Florence, South Carolina 29505
(United States)

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Displaying the 30 most recent reviews

RatingContent
Positive
On Sep 7, 2017, bgxpwsa (2 reviews) from Chardon, OH

Posted on September 6, 2017, updated September 7, 2017 I ordered 3 plants (Apple Cocktail, Pear Cocktail, and Fruit Cocktail). They arrived in good condition and remained healthy after they were planted. When the plants started to grow, the buds that were grafted onto the parent plant (to produce the different types of fruits) did not grow. I have emailed the company multiple times beginning on May 2nd and including pictures of the plants. The only response I have gotten as of today (09/06/2017) was on May 2nd stating "It may be too early yet for the tree to have budded out. If you'll refer back to my initial shipping note that I sent to you via email on March 21st, I let you know that it takes extra time this first year for the buds to open". All my emails to the company 6/29 and 7/21 have gone unanswered. Basically Marths's Secrets has ignored me after they got my money.


On September 7th, 2017, bgxpwsa changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: I left a voicemail on 09/06/2017 and received a return phone call later that day. It seems that all the responses that were sent for my emails somehow never got to me and I needed to respond to the lost emails to resolve the situation. After speaking with Martha, I feel very much at ease now because she is more than willing to work with me and remedy the situation.

Positive
On Aug 26, 2014, CommanderNSB (3 reviews) from New Smyrna Beach, FL

I've placed two orders for different olive trees with Martha's Secrets this month and was very pleased with the shipping time, packaging and healthiness of the plants. All the plants were 18 to 24 inches tall and as advertised. I placed my initial order through Amazon.com and the second directly through the Martha's Secrets website. In both instances, the package was shipped USPS Priority Mail which is two-day service to anywhere in the USA. I wish more sellers would use this service since ground service with other carriers can take several days -- not a good thing for a live plant! I'll be shopping with Martha again soon...

Positive
On May 5, 2014, Larco (1 reviews) from Russellville, AR

Posted on May 5, 2014, updated May 5, 2014 Posted on May 2, 2014, updated May 5, 2014 Posted on April 28, 2014, updated May 2, 2014 Posted on April 28, 2014, updated April 28, 2014 Posted on April 27, 2014, updated April 28, 2014 After speaking by e-mail a few times with Martha I told her that I was putting my trust in her and ordering 2 of her extra large Russian Pomegranate trees. These trees were quite high by my standards but I wanted the largest ones I could find so that they would bear fruit sooner. The price was $49.99 each plus $21.25 shipping for a total of $121.23. I received them promptly and well packaged. I planted them the next day in well draining soil and kept the soil moist as instructed. A couple of weeks later I planted several assorted bare-root fruit trees and berry bushes from different source for half the price of the Poms + free shipping and a one year satisfaction guarantee. Within 2 weeks the fruit trees from the other company were already showing signs of life and sprouting leaves but the Pomegranates were still dormant or so I thought. Finally, one of the Poms sprung to life about a week before Easter. Sadly, the other to this day hasn't shown any signs of life. I scraped the bark with my fingernail and it was brown leading me to believe that there is no hope. I planted both trees with the same soil and under the same conditions and babied them equally yet one thrives the other never tried. First, let me say that in my conversations with Martha prior to the sale I found her to be helpful and kind. I would never for a minute believe that she would purposely send me a dead tree. I also checked her reviews and found the majority to be positive. Even though I knew when I purchased the trees that Martha doesn't guarantee them beyond shipping, I knew from what I had read that she would bend over backwards for her customers so I sent her a message on her contact form on April 22 and received confirmation that I would be contacted shortly. After a couple of days waiting for her to contact me I called and left a message letting her know what happened and to please contact me. She sent me an email that stated that she never received a contact form from me and that made me feel as if she was blaming me for the tree not coming to life because I didn't peel back the bark as soon as it arrived. I replied to her email that I didn't feel the need to scrape the bark because she already had and because I trusted her. And I also explained what happened with everything I planted. WOW! Her next email was extremely rude, condescending, and accusatory to me. You would have thought that I had sold her a dead tree! I sent her an email asking that she not send me anymore angry emails because I wouldn't be giving her anymore news of the trees and so far haven't heard from her since. In the past 4.5 years I have planted close to 60 trees and this is the first time that I got one that didn't thrive and didn't come with a one-year guarantee. I had the Poms for less than two months when I realized the one would not spring to life. Moral of the story is never buy trees without a one year guarantee. This has been a heartbreaking and negative experience for me but the reason I am calling it a neutral experience is because I knew when I purchased the trees that they were not guaranteed beyond shipping and deep down I still believe that Martha is a good and honest woman who was just having a bad day when she lashed out at me. Besides, there is a small chance that she might make amends and send me a replacement in the future in which case I would upgrade my review to positive. For anyone wanting verification I can forward our email conversations.


On April 28th, 2014, Larco added the following: Below you will find the e-mail history between Martha and I. The reason I am posting this is because Martha is unjustly accusing me of being rude, obnoxious, and insulting. Of course written words can be interpreted many ways and I can understand if a person found some of the words coming from me as those coming from someone who was disappointed in a purchase but to say that I was obnoxious or insulting is more than a bit of exaggeration. I challenge any reasonable person to compare our e-mails and determine who was accusatory and lashing-out. Martha is correct in saying that replacement was never discussed. She never offered. I never asked because her terms are "all sales are final" and I found no guarantee beyond shipping. In my mind, I have no right to ask and if she truly wanted to make it right she would have offered. Maybe Martha was not just having a bad day after all. As you can see in the conversations I did not tell her not to contact me. I only told her not to send me anymore angry e-mails. In the end, I am the one with the dead tree and she is the one that got paid for it. I still believe that she had all the good intentions and was not at fault. Who knows why one tree came awakened and the other did not. I take full responsibility for making the decision to buy these trees knowing that I would be taking a chance. We had tornados hit not far from us so there is more important things to worry about then a dead tree so I am closing the book on this. I will finish by again saying, Ms Martha " I am truly sorry for you feeling as if you were attacked and insulted by someone you feel as rude and obnoxious. I still believe you to be a good and kind person and I wish you good health and prosperity. Obviously we just had a failure to effectively communicate. Larry To Me Apr 24 at 9:49 PM Hi Larry. I just rec'd your voice mail message. I have not rec'd any emails from whether via email or via my contact form as I try to reply within 24 hours even on most weekends. I understand your frustration but again, I did not receive any mail from you. At least you thought to call and leave me a message. I'm sorry you are having problems with one of your pomegranate trees. Just curious, when they arrived, did you scrape the bark on each tree to ensure that it was alive? I know that I did verify that when I shipped them out. Martha www.marthassecrets.com Reply, Reply All or Forward | More Me To Martha Apr 24 at 10:27 PM Hi Martha I am known for my honesty, rest assured, I most definitely filled out and submitted your contact form. Perhaps you should have your system checked out. To answer your question, No, I did not scrape the bark when the trees arrived for two reasons: #1. You already had. #2. I trusted you. Of course, these trees looked dead when I received them but I have planted many dormant plants and bushes in my lifetime and this is the first time that I had one that did not "spring" to life. A couple of weeks after I planted the Pomegranates I planted several dwarf fruit trees that I purchased from Stark Bros., 3 peach trees, 2 apricot trees to go with one I already had, 1 cherry tree, and 2 elderberry bushes using the exact same soil. Every Stark Bro tree and bush, without exception, were putting on leaves within 10 days. Now, I am taking a lot of grief and I told you soes from my wife for doing business with you. She tells me that you will not make it right and sure enough, I have checked your ratings and the few people that have had bad experiences with you were not compensated. I did find that most people gave you positive reviews which leads me to believe that you did not purposely send me a dead or bad tree. The fruit trees from Stark brothers were for my kids, so that one day they could have fresh fruit. The Poms were for me because I so love them so if you you chose not to make it right then it will be my loss, not only in money, but also in trust. I had already recommended you to others. I don't really know what more I can say. Larry Show message history Reply, Reply All or Forward | More Martha To Me Apr 24 at 11:37 PM I think it's best for me to leave this email sit until tomorrow as you have been highly offensive and highly insulting. Do you really feel it's nice to attack me over a pomegranate tree? I'm not a little customer service agent with a large box company that moves on to the next phone call. I am a human being that does take her business personally and seriously. I cannot tell you why one of your pomegranate trees died. I can tell you that it was very much alive when I shipped it out and for the customers peace of mind I ask each customer to also verify that their tree is alive when it arrives by gently scraping the bark. I bend over backwards for each and every customer. Ever hear the phrase that you catch more flies with honey? Please do not compare me to another company as every company in the world has their own policies and procedures. They have stipulations for their returns. And, for the record, Stark has a lot of negative feedback/reviews. But, in their defense, as well as my own, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Some people feel the need to slam businesses online. I guess that makes them feel better. I don't lower myself to that level as those words are out there forever and ever. You don't know the circumstances over those negative comments. But most can read between the lines. You cannot please everyone 100% of the time no matter what. www.marthassecrets.com Show message history Reply, Reply All or Forward | More Me To Martha Apr 25 at 4:27 PM Martha, You are taking the dead pomegranate tree too personal. It was not my intention to make you feel insulted or offended. Yes, I agree that most online businesses have bad reviews. I am also aware that most reputable businesses have a high percentage of good reviews, as I pointed out about your business in particular. It is true that their is a lot of differences between what you call "big box businesses and small businesses. But many things are the same. Some, regardless of size, offer better guarantees than others, some don't offer any at all. I read most of the reviews. I agree, some sound phony or contrived, good and bad. By saying that my wife told me that I was making a mistake by buying from someone who doesn't offer a good guarantee doesn't mean that you are a bad person. I don't really know you, nor you me, but you seem like a nice person, and as I said in the other email I never for a moment think that you purposely sent me a dead tree. For all I know the tree just decided not to wake up for it's own reason. I don't think by me not scraping the bark the tree would die. So, lets just say it is no one's fault and leave it at that. Obviously, you are a very sensitive person as am I, but, again, please don't take this so personal. When I said that I lost trust it wasn't directed at you personally, it was in any online store that for whatever reason can't refund or replace a tree that was planted correctly and had been in the ground less than two months with no sign of life after onset of spring. Not your fault or mine. I have paid for my mistake and learned my lesson so their is no use sending me anymore angry e-mails as I will not be sending you anymore news on the trees. Again, I am sorry for your feeling insulted and offended over the dead tree. Who knows, it might just be playing possum and will just be a bit late. At any rate enjoy the beautiful spring Ms Martha and may your business continue to prosper. Larry :-) Show message history Reply, Reply All or Forward | More Me To Martha Apr 25 at 4:33 PM And don't worry, I knew I was taking a leap of faith. For that I am to blame, not you. You kept your end by sending the trees and by me paying I kept mine. So I am over it already and will move on. One day I will get a mate for the "survivor." :-) Show message history Reply, Reply All or Forward | More Martha To Me Apr 27 at 10:39 PM Do you really want to go there Larry? Really? I was trying to get thru a busy spring weekend and get orders out the door and I was going to sit down tonight to write to you even tho you asked me not to. You show me anywhere that I was angry as you put it. It was you that was rude and condescending to me as I interpreted it and I don't tolerate that from anyone. I didn't deserve the lashings you have given me. After your recent email, that I have not had a chance to respond to per above and even tho you said do not respond......I was going to respond. I read your email one way and you read my email another way. Typed words are not the same as a phone conversation. Did I ever ONCE say that I was not going to help you ? Nope. Please show me that. I asked if you had scraped the bark when it was delivered. I try to get as much info as possible from customers. Just this evening I had a cust. ask me to replace 2 dead trees. After getting more info, his trees are alive...they are just still dormant as they should be for that variety. His bark is green. Situation overted. And whether you believe me or not, I NEVER rec'd an email from you via the contact form. You also have my email address so why didn't you try writing me there? When you called, I responded. The internet is a great tool but it has flaws. I did have my web master check into the situation and he found nothing wrong with the system. www.marthassecrets.com Hide message history On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 5:33 PM, Larry Colburn wrote: And don't worry, I knew I was taking a leap of faith. For that I am to blame, not you. You kept your end by sending the trees and by me paying I kept mine. So I am over it already and will move on. One day I will get a mate for the "survivor." :-) On , Larry Colburn wrote: Martha, You are taking the dead pomegranate tree too personal. It was not my intention to make you feel insulted or offended. Yes, I agree that most online businesses have bad reviews. I am also aware that most reputable businesses have a high percentage of good reviews, as I pointed out about your business in particular. It is true that their is a lot of differences between what you call "big box businesses and small businesses. But many things are the same. Some, regardless of size, offer better guarantees than others, some don't offer any at all. I read most of the reviews. I agree, some sound phony or contrived, good and bad. By saying that my wife told me that I was making a mistake by buying from someone who doesn't offer a good guarantee doesn't mean that you are a bad person. I don't really know you, nor you me, but you seem like a nice person, and as I said in the other email I never for a moment think that you purposely sent me a dead tree. For all I know the tree just decided not to wake up for it's own reason. I don't think by me not scraping the bark the tree would die. So, lets just say it is no one's fault and leave it at that. Obviously, you are a very sensitive person as am I, but, again, please don't take this so personal. When I said that I lost trust it wasn't directed at you personally, it was in any online store that for whatever reason can't refund or replace a tree that was planted correctly and had been in the ground less than two months with no sign of life after onset of spring. Not your fault or mine. I have paid for my mistake and learned my lesson so their is no use sending me anymore angry e-mails as I will not be sending you anymore news on the trees. Again, I am sorry for your feeling insulted and offended over the dead tree. Who knows, it might just be playing possum and will just be a bit late. At any rate enjoy the beautiful spring Ms Martha and may your business continue to prosper. Larry :-) On Thursday, April 24, 2014 11:37 PM, Martha wrote: I think it's best for me to leave this email sit until tomorrow as you have been highly offensive and highly insulting. Do you really feel it's nice to attack me over a pomegranate tree? I'm not a little customer service agent with a large box company that moves on to the next phone call. I am a human being that does take her business personally and seriously. I cannot tell you why one of your pomegranate trees died. I can tell you that it was very much alive when I shipped it out and for the customers peace of mind I ask each customer to also verify that their tree is alive when it arrives by gently scraping the bark. I bend over backwards for each and every customer. Ever hear the phrase that you catch more flies with honey? Please do not compare me to another company as every company in the world has their own policies and procedures. They have stipulations for their returns. And, for the record, Stark has a lot of negative feedback/reviews. But, in their defense, as well as my own, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Some people feel the need to slam businesses online. I guess that makes them feel better. I don't lower myself to that level as those words are out there forever and ever. You don't know the circumstances over those negative comments. But most can read between the lines. You cannot please everyone 100% of the time no matter what. www.marthassecrets.com On Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 11:27 PM, Larry Colburn wrote: Hi Martha I am known for my honesty, rest assured, I most definitely filled out and submitted your contact form. Perhaps you should have your system checked out. To answer your question, No, I did not scrape the bark when the trees arrived for two reasons: #1. You already had. #2. I trusted you. Of course, these trees looked dead when I received them but I have planted many dormant plants and bushes in my lifetime and this is the first time that I had one that did not "spring" to life. A couple of weeks after I planted the Pomegranates I planted several dwarf fruit trees that I purchased from Stark Bros., 3 peach trees, 2 apricot trees to go with one I already had, 1 cherry tree, and 2 elderberry bushes using the exact same soil. Every Stark Bro tree and bush, without exception, were putting on leaves within 10 days. Now, I am taking a lot of grief and I told you soes from my wife for doing business with you. She tells me that you will not make it right and sure enough, I have checked your ratings and the few people that have had bad experiences with you were not compensated. I did find that most people gave you positive reviews which leads me to believe that you did not purposely send me a dead or bad tree. The fruit trees from Stark brothers were for my kids, so that one day they could have fresh fruit. The Poms were for me because I so love them so if you you chose not to make it right then it will be my loss, not only in money, but also in trust. I had already recommended you to others. I don't really know what more I can say. Larry On Thursday, April 24, 2014 9:49 PM, Martha wrote: Hi Larry. I just rec'd your voice mail message. I have not rec'd any emails from whether via email or via my contact form as I try to reply within 24 hours even on most weekends. I understand your frustration but again, I did not receive any mail from you. At least you thought to call and leave me a message. I'm sorry you are having problems with one of your pomegranate trees. Just curious, when they arrived, did you scrape the bark on each tree to ensure that it was alive? I know that I did verify that when I shipped them out. Martha
On April 28th, 2014, Larco added the following: I forgot to add the contact form received confirmation that I received immediately after I first sent the contact form to Ms Martha. When you click on about on her web site it says that is the fastest way to get a response. I know she said she did not receive it and I have no reason to not believe her but it is proof that I sent it and that it made it to the server. Because I had read of the same them happening before I suggested she have it checked out. Martha's Secrets To Me Apr 22 at 9:51 PM Thank you for contacting us through the Martha's Secret website contact form. We'll be in touch with you shortly. -Martha
On May 2nd, 2014, Larco added the following: Below is my last attempt to get the Pomegranate Tree issue resolved. I will adjust my rating depending on what, if any, response I get. Peace? Me To admin@marthassecrets.com May 1 at 10:38 PM Dear Martha, After giving it some time to calm down I have decided to try one more time to bring some resolution to our tree issue. I am trying to be very careful to not say anything that you will take differently than I intend. I have apologized for my part in this unfortunate happening. I have expressed my belief in you being a good person. I am open to working the dead tree issue out if you are. In spite of the things already said I am still willing to upgrade my rating for you and also write a glowing review if you are willing to replace the one that didn't wake up. If not, then it will be time for me to give someone else a chance before it is too late in the season. If you don't reply before the end of the weekend I will assume that we can go no further on this issue. Sincerely, Larry
On May 5th, 2014, Larco added the following: Below are the final conversations between Martha and I. Due to the fact that I don't want my review and rating to cause a negative impact on Martha's Secrets I will soon request that my rating and comments be removed from this forum. As far as I am concerned this is over. Me To Martha Today at 7:06 PM Dear Martha, I am sorry that it took so long to respond. I have been getting records and paperwork ready for a consultation with a specialist concerning surgery that I need. Wow, what a kind and generous offer on your behalf. There is no disputing that you are a kind and caring person. In spite of what has happened between us I have always held that belief. I only wish that you would have sent that e-mail instead of the the second one you sent after the dead tree issue came to light. I also wish that you had received the contact form I had sent. No, it would not be right for you to send a replacement or refund for you do not guarantee your trees beyond shipping and reception. Besides, it is not your fault that the tree is dead. You said that they were alive when you shipped them and I believe you. Who knows why one made it and the other did not. I'm over it now. At least I have one strong Russian. I can't wait till I can pick fruit from it. As I recall, you told me that it should bare this year so I will be very excited. If not, then it surely will next year. As for the one that did not awaken, yes I did make a small scrape on it the day before I sent you the contact form and it was indeed brown. I checked again Saturday, same result. It's O.K. Just because I have had such good fortune with trees I shouldn't take it for granted that just because I baby them and love them that they all survive. It was bound to happen eventually. :-( Martha, thanks for the offer. That makes me feel better. I know that small business's can't afford to make guarantees because there would be some people cheat you and that would make it hard for you to keep your prices competitive. So, I will find another Pom. If not this year, maybe next.:-) I will check into having my review and rating removed. Since you will not be doing anymore business with me you shouldn't worry about anymore reviews or ratings on your business. I am truly sorry for your negative feelings toward me and anything that I said that you didn't like. Sincerely, Larry Hide message history On Monday, May 5, 2014 1:35 AM, Martha wrote: Yes, when dealing with you, I will continue to choose my words carefully. I shipped 2 live trees to you. I do not know what happened to your other tree. It may still be alive if the bark is green but I'm not there to scrape the bark of the tree and I don't remember if you did tell me that you did check that recently. Should the bark be green and it is just dormant, I have a few things one can try to get a tree to break dormancy. To resolve this issue, here are options: You purchased 3 gallon sized trees (I refer to them as Xtra large size). I cannot ship a 3 gallon size tree at this year. That size can only ship dormant/bareroot. 1. Return the tree in question to me and I will refund your original payment of $50.00 for that one tree or the existing tree stays with you and I will ship you out the large size but you pay the shipping. 2. Remove all comments from Dave's Gardens. 3. You write out a statement to me that you will not post anything more about me or my business on the internet. That includes Daves Gardens/Garden Watchdog, etc. The above would conclude everything regarding this transaction. www.marthassecrets.com On Sat, May 3, 2014 at 12:44 PM, Larry Colburn wrote: Hi Martha, I gave you my terms to improve your rating. Now you have countered with your terms to continue the conversation. I agree that you are now choosing your words carefully. Nowhere in your e-mail have you offered to replace the tree. When I sent the contact form that you never received I asked if there was anything you could do hoping that you would at least offer to replace the tree that did not awaken. If you would have replied with a simple yes or no this situation could have been averted. A yes and I would have been singing your praises to the high heavens by letting it be known that you stand behind your product and will do anything you can to satisfy your customer and I would have given you a positive rating. A no and I would have just conceded that I made a mistake by purchasing a tree without a guarantee and I would have left it at neutral, and that would have been the end of it. Had you not went to Dave's Garden and posted that I was "rude and obnoxious" I would have never posted our e-mail conversations as evidence to the contrary. Again, all of this could have been avoided had you sent me the other Extra Large Russian Pomegranate tree in place of the dead one. I admit that we both could and should have handled the situation better. I have apologized for the email that you felt was offensive and insulting. Again, that was not my intention. But I would hope that you would put yourself in my shoes and realize the disappointment and sadness I felt when I realized that my tree was dead and that I had wasted my time and money after being so excited when I received the trees because I had always wanted my own Pomegranate trees. The tree is still in the ground and I pass it every day when caring for my other trees and gardens. To me all living things have value and it saddens me that for whatever reason this one didn't awaken from it's winter sleep. As for removing my review of your business from Dave's Garden; I have given you the conditions to turn this thing around. All things I have written in the review are actual events and facts. Now if you will replace the tree I will do what I can to have the review removed and will even replace it with one that reflects my satisfaction that you did everything you could to make things right also. And since you will more than likely not want to do anymore business with me there will not be any reason for me to write anymore reviews of your business. Rest assured that I have not nor do I intend to post any reviews of this experience on any other site. Again, it is not too late to make amends. But time is running out for me and I want to put this whole regrettable experience behind me and move on as I am sure you do. Thanks you for responding and may you have a great day. :-) Larry On Saturday, May 3, 2014 9:56 AM, Martha wrote: With you, I must choose my words carefully for obvious reasons. Here is what it will take for me to continue a conversation with you. 1. Remove all comments from Dave's Gardens 2. You write out a statement to me that you will not post anything more about me or my business on the internet. That includes Daves Gardens/Garden Watchdog, etc. www.marthassecrets.com On Thu, May 1, 2014 at 11:38 PM, Larry Colburn wrote: Dear Martha, After giving it some time to calm down I have decided to try one more time to bring some resolution to our tree issue. I am trying to be very careful to not say anything that you will take differently than I intend. I have apologized for my part in this unfortunate happening. I have expressed my belief in you being a good person. I am open to working the dead tree issue out if you are. In spite of the things already said I am still willing to upgrade my rating for you and also write a glowing review if you are willing to replace the one that didn't wake up. If not, then it will be time for me to give someone else a chance before it is too late in the season. If you don't reply before the end of the weekend I will assume that we can go no further on this issue. Sincerely, Larry
On May 5th, 2014, Larco changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Company representative comment on April 27, 2014:
On Apr 28, 2014 12:18 AM, Marthas Secrets responded with:

Customer Larry did order 2 Extra Large 3 Gallon sized dormant Russian Pomegrante trees from me back in the winter months. To ensure dormant trees are alive, before I pull and pack them, I do gently scrape a bit of the bark to reveal 'green' showing the tree is alive as I guarantee that my trees arrive healthy and alive. I also ask the customer to please do the same upon arrival just for their peace of mind. Larry states that he used my web site contact form to contact me recently. I never rec'd that email and even checked w/my web master to ensure my site was operating correctly. He then called and left me a voice mail message. It was nearing midnight when Larry called that evening so I wrote to Larry the same evening instead of calling him back at that late hour. I apologized and told him I did not receive his email. He gave very little info in his voice mail about the tree except that he thought it was dead. I asked if he scraped the bark of the tree. That was all I asked. Replacement was NEVER even discussed. Larry's next email to me is when he went off on me. Larry was over the top rude, obnoxious and highly insulting. My reply pointed that out to him. Larry took it to a personal level. I was not the one having the bad day. Larry wrote again and told me not to contact him further. I too can supply the email conversations.

Neutral
On May 3, 2014, Orchidity (1 reviews) from Charlottesville, VA

Posted on April 28, 2014, updated May 3, 2014 I'm giving this vendor a 'neutral' because of the pleasant conversation and what I believe to be a sincere effort at making customers happy. Call before you order to verify sizes. I ordered bamboo and elephant ears earlier this spring and was disappointed to learn that the elephant ears (Mojito and Pink China) were NOT as advertised. On the website Mojito's are advertised "These are not young starter plants", Pink China as "live plants 6-12 months old growing in a 1 gallon container". Both were starters no more than 4" tall with 2 leaves in tiny 2" pots, which I would have been fine with but I wanted established plants, and had they been offered at a discount. I could have purchased the same size at any number of vendors for about $6 per plant. I'm not recommending avoiding Martha's Secrets, but it would be a good idea to protect yourself and verify that what you order is what you will be receiving.


On May 3rd, 2014, Orchidity added the following: Hi Martha, Orchidity again. Thanks for the comments. Now that winter is over, if I order replacement Mojito Colocasia Elephant ear again will it be "These are not young starter plants", and if I order Pink China Elephant Ear replacement can I be assured that they are "6-12 months old growing in a 1 gallon container"? Because honestly, the Mojito aren't doing well and the Pink China are just about dead. If not, I will find another vendor. Thanks.
Company representative comment on April 28, 2014:
On Apr 28, 2014 5:15 PM, Marthas Secrets responded with:

Per my ads, they can ship as dormant bulbs in the winter months. They are 6-12 months old but I let them go dormant each winter. Since we had such a long, cold winter, they were late in breaking dormancy. I'm sorry you are not happy with your order. I'll be happy to speak with you regarding this. Thanks.

Positive
On Feb 22, 2014, tam_kil (1 reviews) from Amherst, TX

Excellent quality plants and super fast shipping. I've made several orders with Martha, and have been OVER THE TOP pleased and satisfied with what I received. All my plants arrived in top condition and in perfect packaging. Martha took the time to guide me through my orders...and helped me with what would do well in my garden. I was way more than pleased with the service I received.

Positive
On Sep 20, 2013, 13PointRanch (3 reviews) from (Zone 8a)

Ordered a "Eureka" Persimmon tree from Martha's Secrets this past spring, and couldn't be happier with this healthy, strong tree. It has grown so much since we got it, and appears to be loving it here in Texas! Would definitely order again from this nursery in the future.

Positive
On Aug 28, 2013, plantedinky (1 reviews) from Danville, KY

Been buying plants online for sometime now. Great experience with both plants and trees from this vendor. Great packaging methods to get plants to me in good shape. Great planting instructions included to answer some of the unknowns as I don't know everything....yet. I will most certainly order more as I feel I am getting what I paid for each time. One of the best vendors for my needs.

Negative
On Aug 28, 2013, KanapahaLEW (20 reviews) from Alachua, FL (Zone 8b)

I recently ordered and received 2 Cornus florida 'Red Chief/flowering dogwood trees in 13-inch-long tree pots. At this time of year, I expect plants to be in active growth, fully-leafed out, have a pot full of roots (after having presumably been growing in a nursery for some months), and, therefore, be plantable in the ground (we plant in the ground 365 days of the year and, with good cultural practices, have a high success rate). These two trees were shipped with their leaves severely cut back, many to mere nubs. The single sheet of information included in the package said, “Some leaves may be trimmed back, not off, prior to shipping. This helps ease the tree thru shipping and transplanting. This does not hurt the tree.” There is not much foliage on these trees. I order lots of plants (including trees) online and have never received any with their leaves largely removed or absent (unless they were shipped dormant and not actively growing). There is absolutely nothing on the “Terms” page ( or anywhere else on the website) regarding the removal of leaves. I work in a botanical garden and do lots of propagation. The only times I remove any foliage at all is when I take cuttings or when, in the process of digging a plant out of the ground and either potting it up or replanting it elsewhere in the ground, root volume is reduced. The information sheet also said “Be very careful as your tree may not be rootbound in this pot.” When I slit the pot open I found that the bottom 2” of soil had no roots in it. The rest of the soil fell directly away from the roots. I emailed these people about this and was told “Per my growing guide that I sent, I state that the trees may or may not be rootbound in their pots.” Just because something is “stated” doesn't make it acceptable. They also said, “They were potted this past winter after they were dug from the fields”. I emailed and asked why they didn't fill their pots with roots if they'd been potted up since winter (which, even assuming potting up as late as March, would have meant they were in these pots at least 4 to 5 months). These people refused to answer that question, and there is nothing anywhere on the website regarding the fact that plants may not be rootbound. They also wrote in an email, "In fact, I don't suggest anyone plant any type of tree in July and August due to the heat as many do not know how to care for them properly." This does not appear anywhere on the website or in the information sheet. If that is what they believe, why do they ship trees in August? I have repotted these largely defoliated trees and hope to get them eventually into the ground (once they properly fill their pots with roots and grow leaves again). Wish me (and the trees) luck.

Positive
On May 22, 2013, trackinsand (47 reviews) from mid central, FL (Zone 9a)

first time ordering from martha and she exceeded my expectations! super fast communication and shipping. plants (a pair of Banana Cannas) were bare root with lots of good, healthy roots and tall foliage. great instructions included if you need them. i will order again from martha. super easy transaction!!!

Positive
On May 6, 2013, pghflowergirl (3 reviews) from Arnold, PA

I ordered a Jack's Giant Elephant Ear plant on Friday night from Martha's Secrets. I was surprised that I received an email Saturday saying that the plant was shipped. I received it today (Monday) It was very healthy looking, packaged nice, no damage to plant. I removed it from the packaging and have it potted. Very nice experience and super fast shipping. I will definitely add this company to my ordering list.

Positive
On Mar 19, 2013, drobarr (6 reviews) from Hummelstown, PA (Zone 6b)

On Friday of last week I ordered a Mission Olive tree. It arrived on Monday. Good value for the money and very prompt. Tree was well packaged and arrived in good shape.

Positive
On Mar 12, 2013, RJ_Zone7b (1 reviews) from Cumming, GA

I received my order right on time, with large, beautiful plants and explicit, detailed instructions. Lovely plants, lovely store, and lovely owner who answered emails immediately and in a friendly manner.

Positive
On Mar 8, 2013, themikesmom (34 reviews) from Concord, NC

Really nice person. The very first Brugmansias we ever got came from here, they were Cherubs Smile and Sunkissed Yellow. Her selections of rarer varieties can't be beat, and whats also nice is that she lists the size of the brugs your gonna recieve, and she is willing to ship them in the winter as she has a greenhouse and many other vendors do not or will not ship then. My son went to buy a very large plant from here in 2010 and she told my son that although it was healthy enough to probably survive she recommended to my son to buy the smaller less expensive one of the same variety as she wanted to make sure it survived for him and he can have it for years to come. She could have sold him the more expensive one but did the right thing. That was very honest and the plant is still healthy and growing 3 years later. We will be happy to recommend Martha to anyone.

Positive
On Mar 1, 2013, plantcreature (1 reviews) from Crystal Lawns, IL

After reading the derogatory comment below, I felt compelled to leave one myself. I have been purchasing great quality plants from MarthasSecrets for the past 5-6 years. When reading reviews, you should know that not everything you read on the internet is the truth. Every order is always shipped quickly and my plants are of great quality and professionally packaged. Martha always responds to any phone calls or emails in timely manner. I have ordered several varieties of her fruit cocktail trees which are flourishing as well as several of her ornamental trees including dogwoods, a weeping peach tree and a chocolate mimosa tree. I have referred many of my friends and family members to MarthasSecrets and they too are happy with their purchases. I am getting ready to place another large Spring order right now!

Positive
On Feb 28, 2013, taivins (1 reviews)

Purchased a Meyer Lemon tree and a Thundercloud Purple Leaf Plum tree, both in good condition, large, and came with care sheets. Martha allowed me to do a local pick up to save on shipping, so that was awesome. She was very eager and ready to provide tons of advice.

Positive
On Feb 11, 2013, daddysgirl1800 (3 reviews) from Lake City, TN

Posted on March 10, 2011, updated February 11, 2013 Very nice lady, and goes out of her way to find what you are wanting and sends very healthy plants! The packaging is great, and ships very quickly. I will buy many more plants from her. I love doing business with a nursery like hers! Thankyou, Martha.


On February 11th, 2013, daddysgirl1800 added the following: I have been reading some of the comments and have seen some very nasty remarks about this company. Martha has been nothing but professional, and kind to me for years. She has always answered every email and message I have ever sent and her plants are always very healthy with a big root system on them. I would suggest that anyone wanting good and healthy plants to get them from Marthas Secrets! She will help you in any way she can to make your garden beautiful, so give her a call or send an email to her today to get an early start. Thanks Martha, for always being there for me, and answering back promptly! God Bless.

Negative
On Feb 11, 2013, sweetmelonpie (2 reviews)

Posted on February 9, 2013, updated February 11, 2013 bought two bareroot multifruit trees from martha's secret last spring to try this online store among other online merchants. Initial experience was very nice and personable. she replied to emails and questions promptly within a day. But when one of the tree did not grow, multiple emails were ignored as if she made a 180 degrees turn. I have bought multiple tree from other companies that have been thriving and none of them died or fail to grow as yet. Would definitely not recommend this company to anyone and will definitely never buy from them again. Fail to respond to emails when things go wrong and are only nice to you when you buy from them but fail to take reponsibility for their products.


On February 11th, 2013, sweetmelonpie added the following: As I had said before, I have bought multiple bareroot trees from other companies and they grew without problems. I do know how to follow instructions, and yes I know how to hit the reply button on gmail when a company sends me an email. I wrote this emaill almost a year later because I wanted to let fellow planters know about my experience with this company, and yes I moved in the meantime to another state as well. As most readers will probably pick up that the person replying to my complaint is non apologetic and verge on the border of accusing me of either not being able to follow directions, not know how to email someone and of course being a fake agent of some sort. Now if you want to compare her products compared to the other vendors that I have used, yes her bareroot trees are actually smaller, root system is not as well developed. None of this is actually a big deal to me as long as the tree grows. Now I don't want to put the other companies names on this forum to avoid additional accusations of being their salesmen or something like that. As I have said before I will not deal with this company again.
Company representative comment on February 8, 2013:
On Feb 9, 2013 2:07 AM, Martha's Secrets responded with:

I do not know who you are as I cannot look up an order from a sweetmelonpie from Kemp Hill MD but I did just search my data base and I don't show one single customer from MD that purchased multiple bareroot cocktail trees last year. Why didn't you post your name so that I could look up an order? I do respond to all emails. How long did you have your tree before you said that you wrote to me with an issue? What address did you use? Were they watered and fed on a regular basis? There are so many factors that are involved with plants. I do have a phone number and I return all phone calls. I did not receive a phone call from anyone regarding this issue. All plants are wrapped professionally and guaranteed to arrive healthy and alive. All packages are insured in full. In addition, I ask that customers send photos of their plants so I can see what issues are going on.

Positive
On Jan 20, 2013, Floralkingdom (17 reviews) from Niceville, FL (Zone 8b)

I have been ordering banana plants, bamboo and fruit trees from Martha for several years now. Just recently placed another large order. My experience has always been positive. She is very nice and pleasant, very good at what she does. The packaging was excellent, the plants arrived in great condition. She always answers my emails and ships promptly. She has a great selection of trees, they have been hardy to the elements, and of good size. All of the trees I have purchased from Martha are thriving, I highly recommend her to others.

Positive
On Dec 19, 2012, VaCatMom (1 reviews) from New Castle, VA

I received a number of trees from Marthas Secret, including some dogwoods. I was surprised by the bare-root situation, but later found that this is a standard way of shipping small trees - - - it prevents the transportation of non-native micro-organisms into the new location. I planted them according to instructions, and once they got out of their dormant state, they were beautiful, green & leafy.

Negative
On Nov 25, 2012, chikara (1 reviews) from Hillside Lake, NY

I purchased a tree from Martha on Ebay and when it arrived it was in poor shape and nearly dead. I followed all her directions to a tee however it died within days. Ebay advised me to file a claim against her within 30 days in order to receive a refund. Martha then pleaded with me to NOT to file a claim against her and see if the Post Office will cover the cost from the insurance. Martha then PROMISED me that if the Post Office denies the coverage, she will send me a new tree by the Fall season. With my kind heart and trusting Martha, I obliged to her wish and waited for the results from the Post Office. After 30 days had lapsed to file a claim with Ebay, the Post Office denied my insurance claim for the cost. I immediately reached out to Martha. I tried several times and realized that Martha had BLOCKED me from contacting her. I cannot believe a business person is willing to jeopardize the moral of their business for a lousy of $75 ($59.99 for the tree and $15 shipping cost) and feel satisfied that they sold another item regardless if it was done morally or not. I pity Martha for her shenanigans and strongly advise all potential buyers of her items to be very careful to doing business with her. I still have plenty of TRUST out there for the sellers at Ebay but I do not trust Martha at all.


Company representative comment on November 25, 2012:
On Nov 25, 2012 5:10 PM, Martha's Secrets responded with:

You purchased your tree on 6-6 and it arrived to you on 6-9. You left the following positive feedback on Ebay '' GREAT SELLER !!!!! WILL BUY FROM AGAIN'' which conflicts with your statements above that it arrived in ''poor shape and nearly dead.''Anyone reading this can easily look up that feedback by texaspetunia. You sent me a note stating how pleased you were with your tree. You may want to rethink the rest of your statements that you wrote on this forum as you know they are false.

Positive
On Mar 28, 2012, LanaIceCream (2 reviews) from Trinity, FL

On March 24, 2012 I ordered three fruit trees online at her website www.MarthasSecrets.com I ordered one 5-in-1 apple tree, one 3-in1 apple tree, and 1 5-in-1 Asian pear tree. I am in Zone 9. I received an email notification that my items have been shipped. Martha also sent an addition email which I think helps with follow-up. Soon after, I received all three of the trees on March 28, 2012. They were sent in a timely manner. When I received them all three plants were packaged well with directions. If you do plan to order from her be warned that some of the items are bare root trees so do not be shocked that they are dormant and/or have no leaves. Also be aware that some items are restricted in certain states so make sure you read the descriptions before you order. Her email follow-up has been excellent so far. I am extremely happy with all of the items I ordered and would order from them again. Here are some pictures: 1. Before planting //www.flickr.com/photos/33715092@N00/6879351276/ 2. 3-in-1 apple tree //www.flickr.com/photos/33715092@N00/6879354422/ 3. 5-in-1 apple tree //www.flickr.com/photos/33715092@N00/7025454925/ 4. 5-in-1 Asian pear tree //www.flickr.com/photos/33715092@N00/7025454715/ I surrounded these trees with mulch after I took these pictures but you can get an idea how they look. I would buy these trees from her again :)

Positive
On Mar 15, 2012, Eponagirl (4 reviews) from Northeastern, CT (Zone 6a)

After reading the positive reviews here, I decided to purchase a Meyer Lemon Tree from Martha's Secrets. Ordering was easy, shipping was fast, packed well enough (no damage to tree). The tree is blooming and smells wonderful, it's about 3-4 ft tall. So far so good after about 6 days here. I got an email from Martha shortly after placing my order with tracking info and notes on special care for good success. She sent a quick email back answering my question about the container size that I potted the plant in. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from here again.

Positive
On Feb 21, 2012, Rorschach22a (2 reviews) from Stamford, CT

This is my first experience with Martha's Secrets and I am beyond impressed! I recently ordered a Meyer Lemon tree, fully expecting a little baby of a plant that would hopefully produce a couple fruits if I was lucky and the stars were aligned properly. What I received was a big, healthy 4.5 foot tree with a solid 3/4 inch trunk and at least 20 flowers already starting to form! It was very carefully packed and came with detailed care instructions and a handwritten thank you from Martha on the packing slip. It also came within 5 days of placing my order! Great service and excellent product! I will definitely do business again!

Neutral
On Aug 13, 2011, esteve59 (39 reviews) from Annapolis, MD

Martha is certainly very nice and responds quickly to emails,,,,,however I purchased a Albezia 'Summer Chocolate' and when it arrived all the foliage fell off one week later. Fortunately I was able to baby it and eventually sprouted some new leaves....after losing about 1/3 of the height. When transplanting it I was disappointed with the root system which was VERY weak,,,definitly not well established.

Positive
On Jun 4, 2011, bryana (72 reviews) from Albany, NY

ordered two fig trees. The arrived fast, very well packaged and were much larger and healthier than two trees I ordered from another company. Would definitely order from Martha again - the best!

Positive
On May 27, 2011, silkroad (8 reviews) from Lady's Island, SC (Zone 9a)

After seeing an Albezia 'Summer Chocolate' at Swan Lake in Sumter, SC, I searched the web to buy one. I found Martha's Secrets in Florence, SC and ordered one Tuesday night. It arrived today, Friday, and it was so much more than I expected. It is 3' high with a 1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter trunk, and fully branched. A beautiful, healthy specimen. Martha was especially helpful and friendly. I just wish she were closer to Lady's Island, SC!! Or maybe not, says my budget. Although her prices are most reasonable. I definitely recommend this vendor.

Positive
On May 26, 2011, cottagehome (1 reviews) from Easley, SC

Wow! Martha out did herself again! Ordered 2 portoras and 2 persian palms and they arrived super healthy and packaged with the utmost care. Ordered 1 more portora and it arrived quickly and was even bigger than the first ones. These are actually plants and not just bulbs like most of the other ones on ebay. Martha replies promptly to emails and I would recommend her to friends and family all day long. Thanks Martha!

Positive
On May 10, 2011, coldgoosie (2 reviews) from Felton, MN

I emailed a couple of times to ask questions before my purchase and the replies were quick and very informative. When I purchased my trees, (lemon, lime and cumquat) they were shipped immediately and arrived in terrific condition. I couldn't be happier with the trees I received and am so glad I opted to go with Martha's rather than trying to grow a "stick".

Positive
On Mar 12, 2011, RedLeopard2 (1 reviews) from Naples, FL

Ordered a pair of Musa velutina - Pink Velvet Banana (from ebay store listed as "Marthas Plants Trees Bananas Bamboo"). I was quickly notified plants were packed and ready to ship next day. Plants received quickly, were larger than expected, and quite healthy. Was very pleased with this first order, wished I had ordered more! Will definitely consider this seller for future purchases.

Positive
On Mar 28, 2010, flowerchik1 (10 reviews) from Guyton, GA (Zone 8b)

The kiwi plants were packed well, shipped fast and very healthy. Thanks!

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