Comments regarding Bob Smoley's Gardenworld

Bob smoley passed away several years ago. I think that his family tried to keep the sales going for awhile, but the business is no longer functioning. Unfortunately, the website is still up.

I ordered plants and order was fast.Very pleased with what I received today. 4/1 Size was excellent. They have great Hoya's.

Hi, I just wanted to provide an update on the status of Bob Smoley's Gardenworld. I'm Bob's son-in-law. As it was previously stated, Bob passed last year. Mary Ann is still running the business. The information on this page is a little outdated, but the website is still relevant. If you're interested in what they have to offer, it's best to check out their site and place an order. I know that Mary Ann will do her best to get back to you as soon as possible.


I also believe that the following contact information is still relevant:
bsmoley@bobsmoleys.com
Tel:352-465-8254
Fax:352-465-4032

Mary Ann Smoley is still selling plants from Bob's collection. I have placed 2 orders in the last month or so and have been pleased with what I received. Not sure how long she will continue to accept orders but she is currently.

I am sorry to report that Bob lost his battle with cancer a few weeks ago. As this was a one man operation, I would not expect the nursery to remain open. If I hear any new information about the future of this business, I will post it here.

After reading some of the negative reviews here I was a little worried when I placed my order. But after receiving my order today I felt obligated to post my experience which was very positive.

Made a small order of four euphorbias. All were supposed to be cuttings and was pleasantly surprised when they all came with established roots. The size of two of them far exceeded my expectations. Another came with multiple plants when I only ordered a single. The bonus plant he added to my order wasn't anything I wanted, but happy he threw it in.

It did take over two weeks to process my order, but it appears that time was used to depot and allow for the roots to fully dry and heal before shipping. I have done several mail order plants and this was by far the best value and quality I have experienced.

This was my first order from/to Gardenworld and I was very happy with my order. Mr. Smoley sent me extras of everything I ordered and double of some. I was thrilled to receive the extras and would not hesitate to order from Mr. Smoley again or to recommend him to members at Daves Garden.

Antoinette Hague

I have ordered twice from Bob Smoleys in the last several months. The first ordered came right away, and the Christmas Cactus were very nice. The prices are super. Then I ordered some Echinopsis. It was about 4 weeks after ordering that I received my offsets and they were very nice. It does say on their website: "We try to send the orders out as quickly as possible but at times the wait can be up to 6-8 weeks, at times it could be even longer, especialy in the winter or some special plants that are grown to order."

GREAT!! I ordered 4 Schlumbergera/Christmas Cactus just last week including a couple not so easy to find varieties. Not only did they arrive today in great shape but included a couple of wonderful "freebies" as well. Prices and shipping were very reasonable too. As a first time customer....I'll be back!

I've always had a great experience with ordering from Bob. I always received a confirmation letter, by mail, too. The shipping charges aren't all that unreasonable, considering what I've paid before, to order from other plant companies. Nothing wrong, with a minimum order either, as otherwise, it's work, time & energy spent on his part, not including the effort to take care of alll he offers, & grows...
I was satisfied with my cacti order & they were exactly what I expected & I was really pleased with the intense, nearly red, flower color, too! ( I thought I't would be dull pink, like most others..so it was terrific!)
Thanks Bob.

Posted on June 17, 2011, updated August 24, 2012
I just received my first order from Smoley's only c. 4 weeks after ordering (well within their specified time limit of 6-8 weeks).
However, I had read the various reviews for this place, and so purposely ordered a very small number of plants and those that I ordered were only $2 to $3 each (each labeled as "unrooted cuttings" on the website, so that is all I expected).
All that I ordered were species you just don't - or extremely rarely - see available anywhere at all and all were members of the Tephrocactus/Mauheuniopsis group of species.

Granted, this group is a mess taxonomically, but the a couple of species should have been pretty straight-forward.

Well, when I got them, none were what I was expecting these to look like based on my research.

So, I queried several forums and other experts, and all came to the concensus that I have at most 2, but most probably ONE species in my batch of 5. AND, that species is the common (and very variable) T. articulatus.

Bob also was out of one of my requests and substituted another Tephrocactus (but, it again is apparently just the common articulatus too...) without notice.

I contacted him for more info on the parent plants or source or locality..and maybe even a picture of the parent plants (since these were all supposedly cuttings), and Bob responded promptly responded but balked at taking photos, and even said that he admittedly ALMOST didn't even send me the order because the labeling and names assigned was so messed up and he couldn't figure them out!
Probably would have been a good idea for him to contact me and ask me if I want the order considering those factors.
Oh well.
Live and learn.

I will say, I almost just rated him as NEUTRAL simply based on the fact that the plants that I *did* receive are not unrooted cuttings at all - ALL are WELL rooted cuttings with nice roots and most with multiple segments, and extremely healthy and nice-sized...especially for the price!

However, if I had just gotten ONE of the five identified correctly, I may have even rated his outfit as POSITIVE.

So, be forewarned - those that say he has a "nice selection" of species....I wouldn't be too sure, because most definitely, if it is listed on his site, that does NOT mean that is what he has.

Just sayin'.

I was hesitant to order from here after reading some of the more recent reviews, but I am pleased that I did anyway. He has some varieties of asclepiads that could not be found elsewhere and at amazingly cheap prices. I was pleasantly surprised to get a letter confirming my order rather than an email. They explained in the letter that it may take up to six or eight weeks to get my order and I was fine with that. When my order arrived just 3 weeks after i placed it, I was excited and opened it to find my new plants in great shape, packaged carefully in paper towels secured with rubber bands and padded with newspaper. They even sent me a free new plant which was very sweet. Be patient and you should not have any problems ordering from here. I will be doing so again very soon!

Ordered from Bob Smoley's Gardenworld Aug. 8, 2011. I ordered Sansevieria 'Bantel's Sensation' for only $6 each. This plant goes for 5 times more in the few places that sells it. He had a minimum order policy of $15 befor shipping so I order 4. Also I asked for no subs.
It took a few weeks but I got my Sans and I was greatly pleased. Large and good roots. I just orded again with him.
PS He's no longer in Pennsylvania. He had a place in Florida and now stays there only.

Ordered 3 Hoyas from Mr. Smoley..Plants are healthy, pest free, well-packed, and shipped promptly..
As a matter of fact, I placed the order Sun, Nov 22, 09, plants arrived today, Nov 25, 09.

There was a small problem regarding payment, (my fault.) Thanksfully, Mr. Smolely understood and the problem was resolved. So, I don't know if Mr. Smoley will read this or not, but thank you so much.
A lesson learned: Read sellers instructions before making a purchases...lol..Toni

I ordered a bunch of Haworthias from Bob Smoley in the middle June. I received a prompt reply by email and snail mail. They came in the mail last week and I have to say they are some of the healthiest, largest, pristine plants I have received doing mail order succulents! These plants exceeded all expectations that I had. I truly was standing there with my mouth hanging open. I felt like I hit the jackpot. This is my first order. I will be placing more and will update this review if needed. If you are reading through the reviews and saying should I or should I not place an order I am here to say that it is well worth it. I wrote this all on my own. I felt the need after reading some of the other reviews. I had no problems with my order but even if I did I would not care at this point.

Have had several dealings with Mr. Smoley. Always courteous, extremely knowledgeable. My experiences have always been great. Plants are healthy, large and pest free. Labeled true to species. Have dealt with him many times and look foward to doing so again. Highly recommend.

Ordered Sansevieria from Bob Smoley's Gardenworld and plants came healthy and quick!! Great experience with this company.

Placed an order 10/23/2007 and was received on 11/08/2007! Definitely received my order within the time frame promised. Everything was well-packaged and arrived in good condition. All the plants were very healthy and some were bonus sized. Will do business with Mr. Smoley again!

;~}
Larry

Just received my 3rd order since January 2007. Ordered mostly Hoya un-rooted cuttings. Some of the cuttings I ordered he did not have, but since I always prefer substitutions, I was more than pleased with what he sent. All cutting were more than generous 18 to 24 inches, healthy, green, and the substitutions were of equal or greater value. Have been ordering from him since 1998, and have not been disappointed yet.

I have tried several mail order nurseries and growers over the past 25 years and have been most impressed with Bob Smoley. As I was a novice at collecting two types of plants other than common varieties, (epiphyllum and hoya) I needed a little extra assistance along the way. Bob was extremely helpful. He also worked with my schedule, delivering all orders when I would be in town to accept them. The quality of all cuttings and rooted plants was consistently of the highest quality. In fact, I often got rooted plants for the price of cuttings. I will continue to order from Bob and have recommended him to others.

Placed a huge order with this company. Received my order within the time frame promised. Everything was well-packaged and arrived in good condition. All the plants were very healthy. Would definately do business with this company again!

My order this fall was for mixed Rebutia/Lobivia species and mixed crown-of-thorns.

Size and health of specimens was good (one of the crown of thorns was a large multistemmed plant), packing was fine and delivery time was reasonable. I'd order from this supplier again.
One suggestion for improved ordering - it would be nice to be notified that the order had been received and to get an expected delivery date.

I ordered from Bob and I was exceptionally pleased with the plants I received. I ordered mostly common varieties, but I did get both Kerrii's and a few other harder-to-find ones. I was told right up front that it would be a while before I got them. I was so happy, the variegated carnosas had a lot of red & pink on them, much prettier than ones I had had before. The Kerrii was quite large and healthy. There were 4 stems to the multiflora, and many came with multiple starts to them. But - one must be patient I think the whole thing took over 2 months before I got my plants. But they were worth it.

Ordered a sans. from this company and the plant arrived promptly and properly shipped. Also price was very good compared to other sources. Will buy from this company again.

I do wish, however, that he had more many pictures. In mail order marketing, I think that is a must.

I ordered 15 Rhipsalis cuttings from Bob when it appeared an order from another company (Lauray of Salisbury) was unfulfilled.

I had some concerns about ordering after reading the comments here, so initially made an email inquiry to Bob. Bob responded that same day, and indicated an order would ship in about 3 weeks. I went ahead with the order, and received it in 3 weeks. The order was preceeded by a postcard indicating order was shipping. Good communications with this company for me.

Cuttings were nice sized and healthy. They were substantially larger than cuttings from Glasshouse, and slightly larger than Lauray's. Cuttings had apparently been dipped in a rooting compound, which I think is a nice touch. Cuttings were accompanied by hand written plant label. Packaging was excellent.

As part of the order, I asked Bob to include a seletion of 5 unusual Rhips (gave him a list of what I did not want)and asked him to select them. I was truly pleased with the selection he sent, which included several items I did not know even existed and am very pleased to have.

Bob's web site needs some work. I would like to see pictures, and the on line ordering system is weak and somewhat inflexible. Nice plants, well packaged and delivered when he said he would. Bob's will be my first stop for future additions. Impressive variety of plants.

I received my order of Sansevierias from Bob's this week and they exceeded my expectations. They arrived one month after I placed my order. Based on the quality of this first order, I have placed a second order with them.
Ray in Texas

I ordered from Bob for the first time this winter (about eight different rare ferns and cacti). I promptly received an acknowledgement tellling me to expect the plants within 2 - 4 months. All of the plants but one arrived well within that window, together with a note to the effect that the bakordered plant would arrive in another 6 - 8 weeks, which it did, as promised. The plants were all of excellent quality and good size. Bob's terms (payment, shipping, etc.) are clearly spelled out in his webpage. I am very happy with the experience and will certainly order from him again.

I have ordered over 70 different sansevierias from Bob Smoley since 2002, and quite a few other various plants as well- gasterias, cryptanthus, epiphyllums, etc.. I've always been very satisfied with the plants recieved. It takes a while to get them, but he makes it clear from the start that such is the case, and it's always worth the wait. There is simply no other place where such a variety of sansevierias can be ordered. The plants are always very healthy, with good root systems, and good sized. Sometimes one may be a smaller specimen, but always in such a case I've either recieved an extra, or another plant in the order would be much larger than expected. Very happy to have this very valuable resource for so many extremely hard to find plants!

Someone stole my 18 year old common Hoya carnosa that had been started for me by my deceased mother and I was beside myself. Bob was not there when I placed my order and I was told it could take up to a couple of months to get my order. But it only took a couple of weeks. I had ordered one of his "collections" and 3 or so of the variegated carnosa matching the plant that had been stolen. I was delighted with all the new varieties, some of which I have not seen anywhere else since. I have turned into a collector and have ordered from others now too. But no one has sent as healthy and vigorous plants as Bob did. I would not hesitate to order again, but you do have to be prepared for a wait.

I've ordered plants from Bob a few times and have always been extremely pleased with the quality of the plants. And I like that I can always count on Bob to return my e-mails personally. If you have questions, he's there to answer them. He's one of my favorite vendors!

I ordered the Alocasia Assortment. I was very pleased. Item arrived very promptly and was well packaged.

I purchased several Christmas and Easter cacti from Bob. All were in very good condition, I received two plants of each (ordered only one of each), extra plants, and only a few substitutions, which I had said in advance said would be okay. The plants arrived within two weeks of order.
Bob mailed in advance a copy of my order, announcing the arrival time.
I recommend Bob to any collector of Christmas or Easter cacti. I have not ordered any other types of plants from him.

I have ordered from Bob Smoley for years and have found his plants to be in excellent condition when received. Prices are competative. I also order his cactus & succulent mix & have had success using the potting mix.