makes it worse.
On June 22nd, 2005, roselovr added the following:
PS - I finally got the refund on the two 1-1/2 grade plants.
However, now having spent two seasons growing roses labelled as Aimee Vibert (2) and Tricolore de Flandre (2, the 3rd did not break dormancy it was so scrawny), and now after all this time seeing something different blooming, here's the final scorecard:
Roses ordered: 9
Roses refunded: 2
Roses which did not break dormancy: 1
Roses mislabelled: 4
Roses alive and true to variety: 1
After being promised delivery for over 3 weeks they finally send our order (along with others) to Nova Scotia. We get a call late on Friday that if we want our order we have to drive 600k return trip to pick it up...otherwise they bring it back to Ontario. This after spending $190 for delivery! We couldn't drop everything and lose a day, so they just returned to Ontario with our order!! Then they have the audacity to offer to ship our order out by courier for an extra cost. I've heard other horror stories about this company from other people...but this is unbelievable. Horrible customer service, arrogant emails. Please don't say we are alone with nightmare mailorder stories! Please share the grief! :)
Nicest thing I could say: Stay away at all cost
On July 5th, 2004, robcastlebay added the following:
To hortico's benefit, they finally did give us a full refund after a few more weeks of phone calls, bad feelings, and demands that we pay a restocking fee. I was even called at 10 PM to get grief over my post to this website. Enter at own risk.
On May 14, 2004, yumiko Nanaimo, BC (Zone 7a) wrote:
First of all,I waited 2 years to receive roses.
Order 8 roses but only 6 arrived with receipt written 6 roses. I phoned them and asked for the refund of 2 plant.
2 roses are about $20,but they did not give me full amount. They said because of Shipping cost.
I paid $35 for shipping and where did money go?
They have great selection of roses,but with all
stress I do not want to deal with them again.
On Jan 20, 2004, DesertCliff Morongo Valley, CA wrote:
I've read all of the previous comments about Hortico and want to add my recent extremely positive experience, particularly in light of earlier transactions with them that unfortunately were less than satisfactory.
I recently received my latest order of 25 roses from Hortico, and based upon the greatly improved quality of the bare root plants received, the excellent packing, the shipment's on-time arrival and tremendously improved customer service (both by e-mail and on the telephone), I'm convinced that Hortico's new management team has already taken major steps to become a first-class supplier of roses that will be able to compete with the best of them. I welcome this development, as Hortico offers many roses that are unavailable elsewhere. Now, hopefully, first-class customer service and first-rate product quality will go hand in hand with the fine selection of roses that they offer.
On Jan 12, 2004, BruMeta Livingston Manor, NY wrote:
Giving a negative rating is not taken lightly. Therefore a recap of negative experiences precedes a positive mention.
I first ordered from Hortico in 2002. The plants were loosely packaged, many of them in baggies (to reduce shipping costs, I presumed). Several plants, to my eye, arrived d.o.a. I informed Hortico; months later, they gave me a credit for the following year's order. Time showed that the plants in question had indeed arrived dead. All other plants, however, performed very well.
I reordered in 2003. When I opened the carton from Hortico, all plants, soil and pots fell to the floor. The box had been packed and labeled upside down (despite the "This Side Up" message printed on the carton's outside). I contacted Hortico by email; I never heard from them.
I appreciate Hortico's extensive selection of hard-to-find plants and their low prices. I do not, however, like the exhorbitant over-the-border shipping costs and shipping times across NY State. I can do better elsewhere.
I loved ordering from Hortico via phone after searching their extensive online catalog in 2003 and had a group of roses delivered as a gift and was very happy with the entire process & look forward to ordering more! great selection and service for me as I called all over florida and no other rose company would assist me with my requests. Ask to work with John Vanderkruk if you have any questions. Excellent customer service via phone and email. They shipped & arrived when they told me they would, when all other companies will not ship at all during fall/winter.
On Dec 14, 2003, capitolhillrose Washington, DC (Zone 7a) wrote:
I was extremely pleased with my 1st dealings with Hortico. I placed my order for 8 rose bushes on November 18, 2003. I was notified within 1 day that two of the roses I ordered were not available (both were the same variety) I had my REVISED order confirmation on the 20th, 2 days later. I requested Fall shipping with a ship "window" between 11/18/2003 and 12/07/2003. Good Enough. I realized on 12/10 that they should have been shipped. I wrote the office at Hortico late in the day as to inquire if my roses had been shipped. (more anxious than anything) I received a reply the NEXT day, Dec. 11th, that due to bad weather they had been shipped the 9th. My order came a few hours later, December 11, 2003, perfect timing for weekend planting. All 8 roses were tagged and were dormant, healthy and green. I counted between 5 and 11 branches on each bush, just beautiful. They were bundled nicely and the roots were surrounded by a lightweight, wet potting soil-like mix. Just Beautiful. I am sure I will order from Hortico again, as soon as I can make some room for more plants. The website is fantasic and it is very easy to use and order from. Thanks to all at Hortico for a wonderful buying experience. Sincerely, Jay
On Nov 11, 2003, deborah2003 Virginia Beach, VA (Zone 8a) wrote:
I have ordered many times from Hortico. They have many hard to find roses and I consider them an invaluable source for roses. I have never had a problem with the roses I have ordered from them. I have placed orders 3 years in a row for a total of 40+ roses. True their started eyes are small but in my garden their growth rate well makes up for any difference.
On Aug 2, 2003, loisc Toronto, Canada Canada wrote:
I too have just recently had a very bad experience with this company.
I ordered a huge order of plants that I had had difficulty olocating elsewhere (bog plants and woodland plants, including lady-slippers, and stepable plants). I also bought a Milky-way flowering dogwood, 2 azaleas and a pieris mountain fire.
My pre-order emails communications were very nice, however, going to pick up the plants and most post-visit experiences have been very bad.
wrong variety of pieris
wrong variety of cardinal flower
The following were very healthy and surprise me given the other's conditions:
pitcher plants (but I would order from niagra exotics next time)
ladyslippers (big plants looking decent! for half price)
jack in the pulpits
However, more than half my order was unavailble (and I wasn't told until after I got there). But, probably a good thing in the end!
I wrote a letter to ask a question on how to help my plants (not demanding a refund!) and got no response, wrote another asking if the dogwood was mislabelled (far, far, far, too pale a set of leaves) and got no response. Phoned and got hung up on!
Anyways, never never do business with these people.
On August 11th, 2003, loisc changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
I have just spent the last 2 days reviewing my experiences with Hortico with their new coordinator and am happy to report that I would feel confortable doing
business with them again and plan to in fact do so.
However, I would go in person and look at the plants carefully before I bought them and I would not consider Hortico a great deal or discount source. The prices
here may be cheap, but the plants are smaller and weeker.
Furthermore, although I have seen quick recoveries of many plants I bought that were ill when given the correct treatments, I do not feel it should be a consumers
resonsibilty to have to immediately identify and treat plants with, say, iron defiency when they are freshly purchased.
Hortico is a good source for hard to find plants and for plants at very good prices -- just expect to nurture them a little longer. If you are a novice gardener consider
paying the premiums for bigger, healthier plants elsewhere.
However, given carfeull review of my recent experiences I must say that I have had very little but pleasent experiences with staff at Hortico (even if they did seem a
little overrun with work).
On Jun 9, 2003, daniellessard Ottawa Canada wrote:
That company can't care less about its customers. NEVER answer mail. Sent me dead plants
and others in very ba condition. NEVER AGAIN. They should try to learn from real professionnal company like Garden Import in Thornhill, Arcadian Daylylies or Vivaces Nordiques.
If you visited their greenhouses, you'd understand why the negative comments.
I was going to place a mail order last year, but instead drove to their place for a visit as I was very impressed with their selections of hard to find trees and plants in their catalog.
When I got to their nursery I was dismayed. The greenhouses were completely disorganized, many pots were full of weeds and many were mislabeled. Many were just dead.
But..i did find a lot of what I was looking for, but it was only because i got to hand pick what I wanted. As for the ephemerals, I just didn't take a chance if it wasn't already poking up in the pot. We did get a lot of wonderful trillium species and a few hard to find clematis.
Have twice ordered approximately 25 roses. They have the most comprehensive selection available in Canada, with a very detailed catalogue. All roses arrived on time and in excellent condition. All were true to name with one exception, and it turned out to be better than the plant I had ordered. Extremely knowledgable if you talk to one of the managers. Had asked for their best yellow Hybrid T explaining I live in zone 3b, and they recommended a variety Berolina. The 3 plants I ordered as a result still outperform most of the roses in my garden. My first choice for a Canadian grower.
Can't post a real opinion right now since I didn't get my roses yet and I oredred a lot! Customer Service could be better since they never responded to my e mails, asking about a shipping details. Oh well, I will wait and see!
On April 10th, 2004, dzejna changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Well I tried to post twice already and somehow it's not taking :) Maybe third time is the charm.
I had two more orders with Hortico and while I cannot say there was no problems, John was there to take care of them in a timely manner and keep me posted. I have one more order for this year and I must say John was a great help, going out of his way to help getting me roses I wanted.
All of the roses I got from my previous orders are thriving and I'm expecting first blooms very soon. You go John! :)
Last spring I ordered several- a lot of perennials from this company, I must say, the plants arrived in very good shape, good size, etc. Two of the plants were on backorder which they shipped to me this past fall in time for planting, they too were lovely.
They were also very good at their office about emailing me promptly when I had any questions.
I do plan on ordering from them again-
Nightmare dealing with this company. Wasn't sure they'd gotten the order as no one sent any type of comfirmation. When we finally got someone to talk with the nightmare continued. The order was sent, not sent, not billed, the billing wouldn't go through - we heard all the excuses. When the roses finally arrived...Roses arrived DEAD. Dead, brown, brittle dead, dead, dead. Company won't do anything about it other than offer to replace at 1/2 price. Seems they won't guarentee anything arriving alive after May. I've done business with other mail order companies and have never had the experience that these people put me through. No matter how tempting their roses are I will never give them another cent.
On Jan 5, 2003, connoisseur Indianapolis, IN wrote:
It is traumatic to relive this mail order experience. Some of the roses I received were no more than twigs. Several weren't sent, though I was never informed they weren't in stock. Actually, I was glad they weren't sent because of the general poor quality, but it took months for me to get a refund (the company wanted to send them two years later, but I insisted on a refund). Customer service was very slow--e-mails and phone calls were unanswered for weeks. One of the roses proved to be understock when it bloomed, but no refund was given. All in all, a nightmare!!
I have had nothing but problems with this company. all of the roses I ordered from them died, even after diligent care, but the worst part is, that they will not contact me back to correct this, I have sent them email after email, more than a dozen, with no response, I ended up calling them one time, and the person that answered said, "all the email sits on the boss's desk until he decides what to do with them", they have definitely lost me as a customer!
On August 11th, 2003, johnrboone added the following:
they are the worst, they need to close, if they were closed, there would not be much difference in their customer service! the worst!
