Comments regarding Richter's Herb Specialists

Excellent company! I have ordered before but it’s been a while. They are great communicators and respond quickly. I just received my order and the plants arrived in perfect condition, looking like I just purchased them from a local nursery, not shipped from Canada to Illinois. The packaging is so secure that you have to work at it a little to extract the plants. The plugs are smallish as expected but the part above the crowns are larger and fuller than I thought they would be. Will order from them again.

I live in the far west of the US, a long way from Ontario, especially considering customs. So if I order live plants from Richter's, I do so in the spring, trying to hit that window between winter's deep freezes and before summer's searing heat, because shipping that far takes several days. I've been truly amazed. The packaging is superb. Plants have arrived alive, healthy, and remarkably fresh. It's so wonderful to be able to buy things I've been able to find no where else (I grow a lot of herbs, both culinary and medicinal). I've also had great success ordering seeds from Richter's, any time of year. I've ordered from this company over the span of many years, most recently just this month.

I am surprised at all negative comments. This company has a huge collection of plants and seeds all of which are high quality. I made an order that consisted of one seed packet and 2 coloso figs after making my order I revied an email letting me know that one of the figs I ordered was out of stock; in the email, she also gave me a list of available figs. I picked a substitute, however this delayed the order enough that it went passed Monday which is the day they ship so I had to wait for next week for my order to ship but I got a surprise in the mail, they shipped my seed packet with no other charges which I thought was nice and the actual seed packet was high quilty instead of the usual paper packet I got a foil packet which won't dissolve like the paper ones do if they get wet also they are supposed to keep the seed viable for longer. then the figs came and right out of the box I could see figs 4 of them. never before from all the other mail order companies I had ordered from none of them had fruit, I got a plant that was strikingly beautiful and fruiting out of the box. they were also packaged well and had no problem being in the post office over the weekend. overall five-star experience

I, too, am surprised at the negative comments. I have ordered from them several times. We moved and I forgot to change my address. They re-sent the order. It was a large order. About 200 seed packets. I have not ordered live plants, but, I would definitely look at them again and give them another chance.
They also have a lot of types of seeds that other companies do not carry.

I have ordered from Richter's for several years and am well-pleased with their products and service.

The herbs are often small---they are, after all, in the first pot they get after being removed from the plug trays---but they do well, for the most part, with a little rest and TLC. Of course---some may die or succumb to the Plant Reaper during shipping, but this should not surprise anyone as plants are living things and unpredictable.

I have always ordered large amounts, and have returned as a customer year after year. And I will keep on doing so as long as I am able to drag my boney butt out the door and into the greenhouse and gardens. I would recommend this nursery to anyone who loves herbs.

I've read the comments in here before the purchase and was a little worry.

However, the seeds arrive extremely fast, professionally packaged and comes with two very informative leaflets for the planters.

I'm exceedingly satisfied with this purchase and would highly recommend this company.

I ordered a few lavender plants, they did appear healthy. Plants were packaged with care, and there was no damage. A couple were extremely small, as small as the one I am currently rooting which is less than an inch tall, but I don't mind too much. Shipping is very SLOW, took almost a month to get plants, keep this in mind if you are in a hurry. Love their variety, and wish I could have got more but my budget just didn't allow for it.

I am surprised by the negative comments. I have not ordered live plants but have ordered many seeds including:
Lemon Balm
Borage (Borago Officinalis)
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Catnip (Nepeta Cataria)
Chamomile roman (Chamaemelum nobile)
Chamomile german (Matricaria Recutita)
Chicory (Chicorium Intybus)
Coriander (Coriandrum Sativum)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
flax (Linum usitatissimum)
horehound (Marrubium vulgare)
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
Lavender English (Lavandula Angustifolia)
Motherwort (Leonurus Cardiaca)
Mustard (Brassica hirta)
Nasturtium climbing
Nasturtium dwarf
New jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
Oregano Greek (Origanum vulgare hirtum)
Sage (Salvia Officinalis)
Savory summer (satureja hortensis)
Sea Buckthorn (hippophae rhamnoides)
Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)
St. John's Wort (Hypericum Perforatum)
strawberries (Fragaria vesca)
sunflower
thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Toothache Plant (Spilanthes acmella)
wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
yucca (Yucca glauca)
yarrow (achillea millefolium)

Everything has grown except soapwart and they replaced those seeds. I am planning another order this year - 2015. The seeds arrive slower then seeds in the states so order early.

I have ordered herb plants from Richter's several times over the past few years and have always been happy with them. They have a large variety of unique herbs that can't be found locally. Will be ordering from them again in the Spring.

I ordered from Richter's for the first time this year. They were one of the two companies that had the particular herbs I was looking for, and they were less expensive than the other company.

I placed my order online, then e-mailed them to make a change to the order. The plants were shipped quickly and arrived in a very good shape.

I would definitely order from them again.

I've been ordering from Richter over the last 3 years, perhaps spending over $500. Just spent a 'few' more bucks in June.

Here is my take:

- They have seeds/plants that I cannot find elsewhere.
- Their shipping cost was outrageous, particularly, when they took several weeks to fill my order. The plants were expensive but they wouldn't be able to sustain their business otherwise.
- The plants I have received, while didn't exactly wow me (small size), were okay. Richer have never promised me the big ones to begin with. The odd time (post office on strike) the plants were DOA, Richter gave me credit - fair and square.
- The customer services was okay and sufficient when I have issues. They didn't exactly hold my hand and sing nice songs, but I just need things fixed and they did :>).
- I have dealt with better companies in term of services and friendliness but my focus is getting the plants I want.

I'm buying less from them nowadays due to their high shipping charges. Other than that, I'd consider them an okay company to buy from.

I`ve order from Richter`s every spring for the last 6 years or so, and have never been disappointed. I Received this years order yesterday, and as usual, its filled with nice, healthy plants.

I ordered a dozen of Richter's trademarked "Profusion" sorrel, a non-flowering version of French sorrel. I placed the order in the early spring of 2010 and received them in the late spring, as appropriate given my zone 4b/5a late last frost date. All the plants arrived in good condition and with helpful instructions. I planted them out into temporary homes in the garden and they all flourished, producing a bountiful supply of delicious leaves. This year (2011) I plan to move them to permanent locations.

Richter's is one of my favorite catalogs to receive because of the wonderful variety. I have been very pleased with the seeds and plants they sell. The only bad thing is that I never have enough money to spend on all the wonderful things I'd like to have from them.

Posted on February 22, 2010, updated April 30, 2010
Seeds ordered January 30th, all received February 10th.
Will report back in late spring on germination.
This has been a good year for me, seeds ordered from 10 companies and everything now received.

I was hesitant to order from a company so many planting zones away (and with the negative comments I had read), but as they had several herbs plants I could find nowhere else I took the chance. I ordered several of their trademark mints, some sages, tarragon, and a few others and they arrived in beautiful condition-much bigger than I had expected. They've been in the ground 10 days and all have new growth.

I have ordered from them a number of times over the years and never had any problems.
This year, I successfully germinated the Rosemary seeds that i ordered in spring of 2009. I got about 85% and within 10 days. i don't need a microscope, though i do have one.

I am currently awaiting my second shipment of the year, i expect it to arrive within the next few days.

I have not ordered plants from them yet. Most of what i want comes in seed form and i have great success with their seeds.

I do plan on ordering their plants in the future. I miss the scented geranium collection i once had, and i want to rebuild it.....maybe in a year or so. I will post again when i have.

In early spring, I ordered 6 plants. Only two made it, one was St. John's Wort, the other ones were DOA. My wormwood arrived in good condition and is thriving. Since then I've ordered a book, and more plants. Considering they came from Canada all the way to Tennessee in the middle of summer, I was very impressed. Rose - scented bergamot, lovage, and great blue lobelia all arrived well established and in excellent condition. My last order consisted of 3 creeping lemon thyme, one periwinkle, 3 very small motherworts, and 1 applemint. I received these within the last week. All plants looked good, just small. The periwinkle is very small and I'm hoping for the best. The applemint looked tall and excellent, and is already thriving in one garden. Except for the first shipment, all plants have been healthy- and I'm very happy with them considering the distance they had to travel. I've always ordered over the phone, and customer service has been very nice. The catalog is the largest selection of herbs I've seen- and it's great to order plants that you might otherwise not have access to. My overall experience has been good, and I will continue to order from them!!

I ordered 9 scented geranium plants, and one mint. They all arrived in great condition. One I really wanted was substituted for one I already had, that was a disappointment. Other than that I would order from them again.

Placed an order on 4/8/09 expecting shipment to be around 4/20/09 based on their website and the email they sent. Didn't get it until 5/6/09 which annoyed me a bit, but when I opened the box...Wow! I ordered strawberries, lavender, santolina, passion flowers and lilies of the valley. They were all good sized healthy plants which were well packed and far better than I expected for the price.

No problems whatsoever with my order: it was filled exactly as placed, charged appropriately, and shipped promptly. My alpine strawberries look great, and I'm sure they'll give me lots of delicious berries in the months and years to come.

I have been purchasing plants, books and herbal products from Richters for about 17 years. Initially, orders were placed from Edmonton, Alberta. All those years ago, I recall being amazed to receive tiny "live" plants in the mail and grow them into mature specimens so different from those of my friends and neighbors. In particular, rose scented geraniums and lemon verbena were novelties in Edmonton, unavailable from local greenhouses, but essential for my potpourri-making activities.

When I moved across the country twelve years ago, one of my beloved rose geranium plants from Richters made the trip in the backseat of my car. After the move, I was delighted to learn that my new home was within driving distance of Goodwood, Ontario, home of Richters. In recent years, one of my greatest springtime pleasures is visiting the Richters gift shop/greenhouse, smelling the variety of scented foliage on the plants, speaking with the friendly/knowledgeable staff, and leaving with car loads of herbs. I continue to purchase items, other than "live" plants, via the Richters website, for delivery through the mail. I have never had issues with quality or turnaround time. Regarding the website, I must say that it has been radically improved over the last year or so, and is now one of my references for all things herbal. As well, my e-mail inquiries have always led to same-day or next-day responses.

Frankly, when I leafed through the negative e-mails on this website written about the Richters organization, I re-checked to make sure they were really about my favourite source of specialty herbs and herbal products. Shipping delays crossing international borders I can understand, but I was really surprised by comments about poor customer service, which is so different from my own experience. Comments about computer system switchovers and website inadequacies were from years ago - these issues have been overcome. My rationalization is that the bulk of poor customer experiences must have been during a period of transition, because the Richters I know is not the one described by some others.

I have nothing but praise for this company.
Plants arrive in good shape after being trucked all the way across the country. Service is prompt and friendly. The catalogue and website are full of information and a total joy.

My experience with Richter's over the last 10 years has been 9 positive and 1 negative. Overall, they are an excellent supplier of foil packed herb seeds and the have largest selection of potted herbs that I have found. Each year the live herbs arrive quicker and in better shape than the year before.

My order of 2 years ago was an overall disaster, including very late shipping and and a greenhouse failure causing cancellation of some of my live herbs. Steaming, I called their toll free line and spoke to customer service. She listened and assured me that they would make every effort to correct the problem. Since then my orders have been perfect.

Their website is the most complete and easiest to navigate that I have found. I actually use it as a reference source in the off season!

I think that they are a good outfit and will continue to receive my order for seeds and plants each year.

Boy, I was surprised to see so much negative about this company. Today, I received 23 herbs and all in great shape. I live in North Idaho and herbs were sent 3 day UPS select. Now, UPS DID mess us and cause them to come a day late, but even with this, the herbs were green, lush, all there, and great customer service on top of it.

I did hear a rumor where the last couple of years were tough on Richters. And, I've been buying from them for five or six years and they did have trouble with an order two years ago. All herbs were dead, shipped wrong. But, they stood up and sent all the herbs again.

I know they're coverting over to a new computer system as well and this may be causing some errors, but really, everyone I speak with has been incredibly helpful.

I do wish they'd offer to send overnight. I'll pay for it. It'd be worth it to me not to have to worry about the herbs.

I hope everyone gives Richters another chance. Their selection is SUPERB and their prices are the best around.

Sparrow Ivy

I have been ordering herbs from Richters (plants and seed) off and on for over 10 years and have always been happy with their interesting selection (I love reading their catalog). The seeds and plants have always grown well indoors and out. Earlier this year, when placing my order, I had a few issues with them and was considering not using them again (apparently they are switching over to a new computer system), but I just received my plants. They are vibrant, healthy, bushy little plants that are off to a very good start. (rosemary, tarragon, sweet cicely, lavender and basil) They arrived just a few days before the Victoria Day long weekend (the time to plant in this area). Great plants and great timing. I do hope they get their computer system running well, since I put a high value on great service as well!

I've had pretty good experiences with Richter's; reading some of the comments here makes me wonder if there are two companies by this name....!
I originally ordered plants from Richter's, because they happened to offer lemon verbena, which my favorite herb supplier didn't happen to have at that time. Normally I wouldn't order plants internationally, as the amount of time spent in shipping (customs, etc.) could be too much of a strain on plants. Surprisingly, my lemon verbena plants, as well as the rest of my order from Richters, arrived in fairly good condition, from Ontario CA, all the way to the Central Valley, here in CA, USA. Yes, some of the plants suffered some yellowing in transit, this was not unexpected, but a few afternoons on a shady porch perked them right up. I still have those particular lemon verbena plants going strong, now, two years later. I ordered some lemongrass seed from them, with misgivings, as lemongrass in my experience has a rather low germination rate. I was both surprised and pleased to find that pretty much all of the seed sprouted, I even had plantlets to share with my neighbors!
I was missing some orange mint plants from another Richter's order, and customer service gave me the option of a replacement for them this year, or a credit, which seems fair enough. In a different order, I ordered a CD, that arrived, but was inoperable, I contacted customer service, and was promptly sent a replacement. They are a larger company, and, as with most companies, shipping errors will occasionally happen, but customer service at Richters has always resolved any difficulties in my orders promptly, and politely. Any herbs that I cannot find locally, here in the US, I would definitely consider purchasing from Richters, although I do wish they were located a wee bit closer to here:)

Ordered seeds. They came within a week and germinated readily.

My experiences with Richter's have generally been favorable. I've accepted that I can't get plants from them here in good condition, but the packaging suggests that people closer to them probably receive great plants.

Seeds and items I've ordered have been competitively priced and arrive in good time. The seeds have always had excellent germination rates and have produced the correct plants.

And I love the catalog, it's packed full of interesting things.

For at least three years (maybe four) I have been ordering plants from Richters. Every year I have been quite pleased with the arrival of my plants...just like Christmas in April - very exciting...the packaging enthralls me, and the plants are usually in wonderful shape. On the rare occasion that a plant (eucalyptus in this case) did not make it, a phone call to their Customer Service department helped resolve the issue. I would have preferred a new plant sent to me; however, they were still willing to refund my money for a plant that expired almost a month after it was received.
Yesterday afternoon, I had a pleasant surprise delivered to my door...my partial order from Richters. Included in it were the books I had ordered and my seeds (only the second time that I have tried growing plants from seeds). As always, I perused the invoice to make sure that it all matched up with my records and with what was on my desk in front of me. Unfortunately, there were a couple of discrepancies. I called Customer Service and spoke to a very pleasant lady named Sandy. After going over my concerns with me, she informed me that she would need a little time to figure out exactly what had happened and that she would get back to me by tomorrow.
Less than one hour later, my telephone rang and it was Sandy on the other end. She explained that she was astounded by my situation; she hadn't seen anything like this one before. Not only did she refund me monies overcharged to my card, a credit was given for the shipping as well.
Thank you Richters for having such a great selection of plants and seeds, and especially thank you for having a great staffer like Sandy.

I rec'd my order of several different herbs from Richter's about 10 days ago, and I was extremely pleased with the quality and health of the plants, and really amazed at the packing. They arrived in perfect condition. I wouldn't hesitate to order from this company again.

Richters' Herbs ia a wonderful plant and seed source. And their staff are so friendly and easy to work with.
Just remember they start shipping plants again after the winter about April and it is first come first serve. So get that order in early! And if you are in the hotter zones, order the plants in the fall before for better success. Because, since they do not ship spring orders until April, it may just be too warm for those baby plants by the time you get them in the ground. Zone8-9 here,so I order plants in the fall and seeds throughout the year depending on what season they will do best here.

I think this company has a wonderful selection of herb seeds. I placed an order that was quickly filled. There was a problem with my card and instead of delaying my order they just billed me with my delivery, which I thought was nice. Good germination rates on the seeds too. I would definately order from them again.

I ordered six salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' this year as soon as the catalogue came out & I couldn't believe the size, they were at least 12" high. They arrived in great shape with good root development. Last year I had placed an order for some echinaca 'Ruby Giant', but it was the end of April when I ordered. When they arrived they had very little root growth. But they did flower & are doing great this year. The other plants I ordered at the same time were fine. My advice is to order early. I will be a returning customer & will always order as soon as I receive the catalogue which is packed with great info.

I've ordered plants and dried herbs a number of times from Richter's and have never had any problems although some of the items I wanted were out of stock. Be warned though that their dried herbs (regardless of being organically grown) are expensive vis a vis quantity received and book prices are also high. However, if you're interested in rare or hard to find medicinal herbs, this is the place. Some of the plants were a bit small, but with proper care, they flourished. Contrary to a lot of reviewers, my plants arrived perfectly intact. Perhaps it just depends on who packs the order? At any rate, I will continue to deal with them without hesitation.

I have been ordering seeds from Richter's for several years now because they carry such a wonderful variety. Never any problems. This was the first time I ordered their plug packs. They arrived just at the beginning of May very well packed and in excellent condition. Perhaps they have improved their packaging recently in response to complaints. The shipping date was just right for here (zone 6). The only other time I ordered plants was 3 Apothecary's roses several years ago. I don't remember how they arrived, but they are growing well now and always bloom.

I love Richters and I think they are my favorite seed company. Three times I have put in big seed orders (never any plants) and all three times I have received everything I ordered, very quickly. I think their prices are really pretty good and their packages contain many more seeds than I expect (heck, I didn't have to buy more basil seed for 3 years). I will definitely order from them again and plan to order some plants in the future, too (although it sounds like they are weaker on plants- but shipping plants is harder to do, especially young ones). *Very* highly recommended by me.

This is a limited positive rating. I ordered many seeds, 6 plants and a package of purple seed potatoes. My seeds arrived within 10 days of ordering but they noted the plants and potatoes will arrive later. I might not have ordered live plants had I seen the previous comments, but hindsight is 20/20. Waiting to see...

Have ordered seeds from Richters numerous times over last 15 years - am a small commercial nursery/market garden so am fussy about seed quality/quantity. Richters gives good (though sometimes slow) service; seed packet quantities are usually generous.Caveats: 1.Shop around, a few items are overpriced. 2.Several years ago I made one plant order, it was OK but not great, plants came very late, some were unavailable, and they could have been healthier. (All eventually thrived, though needed nursing.) But in general: A very good source for hard to find varieties;adequate germination info given;reasonable prices;generally good quality & quantity in seed packets. I will continue to patronize Richters gladly.