Comments regarding Gardens Alive!

I have ordered from Gardens Alive in 3 of the last 4 years I have had a garden and have been pretty happy with each transaction. Of about 9 [purchases I have made with them, I only had a minor issue with one that really was half my fault and half theirs- maybe 2/3's mine and 1/3 theirs. I do have to confess to a bit of sticker shock each time I order due to the shipping costs. I know they can't do much about it but it is pretty eye opening to have about 35% of my order paying for shipping. I would shop somewhere local to save the shipping but their products truly are superior to anything I can get around here (Northern VA). Yep- I am a satisfied customer and expect I will be again in about 30 minutes.

I've purchased fertilizers, soil additions, and both pyola and soapshield from Gardens Alive!. I've been satisfied with their products, but am switching to a local rose fertilizer after having joined the local rose society, as it is made for Colorado soils (a challenge all its own!). I am very concerned at how similar some of the negative comments are to what I've experienced with Brecks (as have many others). I will purchase from them again, but will be alert for problems stemming from whatever internal changes they've recently made. Like other reviewers, I too wish they would more adequately list fertilizer ingredients and analyses. I had to call to get the #-#-# rating for several of them - couldn't even find it on the website. But overall, I've liked their products. There are not very many sources for organic gardeners at this point, so GA is a pretty safe fallback.

Let me tell you of my recent order. I ordered around noon on a Wednesday and the next day, Thursday, the UPS guy was getting my order out of his truck. Pretty impressive isn't it? Okay, I'm only one state away, but 24 hours!?!? I was very happy with GA.

Here's the kicker: I had given them the wrong expiration date on my credit card and had a message waiting on the phone from GA when I was finished with the UPS guy. We got all of the billing straightened out and I had my order in my hands before GA had any idea they would be paid.

I've been ordering from GA for years-can't plant a tomato plant without Tomatoes Alive-and have never,ever had a bad product or experience.

I was a bit trepidatious about this company after seeing the reviews, but I had a coupon for $25 toward products, so I decided to give them a try. I have been quite happy with what I ordered.

Although one item I ordered arrived damaged, they immediately sent me a replacement--no questions asked. It arrived without delay and in perfect condition. All other items were very pleasing.

Their customer service is through a handling center that also handles Springhill Nursery, Henry Fields, etc. and I've ordered from all three and ALWAYS received excellent service through them. I've had to contact their service center several times, for reasons ranging from receiving a plant that was dead, having a plant die shortly after planting, to UPS damaging items in transit. No matter what the reason for the concern, the companies always send me a replacement ASAP with no questions asked. I have loved that aspect of service the most about these companies.

Regarding their affiliates, (of those I've ordered from) the only one I've really been absolutely disappointed with is Gurney's. The others have always offered nice plants, decent prices, good specials, and great service!

First shipment of ladybugs was all dead, but I called Customer Service and they shipped out a new batch all of which were healthy and ready to fly!

I just made my first purchase with Gardens Alive and I couldn't be more pleased. The website worked fine, although initially the confirmation showed an incorrect total. I was charged the correct total, and I received everything 2 days later. Can't ask for better service than that. I just hope the products are as effective as the service.

I love some of Gardens Alive's products such as the soil activator and the Bio Flo drain maintenance. Their turf Alive 3 with rhizomes grass seed comes up a medium green and falls over and mats. Not as expected. It germinates quickly though. I have also used thier insect repellant and the Escargo. Their oirders come promptly and the CS people are always nice. I spoke to a Gloria. I'll continue ordering selectively from them.

I have ordered from Gardens Alive numerous times and have always been very satisfied with both the products and the service. I have ordered with a coupon, without a coupon, via telephone, via online, and always good results. I really like the variety of fertilizers they offer but wish with all my heart that they would see fit to list ingredients on all products.

I have a shady front lawn that seems to be a magnet for every white tailed deer in the state of Ohio. I’ve tried every type of grass seed but it would always get trampled and look sparse. I enjoy watching the Deer so I figured that I would have to accept a sad looking lawn. This year I seeded my lawn with Self-repairing Turf Alive! III with Rhizomes early this spring. It is October now and my lawn looks great! Thank You Gardens Alive for coming up with a grass that can hold its own under heavy Deer traffic. Your coupons are Great also! Please keep them coming!

Gardens Alive. I love their $25 coupon (if your purchase is less than $25, your entire purchase is FREE). Can't beat the FREE price. Went throught the entire catalog looking for items that total $19.95. When you include shipping cost the total was $24.95. So what did I get... I purchase some organic compost starter for green matter, an bird netting. ALL FOR FREE

I was able to convince my neighbor (he was about to throw away the catalog and valuable $25 coupon), he placed an order on my behalf and I was able to get 2 super light insect barrier. ALL FOR FREE.

FREE FREE FREE

I got a real deal by using one of their first timer coupons. The info on the site said several business days for shipping, so I wasn't expecting the order for a week or two, and it came FAST. I ordered on a Friday and it was here on Tuesday.

What I LOVE were the starch-based shipping peanuts they use as packing. They mentioned on the shipping form that they were made of starch and could be added to your compost pile.

One of my cats thought they were delicious, so I quickly put them in the pile.

I'm very pleased with the speed in which my order arrived, and LOVE those peanuts. I'm thrilled to see a company carry out their environmental efforts into shipping too. Bravo.

I've ordered from this company for the past four years...mostly moth traps and a few chemicals. I've had nothing but a positive experience each time. No complaints from me!

Excellent ! Used their $25.00 for new customers I only had to pay little over $4.00 . So free items, ordered had them 4 days later . Could not ask for better .

I've ordered from this company in the past and have had no problems.

This year I wanted to order before my $25 coupon expired, but I couldn't find my catalog. I emailed them and was told to just make a note in the online comment box about that and they would deduct it from the order.

When I placed my order, I was a little worried, because I never received any notification that they HAD given me the discount. Today I received my credit card billing, and they DID give me the discount.

I'm very happy with that service, and will be ordering some more products soon.

This spring, using their $25 off any order coupon, I ordered some of their cupboard moth traps and additional refills. I didn't realize the refills were just the pheromone lures and didn't include the sticky traps.

I wrote to customer service and explained this, asking if I could use the lures in a yellow jacket trap, or if they had any suggestions about what to do with them - it seemed silly to spend the postage to send them back when the order was free to begin with. Within a day, one of their master gardeners wrote back with a polite e-mail and said two more moth traps were on the way, at no charge. They arrived within three days of the e-mail.

Considering the order was a free one to begin with, the misunderstanding was on my part, and I didn't expect them to send anything, I was very pleased by their service! I've ordered their red plastic mulch in the past and it arrived quickly and held up well.

I am extremely dissapointed in GardensAlive's service this year. I ordered from them last year with no problem, but this year it is a nightmare so far. I placed an order for WOW supreme online on 3/4/07 and used a $25 coupon with no problems. It shipped on 3/5/07 and the tracking information said it would be in my home between 3/10/07-3/12/07. I called on 3/15/07 to see if they could track it further because I still had not received it. I talked with a very pleasant woman who said that they cannot reship the item until it has left their facility for 14 days, so she suggested I call back the following week if I still had not received it. So I called this morning, 3/20/07 because I still haven't received the package and the tracking information is the same as it was the day it shipped. I spoke with a pleasant woman (Gloria) this morning, but she was no help at all. It was obvious that she had no idea where my package was and just kept repeating that it will arrive this week. I pressed her further and she put me on hold and then came back on the phone and said that her supervisor said that they would ship another one today and that I should have it in 10 days exactly. They are using the postal service again, so I hope this doesn't keep happening. As of right now, I do not have an e-mail confirmation of the new shipment. I will return in 10 days and update this review....hopefully I can change it to a positive.

Last year I got a 25$ free coupon. I went online and ordered a bunch of seeds. They arrived in no time at all and germinated and grew successfully. This year I received another coupon so I tried again to go online and order. I could not it would not take my codes so I called. I must admit I was on hold for a very long time and it did take a few minutes to get my info. (the U0 on my acct # on my catalog was a temporary one so that was why it did not work) The last time I ordered apparently someone did not type in the - between the zip code ie432231603 instead of properly 43223-1603) and the girl had a hard time understanding how to spell my last name. Anyway after about 10min of finding my real acct number and getting my order placed she took my credit card number (they don't do the discount until the card number is given) sure enough the discount came off and I got my confirmation in the email within a few hours of the proper charge amt (I ordered more then the 25$)

This is neutral because it was inconvient but since it is free/freeish I will not overly complain.I like the idea that they are no longer going to be selling plants just seeds and organic care products. Will post again once I get results.

I have ordered Grub-Away Nematodes North which seemed to reduce grubs around my 2 old blue spruces, and also Soap-Shield & Pyola combo which again, seems to be effective on disease and insects. They advertise "all-natural" products and that matters to me!
Their catalog always has a large section illustrated with plant problems -- but, since they recommend a lot of products, try the Soap-Shield and Pyola first (works most of the time).

I found the products (plus shipping) were quite a bit more expensive than buying them at a large, locally-owned garden center an hour away -- but they are price-comparable if you use the $20 or $25 "gift coupons" they send. I would consider trying additional products, but only with coupons because of the price. I would definitely order the nematodes again, since they aren't available from local nurseries.

Very good experience with Gardens Alive. Ordering was quick and easy online, shipping not expensive and order was received in 4 days.

I have ordered only intermittently from Gardens Alive but have always been pleased. Items were promptly shipped and in good conditions, order was complete, and items performed as described. I've purchased ladybugs, praying mantis cocoons (twice on these), non-toxic slug repellant, Safer insecticidal soap that I can recall.

I have used them for regular orders as well as multi delivery order [ladybugs] and was quite pleased. The order was filled correctly and promptly. I will continue to use this company.

I ordered a bottle of condensed neem oil for natural insect repellant. It arrived exactly as I expected when I expected. Its just really nice when something is completely hassle free.

I have been ordering from GA for over 2 years. Once, when I ordered WeedBeGone, it was at regular price. The next week it went on sale. I emailed and requested the sale price and the difference credited on my visa ... NO PROBLEM! They were great.

I have never had a problem with phone calls, service, web site or any other.

Great company.

I have had very good experience with Gardens Alive. I like any of the products I have ordered from them, and especially like their grass seed. My order always arrives promptly, and the quality of the packaging is excellent.

I've found their customer service also to be excellent. Last year, I ordered a couple of big bags of grass to reseed part of the yard. Some of it didn't come back up this year. I e-mailed the company and they immediately sent me another big bag of grass seed at no charge! Can't ask for better customer service than that!!

I'm very pleased with their hi-vitality grub cakes in my suet feeders. The birds love them and they don't melt in the heat or the rain. They are a bit pricey (3 cakes for $19.95) but they last about 4-6 weeks and they really draw the birds. Also, the squirrels avoid them (due to the cayenne pepper ingredient). I've also used their Shrub's Alive for Acid Loving plants with much success and I just received their Pyola insect spray, which I havent tried yet. I also like the fact that their website has a lot of useful organic gardening information.

I ordered beneficial nematodes (Grub-Away South) and Sting Free insect repellent. The repellent works very well indeed, and has a nice baby-powder scent... I've used many botanical repellents, and this one works the best for me (I'm a bug magnet). The nematodes, however, smelled dead when they arrived. I e-mailed Gardens Alive and told them that I wasn't sure the nematodes made it. They emailed me back the same day, saying that a new batch of nematodes was being sent. I had the new batch within the week. That's not bad business practice, and it's won them repeat business from this customer.

I had a good experience with Garden's Alive.
Ordered the Live lady bugs...and when they arrived, a lot were dead. I emailed Garden's Alive, and I recieved an email right back saying they would ship me out another order. I got that order a few days later, and the bugs were fine. The customer service is very good.

I placed an order with this company, utlizing the buy $50 and get $25 off coupon in order to give them a try without spending much money. My plants arrived as scheduled and in good condition. The seed starting kit that I ordered was on back order, and the company contacted me to see if I wanted to cancel it because it was getting late in the season. I told them that I still wanted it and I did receive it last week. Their shipping is on the slow side--I guess they ship ground. So far, my only gripe with this company is that they do not include growing instructions with their plants and products. I guess I will dig through my gardening books to refresh myself on how to not lose my little seedlings while they are in their peat pots! All in all, so far, so good.

I just got the same call and I am on such a list as well. However, I am a customer of Garden's Alive, and do get regular e-mails. So, I was pleased with the offer and passed it on to DGers (and also that I didn't hang up too quickly).

I have not had any bad experiences with this company and have been acquainted with them for about a decade. In the last year I've had three successful orders and just placed another.

Placed an on-line order 3/11/06. By 4/10/06 had not received my order ( delivery promised in 7-10 working days). Customer rep replaced my order, received it within 2-3 days. On 4/21/06 received the same products again. Turns out the first shippment was my orginal, the second one was the make-up order. Called to report and pay for the second order (we will use the product, it is a pet supplement) and was told the seond shippment was no charge. Although there was a problem, this company has my support for it's good business practices.

Overall I've been very pleased with the items and customer service I've received over the last couple of years. The fertilizers work well, and products are shipped reasonably quickly. This company provides good coupons, too. I primarily order Gardens Alive! items because the stock is mostly organic, of course. The only problem I ever encountered was with the pet supplement. I fed it to my dog with his regular food for a while, and, over a period of time, I noticed that he began scratching himself twice as much as he ever did.

This year was my second order from Gardens Alive. Last year I had an order for seed starting mix that worked out well. This year I ordered a lot of growth items for root crop, tomatoes, corn, bio boost, and houseplants. Of course its too early to give you any info on the items. Most of them I won't have any results until late summer. I just wanted to post that they sent them quickly, and so far I'm pleased.

I've been ordering from Gardens Alive for 4 years and except for the price, have been nothing but pleased with them and their products. My vegetable garden does great! Prices are a bit steep, so I ordered very little this year due to loss of income.

I have been ordering from them for a couple of years now and have always been pleased with the products and the shipping time. I have ordered the kelp meal, kelp liquid concentrate, compost tea kit(which works wonders), tomatoes alive plus and others. Last year (2005) my tomato plants grew 8 ft. tall and produced a LOT of huge HUGE! tomatoes.

I have purchased from Garden's Alive! a few times using their coupons. So far no problems, and as I need products, I will purchase from them again.

Last spring I received the GARDENS ALIVE Catalog and ordered their TOMATO ALIVES PLUS. WOW! I used the small bag that I ordered and ordered 2 more times. I also used this organic fantabulous vitamin fertilizer on my peppers and eggplants. I had HUGE tomatoes, peppers etc.
I am definetly going to order form them again. Their products arrive in a timely manner, packed well and what is most important, I had incredible results.Gardens Alive products are a MUST!
In today's mail was this year's 2006 GARDENS ALIVE CATALOG! YEA! I am one happy camper!

deb

I ordered with a no risk $25 coupon. I used the Tomatoes Alive Fertilizer and had a great crop. The ladybugs arrived in great condition and were released in the cherry tree to feast on the aphids . We had an abundant cherry crop and many ladybugs all over the garden. A positive experience, and will order from them again. Thank you.

I have been a member of Gardens Alive for over three years now. I use several of their products Regularly. I order for my indoor plants, outdoor gardening, pets and family. I like the worms castings, kelp meal, foliage Spray, Insect products, pet products, cleaning ..Every single item I have ever purchased from Gardens alive has been more than excellent ! I order from them several times a year good size orders each time. My orders are always packaged carefully and shipped fast. Shipping cost even for the heavy items I buy are low.
I always order from on line never a problem.
In over three years I have had only excellent service and products from Gardens Alive. I highly recommend them !

Prior to using Gardens Alive products I used a national chemical lawn-fertilizing service. The lawn started to thin out and needed a lot of water (we used to live in San Diego.) It's not that it looked bad, just unspectacular. I decided to try Lawns Alive from Gardens Alive. The lawn started to fill out, became green and lush, and needed far less water. I started using sea-kelp and several other products, all of which are truly excellent. The snail bait is the only product that didn't work for me, but now that we are in Illinois--who cares. Service with Gardens Alive has always been excellent, I receive 10% off for the Garden Club and use a coupon when I can. But truly, products this good are uncommon at any price.