Comments regarding Spring River Nurseries Inc

I have had underwhelming experiences with many mail order nurseries in the past, but I was not disappointed with Spring River. I ordered San Marzano tomatoes, and received three plants. They were not the strong plants you can buy at the local nursery, and though they looked a bit scrawny, they were entirely viable and packed so moisture was retained in the roots. I planted them right away and they worked out fine. Within a week they were as big and strong as local-bought. The trick with internet nurseries is to plant them as soon as you receive them, in the best possible soil( aerated, tilled, amended) and in most cases, don't expect the plants to be as strong or vibrant as those you can buy locally. But the pricing is very good and as is their selection of unusual or rare plants. Spring River, I shall buy again.

I read the reviews here and almost didn't order from Spring River Nurseries. My wife talked me into it because of the price and some of the good reports other customers left on this and other sites. I am very glad she did!!!! I ordered 48 lavender plants and 8 lemon grass plants. They were the most beautiful and healthy plants I could have ever expected. I really hope other people give them a chance.

I have ordered from other mail order nurseries, and been very disappointed. Plants have arrived dead, or have died immediately after planting. And typically, there were no instructions with the plants. Because of my prior experience, my expectations were pretty low. I was very pleasantly surprised when my plants arrived from Spring River Nurseries! They were healthy, well-packaged, the roots were moist, and there was a helpful booklet with full information about caring for the plants I had ordered. I will be ordering from Spring River again. Bravo!

This spring, in late March of 2009, I ordered 6 lavender plants from Spring River Nursery in Hartford, Mi. After a few weeks they arrived, DOA, small, dried up and little material on the roots. I emailed their customer service people using their email address found here on Dave's Garden. In less than a week I had 12 very nice replacement plants, large and healthy. They went beyond their warranty requirements and were very helpful to me.

I ordered 12 lavender seedlings from Spring River. The shipment arrived short one seedling. I e-mailed them and received a fresh set of seedlings within two days. I'd say that is good service.

I fell in love with the picture of the "hardy lavender" advertised in a local ad. I am not one to usually respond to a mail order, but I had an idea of exactly what I wanted to do with the 12 lavenders. I ordered the end of March and received them in May. They did come in two different packages approximately 3-5 days apart. Yes, they were small, but then I didn't expect huge lavendar plants. I followed the directions for planting, purchasing sand and a rich soil mixture. However, within a week...and much rain...they did not survive. I called Spring River Nurseries and spoke with a very pleasant and helpful lady. (I wish I could remember her name.) She asked me what I wanted, and I requested a refund, which I received approximately 3 weeks later. I would order again from this company...just not lavendar...I don't think they do well in my area. I don't think Spring River Nursery is a ripoff! Next time I see something I like and think it will look good in my garden...I'm going to see how many other gardners in my neighborhood have that particular plant, and if they don't...well...there must be a reason...maybe it won't work in our climate.

My father ordered the 12 lavender out of the Sunday paper and waited and waited. He called and they apologized and found his order was mis-directed. They promptly sent the order out and he received them the same week. He then called to order two more (to fill his row) and they sent him six FREE because he had to wait for his first order. He was very satisfied with them and with the plants so far.

I ordered 12 of the lavender plants from a Sunday mailer back in April. My check was cashed within a week, and no plants were received a week after that (the end of April). In search of a web site, I found Dave's Garden, and was dismayed by the reviews I read. So many reports just like mine--a cashed check, and nothing to show for it. I immediately called the number listed, and spoke to a pleasant representative. She explained that the plants would be shipped at a time that was appropriate for planting the lavender in my zone, which happened to be mid-May. I told her that I'd not read many good things about her company, and I hoped that I wasn't being duped. She assured me that I wasn't. On May 12, I was pleasantly surprised (and majorly relieved!) to find two boxes from the nursery in my mail box, containing 6 healthy plants in each, and detailed instructions for care. Since the final outcome has been to my benefit, and Spring River's reputation's benefit, I felt that I ought to leave the details of my experience. I hope that my experience will become the norm for their customers, not an exception!

I ordered the 12 hardy lavender plants from a Sunday mailer as well. The check was cashed and the first 6 plants arrived in very nice condition on April 30. I called after seeing this site to inquire about the other six. A very pleasant lady explained that they were shipped seperatly and should recieve them shortly. I was actually surprised to recieve them this soon due to northern Michigans climate. Unless the other six do not show up, I am completely satisfied.

i ordered 3 lavenders 1 did not make it. i contacted the company and they are sending 6 free ones!!

I received a shipment of Hardy Lavender on 4/30; planted and it has died within 1 week. I called the Customer Service for Spring River Nurseries and as mentioned in a previous email E. S. Enterprises handles their shipping. I spoke to a friendly person and they will reship a new plant. She apologized that this happened. I feel quite satisfied with the service. If I don't receive the plant in a timely manner, I'll write back.

I was as disturbed as the next gardener when I read the many negative comments about the company, and I decided to call to ask questions instead of just slamming them. One must realize that just because you order a plant, it can not be shipped out until Mother Nature has done Her magic. This company has been around for a long time and we all must be aware the growing seasons in all different parts of the country are not regulated by the BBB. Our climates are bizarre and when it's time, I'm willing to bet a peony that the company will make everything right.

Wow! I guess I was one of the lucky ones that received my order in a timely manner. I planted my Iris's as directed and have beautiful results! They just started blooming within the last few weeks. They are breathtaking. For those that want to know, I did order these from an advertisment in the Woman's Day magazine.
I came across this site as I was looking for the Spring River site and this watchdog site came up. I felt compelled to read about other experiences and now feel so genuinely lucky to have had a good experience with this company. To think I was going to order some day lilies from them. Now I have second thoughts!

I ordered my plants in April 2005 and after reading all the comments, was sure I would not get them. However, today I came home to my plants in the mail, so it took less than 1 month to get them. So there is hope. Keep your chin up!

Thanks to all of you, I will be the only one with a positive experience.

By chance, I typed in "Spring River Nurseries Hardy Lavender" into my yahoo search. You'll be happy to know this website was the first one to pop up, exposing these folks for the obvious crooks they are. If there actually is such a thing as Hardy Lavender, I certainly will forget their name when ordering. And I have all of you to thank!

The only question I have is this: Today is March 14, 2005 and many of your letters were written months and months ago. If all of you indeed contacted the Michigan Attorney General's Office, why are theyre ads even still appearing?

Even though it appears many others are gonna lose 10 or 20 bucks, take satisfaction that at least one of us didnt. Thanks again.