Gurney's Seed & Nursery

Seeds: Vegetables

P.O. Box 4178
Greendale, Indiana 47025-4178 (United States)
513-354-1492
513-354-1290

Reviews:

positives
neutrals
negatives

Displaying the 50 most recent reviews

RatingContent
Negative
On Jul 26, 2022, GardeningGus (1 reviews) from Strasburg, PA

Years ago while living in the Midwest, Gurney’s was a quite reliable “go to” mail order garden and nursery company. But this past fall a spring shipment order was placed for a number of items which included several new varieties of asparagus plants. The only positive part of the experience was placing the online order in the fall. The rest was frustratingly disappointing. 1. Customer service must be outsourced to a foreign country. Very difficult to understand the customer service agents. 2. The first item shipped in spring was sent too early for planting, and was significantly substandard to the size ordered. 3. The rest of the items were continually put into a “back ordered” status that went beyond their ever being delivered at a proper planting time. Therefore, the order was canceled. 4. The canceled order was only partially acknowledged with a “catalog credit voucher”, which will probably never be used due to the substandard products and service currently being offered. 5. A monetary refund was requested, but not honored. Based on this very unsatisfactory experience, I cannot recommend ordering from Gurney’s.

Negative
On Apr 12, 2021, Bulldog2 (1 reviews) from Dover,

I ordered some vegetable plants in January. My credit card was charged supposedly so they could hold my order. Now it's April and I find out that some of the things I ordered are out of stock and won't be in until after my planting times. Now I have to scurry around to local nurseries to try and find what I need. This happened last year as well but I thought it was because of the pandemic so that is why I ordered so early this year. I WILL NEVER SHOP HERE AGAIN.

Negative
On Apr 11, 2021, RonaUSA (2 reviews) from Pittsburgh, PA

I ordered +$70 seeds in February. The acknowledgement said three of the packets were on back order, the rest ready for shipping, and would arrive in mid-March. When I looked in mid-March to see when I'd get them, it had changed to late March. And then it was put back to April. At the beginning of April I looked and they were STILL all ready for shipping except for the 3 on back order, but now I could expect them to arrive late May. They never once notified me of the slippage, I had to keep looking up my order. I normally sow my seeds late March/early April to get my plants in the ground at the beginning of May. Seeds arriving late May would be utterly useless. I cancelled my order. And got a message from them saying it was because of Covid they were so late, would I like them to chase up my seeds? I ordered everything again, this time from Victory Seeds. They were cheaper, they came 4 days after I ordered and seem to be germinating well already. Will never order from Gurney again.

Negative
On Apr 11, 2021, Roanie (1 reviews) from Arlington, MA

I bypassed other suppliers to order purple passion asparagus from Gurney's, which they said was available. No word for 2 weeks and when I tried to track my order found the item was now listed as BACKORDERED. 1) this should have been known and identified from the start 2) Gurney's should have contacted me to tell me this 3) when I relayed this in an email which claimed I'd get a Customer Service response, I got an autogenerated reply saying they were too busy to respond! That was ten days ago with no word or updates from them since. I finally cancelled my order as it's too late to plant them: my other asparagus is up now. I'll never deal with them again.

Negative
On Apr 8, 2021, SallyVandy (1 reviews) from Tuscola, IL

A few years ago, I would have been posting a positive review for the excellent Gurney's Whopper strawberry plants I received, as I had no issues with the product or the process. However . . . now I've been extremely frustrated with the poor customer service this company is providing regarding a shipment of nut trees I ordered from them in January of 2021 (3 months ago). The first tree arrived in good time and will hopefully (hopefully) flourish and prosper; we shall see. The second tree, oddly enough, was carried by the FedEx van PAST my house in Illinois all the way to Olathe, KS—almost 420 miles away from my home! And there it still sits in a FedEx facility that is most likely NOT climate controlled, dying a little more each day, while my two calls to "customer service" reps in India have yielded no actual help, but only requests for me to wait 14 business days for my (probably dead) tree to finally make its way back to our house. This performance goes well beyond poor customer service into customer harassment territory, and I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau in a few days once I have more details. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to see how the last shipment of the remaining trees pans out. I would like to add that I gave Gurney's a chance last year on a second shipment of strawberry plants, which arrived DOA. At the time, I was very disappointed at their refusal to take responsibility for shipping dead product and to then refund my money, instead granting me a semi-worthless merchandise credit. Suffice to say, I will never—no, not EVER—order another nickel's worth of anything from Gurney's again.

Negative
On Mar 31, 2021, Blinggirl (1 reviews) from ELK, WA

I have placed two orders with this company. Last year I ordered strawberry plants. It took 6 weeks to receive the order and out of 25 plants only 2 lived. To their credit they offered me a full refund. This year in January I ordered two pea fences. I called them today to see what the hold up is and they said they would not be shipped until the end of April which is past planting time. I cancelled the order. They have been good with the refunds but have found that I cannot rely on my orders being received or in one piece.

Negative
On Mar 22, 2021, Elsdon (1 reviews) from Chicago, IL

Three concerns about my order from Gurney's . First, the total amount $22.73 was posted in a order confirmation email. They actually charged $22.75. Second, seeds were sent USPS first class flat rate..total cost of shipping 1.20, actual charge was 5.99. Thirdly, an informational text was sent (from Gurney's) with a nonexistent tracking number from a different shipping company. The seeds arrived two weeks after ordering. Also- Customer service via phone was awful. Email customer service was prompt and helpful. Will I use Gurney's again? No.

Positive
On Aug 15, 2020, AndromedaSea (12 reviews) from Burlington, NJ

I ordered four mini rose bushes from Gurney’s this spring. They all arrived healthy and strong and established themselves well. They were also labeled correctly, and I’m happy overall with their quality.

Negative
On Jul 6, 2020, cattphile (8 reviews) from Oxford, WI

I ordered a package of B.t.g. a few weeks before Japanese beetle season, in order to be ready to spray for them. Two weeks after ordering -- and after the anticipated ship date had passed -- I emailed for an update, which got no response at all. I filed a dispute with PayPal in order to get refunded, and purchased the pesticide from another online vendor (who shipped the day after ordering). No shipment, no customer service.

Negative
On May 22, 2020, anasazirose (3 reviews) from Belle Vernon, PA

If I could rate below negative, I would. I ordered ASPARAGUS PURPLE PASSION and JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, one arrived moldy and the other was so dried up and shriveled that the 1 pound I ordered actually weighed 9 ounces. I called and was told they'd replace them.....next year. I requested a refund because any company that would ship garbage like that is a company that I prefer not to deal with. To get a refund, I had to speak with a supervisor. I also had to separately request a refund of my shipping, which I did get. My advice to to stay away from this company's 'fake' 50% off sales, you have to add most of that back in the form of shipping, anyway. I will not ever order from them again.

Negative
On May 2, 2020, Rowinggal (1 reviews) from Philadelphia, PA

I placed an order in March 2020 for honeysuckle and fertilizer tabs. My order was confirmed, but unfortunately my account was charged immediately despite the anticipated April mail date. Fast forward to May and I see a partial refund on my paypal account with no explanation. I figured out that 5+ weeks after I placed my order, they would not be sending. No communication. Just me figuring it out and an empty spot in my garden. I just wrote to them to cancel the fertilizer tabs. Let’s see if they will respond and comply. Bottom line, disappointment and headache. Will NOT order from them again. Recommend others not even bother.

Negative
On Feb 23, 2020, TLHGardener (6 reviews) from Tallahassee, FL

Posted on February 20, 2020, updated February 23, 2020 Ordered 2 fig trees and some fertilizer tablets. The tablets arrived ok. I don't know if they are any good. But they arrived. When I ordered, Gurney's promptly charged my credit card for the entire order. No mention whatsoever of the figs not being in stock. Only 3 or 4 weeks later did I do an order tracking and both are showing on "back order". Actually one of the trees showed a shipping estimate of a week to 10 days ago but it also shows on backorder. I would not order from them again simply because they charged my card and did not ship. But then there is the issue of my not being notified of a delay in shipping the items. I called them and they had no idea at all when the figs would be shipped.


On February 23rd, 2020, TLHGardener added the following: When I ordered, their promised ship date was 2-18-20. After that not happening and not being able to get a definitive shipping date, I cancelled. The company did NOT refund the proper amount. They shorted it by $4. I know--kind of chump change but it is the point. So I called them and got some non-English speaking representative . I am not sure who answers their calls but English is not their primary language. I couldn't understand a word she said. Enough of this, I just disputed the transaction with my bank for the amount they shorted me. Stay away from this company! They charge your card immediately. They promise shipping dates and then the items ordered don't get shipped. Have a problem? Talk to Bangladesh about it.

Negative
On Oct 24, 2019, Erky (1 reviews) from Woodbridge, CT

I paid $225 for 3 Wowza bush cherry trees, which were not as pictured or described on the website (photo available upon request). When I complained to customer service, they apologized for this and sent me a $25 gift certificate. Can’t speak to the quality of the fruit since these immature saplings are going to take 4 years or more to produce fruit. So I will come back here when I am much older and when my daughters are fully grown and ready to graduate from high school and let you all know how the fruit tastes—that is if these plants make it through a New England winter.

Negative
On Jun 8, 2019, gwesley580 (1 reviews) from Ponca City, OK

Gurney Nursery Products, Gurney has most ridiculous replacement policy I've experienced. They send out inferior products that qualified inspectors have likely never seen, then cooked by 90+ F heat while in transit for 5 days. Then the company expects me to wait until 2022 to get some other questionable product that will likely be the same miserable quality that some third party supplier ship out. Again likely the replacement will likely be without a qualified person ever seeing the emulated replica of the first miserable tiny dead mold infested plant. This particular experience relates to a Jaclyn raspberry that measures less than six inches from the top of the 1.67 inch dead primocane section to the tip of the mold infested tangled root system. This is only one of at least six other DOA plants that I’ve received in 2019, and others received in 2018. The merger of Gurneys, Henry Field, Gardens Alive, and other nursery affiliated companies is one huge conglomeration of companies where one company takes the order and another ships out the products. This is verified by multiple companies sending out emails relating to a single replacement. God only knows how many steps are involved in the propagation, storage, plant selection, packaging, inspection(??), and shipping to the customer. Wes Rice

Negative
On May 20, 2019, bstnh1 (6 reviews) from Barrington, NH (Zone 5a)

Posted on May 12, 2019, updated May 20, 2019 Ordered 3 "Jumbo" blueberry bushes at $30 each from Gurney's. The "Regular" were 12-18 inches and $20. They arrived poorly packed in a box with some mostly deflated air packs that did nothing to keep the plants from bouncing around. Considering that they were called "jumbo" and considering that they were 50% more than the cheaper ones, I expected plants of a decent size and certainly bigger than the $20 12-18 inch ones. I would love to be able to post a couple of photos of what I received. The three plants range in size from about 5 inches to about 10 inches. There are reputable online garden companies that sell 3-4 foot, 3 year blueberry bushes for the same price I paid for these twigs from Gurneys. Stay away from this outfit.


On May 20th, 2019, bstnh1 added the following: UPDATE: This place is a real winner! I filed a complaint with the BBB and also complained directly to Gurneys and asked for a refund of $84.96 for the blueberry order. Well, they no longer issue refunds - just merchandise credits, which they did send me. But the thing that really got me is that they stated to the BBB that the sizes specified for their plants include the roots. Really! So a two foot plant could be 14 inches of roots and 4 inches of actual above ground plant. Let me say it again loud and clear ...STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. There are much, much better mail order nurseries online that supply high quality plants, whose size descriptions do not include the roots and whose prices are equal to or significantly better than Gurneys.

Positive
On May 17, 2019, taufgardner (22 reviews) from American Fork, UT

Posted on January 19, 2011, updated May 17, 2019 Posted on January 11, 2011, updated January 19, 2011 Posted on January 26, 2010, updated January 11, 2011 Posted on January 25, 2010, updated January 25, 2010 Posted on November 9, 2009, updated January 25, 2010 Posted on March 23, 2004, updated November 09, 2009 One mistake on this year's seed order, but not worth pursuing. Overall good luck with seeds over the years (before and after the bankruptcy) that I have dealt with Gurney. Last year's order left a little to be desired in germination, plant vigor and trueness to type, but not a bad enough experience that I didn't try again this year. The one time I bought plants (about 8 years ago), I was disappointed, but with so many local nurseries with live plants grown for the area, why order plants through the mail?


On November 10th, 2009, taufgardner changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: I ordered some seeds and nursery stock from Gurney's this year. More than I have in recent years. 100% good luck. The "Gotta Have It" corn was the best I've ever planted, with each stock bearing 3 -4 good sized and excellent tasting ears. The carrots I planted (wish I remember the variety) were also the best ever. I ordered the Honey Berry plants. I was skeptical when I got the plants, but they ended up working out very well and I will order from Gurney's again.
On January 26th, 2010, taufgardner added the following: I ordered my 2010 seeds this year. They came without the shipping problems mentioned by others. All that was ordered arrived as ordered and earlier than the online promised ship date by the company. Although not the same company that existed in Yankton, SD, they do an acceptable job of meeting my expectations. And the "Gotta Have It" corn is the best I've ever planted. Just ate some frozen from last season, and it's still better than some fresh. The "Envy" carrot was also a winner. Crisp, sweet, uniform, long and well producing, even in my clay soil.
On January 26th, 2010, taufgardner added the following: One more comment on "Gotta Have It". Plant it later as the weather is warmer for better luck in germination. Mine did fine, but was planted in south part of property in black plastic mulch.
On January 11th, 2011, taufgardner added the following: I made my 2011 order today. Larger order than in past years because I have had good luck with this company lately. Yikes, I hope the recent negative reviews aren't an indication of the experience I may have this year!? At any rate, the company has been good to me and I have had good experience in past few years. Am confident (or at least hopeful) that this year will be the same. Stay tuned...
On January 19th, 2011, taufgardner added the following: Seeds arrived among the earliest of my orders, within a few days of placing order. All were in good condition and packaged well. This year, I had decided to try some more nursery stock. My last experience a couple of years ago with Gurney's nursery stock turned out well and I am hopeful this year will, too. Also, I am impressed that the company is making an effort to review this forum. It is one indication that they are attempting to gain feedback that will help them as a company.
On May 17th, 2019, taufgardner added the following: The seeds I ordered this year came as ordered and have had a great germination rate. I only plant Envy carrots because they do so well in my heavy soil and are so flavorful. And the Got To Have It corn has been a winner each time I've planted it. Gurney and sister companies are the only ones who carry the Envy carrot. I do not fully understand the negative comments about this company because I have not had a bad experience, but the negative comments have made me a tad leery. An update on some nursery stock I ordered a few years ago. I hazelnut tree I ordered as a pollinator for another was smallish compared to one ordered elsewhere. But fast forward to now - it is the largest, most prolific hazelnut I have and produces larger nuts. I paid less at the time, but over time got more. Thanks, Gurney.
Company representative comment on January 13, 2011:
On Jan 13, 2011 10:36 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post. We appreciate the feedback to better serve our customers. Thank you for giving us giving us the opportunity to provide you with world class service.

Positive
On Apr 16, 2019, hannahss (4 reviews) from Freeman, MO (Zone 6a)

Posted on May 28, 2010, updated April 16, 2019 Posted on July 9, 2007, updated May 28, 2010 I ordered from Gurney/Henry Field this spring after ordering in the past. All plants arrived alive, and all but 2 survived our very difficult spring. I planted raspberries, chokecherries, bush cherries, and burning bush. One plant remained dormant for 2 months!! but I knew it was alive because it was green under the bark. In all fairness, I got what I paid for, everything grew, and the company can hardly be responsible for extended hard freeze and days of heavy rain following.


On May 18th, 2009, hannahss added the following: I ordered additional bush cherries and native plums in 2009. All arrived promptly, in good condition. Even though I was not able to plant them promptly, they have done well. The plants ordered earlier have continued to do well, and are getting big enough to be showy and productive.
On May 28th, 2010, hannahss added the following: In spring of 2010 I ordered additional bush cherries. I admit that I was a bit put off by the negative feedback left by others, but decided to take a chance since my experiences had been good. The plants arrived in about 2 weeks. They were starting to break dormancy, since it was a late order. They all looked healthy in the box. I had to wait about a week to plant them because of heavy rain, busy schedule, etc. They have been in for about 10 days. All are leafing out and look great. I hope that Gurney's improves their customer service. They have been a good company in the past.
On April 16th, 2019, hannahss added the following: I ordered bush cherries and raspberries for a new yard. All broke dormancy within days of arrival. They are in pots for now and all are doing well. They arrived promptly. A message that I sent to customer service was also answered promptly.
Company representative comment on June 8, 2010:
On Jun 8, 2010 12:34 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. Your feedback is used to help provide better service to our customers. Happy Gardening!

Negative
On Apr 4, 2019, jecamp (1 reviews) from Raleigh, NC

Copy of 2nd email re 2 unshipped items. The Horseradish and Jerusalem Artichokes were shown as in stock available for shipment in February when my order was placed. This has has changed x2 and both items are now apparently back ordered. Also notice it is past the shipping estimate of 3/29/19 for horseradish., and the estimate has not been updated Now I have no idea what is going on with my order and expect neither item will be available for planting this season. I also note that I received your catalogue in the mail after the 3/19/99 estimated date. You really expect me to order something else from you?. While I've had good service from you in the past, your system is now broken. I would have ordered elsewhere at a higher price where the two unshipped items correctly labelled as not available for immediate shipment when my order was placed . I never knowlngly prepay for items not available for shipment and subject to backorder with indefinite delivery date. Since I don't expect a response to this 2nd request for status, I'm going to go ahead and post a copy of this to appropriate gardener chat boards.

Positive
On Dec 28, 2018, chedder (4 reviews) from Lexington, KY

I've had mixed results with Gurney's over the last five years, but most of what I've received has been viable and grown well. In particular, the plum, peach, and apple trees I ordered had good roots and broke dormancy without exception and thrived, growing a couple feet quickly that season. Unfortunately, I moved from that property before fruiting could be assessed so I can't comment on the fruit production. I also ordered an almond tree that was just exceptional with beautiful blossoms the first year, and was so sad to leave it behind that I promptly ordered another for my new place. That almond tree has grown 4-5 feet in two years now, and has a beautiful full shape. A wisteria tree also had a great start before I moved. I recently drove past the old place and every tree is still standing and so tall and full!

Neutral
On Jul 15, 2018, mylittletrees (21 reviews) from Corning, OH

In spring 2018 I ordered a shade tree, and some wild flowers. Shipping was fast. The tree that was sent looked decent and leafed out, but soon the leaves began to curl and it died. The roots that were sent to represent the flowers were a little disappointing. I really had to dig in the bag and search for them because some were very small; almost indistinguishable from the soil they were in. They never came up. Fortunately there was no issue in getting a refund for the merchandise. Glad for the refund, but disappointed in the dead plants.

Negative
On May 11, 2018, slawnski (1 reviews) from Eureka, IL

I ordered a good sized amount of items for my garden this year- received some email promotions from Gurneys and was pleased to save $100 off my order. The order consisted of seeds and garden supplies. I called after 2 weeks with no shipping confirmation- fully expecting to have the order sitting on my porch that day. Come to find the order had not shipped- but all items were in stock- the gentleman on the line told me he was releasing my order for shipment- another week goes by with no shipping confirmation. I check the order online today and see it has still not shipped- called back and I was told they are releasing my order for shipment today. I cancelled the order. So very frustrating to have had to wait weeks and weeks for seeds to ship. I'm guessing the customer service call went to a call center overseas as both calls were answered by people with heavy accents- not that it matters- I just want to get my garden in. Never had this issue with Burpee.....

Negative
On Apr 25, 2018, jklausner (1 reviews) from West Orange, NJ

Just received an order of about 32 assorted pepper, tomato, and eggplant plants. All 6 eggplant plants are unusable, one tomato DOA, and the rest are disappointing to say the least. They did refund me, but I won't bother wasting time with Gurney's again.

Negative
On Mar 23, 2018, rosepetal2 (11 reviews) from Danvers, MA

Over the years I've ordered quite a bit from Gurneys and normally had received good-acceptable products. However Nov 2017 I ordered a SUBSTANTIAL amount of bare root fruit trees, berries and grapes. My early ordering earned me no preference in shipped quality of product in fact, I find ALL of the product shipped to me is 4wks past zone date and inferior. Bareroot grapes are either old (3-4yr) or seedlings with little root system. Fruit trees also are either very old (4-5yr and hard pruned) or 6 month seedling. Items are frequently missing fro shipments. Customer service is now in India and I've learned this company is an aggregator of small misc suppliers - that's fine but there's no quality control. I CAN NO LONGER RECOMMEND GURNEYS AND INFACT CAUTION BUYERS - BEWARE OF THEIR BUSINESS MODEL AND AVOID ALL THE HEADACHES I'VE EXPERIENCED.

Negative
On Jun 19, 2017, wilecoyote (1 reviews) from Saint Paul, MN

I reluctantly ordered a Juliet dwarf cherry tree for my wife in 2016 because of my past experience with ordering from gurneys. The tree arrived with a good amount of foliage and a well developed root system. It was well packaged. I planted it in a XL pot and followed the directions on how to care for it over the summer. It did well over the summer. It lost it leaves for the winter. I put it in my 3 season porch to try to make it easier on the plant for its first winter. When snow started melting, I put it back into my yard. A few leaves came and then the plant died. I tried to revive the tree by pruning the ends of the branches to stimulate growth and put fertilizer in the pot. I decided not to ask for a replacement because the warranty period was over and I've had problems with customer service in the past. This is my last purchase from gurneys.

Neutral
On Jun 14, 2017, dysco83 (4 reviews) from Fernley, NV

This was one of several companies I ordered from this year. I ordered plants and trees from them only once but it took weeks to get everything. My order consisted of a gala apple tree, a fuji apple tree, 2 paw paws, and some early girl tomato plants. The tomato plants were DOA, but they quickly refunded me for them.The gala went out of stock. The fuji arrived healthy and in great condition and is now fully leafed out. The paw paws took the longest to get here and were a bit dry in the box on arrival. Only one survived. I have had great luck with their seeds, I just don't think I'll order anymore living items from them.

Negative
On Jun 9, 2017, gdstuart (1 reviews) from Hammonton, NJ

Of the four items I ordered, only the Yukon Gold potatoes were acceptable. They are growing great. The Canela potatoes are diseased. All the leaves and stems have small white spots and leaf curling. This was evident as soon as I started them indoors. The problem is not my dirt, because the Yukon Golds were started in the same mix right beside the Canelas. I tried planting them anyway, but the disease completely took over the Canelas and I had to rip them all out of the bed to prevent infecting the Yukon Golds. The sweet potato slips were completely dried out and dead on arrival. The Apache Blackberry plants were tiny sticks and I'm still waiting after a month for any signs of life from them. I called Cust Service and evidently woke up a guy in the Phillippines. He refunded my entire order cost, to their credit. That's the only positive thing about the whole experience. Gurney's is strictly a discount house. With all the other high-quality nurseries out there, I'm amazed they are still in business. I'd urge gardeners to shop elsewhere. If you're getting their emails, I suggest you unsubscribe so you won't accidentally get sucked in by their specials.

Negative
On May 25, 2017, rowlanddouglas (1 reviews) from Pulaski, NY

I tired to use them because they had everything I wanted and the prices were competitive. My aim was to get everything from one place without running around to multiply local nurseries-convenient one stop shopping. My bad. First they let me order something that in fact was out of stock. Now I had to do exactly want I didn't want to do-search multiply local sources. Then the ship dates just changed and changed-and changed again. The changes certainly were not for the better. Of my final 2 items the shipping times changed 4 and then 5 times. Calling "customer service" is akin to trying to have your dog explain why they can't write. Beyond a bad service/sales experience.

Positive
On May 22, 2017, Lucille44 (11 reviews) from Conroe, TX

Overall my experience has been very positive. I ordered two of their sale 'Rainbow of Roses' collection. They were shipped within one day and arrived around 8 days later. All of the bare root roses were in great condition, good size, with nice roots and all looked fresh and not dried out. They were packed carefully. Plus it was a terrific value, even with shipping it came to only a few dollars per rose.. It is late for bare roots and I will baby them along, I knew when I ordered them that I would need to give a little tlc. But I am so happy with my order. I would definitely order roses from them again. I ordered a packet of seeds at the same time though, it has been weeks and I still do not have the seeds.

Positive
On May 13, 2017, Stas88 (2 reviews) from Greenville, NY

I have been ordering for years through them and so far everything I've planted has taken off. They're only one of 3 that I use I even use them more than burpee.

Negative
On May 12, 2017, spc9213 (1 reviews) from Daytona Beach, FL

I live in Florida, and spring turns to summer quickly. I ordered Asparagus roots and a packet of asparagus seeds. 3 weeks later, I still did not have either. I queried and they told me that the roots were sent to the warehouse and waiting on the seeds to be sent out together. 3 weeks later, I got the roots and no seeds, as they sent them out separately. I still haven't received the seeds, but they credited my account, and told me that they were sold out. This isn't acceptable to wait so long.

Positive
On May 8, 2017, pugetblooms (6 reviews) from Port Orchard, WA

Gurney's does take FOREVER and did push my order out once or twice, but for the price, I am extremely happy with what we ordered! I spent about $150 with a 50% off coupon, so got around $300 worth of merchandise. Every plant we got was alive and within the few weeks we have had them, established themselves and took off. We planted some summer blooming bulbs and I'll be surprised if they don't bloom sooner! They've grown like crazy! I will be ordering more from them in the future. Can't beat that price and quality! Even if the communication isn't the greatest.

Negative
On May 8, 2017, oleganny (1 reviews) from Wabash, IN

3/ 21 ordered shallots and garlic del est 4/9-4/14 - 3/27 status update del est 4/6 -4/11 - 3/29 shipping confirmation - del est 4/1 - 4/3 4/30 ordered onions - del est 4/9-4/14 instead of shallots & garlic received strawberries - within the est del date though - emailed them - 4/13 they said would reship - est del 4/16-4/28 - shipping confirmation 4/21 - no est del on this email - 4/25 received shallots & garlic - most of the shallots were rotten and the garlic was sprouted already 4/29 email that they were refunding for the garlic & shallots - but they didn't refund shipping cost so I paid shipping for rotten product 4/29 received onion sets - growth on top mostly brown - looked like they had been rootbound in pots - roots brittle & dead - bulbs shriveled - so angry just told them to look at the pictures i sent - 5/5 finally received an answer - said they were resending onions del est 5/8 - 5/20 - emailed them immediately not to send more since they would be too late for our purposes & we no longer trusted gurney quality - haven't heard from them again so far but this will be the last time we order from them & we had been satisfied customers for years, until now

Negative
On Apr 28, 2017, dcheney (2 reviews) from Greeley, CO

This company is holding my money, plants, seeds hostage with constantly pushing out ship dates all while the prime Spring growing season is slipping away. No way on earth I will ever do business again with this company.

Neutral
On Apr 24, 2017, amazindirt (7 reviews) from mid-state, TN (Zone 7a)

On the bad side, Gurney's shipping schedules are ludicrous. I placed an order in January with multiple items on it, and I have STILL not received all the items (my order has been shipped in three batches of plants). The projected shipping dates for the last set of plants changes constantly, even after I called and complained. On the good side, every plant I have received from Gurney's so far has been healthy, of reasonable size for the price, and ready to grow. And I made my order in the first place because I was able to get a variety of tree from them for $19.99 that I couldn't purchase from anywhere else for less than $60. (That tree was about 3' tall on arrival, and marked with a Spring Hill label despite being purchased from Gurney's.) Also, I ordered on their half-price sale and checked multiple other sites to make sure I couldn't buy my items more cheaply elsewhere. Always do that first! In sum: if you buy on their half-price sale, AND if you're willing to wait a ridiculously long time for your plants, at least the plants will probably be healthy when you get them. But don't ever buy from them at full price, and don't ever buy from them when you're in a hurry!

Negative
On Apr 20, 2017, Lilyhazen (13 reviews) from Ellijay, GA

Posted on February 13, 2015, updated April 20, 2017 Posted on February 10, 2015, updated February 13, 2015 Posted on February 7, 2015, updated February 10, 2015 Posted on February 6, 2015, updated February 7, 2015 I have been a customer of Gurney's for years, but their sluggish shipping is making me reconsider. I got a message that they had shipped my order January 30, and I could expect it 2/1 - 2/3. It is now the 6th, and no one can tell me where the order is. Just "wait until February 12" and we will reship if you have not received it. It should not take a week or more to get 4 packets of seeds! And this "wait another week" is unacceptable.


On February 7th, 2015, Lilyhazen added the following: I have been contacted and told it was shipped and should arrive within the next 1-2 business days. We will see.
On February 10th, 2015, Lilyhazen added the following: I got an email in response to my further complaint asking for 1-2 more business days. I have waited three, then called. Now the supervisor has asked for three more days, then they will "fill it at no cost to me" (no duh) and send it expedited (Heaven knows what that means, in this case.) But I will be optimistic. The supervisor says the PO says give 10-14 business days--rediculous for less than 3 ounces. And why did the company send an email saying Feb 1-3? They are losing me....
On February 13th, 2015, Lilyhazen added the following: I have spoken with yet another agent who has agreed to resend the seeds, expedited (means maybe in a week!), so we will see. It may come USPS or it may come UPS, she was not sure. So, perhaps this tale has an ending, although I remain far from happy.
On April 20th, 2017, Lilyhazen added the following: I ordered two packets of seeds April 4. I was notified they had shipped and would arrive April 14-16. On April 19 I called and was told that they had been shipped UPS (for 2 packets of seeds?!) and were scheduled to deliver that day. Needless to say, they did not arrive and have not arrived today. I am finished doing business with them. I have bought things most of the last 15 years at least and endured the poor service but never again. Also, I put my seed catalogs where they can be seen and used by hundreds of gardeners at the local cannery, but will never put Gurney's there again.

Negative
On Apr 6, 2017, Kirby1864 (3 reviews) from Knoxville, TN

Don't waste your time! I placed an order on 1-2-2017! When it came time for my growing zone to open for shipping, my order starts getting put off exactly weekly. By the time I was put off a third straight week,APRIL 2,2017 I called and canceled. Don't tell someone the product they ordered will be shipped on a ceartin day and then get put off without notice! Bad service! Don't order from gurneys you'll grow old waiting for your order!

Negative
On Apr 5, 2017, BSmithKY (1 reviews) from Florence, KY

I can't speak to their seeds as they were never delivered. I placed a large order on February 27th, 2017 for seeds, seed starter trays, and mesh "pots". As of April 5th, the only thing I've received are the pots, the very LAST things I need. They changed the delivery date on the seeds to mid-April now. I cancelled the rest of the order and they refunded the balance. guess it's back to Home Depot again for plants and seeds. Getting a late start on starting the seeds. Oh well, should not have trusted Gurneys after all of the negative reviews.

Negative
On Apr 4, 2017, DRStef (1 reviews) from Grantville, PA

- Extremely SLOW order processing. - Extremely SLOW shipping. - Shipping updates they provide are meaningless as they continuously change (for the worse). - Poor customer service. If you sign up for their email list you will get "special offers" at least once (and sometimes twice) daily...which really aren't that special. While they have a great selection it does no good when your order arrives too late to plant. There are many other more reliable and more responsive companies out there...my suggestion is that you avoid this one.

Negative
On Apr 1, 2017, 8209 (12 reviews) from Louisville, KY (Zone 6b)

I ordered 3 bags of their Blueberry success mix on 2-22-17. It was supposed to ship early in March. Today is 4-1-17 and it still hasn't shipped. Never again. Buyer beware!!!!!!!!!!!

Negative
On Mar 31, 2017, scilib (5 reviews) from Oxford, OH

Absurdly slow delivery time for seeds -- a full 8 business weeks. Information provided by email and on web site regarding order status was also misleading. Placed order on February 5 for ~$100 in seeds and saplings. Received the saplings (in reasonable time for early planting in my zone) on March 11. Received email from Gurney's March 13 stating remainder of order (about 10 packets of seeds, $2-5 per packet) had been "cleared for fulfillment." (Why does it take over a month for this rubber stamp?) Received another email March 24 stating reminder of order has been shipped. Unlike the sapling shipment, no tracking number was provided. However, I finally just received the seeds today, March 31. Seven days after they were supposedly sent. I checked the tracking number on the USPS package itself. The package actually originated yesterday, March 30. There was not a problem with USPS shipping, which was actually very fast; Gurney's sent the shipment 6 days after they claimed. The ultimate irony is that the shipping warehouse is about 15 miles from my home. (Gurney's is a nearby company for me (SW Ohio/SE Indiana), and that is in part why I ordered from them despite their mixed reputation on this site -- I gave them a chance, wanted to support the regional economy.) This slowness seems ridiculous in an age of routine 2 day deliveries. By comparison, this week I also received another order of seeds from a retailer halfway across the country 4 days after placing my order. More consequentially, I've completely lost the opportunity for the season to start the seeds early. Also of note, the Delivery Estimate date in the Order Status on the Gurney's web site and in their emails is clearly meaningless and misleading -- every time I checked, the Delivery Estimate date was 10 days away from the current date.

Negative
On Mar 3, 2017, Thornns (7 reviews) from Genoa, NY

I ordered live plants from this company in January. We live in upstate New York - a safe planting time is generally around May, sometimes a bit earlier if it's a warm spring. I just received an email that the Blueberry plant from this order is being shipped TODAY! March 3rd! Seriously? Customer service told me that the timing for this being in the winter had been determined by Gurney's "Master Gardeners". He suggested that I keep the plant in the garage. I protested that not only do we not have a garage, but we should not be put in a position to try to salvage a bad decision. The customer service rep did make a note that a replacement plant will be shipped to me if I call them in mid-April. I am hoping that this works.

Positive
On Apr 13, 2016, LilDesertPlot (3 reviews) from Tooele, UT

Can I just say that I love Gurney's? My grandpa got me onto ordering from them years ago, and I keep going back. Their pricing is very fair for the quality, healthy plants you receive. When one of my cherries from them died last year, I received a swift response from Customer Service and they replaced it without question. The replacement is currently potted in my greenhouse and growing like there's no tomorrow. Everything I have ever ordered from them has done well, with the exception of the one cherry as mentioned above. Every nursery gets a few duds, no matter how good they are. Gurney's makes it right when there's a problem. I will definitely shop with them again!

Positive
On Apr 2, 2016, gooandbean (1 reviews) from Howell, MI

I just placed an order today and I received the best customer service ever! I have been ordering from Gurney's for years and never really had any major problems. If ever there was an issue with their plants I would either get a refund or a replacement. I ordered a Sundance apple tree 5 years ago and it never bloomed or flowered so I called today, talked to a service rep and he had a record of my order and gave me a full credit!! Of course I applied that to today's order. But seriously, who gives a credit after 5 years?! I have been mail ordering plants for over 20 years and this is a first. Thanks Gurney's!!

Negative
On Mar 18, 2016, MichealJ (1 reviews) from South Milwaukee, WI

Got an e-mail advertising 40 strawberry plants for $20. when I checked out the total came to $59. Typical bate and switch company will never do business with these type of company's .They will always have an excuse why this or that happened ,at the end of the day I and nobodey cares fix your problems and fire those responsible for costing you money and customers

Negative
On Mar 12, 2016, LinFlower (1 reviews)

The first time I ordered one of Gurney's coupon deals it was for a bean support tower and a fabric strawberry tub, with a $25 off on $50 order coupon code. I gave them my PO box address as the billing address for the credit card, and my house address as the shipping address. Both addresses were shown on the confirmation email, labeled as billing and shipping. The bean tower arrived on my doorstep, with both the street address and PO Box number on the package. The strawberry tub was waiting at the post office, also with both addresses on the box. It was small and light enough that I could carry it home, so I took it home from there although it seemed peculiar that they would ship it that way. Next order, with a $100 off $200 order coupon, and many more items, the confirmation again showed the shipping address as the house, and the billing address as the PO Box. The only item that arrived at the house was a pea fence. I came home from the post office yesterday and discovered one of their "item too large for box" notices among the mail, and since I didn't have anything else I was expecting and could not reach the PO by phone, I called Gurney's customer service - and sure enough, the phone rep with the heavy Indian accent that I could barely understand, informed me that they shipped my stuff via something called (I think) FedEx Smart-post which delivers to the local post office and you have to go pick it up there. I told him that this is not acceptable, I am not going to carry this shipment home from there when I ordered it to be delivered to my doorstep. There was never, by the way, any indication on the website, in the catalog or in any communication from them that the destination of my shipment was elsewhere than where I told them to send it. He kept insisting I had to go to the PO until I said I'll send it all back and cancel the order, then he put me on hold for quite a while, finally came back and said the items would be re-shipped to my house, and then there were a lot of clicking noises on the line interspersed with silences, and finally he came back on and repeated that my items would be shipped to my street address which he repeated several times, and said I would have to send back the items that were at the PO. No charge to me, he said - damn right, they'd better not charge me for fixing their screwup. I was on the phone at least 20 minutes over that, and now I've called the PO (10 minutes at least on that call) and they are sending that package back. So I want to know - who thought this bizarre shipping practice was a good idea? It really isn't rocket science to ship orders - your customer tells you where they want it sent and you send it there - not to someplace else where they have to go and get it. And you show on the confirmation where you are really sending it. Duh!!! Having read some of the other customers' stories, I am going to be checking my credit card statements very carefully too. I may order from this company again - providing I get my shipment at my house, and all the items are as advertised, including the live plants they were apparently planning to send to the post office too!! How stupid is that??? And providing there are no bogus charges on my card, and I don't have to go through this much hassle to get delivery on the next order. Or maybe not. I suspect not.

Positive
On Mar 2, 2016, slid707 (3 reviews) from MCKINNEY,
United States

Posted on February 29, 2016, updated March 2, 2016 This is my first order and so far I am very pleased with it. The plants were well packed, very moist and arrived in a timely manner. Size wise the berries were all stocky and are definetly a good producing age-the stock for the Anne raspberry is four times the size of the one I bought at a local nursery and was only a couple dollars more! The trees are small but I got two for one price(the hardy mulberry) so I was happy with it. Everything arrived dormant but after one soaking the next day everything popped out with buds. So far I'm happy with my order. I will keep updating as the grow.


On March 2nd, 2016, slid707 added the following: Just received a raisen tree from them it was much bigger then I expected-its about 4' with a good amount of branches. Not pencil thin, about the thickness of the fruit trees Ive bought at Tractor Supply-about 2 inch in diameter.. Dormant of course but definitely very healthy-the truck is super agreen with buds.. Well packed and shipped fast. So far I don't have anything negative to say. Will given updates once all the plants once they've grown.

Neutral
On Aug 17, 2015, RobertCrandall (8 reviews) from Capac, MI

I have ordered from Gurneys and their sister companies for decades. I learned a lot about what they are good at and what they are not good at. I bought many fruit trees over the years and many grew up to be a completely different tree than what I ordered. For instance, I ordered two Bing Cherry trees 10 years ago. They are now about 6 foot tall and produce very dark pie (sour) cherries. I like them even better than the Carmine jewels even though I have no idea what kind they are. They are not North Star or Montmorency. I have 6 Carmines that I am happy with although they don't produce more than about a quart after 6 years. I ordered the best Pixie Crunch trees and it took them 1.5 years to arrive. Gurneys kept running out of them. I can understand once but not twice when my order was in a year before. Four trees arrived and only 3 were apple trees. One was some type of red twig bush. Anyway, the seeds are always good and this year when the strawberries all died they replaced them right away and they produced fantastic. So, I have learned to buy the seeds and berries from them but not the trees. Out of about 60 trees in the last 30 years about half are still alive and about 15 were not the trees I ordered. I also don't like the size of the trees they send. The very expensive Pixie Crunch trees were only about a foot tall. I ordered a similar tree (Candy Crunch) from a competitor this year and it was 4' tall, less than half the price and is already taller than the Pixie crunches that have been in for 3 or 4 years. I will continue to buy from them. Their customer service is top notch.

Neutral
On Jul 3, 2015, gardenkarma (9 reviews) from Allston, MA

I ordered in a moment of insanity or weakness thinking it would stop the barrage of coupons and promotions to every point of contact I mistakenly provided (email, facebook, home address, etc.) but, silly me. It made no difference. It seems they double their prices so that you're forced to use the coupons they bombard you with. I imagine they shake hands at the end of the fiscal year thinking their tactics were effective (and, well, they were). I have had mostly successes with the product. The few losses I had were with the vines. Mostly grapes and hops. I can't for the life of me get the hops to grow, but maybe it's the variety (nugget) and not the company's stock. Had the same issue at Miller Nursery out of NY (before they closed) and I believe they also had the nugget cultivar.

Negative
On Jun 2, 2015, wattamutt (1 reviews) from Coatesville, PA

I wont be ordering from them again. I was a repeat customer. I ordered 3 pkgs seeds. Kale, peas and brussel sprouts. All three shipped the same day and time. Kale and peas arrived in the shipping window i was given by the company. No sign of the brussel sprouts. I called twice. What an adventure that was! They have their customer service sourced out to somewhere in the middle east. Dont we have competent american workers who can do this? Or is it cheaper to do it from india? My guess is the latter. The reps have very minimal english skills with very heavy accents. You have to repeat yourself A LOT. First time i called i was told the shipping window is 7 to 10 business days. Nowhere on the website does it say this. NOWHERE. i wait until 12 business days pass i call the middle east again. After repeating myself over and over again i was told "sorry the shipping time is 14 business days". It doesnt matter now. My planting window for this item has closed. I planted something else in that space to maximize my veggie production. This company used to be wonderful. My mother ordered from them every year. I wont be ordering from them anymore. Did some research and they are owned by monsanto now. No thanks. I dont need gmo and monsanto in my garden. I will pay more and get heirloom seeds from american companies next year. Baker creek, seeds of change and many other wonderful american companies out there.

Positive
On May 28, 2015, HM2015 (8 reviews) from Bristow, VA

Great customer service and great communication. The fruit trees are a little bit smaller than I would like for the price, and while a couple I ordered didn't emerge from dormancy, they acted quickly to replace them. I love their guarantee and packaging. Other things I have purchased from them have been fabulous, all plants and flowers have thrived. Fabulous place to order from.

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