Well-Sweep Herb Farm

I love this company. They have such a large variety of plants to choose from and many unusual varieties. I have never lost a plant. They ship their plants packaged very nicely and we've hade some unusual hot spells and the plants arrived in great shape. They're incredibly well priced. Their dried flowers and dried herbs are excellent.

I echo the experience of others who have purchased plants in person at Well-Sweep. Great selection, both in variety and individual plants of each. Each one is doing well.

If you think this place is all about herbs you couldn't be more wrong. This nursery is a treasure trove of literally hundreds of varieties flowering perennials, shrubs, tropicals and yes, herbs. Located off the beaten path in the northwestern part of the State, Well Sweep is one of New Jersey's best kept secrets. I am fortunate to live less than an hour away so I took a ride this past weekend to see what was on hand, the only mistake I made I was not bringing my camera. The gardens are incredible, worth seeing even if they didn't sell anything at all. I could have spent hours (and big bucks) here. Everything was meticulously laid out, healthy and clearly labeled and the best part was that the majority of the plants were in the $6-$8 range, a bargain considering many varieties can't be found locally anywhere else. The shop in the barn is charming, full of soaps, dried flowers, oils, and various garden products. I picked up a couple of rosemaries, a hardy fucshia, a ponderosa lemon and a few scented geraniums for around $35.00. The only not so positive thing I can say is that some of the tropicals in greenhouse seem a little tired. Some were rather tall and lanky from being underpotted and grown in close quarters for obviously quite some time. For instance, I had to sort through several lemon trees before I could find one that had more than just a few leaves on it and didn't look chlorotic. I saw no sign of insects however. Overall, this place is incredible. For anyone who lives in northern NJ or eastern PA and loves to garden this place is a must see.

For the last few years I've traveled over an hour to visit this wonderful herb farm. Each year there is always something surprising: unusual irises, beautiful flowering double bloodroot, treasures too numerous to mention. It's worth the trip to discover the fascinating plants they have to offer.

I have purchased herb plants from Well-Sweep probable thirty years. I have always received healthy, vigorous plants with good instructions on growing them. I started buying from Well-Sweep when it was difficult to find herb plants locally. They offer a large variety of each herb. Founder-owner,Cyrus Hide, has written extensively and authoritatively on herbs in numerous publications. Well-Sweep offers a variety of interesting items in addition to plants. Les Pounds Atlanta, Georgia

I'm lucky enough to live close to Well Sweep and I've been going there since the early 90s. Everything I've tried has done beautifully -- especially considering I often bought things I knew nothing about and planted them in places they shouldn't have been -- and everything that didn't make it suffered only from my ignorance. I learned that if I got impatient and bought everything early, the plants were small and had to be monitored in order to take hold, but if I waited a little longer before buying, they did fine without a lot of attention. I now rely on their catalogue to figure out what I should take into consideration, and sometimes I just read it to learn, make notes on the pages, apply the information to shopping for plants elsewhere, and save the catalogue until next season so I can use it for reference. Also the shop is a world of wonder -- books, dried herbs, potpourri ingredients by the pound, essential oils, and the best gardening hats I ever had, that keep me from getting a sunburn, keep my head cool, and absorb moisture. Finally, I asked one year whether they might be able to get spring beauties -- I gave them the Latin name, and the following year and ever since, they've had them. If I lived somewhere else I'd still go a long way to get there; they have plants nobody else has.

I just received my first order from this company. The plants were very well packaged and were in great shape. They have an astounding selection of lavenders and violets (v. odorata, species, etc.), as well as other herbs and perennials. Highly recommended.

I had a wonderful experiance at the farm, they have a great selection of plants and its great for the kids. They have farm animals and kittens. I really had a great time and would visit again.

It has been a pleasure to visit Well-Sweep Herb Farm. The craft classes I have attended are excellent, and I have always gone home with a beautiful creation. Well-Sweep is one of New Jersey's best kept secrets.

It's always a joy to visit The Well-Sweep Herb Farm. The gardens and greenhouses are a pleasure to see. I've taken craft classes there in the past and been very pleased with the outcome. Their pricing is right in line with other Herb Farms that I have visited. The owners go out of their way to be welcoming and spend time discussing plants. The plants they sell are very hearty and I've always had good luck with the ones I've purchased there. If you love herbs and plants and can make it a day trip ~ you wouldn't be disappointed.

Well-Sweep is a delight! My first experience was in February '05 when I attended a greenhouse tour. I've returned several times since and am very impressed w/the knowledge and hospitality the Hyde's and their staff extend to their customers.

I visited Well Sweep in May and just returned for a garden tour on August 24. The farm is charming and peaceful and packed with plants in meticulously labeled garden beds. The formal herb garden is a real testiment to a love of plants and their uses. There is a very large selection of herbs and perennials for sale. The selection in August was just as full as that for May. As the summer progresses and holes appear in my garden it is great to find a nursery where plants are still for sale in late August. Of course many of the potted perennials have flowered and set seed but I still felt they were healthy enough to be planted and flourish. The tour was given by the co-owner Cyrus Hyde. His impressive plant knowledge was mixed with wonderful humor and wilingness to answer all our questions making it a fabulous experience. Louise Hyde (co-owner) and staff were also very helpful as my group browsed the gardens, plant sale beds, gift shop barn and ate our bag lucnh at their thoughtfully provided picnic tables. The cataloque is very well organized and descriptive giving cultural needs and uses of each plant, making it a good resource.

This was our first visit and we were very impressed by the gardens and the labeling in them. Staff member was very helpful and the gift store quite lovely. We will definitely go back another time!

I just attended a lecture/luncheon at Well-Sweep, and as always, it was very interesting and delicious. I've been a customer for at least 10 years. The many lectures and classes I've attended have always been very well organized, informative, and entertaining. Some of the lectures are presented by guest speakers (like on July 29th) and others by the owners. The recipes for the food are usually in their cookbook. When buying plants, the staff is very friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgable. I highly recommend them to all my gardener friends.

Their catalog is a real gold mine, so I just had to try them. I sent in a form, and my order was shipped the second Monday afterward. A friendly email confirmation was sent, with the tracking number. Most places don't provide confirmation, so I was very pleased. All plants were packed well and undamaged upon arrival. Healthy and large, too. I will order again!

If you can visit please do. You can bring a lunch and eat at picnic tables. They have an excellent selection of native plants. The herb selection is overwhelming. The staff is helpful and friendly and have alot of first hand information on growing individual plants. I wouldn't miss my yearly trip.

Well Sweep has one of the most impressive selections of herbs, flowering perennials, and woodland plants in the U.S. Browsing their catalog really is an awe-inspiring experience. There are plants you can get through Well Sweep you can't even find even in the Richter's Herb catalog. Prices on many of these plants are also pretty reasonable - though shipping and handling isn't cheap. That said I'm a little hesitant to place another mail order with Well-Sweep. Last August I purchased 2 bay leaf trees from the company. They arrived well-packed and healthy-looking. I was so excited by my new purchases that I didn't bother to fully inspect the plants or quarantine them. Big mistake. A few weeks later I noticed delicate webbing hanging from a few of the leaves. Spider mites. They had spread to my other plants too. The infestation was quite mild, so I ignored it and hoped it would cure itself. A few months later I was inspecting one of the bay leaf trees and found scale. I ended up throwing out both plants to prevent infestation on my other plants (I've never fought scale and won). Later this spring I'll be placing another order with Well-Sweep (they're the only company I know that carries some specific plants), but I'm proceeding cautiously. Rather than go nuts and place a large order (as I wish I could) I'll only purchase one or two plants - just in case they're problems. I'll also carefully inspect the plants with a magnifying glass (especially the undersides) and return them immediately if they look diseased. Even if they appear to be ok I'm still going to quarantine them for several weeks. I really want to be pleasantly surprised. I want to turn this neutral review into a positive, not a negative.

I bought some plants from Well-Sweep. The plants are very small. I got one Polemonium caeruleum 'Brise d'Anjou' for $7.99. It's so tiny. Later on, I saw one in the local nursery for $9.99 which I have to say, at least 3 times bigger than well-sweep. Fang

Just received the herbs I ordered from Well-Sweep. They were carefully packed, and all are alive and in good shape.

Well Sweep has an amazing selection of herbs and a pretty good selection of perennials. I have found several spices that are difficult to find even in specialty food stores. Plant quality is great and the prices are good. I have to admit I haven't used their mail order service as I live close enough to visit. It's definitely worth a day out and they even have a kids' play area and picnic tables. Staff are friendly and helpful, but also unobtrusive if you just want to spend time browsing.

I have visited Well-Sweep on several occasions. They have a huge and varied collection -- sixty or seventy varieties of thyme, dozens of basil, thirty varieties of mint. The quality of individual plants might vary a bit, but if you live within 100 miles it is well worth the trip. They also raise chickens, and have a beautiful show garden which includes lovage plants that are 20 years old and three or four feet high. We pretty much buy all our herbs here.

I have ordered probably over 300 plants from Well Sweep over the past 5 years. Of those plants I only had a problem with 5 asclepias that arrived dormant and never appeared (and which were replaced). All others arrived in beautiful, healthy condition and continued to do well after being planted. They do charge a lot for shipping, but the way it is computed is clearly stated on the order form so there should be no surprises. My orders have always arrived the week that I requested them to be sent. They usually would ship it by UPS on Monday and I (in Maryland) would get the order on Tuesday or Wednesday. Each pot is wrapped in newspaper and firmly positioned in the box so that it stays in place. They do not always have in stock all the plants listed in their catalog. I usually call them after I have mailed in my order to find out if some things are not available. I consider Well Sweep one of my best garden discoveries of recent years and would highly recommend them.

I was charged an outragious amount of shipping for l4 plants, I was charged 37.70 in shipping and handling charges, I called them about this, and they said they had to pay someone to pack the box and that that was their fee. Though the box was packed nicely, I will never order from them again, I dispise companies who take advantage of their customers through outragious shipping charges.

Catalog advertised as plants to be well-rooted in quart containers. All three plants came with broken leaves and out of their pots. If plants had been well-rooted and well packed, they would not have come out of their pots. Root system only about one inch long. Two of the three plants died. The one remaining still alive but too small to put out into the garden and the plan was to plant a couple of weeks after delivery. Did receive a refund without problems. Plant ordered is very hard to obtain and this would have not been an issue if the plants had been readily available elsewhere. Prices reasonable but does not refunded shipping. No markings on box that it contained plant material or fragile handling. Paid for quart sized plants and received seedlings with a few leaves. Very disappointed.

Amazing list of available herbs and fragrant plants in the catalog. Good prices. I ordered 4 plants and received the ones I wanted in good shape. They are small( 4" pots),but healthy. I would surely order from them again.

The catalog is exhaustive — I mean to me. There is just so much to order. For what you get the price is extrememly reasonable and the soil the plants arrive in — makes me want to be a plant. Shipping cost is reasonable. Plants arrive in very good condition and they went in the ground just about when we had our recent fry-up in the Northeast. Only negative: you must get a catalog to order (such a little thing to kvetch about).