Comments regarding Dutch Gardens

Based on prior comments, I was very reluctant to order from Dutch Gardens. However, they were the only place I could find the Bulb Bopper, so I decided to go on and give them a try. I ordered 40 mixed daffodils along with my bopper. I was very pleased with the size of these bulbs - they were some of the largest bulbs I have ever rec'd ! They both arrived from 2 different locations, but at the same time. At this time, I'd say I am very pleased with them as a vendor. (I feel sure they will bloom, come spring)

Back in April 07 I ordered $120 worth of bulbs. They did not look to good upon arrival but at that time I was not experienced with bulbs and didn't realize that they were not top quality. As of this date they did not sprout except for two dahlias. I e-mailed Dutch Gardens and told them that I was a member of Daves Garden and the very next day they e-mailed me and offered me a refund or credit. I chose a credit as I appreciated their integrity and will definetly continue to do business with them.

Ordered a daylily and 4 packs of different bulbs. Dutch Gardens must not realize that April is often still winter in Iowa. Came home from work to a wet box of frozen bulbs that had obviously been sitting on my doorstep in an ice storm most of the day. E-mailed Dutch Gardens to tell them most of the bulbs were frozen. They responded promptly and sent an entire new order at their expense. The bulbs were lovely and the daylily was quite large. They now appear to be growing quite nicely. Dutch gardens has nice quality products and in my opinion, their customer service is top-notch.

I ordered two hybrid Clematis from Dutch Gardens...they arrived in beautiful condition and were well on their way to vigorous growth when they arrived. I've had mixed results from this company in the past, but I wasn't so disappointed that I wouldn't order from them again (some items, like Regale Lily bulbs, were downright unbelievable, and others, like tuberous Begonias, were disappointingly small in the past years that I've ordered from Dutch Gardens). This time, these were among the best plants I've ever received via mail order. I also ordered Lily bulbs and Dahlias from them this year, and so far, all looks pretty good with those as well. I will definitely order from them again now!

I recieved two boxes of bulbs from Dutch Gardens and as in the past I was happy with my purchase. The bulbs were large and in very good shape. They are a good company to do business with and they are very good about answering their emails.

I ordered 3 packages of bareroot sets described as "three top sized roots per package" = 9 total. One package had really tiny roots, but the other two packages each had 5 healthy ones. So I guess I am ahead in the long run.

I've ordered dahlias and begonias from them for the last few years and the quality has always been top notch. I just received some climbing roses and some perennials. The packaging and quality look to be among the best that I have seen. They are not cheap but they deliver variety and quality. I recommend them.

Purchased four types of iris and lilies. All arrived in good shape, packed well, and all appeared to be excellent bulbs.

I LOVE this company !!! Ordered Red Parade Tulips from them, and they were the biggest bulbs I have ever seen, 15/16cm. Big is definitely better. Huge and healthy, and they smelled fresh too, straight from Holland to your doorstep. Will definitely order from them again !!

In 2003, I ordered a very expensive Goldmine Yellow Peony from Dutch Gardens. I e-mailed them in 2004 saying that although the peony came up, it didn't bloom. They responded for me to give it more time -- that it can take a couple of years for a peony to bloom -- and to keep in touch. In 2006, it bloomed. I e-mailed Dutch Gardens and told them that it bloomed, it was very pretty, but was a pale yellow, not the bright yellow pictured. And that the plant itself was beautiful. Much to my surprise, they gave me a $20 credit, since the flower wasn't as yellow as expected! I was very (happily) surprised and can't wait to choose more bulbs!

Even though there were quite a few Negative and Neutral ratings, I decided to place an order because they had Hakonechloa Aureola which is a yellow and pink hued grass. Their price was low and they offered free shipping, so I thought I'd give them a try. I kinda braced myself to be disappointed because of some of the other buyers experiences, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plants were really excellent and I was impressed with their superior packing. I ordered three plants and they were each enclosed in a cardboard tube to protect the blades of grass. They were nestled into another box for secure shipping. They arrived moist and showed no sign of wilt. I ordered in March and received the plants in May - which is Ohio's planting time. The grass is healthy and growing.

I was very happy with my purchase and I definitely would buy from them again.

I have periodically ordered from this company over the years and been satisfied. However, this year I ordered two sets (6) of a new lily (Salmon Star) which they apparently ran out of; instead of consulting about substitution they choose to send me 10 lilies of their choice (Muscadet). I've plenty of them already so I informed them that I was not satisfied with their policy of substituting without consultation and didn't really want what they decided to send. They told me to keep their choice and to tell them my preference. I responded that my choice would be Black Beauty. When these arrived late last month there were three sets totalling 9 Black Beauties. The end result- a still satisfied customer.

This spring when the tulips bloomed, I was dismayed to find that some of the bulbs I ordered fro Dutch Gardens were not true to name. They were very nice about it and refunded me my money. Later, after seeing a plant I wanted on one of the forum threads, I went looking for it and Dutch Gardens was the only place that had it. I ordered 3. Upon receiving my order, I was very happy to find 3 very healthy plants packaged very similar to orders I received from Lazy SS Farm. They also sent me 3 bonus Regale Lily bulbs and this was on an only 18.00 order. I'm very leery of most of the "dutch" bulb sites, but I think Dutch Gardens tries to do a good job. I will order from them again.

I will say this is another great company. Last fall I ordered hundreds of bulbs and my spring garden looked outstanding. Very healthy and large bulbs. Also I ordered two rose bushes and they are doing very well. I can't wait to seem them blooming over the summer.
I will order again from them. Thank you

I have had mixed success with Dutch Gardens. I have placed orders with them for three years. My orders have always come on time and in pretty good shape. But, sometimes their stuff doesn't grow. I know this is normal. Plants weren't designed to live in a box for a few weeks and then expected to grow. I have still kept a positive rating because they have great customer service. My emails are always answered within two days. If I am not happy, they refund my money. Another plus, their dahlia bulbs are great.

I am a 5 year Dutch Garden fan. This year I decided to add
a more enhanced tulip area. I call it tulip mania. I blew the
neighbors away. I added 250 bulbs to the mix. I can not
hardly give the cuttings away fast enough. Today is Mothers day and the late spring Tulips are still kicking. Much thanks to cool weather. 1 Tulip is little. I will blast my yard with
crocus for next year. The Roses are a knock out also.

This is a good BULB company, I wouldn't order many perennials from them. I ordered a whole deluxe starter bulb kit and I was amazed at the quality, all bulbs big fresh and beautiful. They all bloomed the first year. This year some pink daffs didn't bloom and my emperor tulips didn't come up at all, but I guess that was my fault, I thought they were a type of rockery, let them stay in the ground types, or at least TRUE emperor tulips do....so I'm up in arms. Sometimes they get the "type" of plant and hardiness wrong, so I reccomend doing some research on certain bulbs, but have confidence in ordering their bulbs, top quality.

Their perennials though are a bit...lacking. I ordered some violets from them and they never made it to the fall, or bloomed. The canna I ordered died as well. They seem to branching out into all the other plants and roses and stuff, you can find those at better places.

I've ordered from Dutch Gardens for years. Last year I ordered a new peony eye. When it didn't send up a shoot in april, as expected, I e-mailed them. Their response was that they will send out a new eye in the autumn (which is what you do for peonies). In March, I ordered a David Austin rose and a lilac bush. I planted both whern they came in April. Some canes of the rose turned black. I e-mailed them for advice (trim the canes? wait and see?). Their response-- they shipped out another rose right away, and yes, I should trim the canes (and now the rose is doing better).

I was skeptical of ordering from this company because of some of the feedback in GW but was pleasantly surprised. I had just finished a new bed on the side of my house and ran 3 roses short. I was using Home Run exclusively in this bed and the vendor I ordered my original stock through had sold out. I took a chance on Dutch Gardens because the price was MUCH, MUCH lower than my original vendor. When I received the plants, they were waxed and in body bags(double yuck), but the canes were very nice and the roots good. Much to my surprise, the growth on these Dutch Gardens roses has now surpassed the other roses which were planted three weeks earlier. I also had a very attentive and helpful representative when I placed my order, the shipping was fair and faster than anticipated.

I ordered an assortment of bulbs and bareroots from Dutch Gardens, which arrived yesterday, packaged nicely. The bulbs look great, all large and firm, and I was blown away by the Mallow and Foxtail Lily roots-VERY large and healthy looking. I'm still waiting on my Bicolor Butterfly Bushes and Climbing Hydrangea, which should ship seperately. So far I am very happy with this company-great quality! I will order from them again.

This year is the first time I have order from Dutch Gardens and as I have read through here I have seen a lot of people have had problems with this company. I just wanted to say I have been very happy with the products that I have ordered from here. They arrived on time and I have been very happy with the results so far. Maybe I am not as picky as some people, but I am very happy with this company.

Last year I put in my first order with Dutch Gardens, after having received one of their e-mails with special offers of day lilies that I just couldn't pass up. Shortly thereafter, they arrived, and the roots were huge! I planted them and they started growing immediately. Despite our very dry summer (it stopped raining in April and started again around October) my day lilies grew and grew and bloomed beautifully. I can only image how gorgeous they are going to be this year. When I sent Dutch Gardens an e-mail to say how happy I was with their plants, they send me back a thank you e-mail, plus a 10 dollar off offer on anything else I ordered. Later this fall I, again, couldn't pass up their offer on some gorgeous peonies. Unfortunately, they arrived too late to be put in the ground, and I asked the company for advice. They said, try putting them in the ground anyways, and if they don't come up by spring, let us know, and we'll replace the plants. Well, I planted them in pots instead, and so far two out of three have come up and are doing great. I am still waiting to see if no. three comes up, but if not, I know I will get another plant from them. I will consider them for all my purchases as each experience with them has been great. Most other stores should be this good!

In Spring 2005, ordered a trio of roses (Everlasting Love, Moonstone, and Full Sail) for my parents' 50th anniversary.

Roses arrived promptly. Everlasting Love and Moonstone thrived, but Full Sail was a dud and died.

Contacted customer service in Dec 2005 via e-mail asking when I could order another one and they happily said they would replace it and put in an order with the shipper for me.

As it was too late to get a new one in 2005, will have the replacement in 2006.

I got my bulbs right on time and they were packaged very well. I had a problem with one kind of bulb and e-mailed them. They returned the e-mail the next day and it was taken care of. In fact I ordered more of the same bulb and they put a very generous credit on it. Joan

(10/30/05.......I had placed an order earlier this week. Today, I found a website that offered discounts, ie. $25 off $50 order. I emailed Dutch Gardens today (Sunday) and asked if they could credit me with the $25. I recieved an email the same day stating they would give me the credit.

Now, that's GREAT service!!!!!

I recently ordered several types of bulbs and 2 iris tubers. The bulbs were great, but the iris were VERY small and dry. However, when I contacted customer service, I got IMMEDIATE feedback and a credit to my credit card for the disappointing iris. I am VERY pleased with this response.

VERY HELPFUL IN PROVIDING A REFUND FOR PLANTS THAT DID NOT GROW. I APPRECIATE A COMPANY THAT STANDS BEHIND THE QUALITY OF THEIR PLANTS.

Spring 2004 was definitely neutral/border-line negative. Living half-an-hour from Gardener's Supply in Burlington, VT., I wait until they fill bins from Dutch Gardens at reduced prices. (Gas then, cheaper than shipping.) I selected
bulbs and others. I didn't pay w/credit card, nor keep my cash receipt. Mega-people were digging through the bins, sawdust/peat everywhere. A wk. later when I got to plant, I noted many of my bulbs were soft and/or molding --- I planted some, not all came up. Bare root plants in peat were barely there, so I planted "lumps"with little success. I
E-mailed them twice, no response.

However, back to neutral/jump to positive spring 2005. Used credit card for a record, and of course lost my head at Gardener's Supply as always and bought and bought.
Casa Blanca bulbs hurriedly tossed into 2 huge pots (such a rainy spring) as were others. (No more bare-roots for me from anywhere.) Not only were bins in store neater, but bulbs much healthier, the "hometown" price is unbelievable. To top this story off is this: I lost the little plastic bag holding 8 or 10 green Gladioli bulbs. Behind the stunning, potted Casa Blanca lilies in late July, were these strange, tall & pointy "weeds" ...... right through the plastic bag, at least 5 of
them 'broke free', rooted to the dirt and bloomed like crazy. Bulbs decidedly healthier - - - I think now Gardener's supply has taken over Dutch Gardens for these last 3-4 yrs., that I can see a noticeable improvement as Gardener's Supply is nothing but the cream-of-the-crop for gardening supplies, and anything to do with plants, the community, & composting is totally organic . . . a place where a old lady gardener w/a credit card can into fierce trouble in less than an hour. I can't wait until next spring for more bulbs from Dutch Gardens.

Another little aside: For those of you that recently rec. your Dutch Garden Holland Bulb fall catalog, look on page 14 and 15. Exciting new biodegradable trays with spring bulb designs all installed for one-stop planting. (Gorgeous!) Look at the price for each tray, then look up on top of page 14 at the photo of the box the bulbs come in. What is the sticker price on the box? I called them tonight, and the most friendly gal said she didn't have a clue what that meant and said she would leave a msg. for the daytime crew and for me to call tomorrow and they would have an answer.

I too ordered the Blueberry Sundae daylily from this company. After it arrived and I had planted it, I received a letter saying the supplier had mixed up the lilies and they would no longer accept anything this supplier offered. Enclosed with my letter, they included a gift certificate for $15 or $20(forget which) and an apology for my inconvienience. I later e-mailed them and said I misplaced the certificate and would they still honor it. The reply was that they would honor it even though they could not verify my order. I was credited for $25 off my next purchase. How much more could you ask from a company ? I would rate them as "super".

I've bought bulbs and roots from this company several times. The fall bulbs I ordered in Fall 2004 (daffodils, crocus, hyacinth, and iris) were large, basically mold and mildew free and grew well. My garden was gorgeous in March! The roots I ordered in Spring 2005 (coneflower, phlox, salvia, malva, and columbine) did fairly well, considering that I let them dry out and waited 3 weeks to plant them after I received them (very cold spring); I only had a 40% mortality rate. The coneflower did especially well.

Maybe this should be a neutral, but I'm making it positive because Customer Service ("John") was so nice. Three hollyhocks and a buddleia I ordered were shipped in posterboard shells, and three daylilies and an iris were shipped bagged. So far, so good, but all eight items were then just tossed in a large cardboard box with no tape nor crumpled newspapers to keep them from thumping around, so they did. The buddleia and two of the daylilies took a particular beating. The hollyhocks were yellowing, but I blame that on the late purchase (mid-June) rather than the shipping.

"John" assured me that this is NOT the way they ship things as a rule and vowed to track it down, and meanwhile gave me what I asked for: 66% refund on the shipping. He probably would have given more, but I thought that was all that would be fair. The plants will live, but not flourish as quickly as they ought. So -- shipping mistakes can happen anytime anywhere, and the customer service deserves the positive for making it right.

I ordered 2 packages of bareroot sea holly. All of the rootstocks were huge, and 5 of the 6 have done extremely well. When I had determined that the 6th had rotted, they immediately started an order for a replacement. The "replacement" just arrived, and is actually a package of 3 very large rootstocks, and they all look very healthy. Will definitely order from them again.

I ordered Lady Elsie May rose from Dutch Gardens. It
was received well packaged and healthy. It is already
leafing out and has buds on the rose. However, I too do not like the wax on the canes when it is received. I have ordered many roses this spring and this is the only
company that does this practice. After about a six weeks
it finally melted off. I will rank the company positive because the rose is performing well.

C&NN

I recently got 4 roses from this company. I ordered from them because of the ratings here on GardenWatchdog. I was happy with the roses, they have large canes, look healthy and seem to have pretty good roots. The only thing I didn't like was that they were sent with wax on them. They are all breaking dormancy and seem to be very healthy and the price was right.

I haven't ordered any perennials, bareroot or potted, but I did order a vast quantity of bulbs last fall. This spring I was in awe, everything I ordered has either bloomed beautifully, or is well on their way to blooming. (Daffs, Tulips, Crocus, Mountain Lilies and Erythronium)

Most negative feedback seems to be over the one mixed up Daylily, so I took a chance and ordered some perennials for this year. I will report back on how they fare!

I found some red roseform begonias that I couldn't find anywhere else and ordered them right away. About a week later, while checking the site for shipping status, I found that I had ordered two sets of 8, when I only meant to order one. It was my mistake completely, but I emailed to ask if it was too late to cancel one of the sets. I was amazed to receive an email back stating that it was too late to cancel one, but that I would only be charged for one and could give the others to a friend! Talk about amazing customer service!

The bulbs did take a very long time to arrive, almost a month, but I was very pleased with the size when they did get here. They are HUGE and I planted them right away. I have other things I want and will definitely be ordering from Dutch Gardens.

Just recieved my order of Malva, Dahlia, and Campanula. All is well and I am pleased with the promptness and packing care of the order. The plants look healthy and large. BB

I've been looking for Malva Zebrina plants for a long time and finally found them at Dutch Gardens. I received the plants a few days ago and they're very nice --- a great deal! I've also purchased relatively hard-to-find bulbs (such as Aztec and Gloriosa lilies) from Dutch Gardens and was pleased with the bulbs and the price.

Timely delivery of healthy bulbs. One batch that was supposed to be a color mix turned out to be all one color. I didn't have a problem, but I thought they ought to know and emailed. They responded within 24 hours with an apology and an offer of refund or replacement.