Cricket Hill Garden Peony Heaven

I ordered two blueberry bushes, a fancy peony, and a native persimmon for fall delivery. Everything was very well packaged and dormant/near dormant. I do not have any experience with any of these plants and so I was nervous to see how they fared. Well, they came right to life in spring 2022. The peony even sent off two huge blooms this year!

I am very pleased. I ordered a herbaceous peony and a 1yr old tree peony. They've arrived in marvelous health. The herbaceous peony root system is large and firm with at least five eyes pushing to grow immediately. I had to wait a couple of days to plant and they had grown two inches in the mean time. The tree peony is in a pot and is reaching. My advice to others is to have the locations ready in advance. Very fast shipping [April of 2020, covid19 lockdown]

After buying a historic home last October and redoing the entire interior over last winter, spring brought my attention to the outside yard where 9 gardens were in serious need of resurrection. After spending countless hours (and dollars) researching and buying, my attention and focus was always on Peonies. I admit I have an obsession with them and was about 80% done with my fall planting when I read a review for Cricket Hill on watchdog I jumped over to see what they were growing and instantly knew I had to finish the back gardens with a few of their lovely peonies. I could not have been more impressed with my experience - from very prompt service and combined shipping when I doubled my order to the impressive shipment I received today. I have gotten good shipments from larger commercial growers but Cricket Hill's shipment has by far and away spoiled me on buying peonies from anywhere else. Some may balk at the price tag but I'm telling you it's worth every penny and then some! These little guys are so healthy and BIG! I'm so glad to have found this company and with a circa 1756 house, only the best will do. My only complaint is that I didn't find these guys sooner! BUT - there is always next year and the year after that and the year after that....Thank you Cricket Hill! You have gained a lifetime customer!

I was very impressed with the YouTube videos that Cricket Hill posted and ordered a rockii tree peony from them. When the time came for the peony to be delivered they sent me an e-mail saying the peony that I ordered was unavailable due to crop failure. The substitute that they suggested does not appear to be listed on their website, so I don't know if it is comparable in terms of pricing. They sent me a picture of the substitute but no other description. When it arrived the peony appeared to be alive, but there was no marking for the graft union. Don’t think I would order from them again.

I just received my order. The root had six eyes and was completely wrapped in what appeared to be ground peat then wrapped in plastic wrap. It was cushioned in the box so that no possible damage could occur to the eyes. The root itself was very fresh. They also included a sample bag of Azomite which I added to the planting hole. I know that this peony will thrive here. I have a tree peony from Cricket Hill that is simply gorgeous. I would recommend Cricket Hill to my gardening friends. They have peonies you simply cannot find elsewhere.

I just received my tree peony order and the plant stock is some of the best I have ever received from a mail-order company. They specialize in Chinese Tree peonies and this is my second order with them. A fine nursery to purchase tree ponies from.

Ditto Afry's comments. Nothing else to add. Beautiful plant, great packaging.

I ordered 5 tree peonies in January of 2013. My order was promptly shipped and beautifully packed. The peonies were georgous. Large, vigorous, extremely healthy. I consider the quality of plants that I received to be a excellent value. I also appreciate the level of detail and care this company provides. They tagged each plant to mark planting depths and included a free bag of a soil supplement. Highly recommended!

I have ordered 4 tree peonies and 6 herbaceous peonies from Cricket Hill. The plants were shipped exactly when I was told they would ship. They arrived exactly when I was told they would arrive. They were in excellent condition. It was obvious that they had been packed with extreme care. During the ordering and waiting-for-shipment process I spoke with Kasha by phone. Every phone conversation was informative, patient, and as long as I felt I needed to talk. I have found this company to be top-notch to work with. My peonies are in the ground waiting for spring. As with all my dealings with Cricket Hill, I expect the results to be SUPERIOR! I highly recommend ordering from Kasha at Cricket Hill.

Posted on August 13, 2010, updated April 5, 2011 Posted on May 8, 2003, updated August 13, 2010 Last fall, I actually visited this nursery and picked out about 6 plants that were just "twigs with buds". I was amazed the nursery owners seem to know which buds were flower buds and which were leaf buds. One plant was smaller than the others, and I was told it would not bloom. Well, here it is May 7th and all but one tree peony has flower buds!! Sure, the plants are expensive, but growing good peonies takes time, and time=$$$$$. Think of all the money you've wasted buying puny one or two year old grafts from department stores. Most take years to develop, if at all. This is a very classy organization, it really cannot be too highly recommended! A+++++++++++++++

I just got another shipment of Cricket Hill peonies. The shipment included several tree peonies, several herbaceous peonies, and an ITOH peony. Again, I was pleased. It is a pleasure to unpack these shipments! I've been ordering peonies from Cricket Hill since 2007 and haven't been disappointed once. Any questions I've had have been answered by Kasha accurately and in a timely manner. A 'High Noon' tree peony died or did it? At the time I was new to tree peonies and wonder if maybe I didn't give up on it before I should have..... This past fall I didn't get all of my peony roots planted, so they overwintered on the front porch in a cardboard box. Every one of them pulled through just fine and are now in the ground sending up their new red spring growth. Thank you Cricket Hill for providing peonies for the rest of us to purchase.

I bought a couple of tree peonies early this year. As it was close to the end of shipping, I was given the choice of taking the plants now or waiting until the fall. I opted for the former and set them up with the other tree peopies I had purchased from Klehm's a few years back. The tree peonies arrived well packaged. Although they appeared to be in reasonable health, they were very small for the price (in comparison to the age equivalent plants I purchased from Klehms). Sadly, neither plant established - currently one has died and the other probably will not make it. In fareness to the company, I have not contacted them to ask for a refund. I am just going to chalk this one up to experience.

We had a customer needing a substantial plant, and Cricket Hill made the process a positive experience! No place else on the web offered anything comparable. They were very detail-oriented, very specific on what plants were available, and worked for us to find the select the perfect plant. It was shipped at the optimum time to plant in our area. It came fastidiously packed, and it shipped flawlessly. It went in the ground when it came, and was covered with twice the blooms they anticipated for us. The customer, to say the least, was overjoyed with the plant. (It was a mature "High Noon.") We know who we'll call next time we need a special tree peony!

Our order of 2 tree peonies arrived exactly when we asked them to be delivered and were absolutely beautiful. We planted immediately and in less than one week have growth and have settled in. We will be ordering more from them to finish the beds since we are so pleased with these.

A third shipment of peony roots arrived from Cricket Hill Garden this evening, and I was not disappointed. CHG's peony roots with their big, fat buds are things of beauty! As I told Kasha, I will continue ordering peonies from them as long as I can find a place to put them! Their peonies are the absolute best. Head to the sky.....

Absolutely the BEST people I have ever dealt with...simply the best. I ordered 3 herbaceous peonies from Cricket Hill, and Kasha asked if I would want to try a tree peony, but after horrible results from another company, I declined, only for her to offer me an unknown free tree peony if I paid Shipping.....$5. I accepted, and it has been the first to bloom this year......my faith in tree peonies has been restored. Kasha has answered any and every question about peonies, long after I paid for my order....in this day and age, simply put, they care about their customers, and I will continue to buy peonies from them.

In the process of building a huge garden I've had to deal with many companies recently. By far, Cricket Hill reigns supreme! They have got to be the most helpful and generous people I've encountered to date in the gardening world. I can't say enough good things about this business.

I have been a customer of this company for years. They are honest, cooperative, and sell outstanding plants. Yes, they appear to cost more, but for the quality they are worth it. Their plants are true to form and perform exactly as stated. In order to have a tree peony, one must be patient. It takes years for it to establish, but is well-worth the wait. If patience is not a quality that you possess, then do the herbaceous peonies which should bloom the next year. There is nothing more breath-taking then having a tree peony bloom in your yard. They are scarce so they will be noticed immediately. I must have at least 12. All have succeeded, but one which was replaced the following season without any hassle or questions. Cricket Hill is a place to do your shopping.

I've not actually purchased from Cricket Hill yet, but emailed them a few years ago with questions about tree peonies. Within a few days, David, the owner, called me from Connecticut (I live in Oregon) and talked with me for at least an hour about the plant, its history, and cultural requirements. After talking with him, I decided that I did not have an appropriate place to plant a tree peony. I've recently moved to a place that does have a good place for tree peonies, and due to the kindness and professionalism that he showed by taking his time to call and talk to me about these beauties, I will definitely be ordering some peonies from him.

Four years ago I purchased a tree peony for a gift for my father-in-law. He is an excellent gardener and can recognize a problem. After a year a wrote to Cricket Hill that there was a problem and they advised to be patient. After another year, my father in law became disgusted and threw the plant away. Recently I wrote to Cricket Hill about the problem. They took two weeks to respond and only after I sent a second email. Here's the response, which I found rude and very customer 'unfriendly'. We did not ignore your email, but frankly did not know how to reply. You do not pull up a tree peony that is trying to establish. I am sorry, I do not agree that the man was a good gardener. Maybe he specialized in annuals that bloom immediately, or bulbs that give you instant color. Peonies are not pansies. You have to have patience to grow peonies. We do advise people of that. They certainly are not for everyone. It takes a certain kind of person that is willing to have patience for the rewards of the magnificent tree blooms. I am sorry your father in law was so impatient. When you say the plant never did anything, does that mean it died, or was it just slow to grow by his standards? In our climate, given a reasonable start, 99% of all the plants we send out will bloom in 1, 2 or 3 years, depending on the variety and age. The rest fail to grow and die from the beginning and these are the plants we gladly willing to replace. Sincerely, Kasha Furman Cricket Hill Garden

I ordered 2 two-year-old Tree Peony plants and they arrived promptly in the week they had scheduled for my shipment. The plants were very well packaged with “fragile” sticker on the box. Both are large with 4 stems and healthy roots. They sent detailed planting instructions and even some soil amendment. I would strongly recommend this company – the plants are definitely worth the price, they are much larger than any other catalog ordered plants I have ever received.

I wanted to try for the first time planting herbaceous peonies that are dugged up having over-wintered in the ground. Since Cricket Hill offers that option, I ordered 1 each of 4 different types of Chinese herbaceous peonies from them. My order was processed promptly, and the delivery was great. The bulbs were double-labeled, and packed well. I planted them promptly, and they are thriving.

I ordered a tree peony from Cricket Hill last fall. I received a notice telling me of the ship date, which happened to coincide with our family vacation. I called, and was pleasantly surprised at the response. I spoke to a very nice gentlman, who I believe was the owner of the company. He changed the ship date for me and sent me a second invoice with the new shipping information. My peony arrived when promised, and it came up beautifully this spring. Also, I called Cricket Hill in January because we had some unusually warm weather and was concerned because the plant had started leafing out when I knew we had many freezing days ahead. I left a message, and a very nice lady returned my call and told me the plant would be fine. I highly recommend Cricket Hill for their very nice plants and excellent customer support.

I have visited Cricket Hill several times. It is a beautiful garden well worth taking a day trip to visit. They have many more varieties than are in the catalog, especially of the herbaceous peonies. Also, you can buy younger tree peonies for less on site. The folks there are knowlegeable and can help you find a variety suited to your needs. I wanted one suitable for a pot. The owner showed me several in different colors and prices that were low growers and slow growers. I bought one that was the only one of its kind that they had. The plant had three flowers on it, and it is my hope that it will have more this spring. They tagged it and mailed the bareroot plant to me last fall. You can buy these plants direct from China, but then you have no one to go back to if something goes wrong. These are pricey plants but large and used to a New England climate.

Visited the garden at the height of Tree Peony blooming in Mid May several years ago. It's very inspiring to see hundreds of budded tree peonies on several acres.. The owners were pleasant & very knowledgeable. The plants were spectacular. It's pricey but a great source for buying plants already well established. If you are passionate about tree peonies this is a must see if you can get there. We also visited the Chinese Scholar's garden on Staten Island. An outdoor jewel box of a garden and Cricket Hill was the supplier of the tree peonies for that project. CH also sells umbrellas for your peonies. A very practical and beautiful way of extending bloom time. Catalogue pictures are true to the actual plants. Highly recommend this company! Warning, this can be an expensive hobby! They have some easy to grow beginner's plants. Also recommended is their competitor Golden Tree. Golden Tree is in Georgia. Both are excellent sources and the bare root plants you get from each are very similar so it pays to comparison shop. Also they don't have exactly the same varieties.

Visited the nursery. Nice plants but very expensive! Bought 2 and spent almost $250! They seem very healthy and the owner was nice, hopefully the peonies will bloom next spring.

I've ordered two tree poenies, one last year and one the year before. The first one I planted bloomed this year and it was glorious. The customer service was excellent and exceeded my expectations. Planting directions were thorough.

I don't know about service; I do know that you can buy the same plants directly from China for 60% less.