Donahue's Clematis Specialists

Clematis

P.O. Box 366
Faribault, Minnesota 55021 (United States)
(507) 334-8404
(507) 334-0485

Reviews:

positives
neutrals
negatives

Displaying the 20 most recent reviews

RatingContent
Positive
On Oct 12, 2022, Wool59 (1 reviews) from Ijamsville, MD

I ordered two clematis plants from Donahue’s, my first time ordering. Their prices are a bit more competitive on clematis. The communication was excellent. The plants were shipped when they said they would be. They were very welled packed, healthy and had excellent root systems. I will order from them again.

Positive
On May 27, 2021, SusanOK (4 reviews) from Centreville, AL

I bought 5 different clematises from this company this Spring. They were quite inexpensive and were nice and green when I opened the box. Plus they had good root systems. They have tripled in size since I planted them in April. I won't see what they bloom like until next year but so far so good. These were different varieties than you could buy in other stores and I was happy to try them out due to their price.

Positive
On Mar 23, 2021, dbarron (15 reviews) from Hindsville, AR (Zone 6b)

In early January I placed an order for two hard-to-find clematises.In March, they shipped and arrived in great condition, with roots trying to escape the small pots (not rootbound but ready to get out) and multiple stems emerging from the soil. Only a couple of days after arrival, we had a polar vortex event which unseasonably plunged temperatures down to -15F (farther than zone average minimal temps by 15), keeping my eye on the weather, I kept them inside in a cool porch. They're both outside now and very happily growing. I was very pleased and will definitely order again.

Positive
On May 8, 2019, nevadagdn (118 reviews) from Sparks, NV (Zone 7a)

I ordered 4 Clematis earlier this week, on 5/5/2019. Today is 5/8/2019. I thought that my invoice/receipt said that they would be shipped today, 5/8/2019. They arrived today. Wow! The plants are the size I expected (3 1/2 inch pots), and all have at least acceptable root systems and top growth. The large-flowered clematis is the frailest of the four, with some dried and wilted leaves, and the smallest root ball, but it is definitely healthy, and has every chance of thriving. The other three are aggressively (it's why I chose those varieties) growing. The prices for Clematis this size are reasonable. I thought shipping was reasonable for 4 plants. The packaging was sufficient to protect the plants from overdrying or mechanical damage in transit. If you want Clematis in #1 or #2 pots, you won't find them here, but if you are up to either growing them on in larger pots or have the right situations for the little ones, they will soon take off. Donahue's has a very nice selection of Clematis in all colors and types. You won't find the very rarest of the rare,or the newest of the new, but I found plenty to appeal to my quirky tastes.

Positive
On Jun 4, 2018, mambo2green (1 reviews) from Berkeley, CA

I have ordered Clematis from Donahue's for about 3 years. This Spring,I knew I would be gone and I wanted the order sent after May 15th. When I did the online order I didn't see a box for remarks and notes, I hit the reply button when the confirmation email came, and sent the ordering instructions. While I was gone I kept checking the website, in anticipation. I got home and the box was waiting., Iit had been shipped the day after I ordered it. I opened the box and the plants were stretched and the leaves dead. The next day I put the plants in the shade, gave them water and planted them in a place to die. I called Donahue's and told them the problem I had had. I remained polite, but was disappointed. They agreed to replace them. They told me that confirmation email iaccount s not monitered, it is automatic. No one at Donahue's gets it. So there is fault on both sides for this failure, but they replaced them. The replacement plants must have shipped out the same day, they were at my house right away. I have had success with Donahues Clematis. They are small plants with great roots. My climate isn't good for Clematis, yet Donahues plants have been great for me. I have called them for advice, and gotten good thoughtful answers. I would recommend them without reservations.

Positive
On Mar 14, 2015, bluebuster77 (26 reviews) from Belmont, CA

Posted on February 20, 2015, updated March 14, 2015 Posted on February 21, 2015, updated February 21, 2015 Posted on March 6, 2013, updated February 21, 2015 Posted on March 1, 2013, updated March 6, 2013 Surprise box sitting front my door yesterday, and don't even expected that Clematis plants are arrived. Donahue's greenhouse super rock, I just added one more plant on last minute but it's included in same shipment, AMAZING! Plus all garderners favorite, ONE FREE VINE (very good varity-it's also important-I don't prefers getting useless free plant) also included. A+++ Nice and secure packaging, not drying, loosing or broken on plants. Plants are a bit small but their price and shipping are not so expansive. Good communication, Paypal accepted, quick shipping, healthy plants, large selection...What else?


On March 6th, 2013, bluebuster77 added the following: you can believe if you buy vines from this professional. I mentioned vines are a bit small when I received, now they're about 1 feet tall within less than two weeks. Love their plants and thinking to add more vines to the shopping cart!
On February 20th, 2015, bluebuster77 added the following: Don't understand rating on Dave's Garden is not match with real gardener opinion on Donahue's Clematis. Folks..this is TOP 1 clematis place in terms of price, plants and shipping speed. Communication and confirmation was more than the best. I ordered first time last year, second time last month and third one is on the way. Unbelievable shipping cost for 1/2 dozen plants. Good selection vines with complete online information. Easy purchase online and paid through PayPal. Plants arrived in healthy condition with minimum damage, and shipping speed was so fast.
On February 20th, 2015, bluebuster77 added the following: Don't understand rating on Dave's Garden is not match with real gardener opinion on Donahue's Clematis. Folks..this is TOP 1 clematis place in terms of price, plants and shipping speed. Communication and confirmation was more than the best. I ordered first time last two years ago, second time last month and third one is on the way. Unbelievable shipping cost for 1/2 dozen plants. Good selection vines with complete online information. Easy purchase online and paid through PayPal. Plants arrived in healthy condition with minimum damage, and shipping speed was so fast.
On March 14th, 2015, bluebuster77 added the following: Another order for this year followed by my first order was received. Order was delay due to weather in origin but I'm not hurry for my order. However I requested specific time range to deliver the plants, they make it right. Communication was perfect, shipping was cheap and accurate, no mistake on any request on order. Packaging was little disappointed as usual but plants are healthy and back to normal condition after 24 hours of receiving. I think I will order from Danahue again soon.

Positive
On Jul 21, 2010, wagneramy (9 reviews) from Santa Cruz, CA (Zone 9a)

Donahue's has a large selection of celmatis. Mt plant arrived when promised and was packed very well. The plant was healthy and thriving. I will order from Donahue's again.

Positive
On Jun 15, 2010, sillybug5 (34 reviews) from Hyannis, MA (Zone 7a)

Ordered 3 different varieties a month ago, and they are all doing well and one has bloomed. They were small, but healthy and they have a good assortment. They were shipped promptly and I was very pleased with the transaction. Would definitely order from them again.

Negative
On Jun 13, 2010, lenorel (3 reviews) from Chevy Chase, MD

I ordered 13 clematis plants from the on line catalog. Although they advertise a 10 % discount over 10 items, you do not get it if you order on line because you are routed through Paypal, although I did NOT want Paypal and supplied my credit card info on the website. Be forewarned. 9 items are doing well, 3 are iffy and one died, it only had 2 withered leaves and no roots to speak of. It was replaced, but when I mentioned that the others were barely hanging on, they said that their supply of that variety was poor and none were any better. It seems to me that they should not ship out inferior plants but backorder until their stock is up to their advertised standard. I was disappointed because they have a beautiful catalog and give you good info. when you call.

Positive
On Apr 30, 2009, sherlock96 (2 reviews) from Chester, VA

I ordered 6 clematis in October and all made it through the winter and are healthy and beginning to bloom. The price was reasonable, the shipping was quick and the product was as it was described. It is now up to the good Lord to provide rain and sunshine to give me a beautiful display!

Positive
On Apr 25, 2009, BlissfulGarden (51 reviews) from Baton Rouge, LA

Over the past few weeks, I have received mail order clematis from five different vendors. They varied in size and price quite a bit, but I'm happy to say that all the plants are thriving and happy... from every vendor. Donahue's offered a fantastic selection, their prices are hard to beat, and their shipping costs are very low compared to the other vendors. Their pot size and root system are smaller in comparison to others, but their clems are still two years of age (or older) at shipping... which is the minimum size recommended for planting by the American Clematis Society. The owners were friendly, quick and helpful with their emails (it's a family-run business). I was also impressed by the service and lengthy response I received when I called with some questions regarding my clematis. My order arrived promptly, packaged well, and in very healthy condition. As I am seeking to build a large clematis collection, I very much appreciate what Donahue's has to offer and the positive buying experience they provided. I will happily be a repeat customer in the future. A++++ vendor! =)

Positive
On Apr 18, 2009, bluespanishlady (6 reviews) from Rochester, MN

Excellent service, healthy plants, great variety of clematis. I ordered fifteen clematis plants that each/all arrived in great shape. The prices were good, the selection super, and the plants themselves strong and green. Each clematis is now in the ground getting an early start to summer growth and looking good! Great customer service and reliable communication adds the finishing touch. I recommend this company as a great clematis source/nursery--without reservation.

Positive
On Aug 28, 2008, golfandgardenut (4 reviews) from Neenah, WI

We were in search of finding some unusual clematises and I stumbled upon this company in my internet search. Their website was great and the variety of clematises they offered was excellent. So on 7/12/2008, I placed my first on-line plant purchase and I was extremely pleased with the first two clematises I received from them shortly after ordering. This has led us to order seven other clematises to add to our flower gardens, with the last two clematises we ordered on 8/18/2008 just arriving today (8/27/2008). All of the plants we received from Donahues arrived in excellent condition and were well packed. Some of those clematises that we had planted earlier this summer have already grown a foot or more since we planted them. We can't wait until next year to see the blooms from our new plants. I have already recommended Donahue's to our gardening friends and obviously would order from them again if the opportunity arose.

Positive
On Jun 12, 2007, darcyclare (3 reviews) from Brooklyn, NY

I ordered 11 clematis this spring . They were EXTREMELY reasonably priced ( large orders come to about $ 8.50 per plant) and arrived in great condition and packaged very well - not a leaf was crushed nor a stem broken. They were in smaller pots but that meant that they were easy to plant and several of them have started to bloom already. Donahue's Clematis has a great selection ( some really unusual varieties) and based on my experience -I would recommend this company wholeheartedly. I plan to shop here again - in fact I am already planning my fall purchases!

Positive
On Jul 9, 2006, redrobinsnest (2 reviews) from Moorhead, MN

I purchased clematis by mail order twice before and was very happy with the condition and size of the plants. I made a special trip there in early June to see and hopefully buy more plants. To my great delight found it was the 2nd day of their end of season sale everything 1'2 off!! No shopworn or abused plants here. Wall to wall buyers and the sales staff was friendly, knowledgeable and so helpful; we came home with 15 new clematis and a variety of other perennials. Yes they email for special sales etc. The greenhouse, grounds and sales area were so clean- no litter, dead plants or plain old clutter. I would encourage a special trip next year to visit and buy I know we will be back buying. ALL the plants we bought are thriving and growing well.

Positive
On Oct 3, 2005, downscale_babe (23 reviews) from surfside beach, SC (Zone 8b)

I am so pleased with the 2 plants I ordered from them;C Armandi Snowdrift and C Texensis Princess Diana They were a very good size,well packed and arrived when I asked for them. I will order from them again without a doubt.

Neutral
On Jul 18, 2004, Fosson (6 reviews) from Grand Blanc, MI

The 9 clematis plants were well packed...no problems there....I planted them in early October... One plant...my Ernest Markham died over the winter...never made it til the following spring... The rest were fine...except one clematis which was supposed to be Huldine...has never bloomed once until this summer...and I realize it's not even Huldine... Instead it's got super tiny little white flowers... not sure what it is...but it looks more like a viticella clematis of some sort. Oh well...can't always get what you want!

Positive
On Apr 25, 2004, neheskett (6 reviews) from Albert Lea, MN (Zone 4b)

If you ever have a chance to visit this nursery, do it! I have only one word...WOW. A HUGE selection of beautiful, healthy plants await you. I went there for the clematis, and found the widest variety of clematis that I have ever seen in one place. All of the plants were full, healthy, and well cared for. But Donahues has much, much more than just clematis! Just about anything you are looking for, they have it! Some of the prices may seem a bit high, but in my opinion it is well worth it. You get large healthy plants that are far superior to any "cheapies" you get at other places.

Negative
On Jun 7, 2003, Shirley1md (4 reviews) from Ellicott City, MD (Zone 7a)

I am the Coordinator for the Spring 2003 Clematis Co-op. I don't like to give a Nursery a negative rating, but it definitely was NOT positive and there were many factors that influenced my decision. My phone, e-mail, and faxed coorespondence was NOT handled in a timely manner. They did NOT respond within 24hours, which I feel is a reasonable amount of time to wait for a potential customer placing a substantial order. Donahue's was made very aware of this fact upon my initial e-mail to them. It was re-iterated numerous times over the past two months. Basically, they just didn't care! I ALWAYS had to request an updated list of Clematis that were "Sold Out". However, this was an on-going process and the availability that was promised one week was NOT available the next! Plus, I had to REQUEST MY BILL! The Accounting Department was as slow, inefficent & unresponsive as their staff answering their e-mails, faxes and phone calls!! Up to the moment that I placed my order for over 350 Clematis, I still encountered changes! The worst was when I finally received the plants, only to discover on the enclosed packing sheet that "Mrs. R. Brydon", 3.5" plants were NOT available, even though I was told that they were when I placed my order by phone!!! To say that I was very upset and disgusted with this Nursery, would be a mild under-statement! On a more positive note, the plants I received were healthy with a well developed root system. However, I did notice that "stuck" in-between the larger 3.5" size plants were some much smaller ones of the same size!!! Yes, they will grow in time, but needless to say, they still charged me the higher price!!! Would I use them again??? Most definitely NOT!!! I don't want to have any further dealings with this Clematis Nursery!! In the future, I hope to deal ONLY with wholesale Nurseries that are well organized, respond to the customer in a timely manner, remain in contact with me (NOT the other way around), don't change their story each time you hear from them and certainly don't pull any "last minute punches", by not shipping a certain variety of Clematis that was ordered and promised!!!

Positive
On Apr 30, 2003, treelover3 (16 reviews) from Minneapolis, MN (Zone 5a)

I have not purchased from this company by mail order, but I have gone to the nursery to purchase clematis. Well rooted, very nice plants at a reasonable price.

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