Comments regarding Gurney's Seed & Nursery

I use the coupon for ordering seeds one to two times a year, and have done this for many years. I start my seeds indoors in winter and transplant in the spring, and then repeat in the summer for fall planting in a quarter acre area.

I order many varieties of vegetable seeds and have never had problems. I've ordered mixtures and hybrids of veggies as well and have been pleased with the variety I've received in each package. As far as seed counts go, Gurney's has never shorted me on seeds - when a package says 25, I usually find 30 or more in the package.

It is worth mentioning that I've had excellent luck with their artichoke seeds. All germinated at 100% without any special planting methods or soaking before hand - all have grown into lovely (and large) plants.

I have ordered bareroots/live plants from time to time and have never had a loss. Many of the perennials exceeded my expectations by the second spring. However I prefer to buy my live plants locally because I personally don't like to wait for plants to be sent to me only at certain times of the year. That is just my personal gardening preference.

For anyone wanting to plant vegetable seed in large volume for personal consumption or canning, you will not be disappointed in the germination rate with Gurney seeds. The bareroot plants they send are young and just starting out - perfect for transplanting (once you understand the special care that goes into planting/growing plants from bareroot).

I've always received seeds within 7-10 business days of ordering with only one package of eggplant being backordered in all of the years I've been shopping at Gurney's. I've learned that live plants should be ordered many months in advance of what your shipping time is due to the occasional backorder and what you order in January might not be delivered until the fall - but that is common with most plant catalog companies.

For someone who gardens on a large scale for personal use, I am satisfied with the germination rate to $ ratio of seeds and plant quality. I will continue to shop with Gurney's in the future.

"On Jan 16, 2013 2:55 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback concerning our company. We truly appreciate you as a customer and look forward to serving you for many years to come."

I have ordered shrubs, berry plants, decorative grasses, fruit trees, asparagus, and garden seeds from Gurneys 1-2 times per year for about ten years. My plants and seeds grow and have been vigorous and productive. Gardening is difficult in Colorado to say the least and Gurneys seeds/plants perform wonderfully. Service has been amazing and they have been very helpful in the rare situations I have encountered minor problems.

Posted on October 30, 2012, updated November 5, 2012
I bought some packages of different varieties of seedless watermelon. I got my order on time. Unfortunately only few seeds germinated and those which did weren't seedless.
The cucumber seeds did germinate, however neither one of them looked like the pictures in the catalog.

"On Nov 2, 2012 9:35 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We will be happy to reship the seeds to you. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information."

Posted on September 4, 2007, updated October 30, 2012
I've been ordering vegie seeds and small fruit from Gurney's for at least 25 years. I've always had a good experience ordering from this company and was surprised to read all the negative reviews. The substitution of cuke seeds had me a bit ruffled Spring of 2006, but I tried the seeds & found them to be superior to the variety that I had requested. Not only that, but I wasn't charged for the substitution. I'm sad to read that others have not been as pleased dealing with this company. I hope that Gurney's is able to turn things around.

"On Oct 31, 2012 11:12 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you very much for your feedback. We always appreciate what our customers have to say about our service and our products."

I have dealt with this company may times over the years and had only two problems. 1. They ran out of stock on an order and promptly issued a credit. 2. They recently shipped some grape vines close to the end of the shipping season. Unfortunately, probably due to the heat spell, they were not viable. After explaining what happened, they have put me on the shipping schedule for next spring season to complete the order. No muss, no fuss, no arguments. Just good customer service.

"On Jun 12, 2012 10:36 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We really do try our best to make sure our customers are happy and taken care of."

I have several acres of land and decided to start an orchard last year. I went to a local nursery and purchased about 20 very expensive trees. We have apparently lost 8 so far.

That being said I figured I would try the online route. Ordered from Gurneys and am glad I did! Placed order the first week of March and received trees less than two weeks later. The packaging was great, all the roots were still very moist. This was my first bare root purchase, I followed the directions from their website for planting and as of today all the trees are full of leaves and doing great. Here are the items I ordered:

Order Number: 20621713100
Order Date: 03/02/12
ITEMS ORDERED
Qty Ordered Item Number Item Description Delivery Estimate


4 08514 AMERICAN PERSIMMON 18-24" 03/16/12-04/06/12
4 08708 PECAN HARDY 1-1 1/2' 03/16/12-04/06/12
3 68045 PEAR OLYMPIC GIANT STD 2-4' 03/16/12-04/06/12
2 68048 PLUM ALDERMAN STD 2-4' 03/16/12-04/06/12
4 12984 APPLE SWEET SIXTEEN STD 2-4' 03/16/12-04/06/12
4 08432 PLUM STANLEY STD 2-4' 03/16/12-04/06/12
2 72500 CARMINE JEWEL DWARF CHERRY 04/29/12-05/20/12
2 65804 PEAR HONEYSWEET STD 2-4' 03/16/12-04/06/12
2 13133 PRUNUS NATIVE PLUM 2-3' 03/16/12-04/06/12

I was notified when the shipment was sent out. I am very pleased with this purchase!! We will buy more next year. I own a small company myself and I find that for every 100 satisfied customers 1 or 2 will slip through a crack. That being said I am sure this company does a large volume of sales, and sometimes things just go wrong. I say give them a shot.

"On Jun 1, 2012 1:46 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you very much! Enjoy and Happy Gardening."

This review compares my experiences ordering from Gurneys and White Flower Farms. (I'll also post this review under White Flower Farms on this website.) I had positive experiences with both companies.

RASPBERRIES

I ordered one raspberry variety from Gurneys, and one from White Flower Farms. The raspberry bush from Gurney's sprouted right away and is doing marvelously. The raspberry bush from White Flower Farm took a few weeks but is beginning to sprout leaves now.

TOMATOES

I wanted to try three different heirloom tomato plants this year and wanted to be able to choose each variety. Gurneys didn't offer such an option so I ordered from White Flower Farms.

Unfortunately the plants arrived about a week before I could plant them (impossible to plan since they just say the plants will be sent at the right time - no specific date), so I followed the instructions on what to do with the plants in the meantime.

Two did just fine and are now flourishing in the garden. One went rapidly downhill while still in its pot and by the time I knelt down to plant it, it literally came apart in my hand. I called the company and asked if I could split the cost of a replacement plant with them since it wasn't their fault I couldn't plant it right away, but they wouldn't hear of it; they sent me a new plant at no charge, and it arrived in perfect shape and is now flourishing in the garden.

TOMATO CAGES

I ordered four strong tomato cages from Gurneys (they only come in sets of two) and though they were quite a bit pricier than your average tomato cage, they're also *quite* a bit sturdier than your average tomato cage. They look great and were worth the extra cost.

TOMATO AND RASPBERRY FOOD

I ordered tomato and raspberry food along with a tomato blossom rot prevention product from Gurneys, and they arrived promptly as did the other items in my order. It's too early to say how they'll perform, though.

SQUASH

I ordered zucchini and summer squash plants from White Flower Farms, and a winter spaghetti squash seed packet from Gurney. (A plant wasn't available.) The zucchini plant arrived broken in a box with other plants that were perfect, and White Flower Farms immediately sent out a replacement free of charge. It and the summer squash are both doing great. The winter squash is also doing great; it germinated and grew faster than I would have thought possible.

YELLOW PEPPER

I ordered a yellow pepper plant from White Flower Farms. It arrived quickly and in perfect condition, and is flourishing in the garden.

SWEET POTATOES

I ordered sweet potato plants from Gurneys. They were the last to arrive of my order but they kept me informed so I wasn't left wondering. Of the 12 plants, a few were quite vigorous and a few were almost dead. I planted them all and so far about 9 appear to be healthy. They haven't been in the ground long, though, so the others could still come back.

HERBS

Here my experience differs between Gurneys and White Flower Farms quite a bit. I wanted to order plants but in many cases they weren't available, and so I had to order seeds instead. This was the case with green onions, too, which I ordered as seeds. These were my orders:

Gurneys:

- French tarragon plant
- Green onion seeds
- Basil seeds
- Dill seeds

White Flower Farms:

- Oregano plant
- Thyme plant

White Flower Farms: the oregano and thyme arrived in perfect condition and are doing great.

Gurneys: my order arrived quickly. The French tarragon plant didn't look all that strong, but I figured once it was in the ground it would perk up. It didn't; instead, it weakened every day until it was dead despite special care and attention. I bought a new tarragon plant at a local nursery to replace it. The seeds were even worse. The basil and dill seeds failed to come up at all, and I planted *many* of the seeds. (And I did follow the instructions!) After 3 weeks I finally dug some of the basil seeds up to see if there was any activity, and there was none. Just dead seeds. Of 12 green onion seeds, only 3 came up. I looked at the packets and there were no dates, so I wonder if I was sent seeds that were years old, especially when I compare how fast the winter squash seeds from Gurneys came up. So, I bought herb plants at a local nursery to replace the Gurneys no-shows.

White Flower Farms herb score: 100%
Gurneys herb score: 0%

That said, I didn't call Gurneys to ask them to replace the plants, as I was at the local nursery with my husband anyway and it was easier and quicker to just buy the plants there. Gurneys may have gladly replaced the plants if it had known of my experience.

Overall my experience was positive and I would order from both companies again. I did feel White Flower Farms had an edge in that I felt like I was dealing with a smaller business and real human beings more so than with Gurneys, and they also had more live plants in the fruits and vegetables I wanted (rather than seeds), but on the plus side, Gurneys offered better specials and they sell some nice extra items like the strong tomato cages.

"On May 22, 2012 9:02 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you very much for your posting. We appreciate you letting us know about your experience with our company. Happy Gardening!"

I am a first time customer of Gurneys, and have been completely satisfied with my experience with them. Specifically, I completed two separate orders, one for flowers/shrub and the other for raspberries/blackberries:
MAY NIGHT SALVIA, BLACK EYED SUSAN, MIXED BEE BALM, MAXIMILLIAN SUNFLOWER, BLUE BUTTERFLY DELPHINIUM AND VARIEGATED WEIGELA.
I received these items in well-packaged boxes, with good instructions on what to do. Some were bare-root, some were in small pots, all were completely healthy. In fact, I have had 100% success with these plants, despite some late frosts in PA. The Weigela plant was stunted by the frost, but I have observed new growth in the last couple of days. Also, the Black-eyed susans have just started growing despite being planted about a month ago. All others have taken root in my soil and are growing quite nicely!
Also ordered HERITAGE RASPBERRY, CAROLINE RASPBERRY (x2), JEWEL RASPBERRY, ARAPAHO BLACKBERRY, OUACHITA BLACKBERRY AND APACHE BALCKBERRY. It took about 5 weeks since I planted them, but they are all showing a break in dormancy with either growth on the cane or root suckers. Again, 100% success with these canes. I followed their directions and also did my own research on how to prepare the soil in order to make sure the plants got off to a good start.
My orders were shipped in a timely manner, and Gurneys sent me emails to update when my orders were shipped. To me, they seem to be a well-run mail order firm that can absolutely be trusted. Thank you Gurneys!

"On May 10, 2012 10:01 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for sharing. Enjoy your plants."

Ordered from this company last year successfully and decided to try them again. Was not disappointed, the 4 Indian Pinks I ordered were well packed in the cardboard tubes and looked great. all are planted and doing well (3 days later). My only negative is the length of time for delivery, I ordered in early March and they just arrived here in Tx, almost 2 months later. We had a very warm winter and these could have been in the ground for weeks. Otherwise a very affirmative positive for Gurneys.

"On May 3, 2012 10:06 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We apologize it took so long to receive your order. When shipping our plants we follow the guidelines set up by the USDA and ship at the proper planting time for your zone based on availability,"

I ordered one Blue Angle Climbing Rose. I usually do my research prior to ordering anything online since I have been ripped off in the past. I was looking for a specific rose which this company had. I read the reviews and I would not have ordered from them do to the ratings, but I really needed this specific rose so I figured I'll order it. Whats the worst that could happen? I would lose 20 bucks. So, I ordered not expecting too much. I ordered on the 16th of April and the rose arrived on the 24th, well packaged and alive. I am very pleased so far with this company. I planted it and I will keep you updated with the progress of its growth. Ordering any type of live plant online is always a crap shoot at best. There are so many things that can go wrong prior to being delivered. The company should always take the extra steps to make sure the plant has the best chance to survive the harsh conditions of being mailed. Thank you for the rose.

"On May 3, 2012 10:38 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your posting and enjoy your rose. If you need anything at all just let us know, we are always happy to help."

Posted on May 28, 2011, updated April 19, 2012
Posted on May 16, 2011, updated May 28, 2011
Posted on May 15, 2011, updated May 16, 2011
This was my first year ordering something from an on-line nursery, and i decided to go with Gurneys. I placed a rather large order ($192) that consisted of many things. all the seeds were shipped/received on time and in good shape as were most of the bare root items i bought. however the 2 chandlers i ordered (item#75479) showed up to early and all leafed out. We had 2 cold nights about 1 week after I got them and they are dead. I also ordered a bunch of raspberries and blackberries and while most are doing well 1 candy red(item#80900) 1 mammoth red(item#80892) and 1 chickasaw blackberry (item#80887) did not survive and are now dead and lifeless(they didn't look all that great even by bare root standards when i got them). I will change this to positive depending on gurneys handling of my situation. i am satisfied 100% with all the other products from gurneys accept my dead plants i got. i waited awhile before posting this to make sure their was going to be no new growth on said dead plants.

"On May 16, 2011 11:06 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We will be happy to reship the plants that did not do well for you. A customer service representative will be contacing you for you account informtion."

I received a catalog in the mail with a coupon on it for $25.00 towards anything in the catalog. I usually throw all of their catalogs in the garbage because of a bad experience that I had with them in the past. Years ago I ordered from them. Weeks passed, months passed and I never got my plants or an email explaining the delay. It was a horrible experience because I have been ordering from Gurney since the mid 1970's. They did apologize (that's all) but I was very, very angry because of missing the beginning of the gardening season. So to get back to my review, since anything that I ordered would be free, I decided to give them another chance. I had nothing to lose. I ordered a Meyer Lemon tree and artichoke seeds. I received the artichoke seeds very quickly and an invoice stating when the Meyer Lemon tree would be shipped (invoice shipping time was around March 12th). The tree was shipped right on time and was in good condition. As i am typing this review, the lemon tree is still healthy and thriving. The artichoke seeds are growing very well and are healthy. Everything was FREE to me like they advertised in the catalog. I have nothing to complain about. Although I am reluctant to place a large order with them, I am satisfied with the service that I got when placing this particular order.

GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. We started to order Lombardy Poplar with this company, an order of 6 "offers" with 3 plants for offer, then realized we did not know if it was the original italica poplar or not, and it was not clear in the order form that the fulfillment would be 18 trees. So we called up the company and found it to be true - actual order amount was not clear from what the assistant was reading online. Then we learned they were not italica. So we did not go through with the purchase. Same day, we found italica elsewhere and bought them. So imagine our surprise ten days later when our credit card was charged $140 by Gurneys! We had given them no address and had no order confirmation number! There was some glitch in their accounts.
The first person I called tried to haggle me to accept the order! When I mentioned lawyers she put me on hold and then disconnected the call! The next person told me I had to give Gurneys our mailing address, then receive the trees, and only then call back to do the refund. She was very efficient and nice. The third person was really nice as well and issued the refund. We're actually glad we found this company because they do have a terrific inventory and we like the way the matter was resolved. We'going to give them a big order of trees for our farm next autumn.

Posted on March 21, 2012, updated April 12, 2012
My husband and I ordered plants on March 11, 2012. After reading the reviews on this company, we were worried if we made a mistake ordering from Gurney's. It turned out we didn't! We got our first order today - Grape Reliance Pink Seedless and Grape Cayuga. Both of them along with the order of strawberries were scheduled for delivery 03/25/12-04/15/12. And an hour ago we got our grapes. To be honest I didn't expect to see much of the 1-year-old plants. To my surprise I was wrong! The plants look very healthy, with well-developed root system and a few wonderful buds ready to open. We are very, very pleased how quickly we received the plants and how good they look. We requested to ship the strawberries sooner if it is possible before the heat starts. We definitely update our review once we receive our order, but so far, thumbs up to Gurney's!

"On Mar 23, 2012 12:42 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for letting us know. If you have any problems please call our customer service line and we will be happy to help."

Posted on February 14, 2012, updated April 9, 2012
Placed a big order tonight for apple trees, a peach tree, blueberry bushes, a bareroot rose bush, a lilac, a peony, flowers, seeds and a hybrid poplar tree. I'm staying optimistic and will update as things start to arrive!

"On Feb 15, 2012 11:11 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

You will love your new plants. If you have any any problems just let us know and we will be happy to replace anything that does not well for you."

Received:

BLUEBERRY ELIZABETH
RASPBERRY RED LATHAM 1YR
MIXED FOXGLOVE
SILVER LACE BLACK PRIMROSE


The foxglove did arrive in poor shape. The box was completely smashed and the plant was wilted with terrible looking leaves. They have been in the ground a few weeks and thriving. It was probably a mixture of bad packaging and mishandling.

Everything else arrived in excellent shape with great packaging. This is my first order with gurneys and I will probably order again. Shipping time was average.

"On Apr 3, 2012 1:24 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

We appreciate your feedback, thank you for posting. A customer service representative will contact you to see if you need a new foxglove reshipped. Happy Gardening."

I placed an order of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries with Gurney's. I am happy to say that all of the plants that I received were fresh, healthy, well packaged and sent at the proper time. I am very pleased and will order again from Gurney's in the future.

"On Mar 23, 2012 1:15 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for sharing your expereince with us. Happy Gardening!"

I think it's a good idea to commend work well-done. In addition, since I had a good experience with Gurney, and some folks didn't, I would like to help balance the negative feedback by sharing my own positive experience with this company. It's very simple. I ordered many packages of seeds upon the recommendation of a friend, and I used the $25 coupon. I ordered the seeds, and the seeds arrived in a timely manner and in great condition. I planted the seeds at the appropriate time, and everything went well. I conversed with a representative one time in the process because one of the items I ordered was not available. The person I spoke to was professional and kind. I am honing in on just the right produce to grow in my garden, and many times I find the seeds locally, but I wouldn't hesitate to order from Gurney again.

"On Feb 27, 2012 11:10 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

We really appreciate your feedback concerning our products. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience with our company."

I have purchased trees and seeds from Gurney's for about 15 years now. I received items that are representative of the advertisements. The apple, peach, pear, and nectarine trees all have done well and are prolific. I also have several grape vines from Gurney's that have done well have over two inch diameter trunks. I have had a few plants die, and Gurney's always either replaced the plant or offered a credit. There is some delay in addressing returns during the busy part of the season, however, Gurney's responses have kept me aware that they are addressing the issue. The seeds (peanut, squash, beans, cucumber) also have done well and I order these every year, and I supply a local food pantry with fresh vegetables all summer. I have ordered Georgia Jet sweet potato slips for some years now, and Gurney's has often supplied more than my order request assuring a good harvest. I have ordered from other nurseries, but I always check Gurney's first. After some 15 year experience with this nursery, I certainly recommend them as offering a good product and at a good value.

"On Feb 6, 2012 10:51 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful testimonial. We really appreciate hearing from our customers and that you have been a customer for over 15 years, we thank you for letting us be your gardening friend.
"

I have been ordering from Gurneys for 30 years and have always gotten good service. On the few occasions a plant did not survive they shipped a replacement at the proper planting time. It is always important to order early while supplies are good and so they can be shipped at the correct time. I will be ordering from Gurneys for many more years.

"On Feb 1, 2012 3:51 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post about our company. We do offer our lifetime guarantee and yes ordering early is a good idea."

I have ordered items more than once from Gurney's. I like the bargain prices. My wife made fun of them, calling the trees "little sticks." However, all my "little sticks" have continued to grow. One of them, a Contender semi dwarf peach tree, died back to about 6 inches the first winter, with only one leaf left alive above the graft. I called Gurney's, they had a record of my purchase still. They offered to replace it, even though I had the tree for a couple of years. They said that they were out of stock for a replacement that year, which was disappointing. However, the tree came roaring back, growing 8 feet in one year. I think the tree must have been listening when I called and didn't want to end up in the yard waste container. My kids all enjoyed the peaches it had this year. It was completely loaded and stands about 12 foot tall after it's third year. They were much better than the variety that I got from the local nursery that died a few years before. Gurney's is a bargain hunter's type of company; it pays to be patient.

"On Jan 17, 2012 10:52 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for your testimonial about your experience with our trees. We really appreciate the wonderful feedback."

I am quite surprised there are negative remarks about this great company as we have had a great experience.
Husband and I just retired and moved to a new area summer of 2011 (northern New Mexico) we were very excited about the ability to have a very large garden. We ordered approximately $300 of seeds, fruit trees, and plants through several orders.
Late November, I emailed Gurneys with a question regarding one of the peach trees (leafed only 1/2 the way up the trunk - what does it need?). Was not requesting a replacement, just information, but Gruneys immediately replied that a replacement tree will be sent.
Of the approximate 30 different vegetable seeds - only the peas failed to thrive. Then again neighbors recently told us they have never been able to grow peas in our unusually windy area (not to mention the drought of 2011). I mentioned this to Gurneys in the same email with the peach tree question and they immediately sent us seed replacements for the peas. We had so much wonderful produce that I was actually bragging about our summer crop and not worried about the peas. We are always striving to be vegetarian and live over 30 miles from town making it hard to keep fresh vegetables on hand. Gurneys allowed us to have a wonderful crop (we supplied many neighbors with fresh vegetables - great way to make new friends) and allowed an abundance to can and freeze for the winter months. We really appreciate Gurneys!

"On Dec 11, 2011 12:57 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

We really appreciate your sharing your gardening experience with our products. Sounds like you had an awesome garden with lots of good fruit and veggies. Any time you need any information on seeds, plants or trees just let us know we have all kinds of information available for our customers."

Love Gurneys products. I have ordered from them several times. Always receive healthy plants. My blackberry plants are thriving even during our horrible drought.

Many of their plants come in some seedling pots and arrive very healthy.

Recommend them.

"On Nov 27, 2011 2:17 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

We appreciate you telling us about your plants. We are happy to hear how well they are doing and look forward to your future orders. Happy Gardening!"

Last year I ordered some seeds and a couple trees from Gurney's. The transaction was smooth. The seeds arrived quickly. The trees arrived in excellent condition at the right time in the spring.

"On Nov 27, 2011 2:14 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing, we appreciate what our customers have to say."

I had never ordered from any mail order catalogue before so I was unsure what to expect. After placing my order, I read some of the reviews and I was really nervous about my plants actually arriving and what condition they would be in. I ordered a Jose Lillac and a butterfly bush that were both the size indicated on the website and looked really healthy with lots of green leaves. I planted those about 2 weeks ago and they both look really good. I also ordered 2 of the perennial sweet pea (which I had never even heard of in zone 5) and those plants were also in very good condition and seem to be doing great. The spiderworts were also in great condition and a lot larger than what I expected- so I am exciting to see what those turn out like in the Spring. My only complaint would be I am a new gardener and I ordered a reblooming german iris and there were no specific instructions for it (there was a general planting guidebook for anything you could have possibly ordered) and I was confused if I was suppose to soak the bulb or not. So- I just planted it and water it a lot- so I will have to wait and see on that one. I never really write reviews but after reading through some of the other ones- I thought I should share my positive experience.

"On Oct 21, 2011 2:20 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your nice feedback we really appreciate what you have to say about our company and out plants. Here are some tips on iris.

Where to Plant Iris
Iris plants do best in full sun, and need a minimum of half a day exposure. The soil must have good drainage, so they will thrive in a raised bed or on a slope. If the climate is extremely hot, some shade is beneficial.

Preparation of Soil
For the best start, add Iris Lovers Plant Food to soil (sold on page 3). Iris soil must allow for drainage. Gypsum will improve drainage for most clay soil, and sand or humus will improve heavy soil. The ideal pH is 6.8 (slightly acidic), but irises will tolerate fluctuations. It is best to test the soil and adjust the pH, adding lime to acidic soils or sulfur to alkaline soils.

Iris Planting Depth
The proper planting depth is critical to your iris! Do not plant too deeply. The roots are planted spread out facing down, and the tops of the rhizomes exposed above the soil. 1” of the rhizomes may be covered in extremely hot climates. Pack soil around each rhizome.

Iris Planting Distance
Iris plants should be set 12” to 24” apart. If planted too close together, frequent thinning will be necessary to prevent overcrowding.

How to Water Iris
After planting, watering is necessary to establish roots. Slow watering at long intervals, such as with a soaker hose, is the best method to achieve this. Be careful not to over water. Once established, iris plants do well with natural rainfall. If the climate or weather conditions are arid, more watering may be necessary.

"

So far positive, but it's a close call. I have placed a few orders with this company since April of this year. In April, I ordered a dwarf meyer lemon, med olive tree, and root divisions of a white peony. One of the peony roots never made it. The other had one sprout. They refunded my total cost for this flower. The olive tree is doing fairly well. It is much smaller and has less leaves than I thought it would, but it's alive and very slowly progressing for the better. The lemon sapling was about 4 inches tall and dropped all of it's leaves until it died a couple weeks after it's arrival. Gurney's is sending me a replacement in October. Although not happy about the percentage of the loss, they did refund my order or will soon send me a replacement. Plus, their prices are simply the lowest out there when they have a promotion.
My next order was one that I had highly anticipated. A Japanese Stewarita and an almond tree sapling (Hall's Hardy). Another coupon promotion with great prices came my way so I jumped on the opportunity. Regrettably, i received a refund on my credit card with no explanation a couple weeks after my order. Confused, I called and the almond tree was refunded to my credit card because they sold out. I wish they would've emailed me sooner or at least inform me of such changes.
I hope I receive the stewarita tree... If I don't I will be changing my rating to negative simply because of the time it has taken me to receive my plants or receive my shipment of replacements. On the other hand, if my lemon and stewarita tree come healthy and on time, I will keep my positive rating for Gurney's.
To sum: unbeatable prices, good refund policy, but the quality and supply just isn't at the level I'd prefer it to be.

"On Sep 6, 2011 10:26 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to post. A customer service representative will contact you for your account information and check on your shipment for you."

I have been ordering from Gurneys for years and I have never had any problems from them. Actually I have never had a situation where I needed to return anything so Im not really sure how they are with that. All the seeds I get come up like clockwork. I had a really bad experience with Burgess when I decided to give them a try. BIG mistake to order from anyone but Gurneys. I will continue to order from them in the future.

"On Jul 15, 2011 4:04 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback about our company. We will look forward to your future orders. Happy Gardening!"

O.K....I have ordered from Gurney's before and had poor experience, so I was hesitant to order again but bit on the $25 off $50 coupon.

Ordered three gooseberries and three currents. All came in great shape and all but one have thrived (one gooseberry is struggling but will probably make through the season).

I think that the company is trying to improve their products and services, but perhaps they need try even harder.

"On Jun 27, 2011 10:49 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for sharing your experience with our company. If you ever have any problems with your plants just let us know. We do have a lifetime guarantee on all our plants. Happy Gardening!"

I recently ordered from Gurney's for the first time and I had a positive experience. When I ordered for some reason the $25 coupon did not register, but I called them and they fixed it right away.

My order arrived in three parts. I ordered some seeds, Jerusalem Artichoke tubers and sweet potato plants. The pepper seeds I ordered germinated very well, the JA tubers were HUGE and much nicer than expected and the sweet potatoes were disappointing. When the sweet potatoes arrived I thought they were dead.... BUT I planted them anyway and they are definitely alive and growing.

So the only problem I have is I planted the sweet potatoes too close together, because I thought they were dead... Oh well, I am happy with my order.

"On Jun 15, 2011 12:48 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about your experience with us. We do our best to make sure every order you place with us is a positive experience. You can contact us any time for all your gardening needs."

I put in a small order with Gurney's two months ago and have so far received about a half of the order and anticipate the remaining four plants a couple of days from now. Gurneys gave a great first impression with an email with a notice once the plants shipped, and access to a tracking number so I can see when I might expect the plants to arrive.

I have so far received 4 sweet autumn clematis vines, and the root stock for 1 healthy hops vine. Only a month has passed and all five plants are thriving. They all came packaged carefully and seemed to take root immediately.

The clematis are climbing and twining, and (perhaps I did this incorrectly) I planted the hops root horizontally in a planter and have watched it put up four tendrils in the past two weeks.

I am thoroughly impressed with the quality and strength of the plants that Gurneys has supplied, and look forward to receiving four more vines this weekend. Update forthcoming! And fotos here:

[HYPERLINK@www.facebook.com]

"On Jun 1, 2011 4:32 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for taking the time to post your experience with us. We appreciate you sharing your pictures with us. Happy Gardening and we look forward to your future orders."

I ordered from Gurney's Seed & Nursery for the first time this year. I did have some issues but they took care of everyone. I will use this company again!

"On May 27, 2011 12:34 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We do our best to make sure our customers are taken care of. If you ever have any issues please just let us know."

Posted on April 7, 2011, updated May 24, 2011
Posted on April 3, 2011, updated April 7, 2011
Posted on March 20, 2011, updated April 3, 2011
I have ordered from Gurney's in the past with GOOD results and,in fact, have placed orders for this year. I GREATLY appreciate the fact that they do send an order confirmation, and, that customer service did help me with my order when I telephoned! I enjoy gardening very much and am expecting the healthy, viable plants (dwarf sugar pearl, strawberries and blueberry-all YUM) that I ordered for this year.Will update upon arrival.

"On Apr 5, 2011 8:04 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We do our best to provide World Class customer service. Have a great day and Happy Gardening."

I've ordered from this company in the past, this year I ordered Sun Chokes and a Gogi berry bush tree (stick) I did receive my order in two parts because they won't ship until it is the correct time to plant some items. I ordered some seeds from them as well I had no problem with them either.

"On May 23, 2011 1:53 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for sharing. We are happy you are satisfied with your order. If you ever need assistance with anything just let us know we are always happy to help."

We received our Dwarf Pomagranite that I ordered earlier this year for my husband's birthday. I kept my fingers crossed hoping that it would arrive sometime near that date. May 4th. Didn't really expect it, but hoped!
Well, on the 3rd, we received "the" package! A little worse for wear; but openned it. Inside box was even worse! Crushed, and almost folded in half. My tears started along w/my apologies to him. HE OPENNED THE BOX! And, out popped this BEAUTIFUL little plant! It was 6-7" in. tall and bright-eyed and bushy tailed! Delighted...YES. GRATEFUL...YES. Thank you Gurneys. You have our business in the future!!!

"On May 11, 2011 9:18 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us. Just know if you ever have any problems with your orders just let us know and will be very happy to help in any way."

I have placed my first order with Gurney's. So far I have received two shipments & have three remaining items. I ordered & have received 50 honeoye strawberry plants & the pyramidal strawberry bed. The weather has delayed the planting of the strawberries so I "heeled" them in & they seem to be doing nicely (growing pretty green leaves). We haven't installed the pyramidal bed yet because we need to do some more leveling & soil amending, but it came with concise instructions & appears to be well worth the price.

My second shipment was six Mr. Stripey tomato plants. It is a little early to plant these in Minnesota so I have transplanted them into individual containers & have them inside for now. They look fairly healthy but did come with some yellow leaves. I think they will be OK, but I'll update my post if they take a turn for the worse.

"On May 5, 2011 11:49 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your feedback concerning your order. We are trained and qualified to answer any questions you may have or assist you with any problems that may arise. Just let us know if you have any problems and we will be happy to take care of it for you."

Posted on March 25, 2011, updated April 29, 2011
I wish I had checked this web page before I placed my order. My order is not shipped and customer service still hasn't responded to my inquiry. I should have gotten my astilbe from bulbsdirect.

"On Apr 1, 2011 2:20 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I apologize for the delay in response to your inquiry. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and check on your order for you.
"

I was nervous about ordering from Gurney because of all of the bad reviews but I was sucked in by the free $25 if you spend $25. I had no problem with ordering or delivery. I was a bit disappointed in the size of the plants. But I guess that old adage is true - you get what you pay for. Overall, I was satisfied with my Gurney's experience.

"On May 5, 2011 1:56 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Please know we are always here to assist you if you ever have any problems."

Posted on April 7, 2011, updated April 26, 2011
Posted on April 4, 2011, updated April 7, 2011
Posted on March 21, 2011, updated April 4, 2011
My experience with Gurney's was pretty bad. Some years ago I ordered a bunch of fruit trees and none of them went anywhere. I had placed a large order and they would come in at random times, either hot and moldy or bone dry (2 yr asparagus roots were a bummer). I had called them about the cherry trees and they sent me moldy cherry trees again, which died a long drawn out death within the year.

The seeds were ok, the germination rates were not that great (except national pickling cucumbers were amazingly productive).
I had great memories as a kid with the catalogs and when my parents ordered from them and the plants (strawberry and raspberry) would grow like crazy. What happened to them?

"On Mar 31, 2011 10:21 AM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

I apologize for the experience you had with your previous order. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and we would be happy to reship new plants to you."

Posted on April 25, 2011, updated April 26, 2011
I have ordered from Gurneys many times over the years. This year alone, I have placed two large orders from them as I am establishing an orchard and gardens at a new property.

I have been very pleased with the quality of the items sent by Gurneys. So far, only one or two (out of many) plants have not come out of dormancy and I am seeing signs that those may be awakening.

Gurneys shipping charges are reasonable. Their products are nice.

My only real complaints with Gurneys are the price discrepancies between this and "sister" companies (or perhaps, affiliated companies would be a better way of stating this.) I'm not sure of what the organizational structure is between Gurneys and other nurseries, but it is offputting to find and buy a product in Gurneys only to find it shortly after from one of the sister companies for a MUCH lower price. This adds up quickly with large orders. In the future, I'll remember to check all of Gurneys (sister companies? assocaited businesses? affiliates?) for price differences on the same items before placing an order.

"On May 5, 2011 2:12 PM, Gurney's Seed & Nursery responded with:

Thank you very much for shaing your experiece with us through the years. Happy Gardening!"