Comments regarding Michigan Bulb

Michigan Bulb is the best gardening company I've ever dealt with. I have used others, but MB is the best. They stand behind their guarantees and replacements. Not to mention their prices are fair also.

I see a lot of negatives about this place and it made me suspicious. I had a good experience about 20 years ago ordering a red japanese maple, so I thought I'd try again! I'm pleased to say that my recent October 2019 order was fine. My order was all fall planted bulbs and fortunately for me they shipped at the same time. I was impressed with the size and quality of the bulbs. Everything was packaged well, and labeled nicely. I really appreciated the bonus items too. I LOVE how their website is super easy to use and the prices are reasonable. As someone at poverty level, but a love for plants and the environment; Michigan Bulb Company helps me to try new plants and keep gardening. Other places can literally leave you with sticker shock. I would order here again. I wish I had come back sooner.

Posted on May 22, 2014, updated May 12, 2018
Posted on October 15, 2012, updated May 22, 2014
Posted on May 7, 2012, updated October 15, 2012
Posted on April 1, 2012, updated May 7, 2012
Posted on September 27, 2011, updated April 1, 2012
Posted on May 17, 2011, updated September 27, 2011
Earlier in the spring, I saw an inexpensive "deal" from Michigan Bulb for red border lily bulbs. I decided to place the order, even though I had seen several negative reviews in Garden Watchdog. They arrived, looked fine, and I planted them. They are on the verge of blooming now, and I am pleased. I will order from Michigan Bulb again.

"On May 18, 2011 11:15 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We really appreciate you posting your experience with our company and we look forward to your future orders. Happy Gardening!"

I’m a beginner gardener so I was a bit shocked and disappointed when a bag of little roots arrived from Michigan Bulb instead of growing plants. I didn’t believe that they would grow, but every single one did. Bleeding Hearts, Astilbes, and Hellebores. I’m so excited!!!

I didn't discover this website until I had already placed, but not yet received, a couple of orders from Michigan Bulb. I was terrified that I'd get a pile of late, dead plants. To my surprise, everything arrived fine. My order consisted of daylilies, iris, and some assorted lilies. All grew, even though I didn't order them until June and get them in the ground until July. Now, 8 months later, I've probably ordered well over $1,000 (that's being conservative) in plants from them. So far, so good. I'm looking forward to the arrival of my spring plants. I will say this, I never take their prices at face value. I discovered that if I'm signed in and browse their site but then don't purchase, I inevitably receive an email for a 50% coupon link within the net day or two. I also have to cross shop with their sister sites, K Van Bourgondien and Breck's to find the best price on the same exact item. I can't fault them for being a business and trying to make money, even if it requires a little extra effort on my part to get the best price. The sale and discount policies remind me of a Kohl's or Belk, where if you have the magic coupon or link, you get a much better deal. And the absolute BEST part about them is the end of season sales are spectacular. If it's something you can still get in the ground or a pot and save for next year, they are awesome. I realize not everyone has a great experience with them. But they seem to work well for my needs. I've literally rebuilt my beds and gardens with their (and their sister companys') products.

I've been buying MI Bulb items for my garden for the last 3 or 4 years now. I've ordered flower bulbs, bare root plants, fruit trees, and purely ornamental things like Hostas. Overall I have had a very positive experience with this company.

Many of the previous reviews complain about the product packaging. I've never had problems with their packaging - things are generally wrapped in cardboard with a plastic sleeve to protect items during transit.

Products ordered from this company are shipped in dormancy, usually in a bulb or bare-root form. They may even look dead when they arrive, but it's just because they are dormant. Once planted, most everything does beautifully. It may take several years for the plants to get big and pretty like in the ad pictures, but that's just how life works!

I have had a few things die or fail to produce over the years, and MI Bulb has always been great about issuing a replacement item or refund certificate to use on something else.

Generally very friendly customer service via email and text chat. They also have great promos for their email subscribers, which often feature a $ off or % off purchase, plus sometimes even a free plant with order!

Overall, I do recommend them for all your perennial plant needs. I intend to keep shopping with them for years to come!

I just received my order from michigan bulb yesterday. I was nervous after some of the bad reviews, but pleasantly surprised with the plants. I already knew everything would be small. If it's cheap it's going to be small and to expect otherwise is just silly. I ordered a tangerine tree, 2 service berries, a blue passion flower, and a cinnamon fern. Everything was extremely well packaged. Out of the 7 companies i ordered from this year, they had the best packaging. The tangerine and passion flowers were only about 8 inches each but very full and healthy. I wish the service berries had a few more buds but they still look very good. The fern is just a root ball so we'll see how that comes up. My only real complaints are how long my order took to get here, and the way they bait and switch prices. Right after I placed my order they sent me an email with a coupon for free shipping on my next order. When I followed the link it took me back to their site but everything was priced a buck or 2 more than it was on my first visit. I opened the site in a new tab to double check and sure enough the prices were different. I would still order from them again, just have to be aware they play with prices.

I bought perennial (roses and crepe myrtle) and bulbs from Michigan Bulb in 2016 and this year. So far all I received were grew well. Customer service was also excellent.

I have started ordering from this company, and have my first review ready. Overall, this is not the worst experience I have had, and customer service was awesome at helping me out. This year I have spent quite a bit of money, so I would have been absolutely furious if customer service had been bad.

To the company, thank you for improving on your customer service as compared to other reviews I have found here and elsewhere.

As for improvements: This company has poor instructions for planting and has actually mixed up a few planting requirements. For example, you really shouldn't plant hostas or clematis in the fall.

Your plants are smaller, and sometimes weaker than would be expected for immediate outside planting. You should encourage and recommend for best results they are greenhoused for a few weeks in potting soil and appropriate lighting. If I was running a greenhouse and not just doing a ton of yards this summer, I would have been absolutely in love with everything you sent. Your sedum and coral bells did amazing when they were greenhoused first.

However, this is not a negative review, your customer service rep was amazing and happy to help me get the plants replaced. This makes up for everything, especially when you consider how much I have had to buy to get all of this done.

In the future, I WILL purchase from here. So far, I have no problems getting items replaced and have been absolutely amazed by the bulbs. The other plants need to get bigger.

I do not recommend this company for new gardeners, unless you are buying bulbs. New gardeners are expecting to see actual plants, not starters. Additionally, the plants need attention to survive. IF you are a new gardener, I recommend sticking to the local nurseries until you start moving and dividing plants successfully.

Thank you!

I had ordered astilbe from this company through zulily.com that did not make it the next year. Zulily was unwilling to work with me for any type of reimbursement. I learned quickly not to use them for plants, but when I contacted the company direct they did replace the astilbe without hesitation. Overall good experience with customer service even though my initial plants did not make it the following year.

In early summer 2015 I bought a home with a severely neglected garden. After weeding, tilling and adding 3" of landscapers gold and sod, I began planting the borders in September/October of 2015.

I ordered roughly $350 worth of plants including: bulbs, a lilac, a "shamrock" rose, grasses, and bareroot ferns, hostas, plume astilbe, and bleeding hearts. I also took advantage of a free + shipping promo for a oakleaf hydrangea. Michigan bulb allowed me to purchase the most for my money.

I am actually content with the results now that it's summer 2016. All the hostas and bleeding hearts emerged and are thriving. The bulbs, mostly daffodils, tulips, crocus, and hyacinths bloomed nicely.

The shrubs arrived bareroot, and as others have commented, very tiny. These would likely be sold as 4" pots in a nursery. They all survived winter and are flourishing. Don't be fooled by the shamrock, or St. Patrick rose. It's actually a WEKamanda rose, and its more yellow than chartreuse or green. That said, the rose is thriving. By July it's already grown to 3 feet with a few canes and several blooms. Still, I'd recommend getting your shrubs locally. You'll get a more mature plant for probably double or triple the price, but you won't have to wait 3 years for the plant to mature.

The ferns were veeeery slow to emerge. They only began putting up fiddleheads in June 2016. Roughly 9 months after planting, and some never emerged.

My only disappointments are the ferns and plume astilbe that never emerged. I contacted Michigan Bulb to see about a replacement for both. They said that since neither is currently in their catalog, they would issue me a voucher. I got $33 and that's probably more than the value of the original plants.

My advice for success: plant as soon as you get the plants in the mail, soak them in water, plant in fall, mix in good quality soil, and let nature take its course.

I ordered 2 different strains of lilies, for a total order of 6 bulbs. They came packaged fairly well in my opinion. There was one scale broken off the bulb, no big deal. They were firm and had decent roots. First time with mail order bulbs. Ordered from a few other companies as well this year. Planted bulbs today. Will update in a whole on the bulbs whether they produce stems and blooms this year.

Placed my order 3/9/16 and received my full order on 3/21/16. After reading a lot of the feedback about this company, I was a little skeptical ordering from them, but I'm glad I took the chance. i ordered azaleas, hostas, geraniums, lilac and a crepe myrtle tree. The items were packaged well and the roots look very thick and plentiful. Although the azaleas and myrtle tree were small (about 5-8"), they had leaves growing on them and appear healthy. Hopefully they will "take"!

I found beautiful plants at stellar prices. I am excited to receive them in May!

I have ordered many things from Michigan Bulbs and have been extremely happy! All the roses (12-15) have been extremely healthy and are thriving. My other plants and flowers are doing beautifully, except a few which didn't survive, and they quickly sent me replacements.

They are a little expensive, unless you can get the sales, though.

However, sales staff, support and guarantee makes this a great place to shop for garden plants and fruits.

Ordered a couple of elephant ears and somehow they ended up taking a tour of the United states thanks to the postal service. Contacted Michigan Bulb and they quickly sent out another order UPS. Very pleased with the product and the service.

I purchased 6 sedum plants and received them the end of April, perfect timing. They arrived perfectly packed and very healthy. I planted them last week, 5/1/15 in zone 6a. They are still doing very well. And yes, I would order from them again.

Last fall I ordered and planted tulips and lilacs. The lilacs are small but both are doing well this spring. This spring I ordered lavendar, daffodils, lillies, festuca grass and phlox. The grasses and phlox appear to be doing well. The lavendar look ill. I am going to give them some more time and if they die request replacements. It is too early to tell on the daffodils and lillies. I'll post updates later!

I've ordered many times from Michigan Bulb. The experience is always the same, AVERAGE (when all factors are included). The prices are reasonable for most items. I assume they get a lot of their inventory from other nurseries' overstock. They do get some cool stuff once in a while.

You should always, however, wait for their almost DAILY coupons for various discounts/free shipping. The 20 off 40 coupon is just a way to get you to buy more. If you need plants worth close to a multiple of twenty, you can simulate close to 50% off. Once in a blue moon, you get the holy grail coupon, 50% off any items you order.

The biggest downside to MB is shipping time, as in the time it takes to actually ship out your order. I usually do get a couple of delay emails before the order ships, but it's fairly fast to arrive. It's annoying, but you just have to expect it and you won't go crazy. Emailing them sometimes gets someone to speed up your processing.

The ordering is simple, made to entice impulse orders. Also, they don't seem to be shy about giving you a replacement certificate (price you paid for plant only) for bad plants. I got a Bihou Japanese Maple for cheap, but it died over the winter (5 months or so). I got credit the same day. I guess they just expect a lot of losses. It's not a refund, but it's better than some places that just ignore you.

I recently got an Acer Shirasawanum 'Aureum' for $20. It wasn't huge but it was decent and healthy. I ordered a Flat Wonderful peach in the fall for about the same amount, and it arrived bareroot this March. At about 4' with some top branching, I was pleasantly surprised by the size.

So, if you think that you can handle all that I've described, then MB may yield you some deals. I'll rate them positive, but a 1-10 scale rating of 7.0 would be more appropriate.

I ordered from Michigan bulb twice within a few weeks but after reading all the negative reviews I cancelled my big order for all my outdoor plants and just stuck with the first order that I got an excellent deal on. I ordered 4 hens and chicks succulents (2 different varieties) and although they did come a few days after first stated they got to me in perfect condition and were even bigger than I had expected after reading reviews. They are thriving and I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Michigan Bulb even their customer service agent that cancelled my big order for me was friendly and professional. I can say now I wish I had not cancelled my other order.

I purchased several plants towards the end of Spring. The one draw back is that you don't know when they will arrive, and I did not have time to plant them immediately. However, I was able to store them in a cool dry place for a few days.

They will arrive as bare roots and may "look dead". It is important to follow the instructions for pre-planting. I had purchased previously, so I expected this and did not expect anything to bloom until next summer.

To my surprise, 2 of my rose bushes that were a little worn from the travel and not being planted immediately (new branches had started, but broke off), have already bloomed this year!

The rest of my stock were spring plants and I will be looking for them next spring. I hope I will be equally happy then.

This was my first online order for plants. I ordered hostas and a rose a Sharon. I ordered a empress wu hosta that was very well packed and healthy beautiful baby. My only down point was right after I placed my order I found full grown empress in Home Depot for the same price as this lil baby. Any who. Plants look great, all nice size barefoot and packed well. I will do business with them again, happy customer

Posted on November 6, 2012, updated April 30, 2014
Very reliable. Order needed to be broken up and sent out at different times. They came as specified.

"On Nov 13, 2012 11:16 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful feedback. Happy Gardening!"

4/26/14 Rec'd my order within 2 weeks of placing the order. Plants are small which I expected. Very well packaged. This order I placed was all hosta. Each hosta was in their own little box. Roots had soil and shrink wrap. They all look good, well one was a little droopy. No biggie as it will bounce back in a few days. Order came in a box with airbag packing.
I was looking for another company to replace my long years with DG. It looks like I am have found it with Michigan bulb.
They are actually less expensive than DG. Shipping was less, DG is a bag, Michigan Bulb is a box with plant protection. Michigan Bulb is months faster than DG in high season.

I am waiting on a few more orders and I will update. So far I am very pleased.

Posted on June 4, 2012, updated April 24, 2014
I received my order promptly, correct, and in good condition even though the box was partially crushed (something very heavy must have been on top of it during shipping). The air bag packing did it's job to protect the plants. One of the items I ordered was "Red" Hens and Chicks which was shown as bright magenta in their catalog, What I received was light green leaves with a pale reddish tint at the the base of each leaf. I hope the plants will redden up as they mature and the season progresses or I will be disappointed.

"On Jun 5, 2012 11:57 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your post. They should darken with age. Happy Gardening!"

I love the products sold by Michigan Bulb and the service and delivery are great. I would buy from them again EVEN THOUGH their marketing tactics are extremely aggressive and prey on people that don't understand. Now that I understand how they work, as I said, I would stay a customer.

Their prices change dynamically on their website, or they have a few versions of their website, depending on your actions. If you use their $25 off coupon, the second you apply the coupon the prices in your basket AND on the website increase by a LOT so you aren't actually saving any money.

The next tactic is using any of the promo codes will also alter the prices on the website so be careful and pay attention. I had a banana tree in my cart that was $8, then after adding the coupon code the price of the tree increased to 19.99 with some money off so the final price became $14.99. Another time it was $10.99, all within the same hour.

I ended up clearing my basket and leaving the site and ended up on Amazon, and low and behold I found Michigan Bulb and their subsidiaries (Gurney's and Spring Hill). The prices on Amazon were far cheaper than on the MB website, so I clicked on the link to go to MB website and the prices were slashed to the lowest I'd seen so I bought from that version of the website.

Like I said, they have excellent selection, fast delivery and pretty good service so don't be afraid to order, but do pay attention to your pricing.

For the most part, the company ships plants, even the free ones, in great shape. I was very worried about my bare root asparagus as I had to plant in days after I got it after wrapping it up and putting it in the fridge in the meantime. I got shoots in less than a week.

I did have a few problem plants, but these were immediately refunded without a problem.

I recieved my order today. I am pleased with my order as everything was shipped in full, everything arrived in good condition and I recieved my money's worth.

I have ordered from them several times over the past 10 plus years, usually with mixed results. No complaints as "you get what you pay for". Mislabling (plants not true to identity or color), rotten bulbs or dried up dormant plants here and there. I never contacted them or complained.

I have noticed that their pricing has increased dramatically but their discounts have remained the same. 50% off 40 dollar orders, etc.I decided to order this year and take advantage of the discounts with my fingers crossed and chuckling to myself.

I HAVE to say I am pleasantly surprised. 2 dormant bareroot tall phlox arrived wrapped in plastic and sawdust. They were moist with many new shoots rising from large rhizomes. Exactly what I would recieve from Wayside or comparable. My Julia Child Rose was healthy although slightly dry. This own root was small but no different than other own root rose vendors selling it for 17.50 or more. My 14.95 rose cost me 7.50. A dwarf fernspray Cypress was exceptionally healthy and ingood condition.

I feel I recieved a great value on my purchase. Michigan Bulb met their obligations to me and sent me healthy plants. If they die or fail to thrive from now until the end of the growing season it will be my own fault.

Just received the first of three orders I've placed this season with Michigan Bulb. Plants arrived in great condition, and were larger than expected! Great value!

I ordered 3 Itoh Lollipop peonies on 2-15-14, they were shipped 3-18-14, and arrived today 3-21-14. The foliage is 14"+/- tall and full. The roots are maxing out of their 2" pots and healthy and full so I potted them up and have them under lights, there was no wilting nor bruising or breakage of the stems and leaves. I am very happy with my purchase. I will try to post a picture in my file.

I have been dealing with Michigan Bulb for over 35 years. In the beginning, they were pretty good. I usually got what I wanted and it grew. Then, within the past 10 years or so, they began declining. Sending out obviously 1 or 2 year old bagged bulbs and rhizomes whether rotted or not, and visibly dried and dead plants that had to be that way when they shipped. 3 years ago, I would have put them in the same category as all those numerous and pitiful Jung's-owned companies out of Bloomfield, IL. I stopped doing business with them. I decided to order again this year. I got 2 of my ITOH peonies on 3/1/14 and several other herbaceous peonies that were good sized, green, at least 4-5 eyes and had leaves and signs of life everywhere. I much prefer receiving them this way rather than getting what looks like a dead piece of dog-poop and I have to spend months waiting and convincing them that it was not "dormant" but was dead when I received it. On my recent order, they did adjust their delivery schedule once, but it was only a week, and they kept me informed. The price I paid for ITOH peonies with their 50% discount was at least a third cheaper than the next best price I could find. And these are healthy thriving plants, albeit a little small. Nonetheless, a fair offer for what I paid, very healthy, and I'm starting to see signs of life again at Michigan Bulb! I'm back, too, MB! For as long as you are! Thanks so much! People are going to notice and use you again!

Posted on February 8, 2014, updated February 22, 2014
Great sale prices on plants and shipping and they offer a free gift. They return emails quickly... great customer service.

I don't usually write online reviews, but in this case I feel like I want to give this company some positive feedback because in my experience they've improved in the last year. I first started ordering plants and bulbs online a few years back when I moved to a house in the suburbs (in central PA) from a city apartment. At that time, the items I ordered from Michigan Bulb either ended up being out of stock by the time they got to my order, or for whatever reason (possibly my own fault as a novice gardener - which I still am), the plants didn't thrive. (I don't think I ordered actual bulbs from them.) However, in the past year or so, I've ordered a number of items (almost all plants, not bulbs), and have been really pleased with the quality of the items, especially because their prices seem a bit lower than some of the other big companies offer for the same exact products online. My only complaint would be the number of emails I receive, and that's because of my weak willpower with regard to spending money. I do enjoy all of the print catalogs I receive from the various garden companies. Also, all the companies I order from have an uncanny sense of timing such that my plants generally arrive the day (and since I work every day, it's the evening) before I'm going on vacation.

"On Feb 3, 2014 11:49 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful post about our company. Happy Gardening to you!"

I ordered 2 Ruby Red Dwarf Pie Cherry trees and a Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree last spring. All 3 grew beautifully! Lots of leaves and happy little plants (too young for fruit just yet). I also ordered Virginia Bluebells that didn't live, but tis gardening, some things work and some don't. Good thing those were the cheapest items in my order. ;) Granted, the prices at Michigan Bulb are really reasonable for everything I ordered!

"On Jan 22, 2014 12:36 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback, we appreciate you taking the time to post. If you ever have any problems please just let us know and we will be happy to help."

very fast shipping. Bulbs look very healthy. very pleased

"On Nov 15, 2013 4:42 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know. Happy Gardening!"

All I have received so far from Michigan Bulb have been beautiful. One plant was broken and when I called them ,customer service was very polite,and they sent a replacement promptly.I am very happy with them. Thanks for listening. NEVA

"On Nov 15, 2013 4:44 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. If you ever need help with anything just let us know."

Have several orders in.
Customer service is great.
On line Chat service is quick & easy.
Products are of good quality and shipped in a timely manner.
Packaging is good.

"On Sep 12, 2013 10:08 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful review. Happy Gardening!"

I only made a small order because of all the negative comments from other reviews, but overall I was satisfied. Although I had to wait quite a while to receive my plants, I found the customer service to be great. I ordered 2 Passion flower vines, 3 geraniums and 3 Hellebores. I had a few problems such as
1. Order for Hellebore cancelled without notifying me (I found out when I logged into my account)
2. Repeated delays in shipping plants - each plant was shipped separately over a period of 6-8 weeks. I really was afraid they would try to ship in the heat of summer.
3. The passion flower vines I received did not look too healthy and were in the smallest pots I have ever seen, with just a couple of roots and maybe 5-6 leaves. A couple leaves were stapled to the support stake. However, they were $3.00 each so you get what you pay for and they were well packed. After planting, one promptly lost all its leaves. The other passion flower is growing slowly - hope it gets strong enough to survive the winter
4. Really don't like that they charge your credit card as soon as your order is placed then take weeks to ship.

On the positive side:
1. Customer service responded within 24 hrs of my emails and helped to expedite shipment
2. Customer service issued a refund back to may credit card for the Hellebores
3. When I contacted customer service (within 30 days) that one passion flower died, they sent me a refund check for that, too. For a $32 order, I got a $21 refund. Overall, I got 5 plants out of my 8 plant order. The "dead" passion flower eventually started to grow after a couple of months
4. The geraniums were huge healthy bareroots. Two of them grew right away (no blooms this season) and the third has put out several leaves after about 6 weeks.

I just placed another order for this fall, hoping I will get everything. They do have some well-priced unusual plants and coupons. I am trying more bare root plants since they were so healthy. Would advise not placing a huge order initially, till you get used to how they operate. It can be quite frustrating wondering where your order is. Also have to reiterate their customer service reps were great.

"On Aug 6, 2013 4:08 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I apologize for any problems you had with your order or your plants. Please let us know if you need any replacements and we will be happy to take care of this for you."

Posted on May 29, 2013, updated August 2, 2013
I'm a novice gardener and this is my second year planting a garden and flower beds. I received a catalog from Michigan Bulb in February and after some speculation I placed a large order in the Spring. I was aware (thanks to information in the catalog) that the plants would be tiny and that the order would be shipped when my zone had opened. Michigan Bulb was very good about sending me emails to update me on the status of the order and expected delivery time. My order arrived two weeks ago and all of the plants and bulbs were in good shape. So far so good, they are thriving. One item was not available and Michigan Bulb contacted me and gave me a refund and I was able to order another plant in it's place. I am very pleased and I have placed a second order. I appreciate the affordability, customer service, and quality of plants from Michigan Bulb.

"On May 30, 2013 11:31 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We really appreciate your feedback about our company. Thank you and enjoy your garden!"