Mail order experiences. Good or Bad you decide.

Thank you KaylyRed, I have bookmarked the page and I will definitely get one. This year has been really bad for us because a new kind of mosquitoes showed up and the spray didn't work on them. I live in the city and when I say spray, I mean the kind the mosquitoe truck sprays out when he goes up and down the streets. There is a new mosquitoe called Asian and we are use to the Tiger mosquitoes. Anyway my spray works good but I don't always like spraying pesticide on my skin, it just goes against me.

Hey everybody, I could not resist the autumn sale at 33% off plus free shipping, I got five Hostas that were on my wish list and I couldn't be happier.

Inniswood ---- 12.95
Roy Klehm -- 14.95
Dick Ward ----13.95
Lakeside contender-10.95
Maui Buttercups---11.95
subtotal----------------64.75
shipping----------------11.35
Discount 33%+free ship[ing over $50.
- 32.72
tax----------------------------0
total-------------------------43.38

Inniswood, nicely packed. Hardly any dirt missing and very good roots.

Lakeside Contender

Nice Roots.

My first order with Bluestone Perennials. Ordered on 10-31-2011 and received on 11-02-2011. Good job!

8-tulip bulbs 'Pretty Woman' --- 2.97
Hosta 'Gold Standard' ------------7.95
Hosta 'Great Expectations ------7.95
Liatris 'Spicata Kobold' ------------8.95

total -------------------------------------27.82
shipping-----------------------------------9.95
order total ------------------------------37.77

Great packing, nice cardboard pot holder. Think I will save it.

Coconut fiber pots.

Roots.

Quite some nice hauls there for little cash, VirginiaRose!

I bought 'Roy Klehm' last year as a single eye and this year it hadn't multiplied much but it's a VERY attractive hosta. I'm definitely a fan. And I love 'Maui Buttercups,' too. (If you haven't already, you should consider getting its relatives--'Rainforest Sunrise' and 'Tropical Storm.')

Thanks KaylyRed, as a matter of fact I did get Rainforest a couple of months ago, just a liner but nice and I really do like Tropical Storm as well, I'm pretty sure it is on my ever-growing list.

I always believe you get the best quality plants from local independent garden centers,although you may need to use mail order to find unusual cultavars.That being said look for small independent growers for the best quality,you may spend a little more but you get what you pay for.

Yes, I certainly am a Hostaholic and loving it. I ordered a lot of hostas from Hosta Direst and they were great. :) Also New Hampshire were very, very good.
At the end of the season Hosta Direst sold their mature divisions for about 3.99 a piece and most had around 6 eyes. I bought as many as I could maybe 8 or ten, don't remember, but when they start coming up, its picture time!!
susan

Also would like to mention my great experiences with Hallson's and Country Boy's. :)

I got my order from New Hampshire Hosta and my goodness what happened to these people? Last year was big plants and neat packing, this year dirt everywhere and small plants. I ordered Fire and Ice in a three inch pot for 12.95 and got a plug and a pot full of dirt.

Susan -- I've never ordered fro them before, so i can't compare.

I'm trying to find my fire and ice from what i first got mine from Foxfire Gardens... it was tiny too. slow grower but very nice plant once it gets going.

I'll have to check my other computer to see if i can find the image.

I got a plant last year ... i was not pleased with the way it was packed... it was a 3" square pot, not packing peanuts, no paper; just a pot in a box. I was very surprised just due to who it came from. Plant was undamaged, but there was no care in packaging.

I felt like it was like night and day, I got such big plants last year and great packing. This year the plants were a mess and Fire and Ice was smaller than the plugs I got. SMH, Also they canceled' Midnight at the Oasis' and did not tell me ahead of time, that was the purpose of the order. I just picked out a few other things so I could get the free shipping. I received no shipping confirmation and did not know the box was coming. I got home from work and had a big mess on my hands, also I was out of potting soil and they needed to be re-potted.
I emailed NHH and gave them a small lecture about courtesy, also I requested a refund for Fire and Ice and told them I would throw it into the trash and that I did not want to deal with them anymore.
Oh, would you like to see the bare roots I planted at the end of feb,2012 from a coop at ATP called T&T, ahhhhh now this is a good Fire and Ice, picture taken one month after planting.

This message was edited Apr 8, 2012 6:09 AM

Thanks for the tip on NHH.Did you give them a rating in Garden Watchdog?

No, they don't have any negative ratings and I did not want to be the bad guy, so I email them first and give them a chance to make things right. :) We shall see, a negative rating may come later but so far I have said nothing.

It is really helpful for non members who can use GW and PF without being a member. I know of a few people who use the site to check when they are ordering plants.

Negatives can be changed too .Maybe a neutral in as mich as you talked to NHH.

I found my F&I , and though it was small, it's still larger than your.
~~ this was first day in the ground.

IMHO -- even good companies have "bad days" - maybe some new employees...

I certainly hope they do right by you.

DH always says.... A customer has a good experience, they may tell 1 person.
A customer has a bad experience, they tell 10 people.

How true!!

Very true!! That is a good idea about the neutral rating, you can always change it later. :)

Terese, Beautiful F&I , I love this Hosta.

My plants have perked up quite a bit, I am suprised at how much 'Eternal Flame' looks like 'Fire and Ice.'
The F&I is actually smaller than the plugs I planted in 3 inch pots. I sent NHH some pictures and asked ' What happened to you guys??'

Good reply to NHH.Sometimes stuff happens. No sense going off like a rocket at them.

Really! Anyway, got an email from Richard Merritt at NHH, he said he was sorry for not notifying me but it was late when they found out and it was just easier to issue a refund to everybody. He issued a full refund, I only asked for a refund on Fire and Ice. He said I was the only one with a problem, but he did admit he changed the packing method and that FedEx must have had a problem, plus they did not send out a shipping confirmation.
Anyway, everyone else thanked him for nice plants and great packing, so I guess I am the bad guy anyway, it was not about money and I do not feel better after the refund. I deleted him. :(

That was nice of them to give you a full refund!! Oder more and spend the whole amount.

I am repotting 90 % of my over 500 pots. Wish you could come and visit. I have tons of variegated solomon seal to gave you.

Belle

Wow, sounds good. :) D-mail me a phone number so I can get in touch.

I was happy to get a hosta order from a new company called 'Green Mountain Hosta Nursery' I got a real good deal on these hostas, four big roots for 31.00 and 10.00 flat rate shipping.

Twilight Hosta............5.00
Band of Gold..............9.00
Bright Lights ...............8.00
Rainforest Sunrise ....9.00

Beautiful Hostas from Naylor Creek Nursery, my favorite place for the hard to find. These are more expensive but like I said stuff that I don't see everyday and Have been wanting.

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.........20.00
Lakeside Cranberry Relish...14.00
Sharp Dressed Man...............18.00
Shipping.....................................8.00
total............................................60.00

Susan -- do you have much room left in your gardens? you've been shopping up a storm.

nice looking root systems.

Those look great.Give them a positive on Garden Watchdog.

tcs, hehehe I gotta little room left. :)


ge, I gave them both great feedback!

I cant wait to see them leafed out.

Me too! Especially that Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, That is one beautiful Hosta. It should be, it was right near the top of my price range. The most I ever paid for a Hosta was 25.00 and that was Hudson Bay, beautiful green, white and blue variation. That was also Naylor Creek.

Last year I bought three 2nd year tissue cultures of Hudson Bay for $5.50 each through the BnP plant co-op. We got them at wholesale from Walters when all of the hosta retailers got them.

I just missed it! Mamajack was getting stuff from Walters also. sigh... Maybe next year!

What are you going to do with three? A grouping perhaps? The one I got from Naylor was pretty big, I do have several Fire and Ice and several Great Expectations I was thinking about a grouping somewhere.
I was able to get some Hostas from Bentleys , Cathedral Windows, Lakeside Love Affair and Lakeside Scamp.

I just put all three in a one gallon pot when I got them last year. I still have to find a spot for the small clump. I have about 60 new hosta in pots to be planted. Forty left over from last year and I already bought 20 new ones on opening day at Hornbaker Gardens March 31st. I will have to go back for their open house when their hosta glade is in full leaf.

Take photos.I have a slope I am trying to cover.

I have same problem, pots everywhere. More on the way too. I wish I lived near Hornbaker Gardens.