Comments regarding The Lily Garden

I just bought some lily bulbs and crocosmia corms. I live in the sticks in central Alabama and nothing gets here fast - especially via US mail. I think it took 3 days between the day I ordered them and when they were delivered. I wasn't ready for that. The bulbs are bigger than any lily bulbs I have received in the past and I didn't know crocosmia corms got that big. One of the lily bulbs was not available/ good enough to ship and I got a credit on my credit card a day or two after I ordered. So a very good experience so far. I will see when they grow and flower. The only bad thing was that they had some gorgeous crocosmia and lilies that were sold out that I would have loved to have ordered. If this purchase does well I will check on those bulbs earlier next spring before somebody else gets them.

My first order but, assuming I'm still above ground in a year, won't be my last. Very impressive selection. Bulbs received ranged from large to huge, probably dependent on variety. All were very firm and showed signs of previous heavy rooting. Only minor criticism would be that their web sigh was a bit slow and not overly user friendly. Otherwise, I'm very satisfied.

Posted on May 13, 2020, updated October 11, 2020
I have purchased from The Lily Garden before and had a positive experience, its been awhile so I recently purchased some Goldsmith and Copper Crown lilys, I received the bulbs on Saturday, all were nice sized; I planted them on Monday. One of the Goldsmith bulbs was a little soft on a side, I notified the business on Tuesday and Niels responded the next morning and is shipping a new bulb! Great customer service, I will be back again! Thanks to The Lily Garden.

I had fantastic experiences ordering from The Lily Garden. The bulbs are all large, healthy, and well-labeled, and all are coming up nicely. There was a mix-up in one of the orders and they responded to my e-mail within 24 hours and had the replacement bulbs in the mail the same day. I am really impressed with how responsive they have been, and they have earned my long-term business.

Very good experience. Ordered three lilies and a set of five crocosmia bulbs. All arrived large and expertly packed, with a free bonus lily included. I am new to lilies, and had written them ahead of time to ask if there were any they recommended--received a wonderful reply with a small number of suggestions tailored to what I needed. Putting them in the ground today, but so far am very pleased.

Posted on October 19, 2003, updated March 25, 2020
I recently received my third order from this great company. I have ordered lilies from several fine companies, such as Old House Garden and White Flower Farm, but The Lily Garden is simply unique. The lilies are unusual, the bulbs large and firm, and they reproduce at an incredible rate. Although some of their lilies can be pricey, their vigor is incredible, with unsurpassed disease resistance, strong stems, and large size. Even under less than ideal planting conditions, these lilies thrive. They look, in their first year, the way most lilies look in their third. Another nice bonus: if you order by mail, e-mail or fax, you can request a free bonus bulb. The first time I ordered I overlooked this, and did not request one; it was sent anyway (the asiatic Jubileo). With my last order, I noted that I really like that lily, and could I have another of the same? Presto, request granted. As I installed my new freebie, I noted that the one from the year before has morphed from one to five stems.

The only reason you do not see more comments for this company, which has been around for years sending plants by mail, is that it did not have a website. I have ordered from them for four years, and they are just exceptional. TLG's Judith Freeman, who started, I think, as a geneticist, is a leader in the breeding of orienpets (the oriental/trumpet hybrids that have revolutionized lily growing, producing strong, beautiful, disease free, easy to grow lilies). They have a beautiful, brand new website that features lilies from the familiar "Stargazer" to the revolutionary "Luminaries". High quality lily societies offer her bulbs on a regular basis; this is a compliment of the highest kind.

The lilies that I have gotten from this great company have been uniformly wonderful. If I have a problem I can send an e-mail and receive a quick, courteous, helpful response. When I recently had a problem with a very finicky pink lily (I now realize the bed was too wet) suggestions for a tougher lily were followed by a request as to whether I would accept them as substitutes, something I had not even asked. I just received the excellent substitutes, and they are enormous. Another nice thing; if you order by snail mail, e-mail or fax, you are offered a free bonus lily. The first one I received was so wonderful that I requested it as my free bonus the following year and it was sent. In year three I was sent another lovely lily, asked for it in year four and received it.

Shipping and packaging are excellent, and the bulbs are always large for their type, and fresh. I cannot recommend them highly enough for quality, courtesy, and for producing, in my clay bound garden, the most beautiful lilies I have ever seen.

This is one of the great companies, like Munchkin Nursery and Old House Gardens, that are small and less well known but make converts out of those of us lucky enough to stumble across them.

I placed an order for 9 hybrid lily builds and they arrived in short order. The bulbs were of fine quality and size (as big as my first!) and I’m sure they will grow out fine plants. Once they’re in the ground it’s my responsibility! I can’t wait to see what these come out as. The Lily Garden has a fairly nice website and pics, and ordering was easy. I did find that the bulbs were of high price, but they are of very top quality. I look forward to getting more cultivars or their fantastic lilies in the future. They have some very special and not oft seen colors and varieties.

I have been ordering lilies from The Lily Garden for many years and have always been happy with the bulbs, the packing, etc. This year I ordered some more and they were of excellent quality. Two were the wrong bulb (clearly labeled) and when I contacted the company, I got an immediate email reply and replacement bulbs appeared within days. I'm pleased that they have recently added martagon lilies to their offerings.

Posted on February 28, 2017, updated June 14, 2017
Posted on November 19, 2014, updated February 28, 2017
I was so excited to find this mail order supplier of lily bulbs. The web site is great, the photos are beautiful. Comments on the Garden Watchdog were positive, so I ordered last March. I ordered 3 varieties. When my bulbs arrived, they didn't look healthy. Some were partially dried out, most were very small. They included extra bulbs for one variety to "make up for the small bulbs". I've ordered bulbs from several nurseries over the years and not ever had such a disappointing experience. I planted them, but many never grew more than a few inches. I will have to write these off as they will not be established enough to winter over. I ordered three bulbs of each type, and at most two came up. One variety was totally mis-labeled. I took photos of what did come up. I sent these off with a letter in August asking for a refund on my order. I never heard a word from them even though I provided several ways to contact me. Its sad that a company which has such good reviews would even think of mailing such an unacceptable order. There is now one more negative review posted over the summer with the same complaints. Would I order again? Planting lilies takes a lot of work. I have done all the preparation and got nothing. So, NO, I wouldn't order again.

WOW!!! I ordered lily bulbs from "The Lily Garden" for the first time this spring. Great email responses from them about accepting my order and when my order was shipped. All of the bulbs made a great showing so far this year. All bulbs were very healthy on arrival. Everything has bloomed true to advertisement and was much larger than I expect from a spring planting. Some of the bulbs looked smaller than I was used to, but they exceeded my expectations for height and number of blooms in their first season. I know that next season will be even more spectacular in my lily bed.

I made a rather good sized order with The Lily Garden. Communicating was a little difficult since she is only open to phone calls two days a week, which I'm at work during those hours. But i managed to get it done via email. I got the bulbs yesterday. They looked darn good to me. Most of then were quite good sized. There were a couple of bulbs on the small side, but she sent some extra ones on those varieties. Asking with other bonus bulbs. All are planted and I'm looking forward to watching them grow

we've ordered lilies from the Lily Garden for a number of years. All have been vigorous and spectacular. Our favorite is "Silk Road". Usually there is a "bonus" clump in the box. We just got another box of lilies in on Monday. We've stuck clumps of lilies in every corner of the garden. We've only lost 2 sets of lilies, both last year when we had an exceptional drought (we lost a lot of other stuff besides lilies that year). The Lily Garden has limited hours, typically my husband has to call them during the day. He's talked to Judith every time. I think she does everything around the lily garden, from hybridizing to taking orders, probably also digging, packing and shipping. Since one person can only do so many things simultaneously, that might explain the communication difficulties some people are referencing.

Well how do you even rate this company.
Judith is such a kind and giving person.
I have placed four orders with this company last year being the first order ever by mail for lily bulbs great service fast email response order was sent when asked for. the bulbs were huge healty they all came up and bloomed. she even put a few extra in the order and did not charge for the extra postage who does that any more.If you want great lily bulbs and ones you wont find in a store then the lily garden is the place to go.

I placed an order on the last day possible in the spring. I soon got all the bulbs I ordered, PLUS some extras thrown in "in case the bulbs are shipped so late that they don't all make it." I planted them, and almost all (if not all) did great. This will be my second year with these bulbs. I see them coming up (yay! my garden isn't ideal, ssshhhh, don't tell LG) and they are doing fine again this year. I really appreciated the generosity of LG and also appreciated being able to order from a lily breeder directly, without a middleman. You don't get to do that very often any more. I will order again from LG!

Posted on January 4, 2011, updated October 26, 2012
What an exciting place to buy from! Aways 'something new' to look foward to. Their ordering methods might seem a little ackward--but that doesn't matter to me--what counts here is what you're getting! I compliment Judith Freeman for her love and dedication to this very interesting work and the invaluable service she is providing to lily enthusaists. How rewarding!

Posted on October 31, 2011, updated November 8, 2011
A truly amazing company that will give you the opportunity to order lilies directly from one of the greatest lily experts and hybridizers of our time: Judith Freeman. My first order with this company was promptly filled (I received it three days after faxing in order!) and the bulbs were beautiful and exceptionally healthy. Considering the health of the bulbs and the true-to-name guarantee, the price is a bargain. Communication via e-mail has been excellent. When growing lilies it is important to start with the best and healthiest stock available, especially if you would like them to perennialize. Do yourself a favor and order your bulbs from The Lily Garden and avoid generic lilies from Big Box Stores like the plague.

I am totally crazy about this company. Judith is one of the great hybridizers of our time, and I am so happy to be able to grow some of her lilies.

The bulbs are always firm and healthy. The customer service is excellent. I am so thrilled when my new catalog arrives, and I spend weeks staring at the pictures and tyring to decide what to buy. The pictures in the catalog are accurate (no phony coloration), and the lilies are even more beautiful in real life.

I've planted lily bulbs in both spring and fall. Both ways seem to work for my area, but since our winters have become harsher lately, I think I will stick with spring planting from now on. Amazingly, even a few of the spring-planted bulbs bloomed the first year.

Thank you for providing these wonderful plants!

Had a great experience. Ordered 8 lily bulbs and a few crocosmias in March over email to be delivered mid-April. Always got prompt returns to all my emails. Come April, I received the crocosmias, 3 bonus bulbs, but only 6 of my lilies. I emailed them about the missing bulbs and got an immediate response and apology. She mailed them out the next day and sent me 4 instead of 2 (which was extremely generous considering these were among the pricier lilies and labeled as "limited availability"). It's May now and so far 3 of my lilies have just popped their heads out of the dirt. Very excited for the others to show. Love this company and will definitely use them again if I'm ever in need of more lilies.

Posted on March 25, 2011, updated May 13, 2011
I found this company when I googled " lillie ". I was amazed by their web site. I e-mailed then with questions about "zone". I live in norther Minnesota. I recieved a responce within hours.I plan to order from this company. I like being able to order direct from the grower. A few negitive responces said this company was diffacult to comunicate with. I will let you know more after I recieve my order.

Posted on February 22, 2011, updated May 3, 2011
Hi I just found out about the Lily Garden last week when doing a search for lillies. I called them and was able to speak with someone who was very helpful with answering all of my questions! she even sent me out a catalog and I received it within days. I ended up placing an order (and I did it through email) I received a response informing me that my order was good (meaning everything was in stock that I wanted) and they let me know that my order would be mailed out in early April. I mailed them out my check that same day with a copy of our email conversations. So far everything seems great with them! I will post an update in April when I receive my bulbs!!! I was even told that they put in something extra that goes with my order!!!! Good communication and very helpful!!!

Eros Lily bulbs arrived in good shape, with an extra lily bulb "Ariadne" included. I thought it was really nice to look at what I had already ordered and then send along a bulb that was similar and therefore one I was probably going to like. They were right, I liked it and I will be ordering from them again.

Placed an order via email, and got a response right back. They shipped my order quickly. The bulbs were very large and in perfect condition; the packaging was great, and all were clearly labeled. They also included a bonus bulb of one of their own hybrids that I was very pleased to receive. I love Orienpets, and they have an extensive offering. I would recommend them to any of my gardening friends.

After looking at their website,what by the way is wonderful,I decided I could find some more space for lilies in my garden.Filled out the order form,emailed it and within hours had a response; the lilies I wanted were available and they were on my way the next day and arrived within 3 days.Great communication,service awesome and 2 bonus lilies as a wonderful surprise.Will definitively recommend and order again.

I ordered over 20 bulbs in August this fall and I found that communication was not an issue. I contacted them by email right after placing my order and got a very timely response. I received my lilies and they were beautiful bulbs.

About a week later I received a phone call and was shocked to find out that they had actually sent my order well before they charged the credit card. Unfortunately, in the meantime, my husband lost the card I gave them and we had to stop all charges and get new cards. I substituted another card and all was well.

To sum all this up:

Communication was excellent
bulbs were excellent
the actually sent the order BEFORE submitting the payment

I will be ordering again

Posted on March 8, 2010, updated October 7, 2010
Received my order today, Very, very pleased. Outstanding large bulbs, fast shipment. good prices and good communication. Judith Freeman answered all my questions and has taken time to research answers to my questions. I will be a future customer.

In October of 2009, I ordered 15 lily bulbs of 5 different varieties.
One set of 3 never came up. I checked and they had rotted.
Sigh! I emailed Judith last Sunday and received an immediate reply with a promise to ship replacements right away.
Four days later I was delighted to receive 4 not 3 monster bulbs all raring to go.
I am so impressed with both the quality of the bulbs and with the superb customer service.
The extra bulb was so nice to get and I am looking forward to many more orders with this company.

Wonderful bulbs, and Judith is such a sweetie to deal with.

They were out of a few bulbs, but the subs were great and plentiful. the bulbs are large and fresh.

And of course, their own lily introductions are to die for.

Posted on October 23, 2009, updated October 31, 2009
Posted on October 27, 2008, updated October 23, 2009
Great bulbs. Wonderful choices. Highly recommend A++++.
Timely delivery. Every bulb ordered received.

I chose to order some asiatic lily bulbs based on the reviews on this site. I faxed in my order at the beginning of August, and then waited. My bulbs arrived yesterday with a 33% bonus! They're huge and healthy and I can't wait to get them in the ground!

I didn't receive shipping notification or order confirmation when I placed my order, but I get the feeling that they're too small of a company and too busy to have the time to do those things. Overall, my purchase required a little patience and faith on my part, but it was worth the wait!

I ordered three types of OT's recently and was very pleased with the size and condition of the bulbs. I received five extra bulbs out of an order of 15 bulbs so there were 20 in the box, which really impressed me and was very generous. Even though one must mail or fax in the order form (I mailed mine), shipping was lightning fast. I have ordered from this company a few times before and will definiely do so again. Their OT lily selection is about the best out there and I love that they grow/cultivate their own lilies. Wonderful experience!!

First time buyer with The Lily Garden and must say they treated us like family. E mailed our order, followed the next phone day with a phone message to give other data and received the blubs with a matter of days. They even sent extra blubs when the ones ordered were on the small size and they also threw in a special blub that we did not order. Their packing was just great and smelled really good if you like good earth. What a great vendor and we plan to use them many more times.

I emailed an order on Friday afternoon. My order arrived the following Monday... can't get much faster than that! The bulbs look fresh and healthy, and were nicely packaged... good job!

I'd agree with the general feedback that THe Lily Garden is not your typical Internet/Mail order business.

Since TLG does not have a secure online ordering site/cart, I opted for the fax method. I didn't want to include my Card # and such on the fax, I did receive a reply that it was OK to send a check after my order arrived.

I faxed the order for a dozen bulbs on a Friday, received a voice message response on Saturday indicating my order had shipped, and it arrived that next Monday! The bulbs all looked sizable and healthy, with a bonus bulb thrown in! A few of my choices were substituted, which is OK, especially considering the lateness of my order.


We'll see the outcome next summer! But I would order from TLG again.

Todd
St Charles, MO

Ordered by e-mail last Tuesday morning, and received a return e-mail that afternoon notifying my that my order had shipped that day! It arrived 2 days later. I ordered 3 bulbs of one variety, and Judith included an extra, as well as 2(!) bonus bulbs. An excellent experience.

Fantastic and simply outstanding bulbs!

We mailed an order for about 30 bulbs in August. We could never contact them in spite of our anxious communication efforts via email, telephone or even fax. Anyway, we knew that the bulbs were expected to be delivered in late September. This had been our first order with The Lily Garden. Although we could not get in touch with the company, we had great trust on Judith, and we knew that she will come through unless she was sick. This was because we read many good things about Judith that lead us to have great respect for her as a dedicated scientist who spent her life in hybridizing new varieties of Lilies, including the "Scheherazade".

Well, the "long wait" and trust were worth! We received nicely packaged fresh large bulbs on time. The Scheherazade, Silk Road, Sinfonia, Midnight, Dunyazade, etc bulbs were spectacular. We ordered Scheherazade and Silk Road bulbs from two other companies. The Lily Garden's bulbs were almost double the size of those bulbs and were of better quality.

We will order from The Lily Garden again, and we will learn to wait even if we do not receive any response from them soon enough. After all, isn't "waiting patiently" one of the virtues of a real "gardener"? Don't we have to wait for more than six months to see our Scheherazade coming through the ground in Spring?

We recommend the Lily Garden very strongly!

I placed a first time order for bulbs from the Lily Garden on 9/3/08. I tried to confirm the order by calling several times and sending an email to which I got no reply. I was happy to find this site where I read of others having similar experiences. Today 10/23/08 I received all the bulbs I ordered plus a bonus bulb (Leslie Woodruff). So I wanted to post and encourage others that despite the lack of response to their customers they do send the beautiful lilies that they offer.

Is this company still in business? I called them multiple times in August and left a voice-mail to call me back. I sent them an e-mail in August. I sent them an order form with my credit card number. I called again today and checked their website to see if they were out of business. I have not once heard from this company. As far as I can tell, they have not charged my credit card for my order, and I have not received any bulbs or shipment notices. If they are out of business, they should update their website and voice-mail. Given all the positive comments in the past, I do not understand this behavior unless they are out of business. If they are still in business, it's a lousy way to treat potential customers. I was really impressed by their website and beautiful bulbs, but how do I buy them????

I ordered 9 lilies from The Lily Garden last fall. The bulbs were large and healthy, and they grew true to name and flowered beautifully this year. They also added a bonus bulb of Scheherazade, which I thought was generous. Two thumbs up and I'll be ordering from them again!

Wonderful company! They really do guarantee their bulbs! I ordered lilies last year from this company and planted them in pots. Only 2 of the 7 survived. The Lily Garden replaced the bulbs.

This time I planted the bulbs in the ground instead of pots. Can't wait to see the blooms next year. Will definately order from The Lily Garden again!