The Garden Watchdog Top 5 is an annual award and each January we honor the winners by placing the Top 5 badge on their listings. Most of these vendors are often small, specialty operations owned by individuals who are passionate about their favorite plant, seed, or garden accessory. They may not enjoy the large volume of sales that is required to make it into the Top 30, but their great customer service and love for their product creates many loyal customers. The rankings are based on customer reviews for the past year, so these awards are for feedback posted in 2012.
There are 134 specialties currently listed in the Garden Watchdog, but we only award Top 5 Badges in the categories where five or more vendors have received one or more positive reviews over the past year. If your favorite category didn't receive a badge this year, your reviews and updates can make a huge difference in making sure they are recognized next year. It is very important to let vendors know when you're pleased with your order. Many people only think about warning others about unhappy experiences, but the Garden Watchdog is actually designed to spotlight the dedicated vendors who give great customer service day in and day out. These vendors are hard-working and deserve this annual pat on the back for their attention to detail and customer support. They represent all that is good in the mail order gardening world and are from a number of different countries.
Be sure to reward your favorite vendors each time you place an order. They pay attention to these rankings and often request their Top 5 badge to proudly display on their websites. These are hard- working folks that make mail order gardening a pleasurable experience and deserve this annual spotlight. And so without further ado....the winners are.....
Bulbs: Amaryllids (Hippeastrums, Clivias and Crinums) Jenks Farmer (Lushlife Nurseries) Mary's Garden Patch Bulbs N More Marcelle's Crinums Amaryllis Bulb Company | Bulbs: Cannas Karchesky Canna Marcelle's Crinums Canpelkni Blooms Cannabiz (Cannas by Bernard Yorke) Horn Cannas | Bulbs: Daffodils Colorblends (Schipper & Co. USA) Grant E. Mitsch Novelty Daffodils Glenbrook Bulb Farm Oakwood Daffodils Ringhaddy Daffodils |
Bulbs: Gladiolus Bayou City Heirloom Bulbs Honker Flats Greenhouse and Gladiolus Exoticus Cates Family Glads Noweta Gardens Pleasant Valley Glads & Dahlias | Bulbs: Heirloom Flowers Old House Gardens - Heirloom Bulbs Southern Bulb Company Bulbmeister.com (BULBS4U) Bayou City Heirloom Bulbs Cates Family Glads | Bulbs: Onions and Garlic Dixondale Farms Filaree Farm Le Jardin du Gourmet (Artistic Gardens) Gourmet Garlic Gardens Moose Tubers |
Bulbs:Spring-blooming and Dormant Potted Bulbs Old House Gardens Easy to Grow Bulbs Colorblends (Schipper & Co. USA) Brent & Becky's Bulbs Willow Creek Gardens | Bulbs: Summer-blooming Brent & Becky's Bulbs Willow Creek Gardens Touch of Nature, Inc Jenks Farmer (Lushlife Nurseries) Lakeside Callas | Conservatories, Sheds, Greenhouse Kits and Materials Irrigation Direct GreenhouseMegaStore.com Sturdi-built Greenhouse Mfg. B.C. Greenhouse Builders, Ltd International Greenhouse Company |
Containers, Windowboxes and Container Gardening Supplies Wellspring Gardens Daniel's Specialty Nursery The Garden Patch Grow Box Smart Pots (High Caliper Growing - Root Control Inc.) Primitive Planters | Fertilizers and Soil Amendments Backyard Berry Plants Maui Plumeria Gardens Greentrees Hydroponics Inc. North American Kelp Fresh Start Grower's Supply | Garden Decor, Edgings, Cobblestones Witherspoon Rose Culture Daylily Manor Succulent Salon Stoneface Creations |
Hand Tools Lee Valley Tools, Ltd. Garden Tool Company The Pruner Warehouse Garden Weasel Fresh Start Growers Supply | Lawn and Garden Equipment Lee Valley Tools, Ltd Interplex Solar, LLC (Solar Nite Eyes) Indoor Gardening Supplies Cyclone Rake GardenWorks | Organic Products Wild Garden Seed Filaree Farm Neptune's Harvest All Natural Organic Fertilizer Countryside Organics Esbenshade's Garden Center |
Plant Tags, Ties and Markers Paw Paw Everlast Label Company AAA Quality Engravers EON Industries, Inc. The Strap Store | Plants & Seeds: Attractive to bird, bee, and/or butterfly Pedricks Corner Rose Franklin's Perennials & Herbs Sweet Nectar Nursery Walnut Creek Nursery Great Lakes Nursery Co. | Plants & Seeds: Bonsai Eastfork Nursery Meehan's Miniatures Bonsai Outlet Bonsai of Brooklyn |
Plants: African Violets and Gesneriads Violet Barn (Rob's Min-O-Lets) Bluebird Greenhouses Cedar Creek Violets Dave's Violets Travis' Violets | Plants: Alpine/Rock Garden Edelweiss Perennials North Hills Nursery Evermay Nursery Wild Ginger Farm Far Reaches Farm | Plants: Annual Flowers Romence Gardens & Greenhouses Garden Crossings LLC Annie's Annuals and Perennials Avant Gardens Wright Gardens |
Plants: Bamboo Tejas Tropicals LLC Bamboo Garden Nursery Lewis Bamboo Groves Tropical Bamboo Bamboo Headquarters | Plants: Begonias Kartuz Greenhouses Victoria's Sign of the Dove Palm Hammock Orchid Estate Bonnie's Greenhouse Logee's Greenhouses, Ltd. | Plants: Bog, Pond & Wetlands In The Country Garden & Gifts Prairie Moon Nursery Texas Water Lilies Hughes Water Gardens Iris City Gardens |
Plants: Cacti and Succulents Arid Lands Greenhouses Tee Dee Cacti Miles' To Go JadePoint Succulents North Hills Nursery | Plants: Caladiums & Elephant Ears Brian's Botanicals Caladium Bulb Company Aroidia Research Marlboro Bulb Company Happiness Farms, Inc. Caladium Bulbs | Plants: Camellias Greer Gardens Camellia Forest Nursery CamelliaShop.com Nuccio's Nurseries Inc New Life Nursery & Garden |
Plants: Carnivorous Leilani Nepenthes Sarracenia Northwest Carnivorous Plant Nursery California Carnivores Exotic Plants Plus | Plants: Clematis Brushwood Nursery Silver Star Vinery Hummingbird Farm Garden Grower Donahue's Clematis Specialites | Plants: Coleus Glasshouse Works Rosy Dawn Gardens Gebhart's Farm and Geenhouse Dibleys Nurseries Hilltop Farm |
Plants: Dahlias Accent Dahlias Corralitos Gardens Alpen Gardens Tall Grass Farms Arrowhead Dahlias | Plants: Daylilies Oakes Daylilies Shaw's Sunshine Gardens Blue Ridge Daylilies Maryott's Gardens B & D Lilies (Snow Creek Daylily GardensTM) | Plants: Deer Resistant Deer-Resistant Landscape Nursery Graceful Gardens Rose Franklin's Perennials & Herbs Deerbusters |
Plants: Drought-tolerant Digging Dog Nursery Cistus Nursery ECOLAGE Cactus Store So Succulent | Plants: Epiphyllums Don's Epiphyllum World Epies by Pat Pat's Patio Plants, Perennials, Pots and Ponds Morris Nursery Mark Piette Epi Galleria | Plants: Evergreens Evergreen Nursery Carter's Cool Plants DAS Farms Gossler Farms Nursery W.W. Nurseries |
Plants: Ferns Doug Eckel's Palms, Cycads and Platyceriums Charles Alford Plants Fern Factory Southern Exposure Fibrex Nurseries Ltd | Plants: Flowering Vines and Groundcovers Classy Groundcovers Brushwood Nursery Country Boy Gardens Grassy Knoll Exotic Plants Wilkerson Mill Gardens (Hydrangea.com) | Plants: Fruit and Berries Nourse Farms Inc. Backyard Berry Plants Rolling River Nursery Berries Unlimited Cold Stream Farm |
Plants: Grape Vines & Berries Double A Vineyards, Inc Bramble Berry Farm Jon's Nursery of Somis Schlabach's Nursery | Plants: Hardy Fruit Trees Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Trees of Antiquity Grandpa's Orchard, LLC Cummins Nursery Johnson Nursery | Plants: Heirlooms Select Seeds Antique Flowers The Tasteful Garden Trees of Antiquity Heritage Flower Farm Monticello Garden Shop: Twinleaf Catalog |
Plants: Herbs Horizon Herbs, LLC Companion Plants Well-Sweep Herb Farm Lazy Ox Farm Pure Land Ethnobotanicals | Plants: Hibiscus Katz Kuntry Kuttins BigBadFlower.com Hibiscus Place (Martindale's Nursery) Hidden Valley Hibiscus HypnoticBlooms | Plants: Hostas Made in the Shade Gardens New Hampshire Hostas Hallson Gardens In The Country Garden & Gifts Plant Delights Nursery |
Plants: Houseplants JB's Plants @ JBsBirdsandMore.com Eldon Tropicals Hobbs Farm & Greenery Stokes Tropicals Travis' Violets | Plants: Hoyas SRQHoyas Gardino Nursery Aloha Hoyas Plant Attraction Clackamas Orchids Inc. | Plants: Iris (Historical & Species) Exline Iris Garden & Crafts Siberian Iris Gardens Superstition Iris Gardens Willow Bend Farm Stoney Creek Iris |
Plants: Iris (Modern) Exline Iris Garden & Crafts Siberian Iris Gardens Schreiner's Iris Gardens Snowpeak Iris and Daylilies Wild Iris Rows | Plants: Japanese Maples Forestfarm Mendocino Maples Nursery Eastfork Nursery Whitman Farms Davidsans Japanese Maples | Plants: Lilies Faraway Flowers from Faraway Places The Lily Pad Ambergate Gardens Bulbs N More Brookside Orchids |
Plants: Natives for Restoration & Reclamation A Nearly Native Nursery Prairie Moon Nursery Cold Stream Farm Shady Gardens Nursery Superior Nursery and Garden Center | Plants: Nut Trees Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Plant Me Green Pecan Quest Bass Pecan Company Edward Fort Nurseries | Plants: Orchids Kawamoto Orchid Nursery Andy's Orchids Carter and Holmes Orchids Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden Exotic Plants Plus |
Plants: Ornamental Trees and Shrubs Lazy S'S Farm & Nursery Forestfarm Sooner Plant Farm Gardensoyvey.com Rarefind Nursery | Plants: Peonies Adelman Peony Gardens Solaris Farms Brooks Gardens Hollingsworth Peony Nursery Peonies.net | Plants: Perennial Flowers Lazy S'S Farm & Nursery Santa Rosa Gardens Romence Gardens & Greenhouses Sooner Plant Farm Classy Groundcovers |
Plants: Plumeria cuttings Maui Plumeria Gardens Tropic Nature of Hawaii Jungle Jack's Plumerias Brad's Buds and Blooms Upland Nursery Inc | Plants: Rhododendrons and Azaleas Greer Gardens Singing Tree Gardens W.W. Nurseries Bovees Nursery DeGrandchamp's Blueberry Farm | Plants: Roses (Antiques & Species) High Country Roses Antique Rose Emporium Northland Rosarium Angel Gardens Inc Pickering Nurseries |
Plants: Roses (Modern) High Country Roses Northland Rosarium Burlington Rose Nursery Angel Gardens Inc. Palatine Roses | Plants: Tropical Fruit Trees Wellspring Gardens Bay Flora Clifton's Flower & Garden Center Four Winds Growers Just Fruits and Exotics | Plants: Vegetables Tomato Girl Nourse Farms Inc Johnny's Selected Seeds The Tasteful Garden Cross Country Nurseries |
Plants: Wildflowers/Natives A Nearly Native Nursery Gardensoyvey.com Niche Gardens Shooting Star Nursery Mail-Order Natives | Seeds: Annual Flowers Summer Hill Seeds Diane's Flower Seeds Harris Seeds DollarSeed Chiltern Seeds | Seeds: Asian Vegetables Botanical Interests, Inc. Kitazawa Seed Company AgroHaitai Ltd. Tainong Seeds, Inc. WaterSunTogether.com |
Seeds: Heirloom Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co St. Clare Heirloom Seeds Select Seeds Antique Flowers Victory Seed Company Southern Exposure Seed Exchange | Seeds: Herbs Horizon Herbs, LLC KT Botanicals Companion Plants John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds Osborne Seed Company, LLC | Seeds: Peppers Bayou Trader's Peppermania Chile Pepper Institute Rainbow Chili Seeds Semillas La Palma The Chile Woman |
Seeds: Perennial Flowers The Sample Seed Shop Summer Hill Seeds Diane's Flower Seeds Botanical Interests, Inc. T's Flowers & Things | Seeds: Tomatoes The Sample Seed Shop TomatoFest.com Ohio Heirloom Seeds Tatiana's TOMATObase Marianna's Heirloom Seeds | Seeds: Tropicals Trade Winds Fruit Smart Seeds (smartseedstore.com) Lakeside Callas Tropic Nature of Hawaii Miniatree.com |
Seeds: Vegetables Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. St. Clare Heirloom Seeds Victory Seed Company Johnny's Selected Seeds Trade Winds Fruit | Seeds: Wildflowers/Natives Everwilde Farms, Inc. Jonna Sudenius Silverhill Seeds Ohio Prairie Nursery Wildseed Farms | Supplies for Poultry Farming (Equipment & Hatcheries) eFowl.com My Pet Chicken Porter's Rare Heritage Turkeys Mt. Healthy Hatcheries, Inc. Country Hatchery |
