Sunshine Farm & Garden

Highly recommended for Hellebores seedlings. Two years ago, in the Fall, I ordered the 10 one year old Hellebore selection for $45 (still the same price I saw recently.) A sudden cold snap, and then rain, meant that mailing was delayed. Each time I emailled Barry Glick and he emailled right back to let me know the issue. When the weather cleared, I got 12 good seedlings, some of very good size, all with good roots to grow on inside through the winter. I grew them on to a solid size to plant out in the spring. Now, one year later, 8 out of the 12 are flowering -- all 12 are thriving. What about the flowers? Barry Glick breeds his own varieties and promise a range of colors. Take a look at the pictures on his website (you won't get the very best colors for obvious reasons) and pay attention to the flower shapes as well as colors. I have a range of colors from dark maroon red, through pinks to greenish white. On top of that I have a bunch of striking flower shapes, some really lovely spiky petaled flowers, others with central fringe. I got lucky and planted some of the dark maroon next to the frilled white-greens for great contrast. Overall, I highly recommend Barry's Hellebore seedlings. These were $4.50 each and in a year are the same size as what the nursery charges $30 for -- plus some special flower shapes and a range of colors. I am also happy to help (even a little) someone doing such wonderful things with Hellebores.

I ordered from Sunshine because none of the local native plant nurseries had Allegheny spurge (it is not local to this area, but is the best option for a native ground cover for our conditions). I had not read the reviews here first and I'm glad I didn't because I might have been discouraged from ordering. It was a very good experience. Barry Glick was very helpful throughout the entire process and the plants arrived in good condition and carefully packaged - this despite the fact that he'd been dealing with some personal issues. When I asked for planting advice, he took the time to call me and walk me through it and couldn't have been more gracious. Realize that growers don't really have an obligation to do this kind of thing as it takes up a lot of time and this is a very busy time of year for them. The plants (all bare root) looked great and only time will tell if we managed to do this right. We are pretty new at it and the only two times we've planted bare root we had NOTHING come up. So we have 50 Virginia bluebells and 50 Allegheny spurge and 9 partridgeberry plants in the ground and will certainly ordering from Sunshine again next year.

I ordered hellebores, ferns, and several other plants. I received healthy plants. Will definitely order again. Another reviewer mentioned lack of labels - my order included 2 types of dormant bareroot ferns and I distinctly remember them being labeled. I would not have needed or particularly wanted labels for the actively growing plants - it wasn't that huge of an order, and all the plants were familiar to me - so I can't recall if those were labelled or not. Maybe ask for an ID label if you need it? His website is not updated frequently but he knows what he has in stock if you call. He was very nice and helpful on the phone.

I have bought plants from Sunshine Farm & Garden both by mail and in person at the Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville University. I have also attended Barry's lectures and propagation workshop at said conference. I have found Barry to be very entertaining and informative. Yes, Barry is eccentric, but aren't we all? As far as the actual plants I received, I was more than happy to get some familiar species and some that I had never heard of. I received some native orchids and Virginia bluebells by mail. They were bare root and a nice size. I have bought much more at the native plant conference in 2 inch pots as well as some in larger pots (I don't remember the size). It was nice to get affordable unusual native plants in quantity. I have never had a problem with the plants that I bought. Keep gardening Barry and I will keep buying.

Barry was very friendly and helpful on the phone prior to my order. I explained that I lived in Zone9b (New Orleans) and that it was very hot and humid here in the summer. He encouraged me to order bare root divisions of his Helleborus giving me a "great deal" 743.00 for 100 of them. My order was placed 1-5-15. When they hadn't arrived by mid April, I contacted him with concerns about planting bare root plants that close to summer. He assured me that they would do fine. I planted the same day as arrival in early May. It was already in the high 80's here. By June 8th a majority of the plants were dead. I contacted Barry and sent photos as he requested... His first response was that they were overwatered...next he told me to test my soil, when that came back fine he suggested I contact a master gardener here in town. I did and he said that May was too late to plant bare root plants in New Orleans. Barry responded "Hi, we shipped you perfect plants, I know as I am the one and only person that does the divisions, you can't expect me to be responsible for the weather in New Orleans." I asked if he would consider a partial replacement at no charge and he said "no, but he would give me special pricing." Lesson learned for 743.00 and hours and hours of work- I don't recommend doing business with this company.

Many years ago, I came across Barry listed as a source for unusual plants. It said he had a catalog, which I ordered. Nothing arrived. I found an email address and asked about my catalog order. Oh that wasn't quite ready, what did I want. I said only a catalog. Suddenly the man is on my telephone, asking me what plants I want! I had NOT given my phone number in either my letter or email. I repeated I wanted a paper catalog to sit and read ABOUT his plants, not that I had plants I needed instantly. It was a very odd and uncomfortable experience to be tracked down in my home! He kept pushing me to name plants! Not having a clue what any of his plants cost, or anything about him, I did not order. Nor did I ever receive my catalog. Was very surprised several years later to come across a few of his tiny plants, at a local nursery. Hard to believe he had stayed in business. The reviews here are so extreme, yet I can see how they fit so well with the eccentric, pushy person who called my home yet gave me zero information. Just kept trying to sell me plants for which there was no price mentioned!

Rec'd some nice hellebores from Barry with a couple of extra little goodies that tagged along; always an incentive to be a return customer! Communication was positive prior to the order and would deal with Barry again. Had a chance to visit his place a couple of years back and it too was a positive experience.

We placed order July 26 with Sunshine Farm & Garden, explaining our Master Gardener group desired to buy the retail sampler plugs to grow on in our hoop house for our September plant sale/fundraiser. The order was not shipped until August 16 because of weather conditions at his location, he said. At Barry Glicks’s direction and encouragement twenty sets of five each (100 plants total) were selected and ordered from the current plant list he provided by e-mail. The order received had been poorly packaged – tall plants, instead of being laid down had been packed upright, and were broken off and soon died.. Two sets (10 plants – not ephemerals) of our delivered plants showed no signs of life in their containers. Two sets (10 plants) did not have labels. There was no invoice or packing slip included with the order. Worst of all, after spending time selecting 23 possible sets of plants from the e-mailed ‘current’ listing, only two sets of what had been ordered from Barry Glick’s currently-emailed list were actually delivered! The remainder of the delivered plants were groundovers! Really, Mr. Glick, groundcovers for a Master Gardener Plant Sale? I spoke with Barry Glick personally and expressed dismay with the delivered plants; he shrugged it off and made no effort at all to correct the order and/or make good on the losses we have suffered by ordering from Sunshine Farm and Garden. Buyer beware of this business and its owner. PS Barry Glick formerly lived and work in our area – PA – so we were especially disappointed in his and his business’s poor performance.

I am sorry that I did not read the reviews of Sunshine Farms on this website before I ordered nearly $600 worth of native plants. It took me over a month and a phone call to receive a few plants and they were most pitiful little things. I have planted them but it was too late because summer has arrived in Charlotte. I am babying them but already some have wilted. Had the plants been shipped in a reasonable time frame this would not have been a problem. Of course, I did not receive my full order. When I called, I was told that it was my fault since I had ordered two pages of plants and they had not read the second page. I was promised that the nursery would immediately ship the remainder of my plants. Now, I realize that the internet site had not been updated in quite sometime so I was probably ordering things Sunshine Farm did not have. Though I have been promised plants from Barry's personal collection, I still have not received anything. I have asked for a refund and, if my experience is anything like the last posting I will not see any money or any decent plants. Stay away from this nursery.

A negative review of Barry Glick and his business would be kind. I've ordered plants from numerous companies over the years, and this is by far the absolute worst experience I've ever had. I discovered this company while doing an online search for a specific plant, Spigilia marildandies (Indian Pink). After checking out his plant list, I placed an order for 24 plants, after which I was informed that several of the plants I'd ordered were no longer available despite being listed on his website. I eventually found out his "list" was several years old and outdated. After about a month, and many days after my check had cleared the bank, I emailed Mr. Glick to inquire as to the status of my order, since I hadn't heard anything in the way of a confirmation from him. After several emails assuring me that he personally was taking care of my order, it finally arrived. Instead of the 24 plants I ordered, I received 10 very pathetic looking plants. They arrived in a USPS flat rate box -- the medium-sized flat box, which was half filled with "popcorn". The plants were very small and sad looking. After several hours of looking at those plants, and knowig how much I'd spent, plus the fact the order was less than half complete, I emailed Barry to let him know I was not pleased and that I wanted to cancel the remainder of the order and have my money refunded. Let me say this: if you ever order plants from this guy and you have a problem, you will NEVER see your money. Despite repeated requests by me for a refund, that never happened. Instead, Barry assured me he "would make me smile" by replacing the plants that had died and the ones I didn't receive plus lots of "goodies". This dialogue went on for over 2 weeks. All I wanted was a refund and to move on. That was not to be. Of course, on more than one occasion, he insinuated that I had received all 24 plants, and that his ordering department had never made a mistake in 38 years, etc., etc. Finally, I just gave in because it was obvious he was not going to refund my money. I received another box with the missing plants from my original order, but without the Indian Pink that he was suppose to replace with "5 inch" plants from his private collection" and none of the "goodies" he had promised. Needless to say, I wasn't smiling. I had to email him again, several times, to remind him to send the missing Indian Pinks. Also, one of the plants in the second order had no name tag. All in all, this was the most unprofessional gardening experience I've ever had. I would never order from him again, nor would I recommend him or his business to anyone. He may be the guru of Hellebores, but his business/customer service is borish at best. This is not about "pleasing all the people...:, this is about plain, lousy service.

Posted on June 22, 2010, updated July 2, 2010 We just used Sunshine Garden for a co-op on Dave’s Garden. Would we choose to use him again? I think everyone involved would give a resounding NO! Admittedly due to the,illness and inexperience of the hostess (me) this thing got off to a slow start, however, once the cash monies that Mr. Glick insisted on rather than a check or money order were in his hands along with typed labels and packing slips, things got murkier than the waters surrounding the Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf. Plants were to begin being mailed out within the week. He gave me an actual date. This did not happen. Mr. Glick was e-mailed repeatedly by me and my co-hostess requesting information about the shipping. I called him nearly every morning on the phone. We repeated over and over that certain people needed their orders by a certain date. This did not happen. All we heard was “they were mailed”, “I mailed them”. He swore he had never had this issue with USPS Priority mail before. After several weeks of this, plants started to arrive. They may have been packed in padded envelopes, but at least they were arriving. Some were at least. Another two weeks or so go by then a couple more people get their plants. Complaints too were coming. Broken leaves, half dead plants and unidentifiable black spots were the most common complaints. Size was also an issue, but some felt that at the price we were paying health was more important. In all fairness, those that were happy were very happy. Nice sized healthy plants were their allotted portion. Complaints were relayed to Mr. Glick as well as compliments and packaging improved but the contents didn’t. I had one irate person on the phone for an hour complaining about the “aspirin sized” (the way she described it, I’m thinking Baby aspirin) bulb she had received, that she wouldn’t have “paid a quarter for” and threw in a few choice expletives’ for good measure. I relayed this choice bit to Mr. Glick and he did in all fairness promise to make good. I can’t help but wonder about the people working in his packing shed. In the middle of all this Mr. Glick runs out of plants so I have to spend several days on the phone contacting the affected people to get their substitutions. He would not agree to backorder anyone’s order. These I immediately relayed to Mr. Glick. I then later learn that he has been contacting people and telling them that it’s my fault, had I gotten the original orders to him earlier…He never mentioned he was running low on plants when I handed him the money and packing slips. He true to form never contacted me about this little snag. He did tell my co-hostess. This unfortunately became his all too familiar pattern. The issue of no deliveries was still ongoing by the way. He’s now telling who ever chose to contact him that “your hostess is a very nice lady, just overwhelmed”. He’s the one with the plants and money by the way. Now the excuse is he doesn’t have the packing slips. The packing slips that I had placed in his hands the day I drove 5 hours to his farm and placed the money in his hands. By this time my E-mails are being ignored and he’s continuing with his “blame game”. Fortunately he had taken a liking to my co-hostess (who was beyond wonderful by the way) and she aided and abetted by the other co-op members who were sick of this fandango, was able to get the last few members plants mailed. The small size and condition of the plants is still at issue, but Mr. Glick has promised to make good anyone’s complaints. As things stand mine is the only order not yet delivered due to Mr. Glick supposedly never having received my order. I’ve sent him a new copy prior to this writing. So, would I ever use him as a co-op vendor again? Over my dead body! If I could go to his farm, pick my plants out and bring them home with me, would I? You bet! Mr. Glick is a wonderful, delightful human being. My child and dogs loved him and his wife not to mention his dogs and horse when we went to his farm. I loved wandering over his miles of woodlands ooing and ahhing over his gardens. He gave us an exceptionally good price and stuck to it. He said he’d ship each order for only $5 and he held to that. I’d cheerfully go spend the day there anytime. I’d even be willing to dig and pot my own plants. I’d just never ever want to use him or recommend him as the vendor for any co-op I was involved in either as a member or hostess.

I've ordered from Sunshine Farm & Garden about half a dozen times over the past four years and have always been happy with the plants I've received. My latest order was for a Euphorbia 'Jessie' and a Fraser's Sedge (Cymophyllus fraserianus). Fraser's Sedge is nearly impossible to find elsewhere, so I was thrilled when Barry confirmed by e-mail that he had some. Barry asked to speak to me before accepting the order, then called me to describe the plant and its cultivation requirements. The plant that arrived today was large and healthy. At Barry's suggestion I divided it into three generous clumps before planting. They look great now and in a few years will be amazing ... more highlights in my garden from Sunshine Farm & Garden..

I ordered some of the double Hellebores earlier this spring. When they arrived I was very impressed with the packing. Each plant was carefully packed in its own pot and the pots were then taped together in pairs. The plants were placed in the box and the box then filled loosely filled with packing peanuts. There was no shifting of the plants in the box. They were easy to remove and are now happily growing in my garden.

Wow."Negative" doesn't begin to describe it.When my order arrived it was supposed to contain 50 hellebores in 2" treeband pots but instead had a fistful of single hellebore stems, each with an inch or so of root attached...I'm being generous to call them "bareroot", they reminded me more of thinnings from a lettuce patch.As there was no packing slip,receipt,or explanation for the lack of potted plants, I emailed Barry Glick to discuss it.He insisted on calling me on the phone rather than respond to my email,then instead of hearing me out he spent half an hour interrupting me to brag about himself, his plants,his business,and his satisfied customers.He said the potted hellebores looked bad and weren't healthy,and the "bareroot" plants were "top-size".He was not interested in resolving the actual problem-that his plants were not even close to what he advertised and were absolutely never going to be worth the price I paid-but he was interested in cheering me up with a "goodie bag" of free plants.I told him I was not looking for something for free and that my problem was I paid for a product that was very different from the one I received,and bareroot plants wouldn't work for my purpose.Again,he interrupted me and began talking on and on about how the potted hellebores are no good.He offered to exchange the bareroot plants for potted ones,but since he had just told me over and over how the potted ones were even worse I declined.I decided to return the bareroots to him for a refund, and I emailed him when I shipped them out.I only wish I could post the full content of our email exchange here; I will gladly share it in its entirety if you contact me through DMail.If you want to order something from Barry Glick I strongly recommend you read these emails first.I think the worst part of my experience with him is the way he has constantly tried to manipulate the situation.I had a simple problem and I asked for a simple solution.I did not ask for anything special, I paid for my own return shipping, and I double-checked his website to make sure that I had not overlooked something or misunderstood the product descriptions and policies.But instead of dealing with my complaint in an honest way and getting it resolved quickly,he pulled out all the used-car salesman talent he could muster....at one point he literally accused me of taking food off his table by asking for a refund, and also claimed that he WOULD refund the money except that he didn't have enough money in his bank account to cover it. For the record, we are talking about a $100 refund,which is a lot of money to a working mother with two small kids, but not to someone who claims to be a coveted lecturer all over the world.And "Mr"Glick still has the money, though I sent the plants back to him on April 7th.I emailed him a few days ago to remind him that he still hadn't returned my check and he responded by claiming that the plants all arrived dead and that I had "ignored his email". He has never tried to contact me since the plants were delivered; my email provider uses permanent archives and to claim that he sent me something and was ignored is a complete lie....you really have to read these emails to get the full effect.Another reviewer called him a "huckster" and that's not far from the mark.I have worked in the horticulture industry for ten years and I am shocked and awed that this man is still in business.It's one thing to have a company policy against straight refunds, that wasn't the case here.His reasons for not returning my money were all pathetic attempts to convince me that he was broke.Speaking of broke,it has apparently cost me $100 to learn that SFG- and Barry Glick in particular-are not worth my time and definitely not worth my money....although that won't stop him from keeping it.

I received my order promptly and in excellent condition. The plants bloomed soon after being planted. I'm really pleased! I'll be ordering from this source again.

Plants arrived in very good codition. The proof will be next spring when the expected blooms arrive in my woodland garden.

Not only was I completely happy, no, ecstatic with my plant order, the careful packing, the inclusion of just enough labels - not too many - I've raved about my order to my husband - okay he got tired of hearing the raves - my friends, and neighbors. Turns out several already knew about you because, as astute gardeners, they already know Dave's Garden. Of course DG is where I found recommendations to order from you. Another VERY pleased customer!

Late summer, I ordered plants for the first time from Sunshine. I am all the way in CA but I like the different plants he has that I would not normally get here. The plants all looked good when I got them. We'll see in the spring how they do! Barry is very responsive and I like his informative email newsletter, photos and links.

I have ordered twice from Sunshine Gardens and I have been very pleased each time. The plants arrived very promptly and in very good, robust condition. I would certainly not hesitate to order from them again.

I ordered double hellebores and received healthy plants in a timely manner. Yes, a 2" pot is small, the plant within tiny; however, they have thrived and grown in the shady places in my garden, and I eagerly await their bloom. I did plant them directly into my garden rather than repot them. I don't think that doing so harmed their growth in coastal northern California with its humidity and overcast days. I will definitely look to Sunshine Farms and Gardens for future plants.

I have been purchasing from Sunshine Farm & Garden for several years. It has been a place to find the unusual and not available anywhere else. When I discover or read about a new species, the first place I go to find it is Sunshine Farm. I have always been pleased with the quality of the plants received.

Can't say enough about how much I love Barry's plants and ernormous plant selection. Thank you Barry for years and years of GREAT plants and gardening info. Thanks for sharing your knowledge too. One thing I have learned in life, you can never make everyone happy. Some people just seem to enjoy being 'negative'. But not me...THANK YOU BARRY! :) ...Joyce

Barry is a great salesman - he could sell the proverbial refrigerators to Inuits! He also is a good source of advice when trying to decide what plants would be suitable for specific locations. Our last order was for native asters to naturalize in a dry, shady area. The shipment was exceptionally prompt, but the plants were smaller than anticipated (basically short portions of underground stems with established roots). However, all appeared healthy, showing new growth. We have visited Sunshine Farms in the past, and the 'interesting' drive is well worth the effort.

Barry had the carex I wanted but which I had difficulty finding. Being a good salesman, he recommended several other relatively obscure sample plants for my particular garden's culture. They were also ordered, were grown up in larger pots this season and I look forward to planting them out in the coming year. Being a refugee from the farm boy and a propagation nut, I prefer trying small plants at a good price that I can experience during several stages of growth. If they work out, then I subsequently get a larger quantity for a serious planting. Barry is an excellent source for the type of gardening I do.

Here's what I wrote to Sunshine Farm and Gardens in response to their request for feedback: Last spring I purchased from you (based on an on-line sale offer) 7 plants of Phlox stolonifera, and 7 plants of Allium sp. The total order was $70; or $5.00 per plant. All of the plants have survived the summer and have been planted out in the woodland garden. However, I was initially very disappointed in the size of the plants provided--really what we previously called "liners" or small propagules in approximately 1.5" plastic pots. At $5.00 per each for plants as easy to propagate as these, I had expected much larger, more established stock. In fact, our locally owned garden retailer had the same plants in quart pots for $3.99. Later I found closely related, similar species in a "big box" store in gallon pots for $4.99 (I bought some and the Allium sp. turned out to be identical; since I have found that it is a common "pass-along" plant in our area). With this experience, my initial disappointment was intensified. Because I am an experienced gardener and propagator, I was able to successfully raise all the tiny plants to quart-pot size over the summer. If I had planted them directly in the garden, I am sure none would have survived. And certainly a less experienced gardener, who might have planted them all out directly without growing them on, would have lost them all. It would be a service to your retail customers if you would, somewhere on your website, state the size of plants you supply. The pictures you provide imply that you ship much larger, more established material than is actually the case.

I've tried in vain to contact Bill Shear, "collector" to see what I could do to please him. His negative commentary is incorrect as my pot size is 2" X 2" and this is stated on EVERY offering I email as is the term bareroot if the plant is shipped that way. Sometimes you find a better deal somewhere and sometimes you don't. I would have appreciated a call or an email from Bill alerting me to his dissapointment before he placed a negative comment. I guess you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but................
Anyway, my home phone is at the bottom of every email that I send out and I don't rest well until I have made every effort to make EVERYONE happy.

I have been ordering from Sunshine Farms for only three years, so the end result of the plants I received can't be told yet. But, I received 20 helleborus in an unusual heat wave for upstate NY decimating my "crop" despite watering, mulching, and tlc. These were heartily replaced with no questions asked but with a lot of personal advice.

I have ordered plants from Sunshine Farm and Garden on a number of occasions. I have been pleased with the condition of the plants. Barry was lots of fun and informative on the phone. He seems eager to please and very helpful. I plan to use him in the future. This is a great source for plants that are usually difficult to find.

I have found that the owner Barry is easy to contact, quick to respond and very helpful. When asked, his insights are valuable and the plants are accurately represented his listings. I will do more business with him.

I enjoy reading Barry's excitement in his descriptions of his offerings. When I have had questions, he has answers. I focus on hellebores, as they have great beauty as well as the key characteristics my property needs: deer resistance, love shade, and low care. He has some real beauties.

I have purchased hellebores from Barry on two separate occasions and have been very pleased with my plants. They arrived quickly, were packaged carefully, were very healthy and good-sized and were at a good price. And I received the added benefit of Barry's expertise when inquiring what would grow in our hot Texas weather. His knowledge was very valuable and helpful to me.

My plants arrived with plenty of instruction on what to do if circumstances for planting were not optimum. An email concerning the plant was responded to quickly. I would order again from this company.

We’ve been happy with the stuff we’ve ordered from Sunshine Farms over the years. All plants have arrived as promised. I love their website. It is full of info and pictures.Owner Barry Glick is very responsive to questions and has never steered me wrong. We are signed up for email from Barry and recieve monhtly updates with pictures and particulars on species we may never seen before. Some of those specials have done very well for us. Pests are huge problem in my neck of the woods (the Pinelands in NJ) and Barry is good at predicting the plants that survive. I looking forward to visiting Sunshine Farms mountain top gardens in WV once the weather is nice in the spring.

I found Sunshine Farm & Gardens from another website posting. I contacted Barry by email, telling him I live in New Orleans, and concerned as to whether hellebores can make it here. He immediately contacted me, and explained the best planting to get some going. When I saw the low price for seven, I decided to take a chance. I placed the order, noting that the heat can turn mail-order plants to jelly. The plants arrived the end of September, during a cool spot, packed very securely in small pots and "peanuts". Each had several leaves, healthy, with good roots. I planted them that afternoon (once the sun was low), and watered them thoroughly. I haven't needed to water them since (this is New Orleans), and looked at them yesterday morning, and they are already bigger, with more leaves. I've told several friends about Sunshine Farms, and will order from Barry again. A good guy!

I just received 10 Saruma henryii in perfect condition, well-packed, and at a very friendly price. This plant is hard to find in the NYC area and I was thrilled to find these well-rooted young plants. They were so well prepared for shipping, not a leaf was torn or a root out of place...and these were bare root plants! Also, I specified a tight shipping window (needed to receive them within 3 days of my order) and they arrived exactly on time.

Barry Glick is easy to communicate with and very helpful. I dealt with him and him only- not some recording or secretary. I have ordered many plants through the mail and have never received plants in such healthy condition or packaged so lovingly. It shows in every aspect of communication that Barry enjoys what he does and serves the community well! The plants came with very helpful tags, which was nice. They told me where to plant and special needs of the plant, they helped me to remember what I ordered and why I ordered it. I also really liked that shipping was included. I didn't feel like I was getting the shaft on "handling" charges. The world could use more folks like Barry Glick! Hats off to his success in doing what he loves!

What a great experience! I ordered a sampler from Sunshine Farm and Garden and was very pleased with the ordering communication and the delivery. The plants arrived in the time promised and were very healthy. I am starting my woodland display garden and I will definitely continue to order from Barry Glick.

Barry Glick at Sunshine Gardens is always helpful and informative. He has made me aware of several native species that are thriving in my shady yard.

I am delighted with the sampler and 2-year old bare roots I ordered from Sunshine in late May. As a new customer ordering in the midst of the busiest time of the season, I was not surprised that it took two weeks to arrive. Well worth the wait. What I received were expertly packaged, mostly in perfect shape. The trade sampler plants were small, but just as described on the website - very healthy and ready to pop into 3.5" pots. The Caryopteris and one variety of Helleborus I put directly into gallons. The varieties they chose for me, given very little information about my small nursery, were outstanding! A few old favorites that I needed to resupply anyway, but the rest were all new to me. These have served to breathe new life and enthusiasm into my small business; I can't wait to get out to the nursery in the morning and check up on my new little "residents." The bare root Cimicifuga were more robust than expected. These will be ready for my customers in just a few weeks. I couldn't possibly be happier with these gems. They sent a few more than I ordered, none were wimpy plants. Also added were some mystery bare roots; I'm guessing that they're Helleborus. I will be ordering again as soon as I catch up with some other work. This is fun!

I have ordered from Barry twice within the past couple years. The first was a very large order of hellebores that we were doing with our garden club and some for ourselves too. This totalled about 3 flats of hellebores. They arrived ON TIME, and in EXCELLENT condition. Fresh as the proverbial daisy and we didn't lose even 1 plant, nor did any of the garden club. We kept over a flat of these for ourselves and everyone bloomed this spring, just beautiful. This spring we ordered a few of the double hellebores. These plants were OUTSTANDING! And they came packed so well that it was all we could do to get the little gems out of the box. They were shipped in little pots that were carefully sealed so that the dirt would stay in the pots, then carefully packed together with shipping peanuts under the leaves so that NOTHING could possibly hurt these plants in shipment. I have NEVER received a better packed shipment of plants from ANYONE! And we buy hundreds of plants yearly! I would recommend Barry's company to everyone, and have!

I know nothing about gardening, and I mean nothing. Add to that very poor soil and you have a recipe for diaster. Looking for violets to naturalize, I came across a listing for Sunshine Farm & Gardens on the internet and emailed them for advice. I have done this in the past with other companies and received no response. However, Barry not only emailed a response, he suggested we speak. On the telephone he gave me advice and explained what I should do, still not knowing if I would order from him. I did place an order. The violets were delivered within a week of my sending my check. They were in excellent condition and are doing well. I am not sure if I will be ordering plants in the future, but if I do I would certainly go back to Sunshine Farm & Gardens.

I have had very positive experiences with this company. I wanted helleborus. They took a while to get started since I bought small plants but this year they are just great. There are some that have not as yet flowered but are really coming up quickly and in good health. Those in flower are just gorgeous and keep getting bud after bud. I did buy some primroses which did not take but Barry gave me double the original order and these are now beautiful also. I will be ordering from Barry in the future. I gave away two helleborus to friends who had not ever heard of the plant. They just called to say the plants are gorgeous and wanted to know where to get more. I appreciate all the help I have gotten from Barry!

Communications with the nursery was excellent. Prices were reasonable and packaging of plants excellent. Looking forward to doing more business in near future.

Dear Barry, I just wanted to let you know how glad I am that I let you pick the shipping date for my order...it arrived in perfect condition and on the perfect day. I was able to get everything planted within a couple of hours and they are all doing beautifully!! And, I have never gotten mail-order plants packed with such tender loving care!! I'm sure you will hear from me again! Judy

Just received my first (of many I'm sure) order from Sunshine Farm and am amazed at the quality of the plants. First of all, packing was superb with just the right amount of moisture per plant and no broken bones. The 50 Christmas fern rhizomes are packed in damp sphagnum and are exceedingly robust. Everything else I ordered was the 2" tree band size, so I expected very small plants. But hey! The price is right and I can pot up plants and hold them for a while. Much to my surprise, they were much larger than I expected and some are going straight into beds where I can monitor water, etc. I also ordered 50 2 yr. seedlings of unknown Hellebores. Haven't a clue what they'll look like, but the parentage is great and since I've never met a Hellebore I didn't like, it sounded like a good deal for filling in areas of new woodland beds. I am quite impressed with the size of these 'seedlings' and can hardly wait for them to bloom to see what varieties I have. It was a long, cold, snowy January and I was wooed by the intrigue of the 100 plant (5 ea of 20 different plants) sampler. WOW! Unpacking these babies and discovering what I'd received was fantastic. Not a dog in the bunch. Some are old friends, some are totally new to me and all look great. Additionally, while all of the spp. are well worth the price, some would normally command a premium price anywhere if bought separately. The sampler is not simply 1 or 2 desired plants and numerous run-of-the mill filler plants as with so many collections and Barry is very helpful in trying to select plants that fit your site demands. I normally order from 5-8 top-rated nurseries each year (Yes! Big-time chlorophyll addition) and have rarely had anything but very positive experiences, but I can honestly say dealing with Barry & his staff has been fantastic! I've only talked to two gardening friends since I unpacked my order, but both intend to try the sampler next year. Give Sunshine Farm a whirl. I don't think you will be disappointed. ct

Experience very positive, Shipment of hellibores and phlox arrived in great shape. Packaging was excellent. Based on past experience, immediately moved the plants (2 inch treebands) into larger pots where they should do great following Barry's planting instructions. Expect to set them out this Fall (2008). Good supply of plant tags was included. If you know what you are doing with small plants, Barry's plants are a good buy, particularly when he does his 'specials'. Al 3/26/08

I just recently ordered hellebores, trillium and Christmas fern. Barry answered questions thoroughly in advance of the purchase, and the plants arrived quickly. The hellebores were strong plants that settled in after planting and look healthy. I am looking forward to seeing the results.

ordered his Hellebores and they are beautiful and thriving ...Great instructions on planting and feeding and very informative information thru e-mail

I just received seven 2" pots with 2 year old Double Helleborus seedlings from Sunshine Farm and Gardens nursery. Plants arrived in perfect shape; they look healthy despite the stressful December shipment. The size is exactly like on the vendor's web site picture. I was told that they were hand pollinated, so I hope that the blooms will look like Doubles on pictures as well: these babies are pricey.... I look forward to seeing them in bloom in a year or two.

Just received fifty Primula Japonica and they are magnificantly beautiful !!! They are in 2-inch pots & were on sale. The healthy leaves were much larger than I expected with every pot having nice white roots coming out of the bottom. The plants were expertly packed in a tray which was covered by a net bag securely tied to prevent disturbance in transit. Then the extra space was filled with foam peanuts to further prevent movement...all this in an extra thick cardboard box. I had to co-ordinate the order with a friend from a different city...he mailing a check to Barry Glick separately from mine. Barry worked well with me and was quick to respond to my numerous emails. Will I order again ???...YOU BETCHA !!!

I've ordered 100 helebores from Sunshine Farm & Garden. They have all flourished in my garden for over 4 years. The were packed VERY WELL so for those who commented negatively on the condition of the plants upon arrival I wonder if it's the postal carrier that is to blame rather than Sunshine Farm & Garden. I love the website too, it's so informative and the photos of Barry's gardens are wonderful and his personal response to my e-mails is the personal touch I appreciate. Barry's passion for gardening and expert knowledge of plants comes through and I feel free to call or e-mail with a question or comment and always get a personal, down-to-earth, grass-roots, "hey don't you just LOVE to dig in the dirt" response - so I feel I'm dealing with my own personal plant expert not just a 'company'.