Royal Dutch

I ordered some Bleeding Hearts plants. They were dead on arrival. I planted them anyway thinking they would revive. they did not so I let Dutch Gardens know immediately. They didn't respond but after I got back from my vacation, there were more dead roots waiting for me on my porch. The roots had sat in the heat for a week. I let Dutch Garden know they had sent plants while I was on vacation. They told me it was my fault for not letting them know I was going on vacation. I told them they didn't let ME know they were sending more roots immediately. They told me it was too late in the year for them to send me more plants in 2018 so they would send more in Spring of 2019. I have not received anything so I emailed them. Their response (after all this) was "We are sorry to hear of this. Mail your replacement label with your letter requesting such". I let them know I didn't have any labels. Their response was "Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate department" After more emails and several weeks I realize the "appropriate department" is the garbage can. They do not care anything about their guarantees or their customers. I will never be doing business with them ever again.

I ordered 60 plants and was immediately charged the next day. Most companies don't charge until the order is shipped. When I was notified via email that a shipment of creeping phlox was on it's way, I immediately called Royal Dutch to say that it was still winter in PA. The wind chills were in the single digits and the ground was still frozen. It was way too early to send. Customer Service acknowledged that it was sent out too soon. It was their mistake. They instructed me not to refuse delivery but to mail the plants back with a note stating the reason for the return. I took the package to the post office and was charged a shipping cost of $10.50. I included the amount that I was charged for shipping in the note. Thinking that surely I would be somehow compensated. I received the new shipment at the appropriate time. No apology, no offer of an extra bulb or two to compensate me for having to pay to return their plants sent in error. I called customer service because there was a price of $59.99 marked on the new shipment envelope. I wanted to be sure I wasn't charged twice for these plants. The first shipment was $71.00 worth of plants. I had a lengthy discussion with customer service. They refused any compensation to me for the shipping fee. They have no policy to compensate customers for returns. They advised that the $59.99 reflected that I wasn't charged shipping on the second batch. This made no sense to me at all since I'd already paid $71.00. I asked to speak with a supervisor, Sandra. She refused to grant any compensation as well for my expense of returning the plants. She also kept repeating the fact that they have no policy on compensation for returns. I said that I would understand if I had returned the plants because I had changed my mind or something that was on my end, but this was their error. They offered nothing and I'm still concerned that they are charging me for the second shipment. I'm very disappointed in how Royal Dutch Gardens conducts business and their less than adequate Customer Service Department.

I just received this very interesting catalog in the mail. I took a look at the address and started laughing. It is from my hometown. Granted, I don't live there anymore but I go there a lot. Never heard of this company before. Called my Mom who still lives there and she has never heard of his company. CRAZY

$100+ order order was placed on: 6/5/18 charge hit credit card on: 6/6/18. ONE DAY order cancellation requested on: 6/27/18 order cancellation processing started on: 6/28/18 confirmed order cancellation and refund still processing on: 7/12/18 FIFTEEN DAYS LATER AND WAITING refund on: ????? “refund processing” means sitting on someone’s desk and waiting, waiting, waiting - which is why the order was cancelled to start with - there is not a FALL shipment notation for the green twister coneflowers - no one seems to care - and THAT screams volumes “CUSTOMERCARE” ?? - ha. IMPORTANT NOTE FROM BELOW: this company functions under multiple names - in another review - it cites that there are 15 employees - for 15 employees how many company names do you need?? sad, disappointed, betrayed, curious, and suspicious -

I ordered $59 worth of canna and begonia rhizhomes from this company. I was duped by the beautiful pictures in their catalog - DONT fall for it. The company is terrible. The canna bulbs arrived black, mushy and rotten. Only 2 of the begonias actually grew. I owned and ran a plant nursery for 15 years so I am no beginner! The stock sent was garbage. I reported it immedietly, but they said I had to physically mail the actual shipping label, which I no longer had. After several phone calls and emails they finally agreed to make an exception " just this once" if I provided them proof of my credit card charge and a copy of the order confirmation, which I did by email. They wrote and said they would not accept an email copy, I had to mail it in by snail mail. In this day and age of scanning and picture attachments by email, this is simply a delay tactic on their part. I printed everything, and mailed an actual letter. After 2 weeks, they finally confirmed they received it and the replacement order had been "approved." Another two weeks and they said the order "had been processed and sent to the shipping department, but not shipped yet". That was April 10th, 2018. I finally received the replacements this Saturday, May 19th! Another 5 weeks later. And these arrived black, rotten and in worse shape than the originals. I called today and was told the same crap. I have to send back the shipping label (which I have this time), and wait another 10-12 weeks for them to ship. As these are spring planted bulbs, I explained it will be way to late to plant by the time they get around to shipping. She said my only other option was to send everything in and get a Voucher, which I'm welcome to use for more of their worthless rotten products next year! I told her if they would not give me a refund or ship replacements immedietely I was going to dispute the charge with my bank and have it reversed. She said that was fine. I hung up and called my bank, much to my dismay, my bank said they would not reverse the charge since it was a "quality issue" and not an actual fraudulaunt charge. So now I am out $60. DO NOT buy from Royal Dutch, Dutch Gardens, or whatever they are calling themselves these days. Stay away!! Warn friends and family! These are shady rip off artists.

This is BURGESS - AND they also use the names: Dutch Gardens, Royal Dutch Gardens, Exciting Gardens, Four Seasons Nursery, Honeycreek....and others - just look for the BLOOMINGTON, IL on the address and DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT ORDER FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!! They KILL almost everything they touch - and you CANNOT get a refund!!!!!!

WARNING: If you close the account you paid with, EVEN AFTER RETURNING ALL MERCHANDISE, you will not get a refund. THIS COMPANY IS HEARTLESS! Flowers are a symbol of love and life, and this company has taken the death of my mother in law as an opportunity to benefit their bottom line. My mother in law placed a $600+ dollar order the week before her death. When the first box arrived a few days after she passed away I returned the box and contacted the company to let them know it was being returned and why. I asked them to please cancel any remaining shipments and was informed that 5 other boxes had just shipped. I told the representative that those boxes would be returned as well once they arrived. This company uses MANY names. Dutch Gardens (the name I ordered from) refunded the contents of the first box, but when I called to find out why the other 5 boxes hadn't been refunded, the representative confirmed that all the merchandise had been returned, but told me that the company would only refund to the debit card that paid and since the debit card was no longer valid (checking account had been closed due to death) they had no way to refund the orders. I requested they issue a check to the estate, or simply give store credit for the remaining amount. I was told that the request would be forwarded on the the appropriate person. It has now been 9 months, I have called several times, and each time I am told the request for refund has been made, but the company stands by their policy of not refunding returned orders if they are unable to refund to the card that placed the order. Basically, this company does not dispute the fact that they received this entire order back. They simply refuse to issue a refund in any form other than to credit a debit card that is not valid, and won't accept a charge or credit. I wish I had kept the plants and spread them around to her many gardener friends and planted some of them with my girls in our own garden to remember their grandma by. I was just so overwhelmed by the unexpected death that anything other than returning the boxes seemed more than I could manage. The death of a loved one is a very emotional and exhausting time, and this company has made what should have been very easy, a difficult and enduring challenge.

I ordered plants and received dead plants. Asked for my money back and in June 2016, after months of correspondence at the end of August received a replacement certificate. They wont return my money they want me to order something instead. This Company is a complete rip off. Don't buy anything from them.

Back in early June of this year I ordered 20 iris. I received one nice potted iris shortly after, all good. The other 19 iris would be shipped in the fall (no specific ship date given). I ordered iris from several other companies and received nice healthy rhizomes starting in late August thru mid September but nothing from royal dutch so I started the email game, always getting the same response......"You ordered fall bulbs which are being harvested and sent to our shipping dept yada yada yada........no one could tell me even a close approximation on when my order would ship. They claim they can't tell where an individual order might be. Finally in mid October I got fed up and cancelled the order. I then received email stating can't cancel already in shipping dept. A few days later I received one of the plastic bag mailers containing my order. WHAT A JOKE!!!! Tiny dried up rhizomes six of which were "substituted" 3 more rotten. The subs were nothing close to the iris ordered. They do say of equal or greater value but who wants some ugly ass flower they would NEVER spend money on! Folks don't waste your time or money here. THEN ROYAL DUTCH HAS THE GALL TO REQUIRE YOU TO PAY FOR THE RETURN SHIPPING! THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO CLOSE IT'S DOORS.

First time order, last time order. Received in poor quality 2 half dead sweet peas. Neither survived. 6 hostas planted immediately in required conditions - 3 died almost immediately. Received 15 ranunculus and 1 grew. 6 red painted daisys 1 survived. 2 tuberose planted in same large pot and 1 survived. Biggest disappointment- ordered n planted 40 ixia n got panseys instead!!! What a waste of time and money. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY.

The catalog colors are lurid and not true to life. Many plants don't have zones listed or the zone is way too optimistic, sometimes 2 zones colder than anywhere else

Royal Dutch Gardens (Burgess Seeds) Is a HORRIBLE COMPANY!! TOTAL SCAM!!! RIPOFF!!! They sent me dead plants, then gave me the runaround for 6 months and never replaced them!! STAY AWAY. DO NOT waste your money with this company. I wasted so much time and an entire gardening season with company. NEVER AGAIN

I am writing this comment only after having tried unsuccessfully to resolve this matter with Royal Dutch Nursery. The matter is now being handled by my credit card company, which, after trying to help me by having a 3-way conversation with a rep, decided to file a formal complaint against them. I ordered various bulbs from RD in the spring which I would normally plant in the fall, but was surprised to receive half the order in June. The bulbs that arrived were dutch iris and Asiatic lilies. They arrived in a green plastic container on a very hot day. All bulbs (100%) were moldy, smushy and unusable. I called the company and was told I had to return the shipping label and write a letter asking for a replacement. I did this, however, if I had known what was coming down the road, I never would have asked for replacements. Had I read the small print, I would have discovered a bizarre policy that states a refund can only be given within 2 weeks of your first order. Since I requested replacements which arrived in the same condition (black mildew/mold) I was now not eligible for a refund. Why you ask? Because the replacement order is now my 2nd order!!! WHAT? The representative refused to budge and offered replacements or credits. Of course, I didn't want to open yet another package and find moldy bulbs, so I repeated I wanted a refund. I was told by the rep that "You can ask but you probably won't get a refund. I wouldn't waste your money sending the bulbs back". So, my final step was to enlist the help of my credit card company which set up a 3-way call with RD. This conversation did not go well. I asked why they send out bulbs in plastic and the rep replied "we try to save the customer money". YIKES. Something is seriously wrong with their customer service and quality control. My credit card company decided to file a formal complaint and told me I will get a refund. I will never order from them again.

Very disappointed in customer service. They did not tell me my order was back ordered for quite a while and when I asked for it to be cancelled because it would not be delivered before fall, I was told it was already in shipping and couldn't be cancelled. I have not received it or a refund so the ground that I have ready for plants is sitting with tarps on it to keep the ground from eroding. I live in Minnesota so our growing season is very short anyway. I don't have the funds to purchase other plants and the ones that I would get are no longer available here anyway. I will not ever use this company again1

I placed an order on 2/28/15 with Royal Dutch Gardens for many spring plants, totaling $143.00. My account was charged within 2 days for that amount. I have called the company twice because I have not received my plants still. Ideally, I should have begun planting April 15th. The first time I called I was told there had been problems in the greenhouse due to bad weather and that shipping was delayed. I should receive my plants in 7 to 10 days. Today I called again. I was told that no my plants have not shipped. After I asked why, I was told that they were just the call center so they can't tell me why. Maybe something in your order is on backorder or maybe because they have thousands of orders to fill and they are behind in shipping. I'm very frustrated and disappointed. I won't use them again. I only wish I had read the reviews here before I ordered from them.

Highly doubt that I will ever order from this company again. They don't appear to know what customer service is, and seem to have no concept of how to package plants safely for shipping. My order was shipped in a large plastic bag instead of a box, with no padding or protection at all. So now I have banged up bulbs and a broken, mostly leafless thing that I can only assume is supposed to be a magnolia that had all just been sealed in individual plastic bags and thrown in the big bag. Definately NOT a good way to ship plants, I would rather pay a dollar or two more for shipping and get a box and packing material to protect the plants and bulbs. Also, occasional order status information and shipping updates along the way would be greatly appreciated too. After the initial order receipt email(and a charge to my card 3 days after I placed the order), I received no other correspondence about my order for 6 weeks, when, after trying to call their phone line numerous times and always getting a busy signal, I sent a message to the company requesting an update and finally received a reply back 4 days later. Overall, this has been an experience I really don't care to repeat anytime soon, and I definately would not recommend them to anyone else.

I ordered Reblooming Iris plants, a spring-blooming plant. They sent daylilies, a summer blooming plant, as a substitute stating that the Iris plants were out of stock. Per instructions, I returned the label and requested the Iris plants. Again I received daylilies with the same "out of stock" notice. I had checked the website before my reorder, and they were offering the Iris plants. This time I sent the plants back with a letter written politely but in specific language requesting EITHER the plants ordered or a refund. This time I got no plants and no refund, only a voucher for the cost of the iris plants (good only at their company). Regardless of the cost of the plants or the quality, if this is their idea of customer service, I will NOT be ordering from them again and will do all I can to alert others to their practices. BUYER BEWARE.

The ABSOLUTE WORST mail order company EVER!!!!! I sent in my order on August 18, 2014. It arrived the first week of November, as the ground was freezing. We had snow 3 days later. The bulbs were moldy and rotting. The iris rhizome was very small and crispy-dry. All of this was sent in a plastic bag, not a cardboard box! I sent the whole thing back. As requested, I also sent a letter to customer service, along with the original shipping label. Here it is, December 8th, and I still am waiting for my refund. They just sent me an email, saying I needed to send ANOTHER letter to them with the original shipping label. One hand knows not what the other does at this place. I don't know how they stay in business. Horrible service!!!!!! I just want my refund of $63.72.

I was totally disappointed with my experience with this company. Bulbs were moldy. Roots dried out and dead. Nothing grew. I informed company. They sent half of what I ordered in wrong colors and again moldy in a plastic bag. Both times,no invoice or notification of they cared about the consummer.

Buyer Beware!!! I paid a premium price for red clematis and Bewilderbeast Iris. When the plants bloomed, the clematis flowers were pink, and the Iris was a dull beige. I contacted the company and they would not refund or replace.

Actually I was really scared as to what I would be receiving after reading the reviews for this company. When I had already made my purchase at the end of April. Well I received my order today! And I'm very happy with what I got. I do think not just anyone should order this way. Only a very experienced gardener who knows how to care for and start off with very young and dormant trees and plants. Though I must say this company really should take the suggestion to ship their plants in a more secure and safe fashion. It would bypass their merchandise being messed up or ruined during transit. And all the calls and complaints about destroyed bulbs/dormant trees wouldn't be such a problem for them. But mine showed up in excellent condition! Infact buding and full of life! I will most definitely buy though Royal Dutch Gardens again. I just hope they will consider changing the way they ship. If they did that it would be an even greater experience ordering through them!:)

Do not buy from this company. I promised not to ever use them because of their poor bulb/plant quality and their impossible return policy. I got sucked in again (looking at catalogs in winter is dangerous). I received my plants/rhizomes/bulbs today. They were all in poor shape but one large and moderately expensive bulb was a bag of mush. It had to have been shipped already rotten. They will not refund or replace any product unless the buyer pays for shipping, returns the poor products, and encloses the original packing slip (even though they have a record of your order). So much for their one year guarantee, as who keeps a slip that is permanently attached to a crappy plastic shipping bag? And if something doesn't doesn't survive a year, what will you ship back to them?

My reaction here is "Buyer Beware!" Knowing better I still ordered anyway as I wanted the pink dogwoods they advertised. While at it I also ordered Walk on me plant (aka Thyme), Trumpet-Hummingbird vine, mouse plant and pep pills. Order placed 2/12/2014 and arrived, very much worse for the trip on 3/21/2014 in a large green plastic bag. Contents, when opened didn't look good and as the trees had no protection had broken down to about 8 inches tall. I soaked the bare root items in water and the Walk on Me Thyme as well, planting them the following day. The thyme looked much better for their soak and most seem to be taking hold. The 4 vines, the 2 dogwood and the mouse plant have yet to show signs of life or growth. As for the "Pep pills" - they were powdered and broken, again due to no protection. I used pieces as I planted the items and the powder on the thyme. I carefully saved all packing label, etc and will contact the company should my items fail to grow. This is a very poor way to ship plants, even bare root stock. They should have protection, stakes, etc. Shipping fees should warrent this protection. I guess this goes to show - "If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is"! I should have bought from a more reputable company. Even if these plants grow, I'll spend lots of time nursing them along when better stock would be off and growing in the lovely spring weather we are having. Janet van Mastrigt, Pioneer, CA

Posted on April 1, 2014, updated April 1, 2014 Posted on March 11, 2014, updated April 1, 2014 I ordered a $20 mini peach tree for container gardening and 2 Voodoo bulbs. I live in Maryland and for the past few weeks, and months, we have had terrible weather, snow storms, ice and extreme colds. I imagined that I wouldn't receive this order until the temps in the area warmed up since Royal Dutch specifically says they don't ship until conditions in your area permit, which is totally normal and understandable. Well, imagine my shock when during a week that the temp barely got out of the 20's a plastic bag arrives at my house. Inside this bag was a stick. This stick and deformed bulbs were my order. The peach tree was not packed in anything, the roots were totally exposed, dried out and broken, no potting, no saw dust wrap, nothing. The plant has no leaves, and only one branch, it is the saddest thing ever and looks half dead. I wish I could attach a picture. The voodoo bulbs were sealed inside of mini plastic bags with wood shavings- which is fairly normal, but the bulbs look horrible and have a moldy smell to them. I emailed Royal Dutch the day I received them and raised my concerns about the quality and condition of what was sent. They ignored my first email (sent the day I received the package). I sent them a second, and more strongly worded email 2 days later which they did reply to. They told me my stick was alive and to plant it anyway. If in 6 weeks it still looked like a dead stick, I could pay shipping and mail it back to them and they would replace it (probably with another stick), but it was probably just stressed from shipping. I find it negligent on their part that they pack things so horribly (plastic clothing bags without protection aren't good shipping materials for plants) and then want the customer to be responsible for paying return shipping on a plant that dies because of their awful packing. Not only is packing an issue, but so is quality. For $20 I feel like I should have gotten a nicer plant, it should have more than one scrawny branch on it. I understand things sometimes ship in a dormant state, fine, but most places would be embarrassed to mail something so sad looking, especially when they charge $20 for it. Totally disappointing. I knew I should have come here first to read their reviews. I will just go back to buying all of my stock from Easy Grow who has wonderful quality and ships things beautifully. When you buy plants from them, they are big and healthy, come potted (in most cases) and are shipped in boxes with padding and supports to protect the plants, not plastic bags used by clothing companies.

I've read the reviews and knew what to expect shipping wise. I've had about a 70% success rate with their plants, have a very green thumb, and have ordered 3 or 4 times $80-140 each time. For those items that didn't survive (mostly potted plants), I've requested replacement but it hasn't been long enough to hear back. They have great dahlia tubers, absolutely a steal at $20 for 16 dinnerplates and I've had a 90%+ success rate with them. One of the things I don't appreciate, however, is the fact they replace items with something else, but still label it as the original. I know what I originally ordered, please let me know that you substituted the red lily with a white one, because white doesn't belong in my red and purple garden. Or, when I expect something to grow only 10 inches tall, so put it in the front and instead, have it replaced with something that is 3 feet tall. I get replacements may occur, just tell me what you're replacing it with so I can plant it appropriately or request a refund. You pay for what you get. I don't mind coaxing baby plants along and expect them to be smaller at this price. I don't expect them to be dead, or shipped during a snowstorm (which happened this spring and killed most of the tubers in that shipment). You are paying less- don't expect top of the line. They'll get there eventually, but you have to give it a few years. Be patient or go elsewhere and pay double.

Posted on July 20, 2013, updated July 30, 2013 Posted on May 25, 2013, updated July 20, 2013 Posted on May 7, 2013, updated May 25, 2013 Posted on April 26, 2013, updated May 7, 2013 I recently received my order in a sealed plastic bag containing a delicate plant and small bulbs. The plant was smashed and completely destroyed and the bulbs being shipped in a dark sealed bag had sprouted 5-6 inches each and did not survive the wind after planting.Bulbs should begin their growth in the ground sprouting little by little but the dark and very humid climate in the shipping bag encouraged the growth and broke down the small strip of cardboard attached to the delicate plant. Had I known my order would be shipped this way I would not have place an order with this company. I believe they may be replacing the plant but not the border lily bulbs. I don't believe common sense prevailed here and I am out several dollars.

These were the best trees I have ever purchased! Hybrid poplars from another company (shall remain unnamed) were only the length and diameter of pencils, although they have grown. Royal Dutch Hybrid Poplars are a full two to three feet tall with robust root systems AND some were already sprouting leaves! They arrived in good order and I have planted all 40 of them. Royal Dutch has been extremely responsive to my questions both by email and telephone. If they have what I am looking for, I don't need to go anywhere else. End of story!

I'm an experienced gardener, and I know that shipping isn't good for plants. But I've ordered from plenty of companies that understand how it works, and can ship successfully. Therefore I expect my garden purchases to arrive in healthy shape, ready to be planted. The plastic bag of plants I received from Royal Dutch was full of tiny, dead, rotten plants. This is what happens when you send plants that are too young and small, and pack them in a plastic bag that offers no protection. And when I called, they acted like I had done something wrong, and insisted that I plant everything anyway, even though they were clearly dead. When I called again a few weeks later to confirm they were still dead, I was granted replacements. The shipment was practically identical to the previous package. This will be your experience too, and the only difference will be how many times they send you replacements before you dig in your heels and demand a refund. You won't get your refund, but at least it will end the cycle of planting dead things and calling for more dead things.

In the past, I've had about a 95% success rate with online bubs and plants from others. I ordered about $100 worth of bulbs and plants. They arrived a couple of weeks after I thought they should have. Did not like the packaging at all. If the postal service would have been rough with the green plastic bag- many of the plants/bulbs could be hurt. I'd rather pay an extra dollar 'shipping' for a real box. Some of the plants are 'protected' by a corrugated cardboard 'sandwich'. Several of the plants had the staple right on the stem of the plant. After a month, I sent Royal Dutch for replacement for about half the dollar amount of my original order. About 1/3 of the lily bulbs had never came up. A few other plants died shortly after planting. Proper planting instructions for the Red Sedum was non existent, and may have contributed to the mass failure of those plants. (we'll see how these fare, now that I found how to plant from another site) When the replacement order arrived (a little over a month after requesting), the lily bulbs were soaking wet- i fear these may have rot and not come up either. Though mostly a negative experience, I am choosing neutral stance- with a few improvements, it could be a good company. I appreciated the 'no questions' replacement (though HAVING to return the shipping label is shady- as many people would simply throw away the bag).

I am new to Gardening. But very much enjoying it and my yard reflects it. I ordered from Royal Dutch Gardens several Preplanned Gardens. Here is the email I received from them: The following items were requested on 4/29/2012 2:32:44 PM: Item # Description............................. Quantity Price 5870 Garden, Easy Beauty Bulb 1 $13.99 7944 Garden, All Summer Blooming Bulb Collect 2 $43.98 8728 Bi-Color Asiatic Lily Mix 10 $04.97 7637 Bulb Garden, Summer Rainbow 1 $24.99 Free Gifts as Earned 1 Free 0000 PlantingInstructions Handbook 1 Free 5020 2 Daylilies (our choice) 1 Free Packing $9.99 Sales Tax $0.00 Total Charge $97.92 I received a green plastic bag that took me awhile to determine what was what because there wasnt even an copy of the invoice in the bag. PLUS Comments: My card was NOT processed until the ordered was ready to be shipped. The Processing time was within time expected. Called Customer Service twice and both agents were honest and professional. Negatives: However, Two gardens did not have planting diagrams. In addition, I ordered two of the Summer Blooming Bulb Collections that include 3 Begonias Baskets. No where in the Handbook, nor any of the material sent were directions on how to plant the baskets I had purchased. I did not know what size, planting material nor bloom time, etc.I emailed the company asking for directions that were not included. I emailed the company with concise concerns and my requests for instructions. , TWICE. Their response was to resend me the diagram for the garden. That was all on the email, an attachment with a diagram that I had informed them I had indeed received in the order. The complete Planting Handbook gives you detail information of all the items that are in the catalog. It does not contain anything on the other two gardens' planting diagram nor detail instructions for the baskets I wanted to plant correctly for the six flowers included in my order.. However it is also not user friendly. Using the diagram I had to find and mark in the handbook with the flowers included in the collections to know the correct depth/spacing information to plant the flowers. Never did find any information for the hanging basket, This is directly from their One Year Guarantee. "If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a one time FREE REPLACEMENT, just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL within year...." "If you are dissatified with any merchandise, return it with the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL within 1 year of receipt for a free replacement." I am assuming I will never get that Original Shipping Label back. "For a REFUND of the purchase price, Return the Item AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with correct postage affixed within 14 days of receipt." I wrote the company twice asking for planting directions. I told them their website was great for before the sale questions, but after the sale it was extremely poor if not useless. I am going to cut my loses now and mail this order back as I also emailed to them I would do if I could not get assistance. I have almost 500 items in my order. Since I have to mail them the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL for a refund or a replacement, I really only have a Guarantee on 1/470th of my order. I will gradly pay for return shipping not to have to deal with this company again. I have also purchased thousands of dollors of their sister company products including raised gardening beds, seeds and supplies. I will be contacting my credit card to experdite my refunds as well. Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice well I learned enough not to let that happen.

I ordered several hundred dollars of product from Royal Dutch. Users should know that your credit card is charged immediately, and not when the product is shipped. Also, we scheduled landscape work and expected the products ordered to be shipped within a few weeks. THe products were not shipped, even though we were promised they would be shipped 2 weeks ago. Furthermore, you should know that the only phone number given is an answering service, and they claim they cannot contact the company, nor provide any information on orders. That also includes tracking numbers or someone to contact. Since my credit card has been billed and there is no contact, I would not recommend doing business with these people. I am trying to figure out what recourse, if any , I might have.

I am totally disgusted with Royal Dutch Gardens! I feel I have been openly lied to by this company. After reading some of the reviews, I realize now that this is (apparently) an unreliable company. I wonder if any of you think going to the newspapers might encourage the Burgess Seed & Plant Co. to look into the flagrant injustice being meted out by Royal Dutch Gardens?

Next to exciting gardens, this is the worst company i have yet to order from. I ordered a lily that was suposed to have jumbo bulbs, but when they arrived, the bulbs were puny. I also ordered three iris plants that arrived in very bad condition. I will never order from this company again. DO NOT PLACE AN ORDER FROM THEM. IT IS A NIGHTMARE!!!

I ordered a number of things from Royal Dutch, one item was a collection of bulbs for a Spring Garden. One item, Liatris Spicata bulbs where full of mold and rot. Value about Two Dollars but I got a round around via email that would cause me to never use them again. They would rather debate "Form over Substance" then replace Two Dollars worth of bulbs. A subsidary of Burgess, I will not use any of the related companies again.

I placed a substantial order with Royal Dutch in the spring and it took a long tim to receive the order. When I did it came in part and the bag had a strong horrible ordor. I had to wait to the next day due to work. I took the bag outside to open it and when I did the smell of rot and black mold overtook me sending me into a dangerous asthma attack. I took pictures much later after my husband opened the packages. The bulbs were mushy/rotten, there was a black mold and green mold on the dead plants. Everythig in the tightly sealed plastic bag had gone bad like it had been sitting in the bag for many weeks. I contacted the company by email immediately to let them know what arrived and how it did and never heard from them. Since the "invoice" was contaminated by black mold I had to find an expert so as to remove the black mold so no one else would be exposed to it in the postal service. Then I sent the invoice back at my expense-that's where they get you, requesting all my money back and to cancel the rest of my order. I never heard from them, I contacted them several times. Then a couple months later several more packages show up from them and I refused them, placing them back on my mailbox for the mailman to pick them up; which he did return them to the post office. I again contacted the company and reminded them of their problem. They told me that I was at fault for not returning the "invoice" within the certain amount of time-I had explained that in the email-you cannot send toxic/poisonous substances through the mail so I had to decontaminate it. Then they told me for many months they never received any of the packages back I returned so they refused to refund the money. I faxed them a copy of the letter the mailman wrote saying he did, in fact, return the packages the next day. Their response to me was "We cannot open attachments to see them". So they refused to see the documentation that I was not lying as they implicated. So it has been 5 months, they told me to go to the Michigan Better Business Bureau when I threatened it. They told me to go to my credit card company as they will do nothing. So now I am carrying through with what I said; 5 months is long enough to give them to make things right. I also understand that House of Wesley and Burgess are their sister companies: many of their items arrive the same way and if you don't like them you have to send the invoice in and they claim that they didn't receive it-thus you are out the "original" invoice. What a racket they have going, and very costly to the consumer.

Never Order From This Company!!! I placed an order from this company on June 22, 2011. It is now September 19, 2011 and I still have not received my order. I called them and the response I got was that their computers were down and to call back the next day. I told the representative that my credit card was charged and she stated I needed to mail a copy of my bank statement and my order summary. She stated that maybe there was a problem with my credit card. Clearly I highlighted where the money was withdrawn. There was no problem with my card. I wrote them a letter that same day stating that I wanted this matter cleared up. I will never buy anything from them and really all I want is the charges off my card. I really dont care about getting their plants now. I spend hundreds of dollars on my garden and yard and I will not give this company time of day anymore. Wish I would of read the previous reviews before I purchased anything.

My order took a very long time to arrive and only did so after i phoned to complain. Their prices seemed exceptionally good; unfortunately the quality was exceptionally poor . I returned three items which were moldy and rotten and dead, the replacements were just the same. I won't order from them again.

I ordered perennial plants and bulbs from Royal Dutch for the first time, trying to save money. About 80% of the plants and bulbs did not grow. Even the free daylilies that came with my order never came up, and those are some of the easiest to grow plants ever. I am not pleased with Royal Dutch's return policies and will go back to ordering from Dutch Gardens. You get what you pay for; I learned my lesson.

I have been attempting to resolve a delivery issue with the Royal Dutch Company for over six months. I sent a written order for spring bulbs last fall. They twice confused my mailing address and physical address resulting in non-delivery. They refuse to accept responsibility for the address error and refuse to refund my credit card which was very efficiently charged. They have now sent me replacement product (without asking for my preference) of alternative product - worth about half the value of my original order. Further calls tell me that they have shipped part of my original order (in the wrong season) - I'm still waiting! I definitely will never deal with this company again and would not recommend them to anyone.

I'm not a picky person, and I understand how busy growers can get. But when I mail an order in July for fall plants and months go by where nobody so much as acknowledges me (aside from charging my credit card), I get a little concerned. So I emailed them Oct 4th and told them to cancel the order, and was told Oct 6th that they would do their best to cancel it. Two weeks passed with no delivery, so I assumed they canceled it, but I didn't get my money refunded. I emailed again, and was told AGAIN that they would try to cancel it. 6 days later, my package arrived. It was a plastic bag, with tiny dried out crispy irises, skinny little itty bitty dormant hostas, and other items with no sign of life. The ferns do look green and somewhat healthy, but considering the temperature has been in the 30s/40s and winter is fast approaching, I doubt the poor things will have time to get established. Weeks ago I assumed the order had been canceled, so I filled the spots I had saved for these plants. I don't even know where to put them at this point. My beds are all covered up with leaves, so I'm going to have to unbury sections to search for an empty spot. This company seems to put in the absolute minimal effort required, with no thought to customer service, or how to package plants safely for shipping. Never again will I make the mistake of ordering from them, and you can bet I'm hanging onto my "original packaging and shipping label" for the likely replacements I'll need to ask for next spring.

Just got off the phone with their customer service department. I was told that even though I paid $9.99 for shipping & handling and my bulbs were squished & some rotted, I needed to have the label from the plastic wrap shipping envelop. I wish I had read your reviews. The bulbs were of poor quality, shipped cheaply, and poor customer service. They told me everyone knew that they had to have the label to get a replacement.

Ordered Hanging Begonias, Hollyhock, glads, dahlias, cannas. All items were of inferior quality and very small. Cannas and dahlias were in plastic bags and beginning to rot. None of the cannas and dahlias have broken the ground, nor do I have much hope that they ever will. Gladiolus corms were about the size of my thumbnail ( and I don't have large thumbs). Called today to get money back. Was advised no money back, only substitution of product, but have to have mailing list on box, which of course I have recycled. Informed that had to send a copy of my credit card bill even though I explained to them I had my printout from my Internet order with order number and shipping information. Talked to supervisor who was just as unhelpful as the person who answered the phone. Asked to speak to supervisor's manager. I was given the manager's name but informed that only responds to written requests and does not take phone calls. Very shoddy product and shoddier service. Expect customer to jump through hoops to even get a replacement (of some more inferior product) and cannot get money refunded. NEVER BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!

First, when I first ordered I knew there would be a 1 or 2 week processing time. I figured it would be 3 weeks at the most to receive the plants and bulbs. It took a little more then 5 weeks before I actually got the order. Ordered about March 24, received May 8. Second, the Rose of Sharon plants looked like sticks with a lot of roots. I'm hoping that they will grow once they are settled in. The summer daffodil bulbs seem to be a decent size, so no problem there. The Mexican shell flowers seemed ok, since I'm not sure of bulb sizes with those. Then the magnolia plants, not very big but were in small container. looks like they started some green growing on them. Hopefully they will grow ok. Third the packaging wasn't that great. It was a big green plastic bag. Somewhat moist when opened. Probably ok for things like the plants.. Not so good for bulbs. Fortunately, once it had been shipped it arrived fairly quickly. So, I think they were out of the bag before the moisture started causing problems. Finally, I probably won't order from them again. Partly, because of the length of time it took before I finally got the order, and the quality of plants isn't that great. I hope this review will be helpful.

Posted on April 19, 2010, updated May 6, 2010 I am very disappointed. I placed my order for Anastasia and regal lilies back in late February, which here in Seattle is a good time to plant lily bulbs. It is now nearly too late, and after three inquiring emails, all I have received back is three generic form emails. The products I ordered from another company are in the ground, growing.

I ordered from Royal Dutch back in February. I received my first shipment on April 30th. Firstly, I am impressed that I got this shipment just at the right time to begin planting in my area - a week earlier would have been too soon, and any later and I would have exploded from anticipation. I admit I was pretty nervous after reading all these reviews. The first plants to arrive were the Angel Trumpet collection, and 3 Bonfire Euphorbia. Everything was wrapped individually in plastic, and each plant had only a cell-sized plug. Most of the leaves had fallen off the Angel Trumpets in transit, but each plant is alive and should recover with some TLC. The Euphorbia are tiny (3-4" tall), but in fine condition. Everything was sort of root-bound, but I'm used to buying plants like that on the cheap. Between their prices and their selection, Royal Dutch is ok in my book. I could find much better quality plants locally, but at 3 times the price and up. I'm alright with working a little harder to raise my plants if it saves me money. I will update my review as the rest of my plants arrive.

I ordered a collection of gladioli bulbs and a bi-color butterfly bush from them this spring...received some of the tiniest corms I've ever seen ( short of growing them myself) and a stick with two buds on it for the butterfly bush ( my own cutting grown buddleia were twice the size, and far healthier). The "free" bonus plants, two daylily roots were completely rotten.....I wish I had seen this "review" of this company before I ever ordered, but rest assured I will never order from them again.

I ordered 2 sets of dahlia tubers from Royal Dutch. They were interesting varieties and the prices were very reasonable. I was honestly skeptical after reading the reviews but went ahead. The tubers I received were large, firm and healthy, and are beginning to sprout. All in all I am pleased with my order. Some order status information or update along the lines would be appreciated though. There is a lag between ordering and shipping (which they do disclose from the outset) that causes some nervousness. It seems that this could relatively easily be alleviated.

I feel compelled to defend Royal Dutch since my order of canna bulbs, butterfly bush, azalia, and a dozen burning bush plants (which looked to me like dead sticks with a root attached) are all thriving and growing. Even after being sent through the mail in a bag to Idaho and feeling a little sick after reading all the negative stories prior to arrival, I must say I am very pleased with my purchase. I have ordered from three different catalog companies and have been pleased with all of my purchases. These purchases certainly are money saving compared to our local greenhouses. The plants are small, but I have nothing but time on my hands and love in my heart for flowers!!

Looks like a lot of customers, judging from their comments, are just a bit overly picky. I was pleased with the prompt shipping, for one thing. The lilies were nicely just sprouted also. I would shop here again with no problem.--Tom Camfield, Port Townsend, Wash.

I received my shipment from Royal dutch and upon inspection I found that the quality of bulbs were very inferior. Among all my online orders from different suppliers throughout the years, this was the worst! 1. all items were in a plastic bag and not in a box, damaging small lilly bulbs. 2. Bulbs were bad quality and so small, contrary to the size listed in your catalog. 3. Lily, Oriental and Asiatic were damaged and I don't think they will grow. This company's reputation depends on quality product and service. I give them a grade of "F-" Please never buy from this company.