The Banana Tree (Banana-Tree.com)

Tropical & Tender Perennials, Tropical Fruit Trees

715 Northampton St.
Easton, Pennsylvania 18042 (United States)
(610) 253-9589
(610) 253-4864

Reviews:

positives
neutrals
negatives

Displaying the 50 most recent reviews

RatingContent
Positive
On May 24, 2021, Kunzite (1 reviews)

I was pleasantly surprised to have received my order so soon. I have ordered seeds and plants in the past and did have poor germination rates with certain varieties of seeds. Mostly with seeds varieties that are difficult to sprout unless the seeds are really fresh, so I would recommend to any potential customers to do some research before purchasing if concerned about germinations rates as some of the other reviews have mentioned. In the past when I have ordered the packaging was often sloppy and kind of dirty- this time around everything looked much cleaner which is greatly appreciated. Overall, I would recommend this company for anyone thats willing to put in the time to research and learn how to care for, grow and protect some of the beautiful tropical plant species this company works with.

Positive
On May 6, 2018, AshviniGautam (10 reviews) from Dehra Dun,
India

May Fred Saleet be in peace. He was a good and honourable man.

Negative
On Mar 19, 2015, keemiya (1 reviews) from San Diego, CA

i saw this much Negative Experience about this co , but ordered 600$ seeds ,now after 22 day i didnt receive my order when call them said i sent your order 27feb with regular post to california . rellay this company is Irresponsibility

Negative
On Nov 9, 2014, bathroom1 (1 reviews) from Pilisborosjenö,
Hungary

Hi folks, I think the bad true is, that banan tree is not working anymore. I bought many many seeds for years. Quality was mixed. Delays were normal. E-Mails sometimes answered most not. I was always wondering, why they are not updating their page for years. Now from my last 3 orders, they charged my credit card for one 100 Euro and shipped order just 1.5 months (!) later. 2 other order were not charged or executed at all. I sent massive emails, no email anwered any more.

Negative
On Nov 5, 2014, arissoekarno (2 reviews) from jakarta,
Indonesia

Posted on October 25, 2014, updated November 5, 2014 Posted on October 17, 2014, updated October 25, 2014 I am from Jakarta - Indonesia. have some 2 or 3 times purchased seeds from Banana-tree. On Oct 7th, 2014, I have placed an order to them. on Oct 9th, Mr Fred Saleet from Banana informed me that my CC is denied . I was quite surprised, because I believed that my CC is in active and have enough credit. So I asked him to hold the transaction and keep the order remain valid while I will contact my CC issuer. In short , 2 more days ahead I email Him that my CC have been debited by Banana on Oct 9th..as much as the order price including the shipping cost.. but Mr Saleet , never respond my email. I took more than 6 email just to inform him that my CC have been debited on that Oct.9th... emails were sent directly to Him as well to banana message box... I warned Him , if doesn't response my email in 3 days ahead , I will post his black reputation. and now I just do it here.. and again the Banana website seems closed or in trouble right know,,,


On October 25th, 2014, arissoekarno changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: today, oct 26, Mr Saleet from Banana Tree email me.after a week never reply my email regarding my order and transaction. Thanks to Davesgarden !! He replied in a very good manner, Right after that , I made a call to my CC issuer , asking if my CC has been charged to Banana.. The CC operator described that there was indeed a charge from Banana tree on Oct 8 , but the status was still pending for 10 days, and on Oct 21 my money was refund automatic , According to the operator ,This could happened with 2 reasons . 1. The network when the merchant tried to charged was in disturbance. and 2. the ADC machine charger doesn't work properly.. ( this is only a small machine that could broke somehow !!). In short , no one stands in fault.. my money back. and the merchant un-pack the order.. so things are clear enough.. thanks Dave's garden. This is a very good experience when buying on-line
On November 5th, 2014, arissoekarno changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following: well, this is a bit confusing me.. after having revised my negative to positive, I need to revised again to negative !!, as usual, every early month I got my electronic CC billing statement from my CC Issuer Bank. I was so surprised to know that fact ! It was stated that my CC was indeed charged by Banana tree on oct8.. But why Mr Fred Saleet of banana Tree said that my CC was denied ?? in fact, on that Oct8, My CC was charged for seeds including the shipping cost.. I believe Fred Saleet is a liar,, I have emailed him a part of my billing statement where the transaction to Banana tree was really happened .. but my 3 emails to him have no respond at all ... so , i have to say good bye to banana tree.. I am so sorry Fred, You'd better find another job

Positive
On May 4, 2014, LoveMyPlants33 (1 reviews) from NJ,
United States

I was surprised to see some of the negative reviews here. I have been purchasing seeds, rhizomes and plants from The Banana Tree in Easton, PA for years and have never had a bad experience. They have wonderful items on offer -not the usual stuff that you will find in the big box stores. Their prices are more then fair. My plants have flourished and are great focal points throughout my home. The owner of the store is a very knowledgeable gentleman who is a wealth of information and an asset to his customers. His love for plants is evident. It is very rare to find someone like him who is so knowledgable about his product and so willing to share that knowledge. The store itself is a little oasis in Easton and I enjoy stopping by to see which new items the owner has procured for his lucky customers.

Negative
On Feb 25, 2014, NorthSC (10 reviews) from North, SC (Zone 8a)

Poor to no germination on all of their seeds. Livistona chinensis and Livistona nitida = 0% germination from hundreds of seeds (!!!) after 1 year. Washingtonia robusta germination, they usually germinate around 80-90% but Banana Tree seeds germinated only at 15% to 20% rate. Other palms and trees - no germination or very poor germination. As it seems they do not sell fresh seeds (in spring).

Positive
On May 10, 2012, imagerep (2 reviews) from Westlake Village, CA

I first placed an order then read this blog with so many negatives. I thought I had made a mistake and expected the worse. My experience was very good. I ordered 2 of the Basjoo, 2 of the Musella L. and 100 Sikkimensus seeds. I received my order in about a week. So far all 4 banana plants are growing well in small starter containers. Doing some research on the seeds, I see that these can take 1 to 12 mos to germinate so we'll see. The jury will be out for some time while I wait to see any form of sprouting. If I can find any fault with this company is their lack of informing via email that the order shipped and of the tracking number. Always nice to know your order is not held up (which turned out not the case for me). I would buy from them again.

Neutral
On Dec 16, 2011, soccergirl62786 (1 reviews) from Romeoville, IL

I placed an order for a banana tree and got it w/in 3 weeks so I was happy about that BUT right after we thought it was going to take off we started having signs of Black Sigatoka. From my understanding this would have come from where we bought it. I am going to contact them and see if they have any remedies or will like to replace the plant because it's not going to make it. I will keep you updated if they resolved the issue.

Positive
On Jun 4, 2010, Ojala (4 reviews)

I've ordered couple of banana trees from them. I've got an email saying my order is being processed. A week or two passed i didn't get any status on that. But since it was mentioned in the site that the shipping of the plants may take up to two weeks depending on the availability, i waited till that time and sent them an email asking when my plants will be shipped. Immediately i got a mail from the company saying, my order is processed. The mail was not so clear whether or not the plant is shipped. Anyway i got the rhizomes in mail in a week or so. After one month in the pots, one of them is showing some signs of life and another one is all dried up , but still there is hope since banana will survive in most cases just with the bulb. Still waiting to see new growth and eager to see whether or we got the right species. Think it will take more than a year to find that out. Anyway i'm happy with the order and they are very reasonably priced.

Neutral
On May 13, 2010, plantgnome1 (31 reviews) from nowhere land, NY (Zone 6b)

First time customer-ordered a Musella Lasiocarpa, reasonable price and shipping, appears to be healthy. I also wanted to add another plant to the order and promptly emailed them within the hour of placing the Musella order and never got an answer. I recently sent an email asking what the age of the plant was (for fertilizing purposes) and never received an answer. The customer service is non-existant. I find customer service to be a very important part of a mail order/online business. If I don't receive any answers, I will assume they don't need the business and therefore will not be giving them anymore of mine.

Negative
On Apr 3, 2010, damethod (2 reviews) from Miami, FL

Bananatree cost me an extra $50. I paid for a "Manzano" banana tree and instead received some type of plantain. Now, it will cost me $50 to get the rhizome dug out because the plant was over 12 ft tall! If you want a trusted source, check out "going bananas" on this site. They are a local nursery with a great feedback history..unlike these con artists. I also purchased Bay Leaf seeds from them that were not viable.

Negative
On Jan 15, 2010, plantfreek (5 reviews)

A number of the seeds I've bought from this company have not been viable. Generally I've then ordered the same seeds from another company with good germination. Furthermore, two of the Heliconia rhizomes I've bought from them, once they flowered, turned out to be something totally different from what I ordered.

Negative
On Dec 19, 2009, mibbyblues (3 reviews) from Maypearl, TX

Posted on December 19, 2009, updated December 19, 2009 Posted on March 26, 2009, updated December 19, 2009 Shipping is a little on the slow side; but I have never had a problem with the seeds that I have received from them. Plus, their prices are better than most other places I have researched.


On December 19th, 2009, mibbyblues changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following: I have to revise my previous post. I have been a very loyal customer for almost 2 years now. When I have the money, I usually order between 100.00-300.00 per order. In November of this year I placed 3 orders. Got the first and last order over 25 days after ordering. The MIDDLE order for $300.00 was placed on the 17th. I got the usual confirmation by email. I have an email from the owner that orders are processed within 10 days or they give notification. NEVER got any notification. Emailed BANANA-TREE through their own email system and told them to cancel my order( I gave them the order number and everything). It had been over 30 days and I had not been billed or contacted on the status. I TOLD THEM TO CANCEL THAT ORDER. The very next day at 8:00 am (31 days later) the company bills my credit card AFTER I CANCELED THE ORDER. Its Christmas for goodness sakes. And they won't fallow their own policy or be fair during the holidays? Even to loyal repeat customers? I won't be buying from them again. This whole thing is called DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES. I
On December 19th, 2009, mibbyblues added the following: I have to revise my previous post. I have been a very loyal customer for almost 2 years now. When I have the money, I usually order between 100.00-300.00 per order. In November of this year I placed 3 orders. Got the first and last order over 25 days after ordering. The MIDDLE order for $300.00 was placed on the 17th. I got the usual confirmation by email. I have an email from the owner that orders are processed within 10 days or they give notification. NEVER got any notification. Emailed BANANA-TREE through their own email system and told them to cancel my order( I gave them the order number and everything). It had been over 30 days and I had not been billed or contacted on the status. I TOLD THEM TO CANCEL THAT ORDER. The very next day at 8:00 am (31 days later) the company bills my credit card AFTER I CANCELED THE ORDER. Its Christmas for goodness sakes. And they won't fallow their own policy or be fair during the holidays? Even to loyal repeat customers? I won't be buying from them again. This whole thing is called DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES. I

Negative
On Sep 10, 2009, bradscottgish (1 reviews) from Barstow, CA

I've spent HUNDREDS of dollars on their seeds, probably 25 different types of palms. I've had VERY LITTLE success getting anything at all to sprout. The old guy was a bit rude, treating me like I was a complete dumb ass. I don't know how they stay in business with customer service like that and seeds that don't sprout. I won't buy from them again. I wish I could send them all back for a refund. I've got a 20 ft by 20 ft area in my front yard full of containers with soil and seeds that won't pop up. I'm very disappointed. I wasted a LOT of money with no results. Seeds suck!

Positive
On May 5, 2009, Nobody (8 reviews) from Frankfort, KY

I did not order palms and banana trees. I ordered Bletilla because their price seemed to be very good. They did not have these for a while. But once I placed an order, the package was delivered very quick. And I was very pleased with the quality of plants as well. Actually, it was far exceeding my expectation, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Positive
On Oct 24, 2008, lesplantlady (2 reviews) from Camano Island, WA (Zone 8a)

I ordered 21 types of seed about 3 weeks ago after reviewing Garden Watchdog comments. Prices were excellent. Within a few days of my account being charged, I received my order. The seed looks great and I consider the 3-week time frame very reasonable. The seed packets all have planting information which, given the "exotic" nature of some of the seeds is helpful. I will definitely order from this company again.

Positive
On Sep 30, 2008, seedemon (2 reviews) from Rincon, GA

I have ordered twice from bananatree, and both times received the complete orders, and seeds were all viable. I am very satisfied and delighted. Just because seeds don't grow for you doesn't mean the seeds were bad- so many reasons why seeds won't grow. Be reasonable. Also, don't bother trying to call them- whoever that crabby old guy is obviously doesn't want to talk to you! The seeds will come in a couple of weeks- those people are just not good communicators- who cares- they have unique seeds at the best prices on the internet. If you want to be treated elegantly, then don't buy from them; if you want to get some fabulous seeds, then swallow your pride, shut up and order from them!

Positive
On Jul 10, 2008, Gravity74 (1 reviews) from Pasadena, CA

I found banana-tree.com through a google search for passiflora seeds (I LO0O0VE passionfruit !!). I got super excited by the prices, quantities and variety of not only passiflora but other tropical plants and fruit. I soon had 23 items (all seeds) in my shopping cart! I couldn't find better prices after spending an hour or so searching. Then I decided to check for reviews and found most on this website (davesgarden). I was disappointed with all the negative reviews because I really wanted these seeds! I buy a lot of things from the www, I think reviews are a great help for everyone and I usually listen to them! This time, however, I was too excited with my 7 different fruit-bearing passiflora and other fruits and plants in my shopping cart, that I decided "what the hey" and I placed the order. I decided I would order from the next cheapest web-page I found if the seeds didn't arrive in a couple of weeks. Today, just over a week later I was excited and nervous to find a package from banana-tree. I opened it and everything was included, correct and even packed in the order on my shopping list - too easy! I'm sorry for the others that had negative experiences but mine was perfect. Now, to the backyard...

Negative
On Jun 20, 2008, jacobsjd (4 reviews) from Orlando, FL

I found Banana Tree through a web search. They had the three bananas I wanted to purchase. It's been almost a month and I have heard nothing. I sent an email to them to find out what the status was. They could have told me it would be another month before they could ship and that would have been fine. I was more concerned that perhaps they had not received my order. Instead, I received no response. After searching the web for ratings, I found this thread and realized I might have made a mistake. I immediately sent them another email asking that they cancel my order. I received a prompt email stating it had been canceled. If they'd been so fast answering my first email, they would be $50 richer.

Negative
On May 21, 2008, jenovica (1 reviews) from Guinda, CA

I tried to order banana plants on April 24th. On May 14 I called them since I had not received the order. The person said that it had not shipped but he would process it that day. On May 21st, when I still had no plants, I called again. Well.... this time I spoke to Dr Merritt? who was very rude, refused to help, blamed it on my credit card (which is a business gold card) and proceeded to basically tell me off! I have NEVER been treated this way by any company and I will NEVER do business with them (he kept repeating that he was a Doctor which I found quite amusing since I have a MD and a PhD... so I was not sure what that had to do with anything). I can't comment on the plants since I never actually got any!

Positive
On Dec 27, 2007, DiMach (2 reviews) from Yokneam,
Israel

Very fast order processing. Seed quality and their package was good. This merchant have nice prices (about $5 for 100 Neem seeds) and shipping charges was only $2 to Israel. I placed order in Banana-Tree and I certainly recommend Banana-Tree.com

Negative
On Jul 7, 2007, caligardengrrl (2 reviews) from San Luis Obispo, CA

I ordered two things via the internet from this company: A dwarf variety heliconia and a shampoo ginger both as tubers. The products took three weeks to show up through USPS and since I trust the mail service whole heartily I suspect they delayed sending my package, even though they did charge my card. I have experience growing ginger from tubers so I understand that you have to treat tropicals differently from other kinds of tubers. Once I unwrapped them ( they were in wet paper towels and then wrapped in bubble wrap and duct taped closed - not very professional, but oh well ) I noticed that the ginger was dry, shriveled, old and plus it had MOLD on it. Nothing was going to grow from that but I figured 'why not?' So I followed the instructions on the web-site about how to plant the heliconia - followed them to the T. Neither the ginger or the heliconia grew. These were expensive tubers and plus the shipping, but the heliconia tuber was big. The reason it died was obviously my error in how it was planted and treated (info. I got from the website), but that being said 1/3 of the tuber was mushy and rotten. I think this company has great plants, but obviously you have to buy from them in person, don't go through the hassle of ordering from them online because they probably will give you their worse products.

Positive
On Jun 12, 2007, go2glenn (5 reviews) from Suwanee, GA (Zone 7a)

I ordered one Musa basjoo (spelled several ways) or Japanese Fiber Banana (hardy). After over a month, I received a small banana "bulb" which is what I expected. The bulb was planted per BT's instructions and has grown very nicely. The only problem is it is the wrong species. The plant is a dwarf variety with red and green leaves. Two e-mails to BT remain unanswered. Two phone calls went unanswered. Given all the negative postings about BT and my less than satisfactory experience, I have made these conclusions. BT's customer service is very poor. And I note that sending out the wrong plants or seeds seems to be a common occurence at BT (see other postings). There are several supplies of tropicals on the web who provide better, more reliable service.


On June 24th, 2007, go2glenn changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: I sent one additional e-mail to this company which they answered in two days. They apologized for sending me the wrong species of banana tree and stated they would send me the plant I ordered in two days. They also sent me an e-mail that the plant was in the mail. I received a healthy (and correct) plant in four days. I am pleased with the manner in which this company corrected it's error. As in many cases, the main problem here was with communication. It is evident to me this company is working hard to improve it's customer support.

Negative
On May 26, 2007, stylist (1 reviews) from Allentown, PA

Spoke to the "old" guy about a year ago via phone and he couldn't have been ruder. The conversation was so bad that I stayed away from any contact with Banana Tree for over a year and one-half. He was impatient, demeaning, appeared put out that the call was even placed. Just down right nasty! It was so bad and memorable that when I mentioned this experience to another business owner who lives in Easton, he reinforced the fact that this individual's demeanor was well known. Have several clients who are looking for specific greenery and thought I'd give it another try. (Perhaps he had a bad day the first time and not everything I heard was true?) Instead of calling I emailed a polite inquiry with a thank you and my name. While they answered the same day, I got back a one word "No" in reply. No thank you for your inquiry, no signature as to who sent the email, no invitation to stop in to see all that they do carry, nothing that even implied that they were other than inconvenienced by having to take the time to respond! I have heard so many negative and bad things about this individual over the past year and apparently it's all true. They may have a decent product, but there is virtually no customer service involved. I personally am finished with the Banana Tree and will take my client's business elsewhere! Let them keep their nasty attitude in place, it will catch up with them sooner or later.

Positive
On May 19, 2007, banananut (7 reviews) from Eureka, CA (Zone 9b)

I've been ordering seeds, and plants from these guys for about 5 years, and I don't have a single complaint(I usually do). They seem to have the best prices for alot of different types of seeds(nearly whole sale pricing on small packets), and the plant prices aren't bad either. They also seem to get in rare Musa seeds at the same time they are being offered by other companies, but at better prices.

Negative
On Apr 16, 2007, Turtlegaby (12 reviews) from Decatur, AL (Zone 8a)

I've ordered from Banana-Tree multiple times over the last few years for several hundreds of Dollars each order, but had always the feeling, that I am a petitioner that asks for welfare and not a customer. Sometimes orders took several weeks with no notification when it will be sent and I have yet to receive an order that was totally complete. Every time there have been mulitple packages missing, because they didn't have them, but nowhere on their web site was shown that they are out of stock. When I called after 2 weeks, to learn when my order will be sent, I got always a very unfriendly reply with an endless monolog about their own farms in Ecuador, where they harvest everything fresh and that all is weather depending. and not always immediately available. And that I should have patience and not ask after such a short time about the shipping status. Geez, 14 days isn't a short time! The old guy made me feel as if I was the worst thing he had ever to deal with and he always got pretty angry, when I just wanted to know when to expect my order. Why would they offer seeds on their web site, when they don't have the stuff? Anyway, I kept ordering from them, although I didn't feel at all like a customer, because they have an incredible variety, which I couldn't find anywhere else in one place. My last order was 3 weeks ago (a $500 order) and I placed this order on the phone, so I would know immadiately what is available and what isn't. Also because their website charges immense shipping costs, if you order in bulk, $40 for one order was the average shipping price for a 1 pound package. Anyway, when I called the last time and ordered, I got the promise that 90% of my seeds are in stock and will be sent within 3 days. 2 weeks passed and I got nothing, until I finally grabed the phone and called again. I asked very friendly about my order status and was wondering, why I didn't get charged after 14 days, although I had the promise that everything will be sent within 3 days. The guy got very rude immediately and said, "You are pushing too hard, and I didn't promose you anything" I thought I don't hear right and said;" Yes you promised me to send the order within 3 days", and his reply was:"I'll hang up if you go on this way". Now he reached my breaking point and I canceled the whole order. Never ever I got treated like a piece of crap when I ordered for thousands of Dollars from a company and have been a regular customer for several years. Beside that I doubt very much that they have own farms in Ecuador like the guy kept telling me over and over again, because if they had their own plantts, they would have their own pictures and not show pictures from other companies on their website, that even contain still the copright prints And I know exactly that they didn't ask for permission, because they even show a picture of mine that I made of my own plant Datura inoxia, that he sells as Datura wella. Considering that I doubt very much, that he really sells what he is showing. Never ever I will order from this company again and I hope more people read these posts here. This guy lacks any communication skills and obviously is not aware of that he makes a lving from his customers and that a customer is not somebody that he can treat like an unwelcome pest.


On April 24th, 2007, Turtlegaby added the following: In the meantime I found several of Banana-Tree's wholesale sources, where they are regular customers since years. The stories about their own plantages where they harvest everything fresh, indeed are untrue. They are just an intermediary and the reason why their orders mostly take that long is, because they only carry a limited stock and order the seeds themselves from their wholesalers as soon as an order is placed on their website, hence they don't know at the moment of receiving an order, what is available and what isn't.

Positive
On Mar 28, 2007, cgarvin (2 reviews) from Cottage Grove, OR (Zone 8a)

I recently ordered about 50$ worth of seed from there website, as was posted by many there was no "its in the mail" email which would be nice, but they did send and email confiming the order. so far germination is so so, but I ordered difficult and unusual seed, so I wasnt expecting 100%. the seeds all appear to be the correct species, but until they are grown out who knows. I was leary of ordering from them at first because of the so so rating here, but would do so again as my experience this time was good. Caleb

Negative
On Mar 24, 2007, litibu (4 reviews) from ravenna,
United States (Zone 11)

I have made several seed orders and have beed disappointed everytime. Things are mislabeled. Seeds are mixed up, often non-viable. its really disappointed to nurse seeds for 12 months to find out you did not get what your ordered. The last time i ordered macademia nuts and was sent jatropha nuts which look the same -- sort of taste the same -- thank god the tree looks different because jatropha can be deadly if eaten. And thank god i didnt eat any of the nuts they sent me. When i complained he had the nerve to tell me that perhaps birds ate all the 100 nuts i had planted in bags and replaced them with something else! That was the last time i will buy anything from them.

Negative
On Mar 15, 2007, revolutionaryma (9 reviews) from Granada Hills, CA

I ordered 4 banana plants from this company, unfortunately before checking out their rating in davesgarden. The plants were tiny, smelled moldy and poorly packed. Two of them managed to survive, but 2 died. It took a lot of research to finally find the phone number. When I got thru and explained the problem, the man was argumentative and treated me like I was trying to rip him off. Gee! He's the one who charged a lot of money for trashy plants! I've ordered many, many plants from various places and this is one of the worst. Given the choice of sending me replacement plants or giving me a refund, he said he'll give me a refund and told me never to order from them again. What a jerk. I'll be watching my credit card for his refund or he'll get a complaint from the Better Business Bureau.

Positive
On Mar 9, 2007, trpoical_GA (2 reviews) from Winder, GA

Although their customer service is rough around the edges, I am extremely satisfied with Banana-Tree for the quality of rhizomes I received. I do wish they would send you an email stating that the order has been shipped, so I could prepare planting my order when it arrives.

Positive
On Aug 19, 2006, raydio (2 reviews) from Bessemer City, NC (Zone 7b)

I ordered three items form BT this year and two are not what they are supposed to be. Knowing form past experience with seeds purported to be Ipomoea purga, before my order shipped, I sent an email stating if they could not guarantee that the I. purga seeds were just that, to cancel my order. They never responded and the seeds are in fact another vine. The second incorrectly shipped item was ordered as Alpinia galanga and what I received was Curcuma zedoaria, though it was tagged as the former. That the plant was not A. galanga was immediately apparent as C. zedoaria has a bronze stripe down the foliage which the other doesn't. I can only hope that the third item, Curcuma longa, turns out to be that. What bothers me most about this is that I only wanted the vine seeds, but they have a $20. minimum order, so if I wanted them, I had to buy more plants. Then, one of them, at $9.95, turns out to be an item they didn't (don't?) offer on their website. I know plants get misshipped, mis-identified when sent to a distributor like BT. One hopes they would test what they get for verification, especially very hard to find items that are already considered as having questionable authenticity, as with I. purga. 2 out of three isn't good at all. I will be contacting them about my order. We'll see what happens. Robert.


On August 19th, 2006, raydio changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: I stand by the negative rating for the order, but give Banana-Tree a positive rating in resolving the issue. They will be crediting my account for the seeds and are sending a C. longa as originally ordered. I am to keep the seeds and zedoary. That's good customer service! With that said, I would shop form B-T again. Mistakes happen and a solution can be found. Robert.

Positive
On Jul 14, 2006, Matt909 (2 reviews) from Duryea, PA

I ordered back in March and am having outstanding results. My 2 banana trees (basjoo & chinesis) have REALLY taken off the last month or so. I ordered an agave and 3 lithops, which are also doing good. It took about 3 weeks for my order to arrive...another month before the bananas showed any signs of life, but are really making up for it now. My basjoo has just started a side-bud, so it looks like another tree on its way. It is a shame that others are not having this same experience. My experience was terrific, however. I'd take the chance again with another small order of banana trees next spring.

Negative
On May 8, 2006, mcgould89 (1 reviews) from W Hartford, CT

I ordered 2 banana plants from Banana-Tree.com on 4/21 -- nothing has appeared to date despite 2 e-mails (which were not responded to!) and 1 fax (also not responded to!) -- I will next attempt to phone them but from what I've read I guess I shouldn't expect too much!! It is interesting that people who live in England and Japan received their plants/seeds in 5 days while those who live in PA or nearby states waited weeks! I may cancel my order with them and try another company -- or have my local nursery that handles tropicals get a musa bajoo for me! What a disappointment since I have a pool and the weather here in CT has been spectacular so I was hoping to get my plant growing by the time the weather really warmed up!

Neutral
On Feb 23, 2006, flowergirlnepa (2 reviews) from Easton, PA

Well, you are all lucky you even got seeds, LOL I live in their hometown, have visited their store, and when hubby went in to ask if he could purchase seeds for my birthday, they treated him as if we couldn't possibly know how to grow the seeds and refused to sell him seeds. They do sell some very impressive plants, which are displayed in their front windows.

Negative
On Nov 12, 2005, georgial3 (1 reviews) from TAMUNING,
Guam (USA)

I FIRST ORDERED FROM THEM ABOUT 7 YRS AGO. THAT ORDER AND THE SECOND ORDER WAS VERY GOOD. AFTER THAT, THE SEEDS THEY SENT DIDN'T GROW. I ALSO FOUND THAT THEY WON'T E MAIL YOU IF SEEDS ARE OUT OF STOCK. I WAITED 2 MONTHS TO CALL RE AN ORDER. THEY SOUNDED IRRITATED THAT I CALLED. WHEN I DID GET MY ORDER-NOTHING GREW. SO I TRIED THEM AGAIN RECENTLY. SAME THING-NOTHING GREW. I HAVE SINCE BEEN OREDERING ELSEWHERE. I KNOW GUAM IS FAR FROM THEIR COMPANY BUT THE SEEDS USUALLY CAME IN A TIMELY MANNER-1 OR 2 WEEKS.

Positive
On Aug 21, 2005, amorning1 (6 reviews) from Islamorada, FL

Ordered 200 Carambola seeds .... ZERO sprouted! I've grown these before, so i know it was not my fault. I contacted them about this, and that I would pay shipping if they wanted to replace them (with more worthless seeds) but all I got was RADIO SILENCE. I'm switching to seedlings, seeds suck! More $$ down the drain. When will I learn. (If they replace my order with VIABLE seeds i MIGHT change feedback to Positive) I have pics to prove seeds swelled & rotted.


On August 23rd, 2005, amorning1 changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following:
On August 26th, 2005, amorning1 added the following: Palm seeds I just recieved are decent, I wish they'd replace those lousy Carambola seeds.
On August 29th, 2005, amorning1 changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: They have contacted me and they offered to replace the carambola seeds next spring with fresh seeds at no charge.

Positive
On May 22, 2005, Toni05 (61 reviews) from Brookfield, IL

I've been ordering from BananaTree for a number of years. Never had any problems, plants arrived in tip-top shape, and packaging was in great order. Their prices are decent..Even when I ordered a Banjoo Musa Banana, they wrote back explaining about the care of this plant, and if I planned on planting outside, it'd need protection. Toni


On May 21st, 2006, Toni05 added the following: Ordered several packets of seeds and all but one arrived promptly. I phoned Banana Tree about this lost pack and they apologized and send the packet out ASAP.

Negative
On Apr 30, 2005, esobudynnhoj (1 reviews) from Mobile, AL

I placed an order with Banana-Tree in the middle of March for several different types of Banana plants. I got an order number but no confirmation email. After several days I called and the guy told me that I wouldn't receive a confirmation email even though thats what his website says. He looked up my order number and said he would send me an email right then, I never got one. I've emailed him several times and have never received a reply. I called him a couple of days ago and he said I should get my order from the next shipment he had coming in from his supplier. I still haven't heard anything on my order. From everything I've been reading here I'm going to cancel my order.

Positive
On Mar 26, 2005, cedricb (2 reviews) from tokyo,
Japan

The Banana-Tree was very fast to proceed my order : 1 week from my internet command to delivery here, in Tokyo (I'm leaving in Japan). Seed quality was good, with high germinating rate. And on top of that, they have quite nice price. I certainly recommend them.

Negative
On Feb 20, 2005, xtine03 (1 reviews) from Malden, MA

Their customer service / communication with customers could use some improvement. I placed an order and received a confirmation e-mail, which stated I could view order detail by following the link at the bottom of the page. There was no link. After reading the FAQs (as you are required to do before contacting them), I sent an e-mail (including my order #). I never received a response. Every other internet-order company I have ever dealt with not only sends a e-mail with order details, and responds to customer inquiries promptly, but also sends an e-mail to notify when the order is shipped. I received the order 2 1/2 weeks later, but no "order shipped" e-mail. Consequently, I was not able to gauge when to expect my order and be home to receive it. I picked up the package from the post office after the weekend, only to find some moldy ginger!

Positive
On Feb 17, 2005, jenf (5 reviews) from Qualicum, BC (Zone 7b)

I figured since the prices were so good I would take a chance. The order arrived promtply, the seeds appeared in good condition. To top it off, I have 3 different types of palm seeds sprouting within a month. This is much faster than the more expensive seeds, I purchased at the same time. I will definitely order again.

Positive
On Oct 1, 2004, Green_England (1 reviews) from London,
United Kingdom

I recently ordered several tropical and sub-tropical species from Banana-tree.com and was very happy with the seeds. They were all full, fat and healthy looking. My order arrived in only five days, and that’s all the way over here to England! Viability was excellent. I believe we have to make sure we have the adequate knowledge, experience, and equipment to geminate the harder species, and those that may have a long/tricky dormancy, before we jump to blame others for our own lack of experience or knowledge, and especially with the more stubborn species. I’m constantly ordering plants and seeds from all over the world, and I am very happy with the speed of delivery and quality of the seeds I received from Banana-tree.com and would definitely use their services again.

Positive
On Apr 1, 2004, MadGecko13 (5 reviews) from Corpus Christi, TX (Zone 9a)

Well, I had good luck with this company. I ordered some seeds I'd not found anywhere else. I found the packaging quite acceptable and they arrived promptly. Germination so far has been quite good. Especially since these are seeds I haven't seen anyone else growing!

Positive
On Mar 19, 2004, ooojen (10 reviews) from Lewiston, MN

I'm about to put in my second order here- my first having been last year. I received good, viable seeds, and was quite happy. I even had good germination with a couple types of cycad seed, which I understand are rather highly perishable. (The plants have continued to do well.) I got some other houseplant seeds, some vegetable seeds...had good results with all.

Negative
On Mar 10, 2004, olddog (11 reviews) from Colfax, LA (Zone 7a)

I HAVE FOUND THAT MOST OF THE SEED ARE OLD. THE PLANTS HAVE ALL BEEN IN BAD SHAPE. THIS PLACE IS A LAST RESORT FOR HARD TO GET SEEDS. I HAVE ORDERED 4 TIMES IN THE 10 YEARS AND IT HAS BEEN THE SAME EACH TIME.

Positive
On Sep 27, 2003, voodoo_child (4 reviews)

It's been a while since I've ordered but I remember having had good experiences with them in the past. Magnificent selections of seeds, corms and plants. Just wish they had kept their large selection of bananas.

Positive
On Sep 3, 2003, Marilena (14 reviews) from Chicago, IL

This is an excellent company - I have ordered seed from them on two occasions and received them promptly and well packaged. They can count on me for repeat business. The seed they offer is not the easiest to germinate and I imagine that it is for this reason some people had issues with seed germination.

Positive
On Jul 13, 2003, Seedsman (1 reviews)

I've been buying from The Banana Tree for years now and havefound them to be the best quality and price out there. I figure they're good because they where from the best of my knowledge the first company to be selling tropical plants and seeds and I've been running a green house for over 20 years now.

Neutral
On Jun 18, 2003, tamelask (4 reviews) from Garner, NC

2 experiences with this company- 1 negative, 1 positive. the first time i ordred it was 5 yrs ago or so. remember the guy being very curt on the phone. had barely any germination- so i chalked it up to my being only semi-experienced at the time, though i'd had good luck with seeds form everywhere else. this yr, i really wanted seeds for brug. sanguineum, and so i placed another samll order. one variety of seed was sent pre-germinating, and i had good results with the remaining 7 varieties, except 1. unfortunately, the pre-germinated ones never grew- they just sat there in the pots for months and eventually rotted. looking over the comments posted, i may not order from them if i can find another source.

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