Comments regarding Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com)

Spring Hill delivered a lot of plants that are really not good quality and some have died already.

I have been ordering from Breck and occasionally Spring Hill for the last 10 years or better. I have been amazed at the generally consistent quality of the products. Springhill is by far the more difficult, part of this is that they handle root plants and these don't withstand the wait I sometimes put them through. I have had relatively good luck with the plants. Admittedly some of the collections of root plants have clumps which are small and the blooming in the first year is sparse, but the price is quite attractive on these special offers. My response from customer service is always "What would you like to do?" Sometimes I replace and sometimes I order a different item. It never seems to matter to them. I receive what I have requested. The tulip bulbs and the iris have been quite hardy. I take a no fussing approach to gardening and still have had excellent results. I even have taking to planting the bulbs (not rizomes) a full 6 inches deep regardless of type and leaving them in since frost here does not reach that level. Even with not following the instructions closely I have good to excellent results. I have on occasion ordered glads from them on special order and have been quite well pleased with these also. I must admit that I haven't seen these collections for several years now. I just placed an order today and planted several things from them last year. I find them to be a good source for succulent plants. I normally do not choose to shop for bushes or trees from mail order since I prefer to see conformation andstrength and know the age of the plant before buying. When I buy from other sources I get no guarantee and therefore shopping with them is money saving in the long run when things don't go as planned. It is easy to complain, but spending money and having no recourse if quality isn't there isjust shall we say ill-advised. To clarify any cloudiness about references to these companies Breck's is a bulb company and handles bulbs, tubers, rhizomes. Springhill specializes in root plants and some fibrous root plants. Springhill also carries some bushes and shrubs. My comments above can be read with this in mind and should become quite clear. Both companies have given me good service when I request replacement and never question if my poor judgment in planting location or care could have been the problem. The results I have had with each company is comparable and I tend to look at them as almost one. I will even call one for the service number of the other and get customer friendly referral.

I ordered some plants last year from spring hill and was very impressed with the way they arrived in pots well started and they didn't bloom the first year but the foliage looked very healthy and the bases got really large. They are already looking good this year. Everything lived and survived the winter except a couple of the carnations due to the rabbits. I ordered again and more this year. Keep up the good work.

I have ordered several times from Spring Hill and have never once had a plant die. They turned out great for several years. I always had compliments from all of our neighbor son how beautiful our plants were. Gardening takes patience and a lot of time and energy. People cannot plant the bulbs, and do nothing and expect them not to die.

I bought my first house in the spring of 2000, and one of the "housewarming gifts" I got in the mail was a deal from Spring Hill Nursery offering some of their basic plants at a two-for-one price. I figured the price couldn't be beat, so I ordered a few plants -- my very first catalog plant order. The plants arrived quickly, well packaged, and I planted them the same day I got them. [Several plants] grew like crazy this summer, and I'm very happy with them. But the creeping phlox and lavender died within two weeks of planting, and the Canterbury bells produced only one bloom all summer.I know Spring Hill has a return policy for plants that don't perform, but I'm not going to bother with it -- The remaining plants are stilldoing very well, and I still saved a lot of money on them. I ordered Spring Hill's hosta collection for spring planting -- We'll see how they do. But so far, no real complaints about this company.

I have had good experiences when ordering from Spring Hill. I have purchased bare root perennials from them, and they've all performedbeautifully. The key word that customers need to read here is "bare root". Many of Spring Hill's plants are bare root divisions, and areoften shipped dormant to reduce stress to the plant. This is why it looks like you're receiving a dead plant. If planted immediately, as per their instructions, most plants will thrive. I will generally only order something from them that I can't find here locally. I'm happy to pay their low price and receive a division. One note about receiving a bare root division: you may not get results the first year. If I have to wait for bloom on a bare root plant that wasn't available for sale in myarea, I can live with that. Three years after my last order, my perennials from Spring Hill are huge, healthy clumps that I can now divide and move around in my garden. Don't rely solely on the opinion of the company's catalog when you see a plant that you are not familiar with. Do some research. Look that plant up in a book. See if it's everything that the company says it is.

We live in a new house and have lots of shade. I liked the idea of buying prepackaged gardens with size and color coordination as well as layout information and proper plant placement and spacing. They also offer comments on which plants are liked by deer or not. I knew that I could always add to that basic garden once it was established. And, no, I was not surprised by the size of the plants. I haven't seen this much information from any other catalog. If anyone knows of another service like this, please let me know. As for results - I ordered very late and didn't get my $350 worth of stuff until late May or early June, 2001. All but a campanula made it and now (mid-Aug)looks pretty good. The garden is beautiful. I also had the Flowering Shade Garden which was mostly bulbs and roots. Two ferns were growing plants. I had to wait nearly a month to plant them in early July. (I stored them in a plastic bag in the spare refrigerator.) Even though they were planted late, all of the hostas and astilbe are doing well (the ferns were not so lucky.) They might have made it, but I opted to purchase large growing replacements at a local nursery. Finally, I had ordered two Golden Chain trees. As I said, the order was placed late, and these trees were shipped in late June, probably too late to give such small sticks much chance to live. They did not - one never quite knows if constant care is what is required or some neglect - I watered every third day, but they didn't have much root system, and never developed any new growth or leaves, and finally died. My order was taken efficiently and shipped promptly even though late in the spring. They made one substitution that was OK. There were a few deaths, but the lateness of my order and my delays may have contributed to some of that. They were quite gracious in agreeing to send a refund as it was too late to send replacement plants. I got $72 in refunds for plants that must have cost less than $20. I was trying to call to tell them that they had refunded too much but that I had two dead trees when I ran into the constant busy signals and lack of access to the web site. I guess I am lucky to get what I got! I'm sorry to see them go because I think their catalog provides more information and help in selecting plants than most. Maybe they will return in a new life after bankruptcy. At any rate, I plan to keep my catalog and use it for other new gardens that I will plan for the future. I have ample sources for plants. The problem is knowing how they will grow and look when mature. I'll miss Spring Hill's help in that regard.

I also placed an order with Spring Hill. The packaging is very professional, everything is so well protected and boxed. Out of 8 hydrangeas I ordered 3 did ok at first and then died. I called customer service and they just put me down immediately for fall replacements. I definitely would re-order again from Spring Hill.

Yes, their plants are immature/small but prices are good, and they have ALWAYS honored my requests for replacements, refunds or credit. I do agree that the "Pollyanna" routine is given in the catalogue and good basic advice is lacking. I use books/magazine sources for information (a bit more objective and pragmatic) and repot/nurse plants along for part of the season and once they have a substantive root system, THEN I plant them. I have a GREAT success rate with their merchandise…

I ordered red freedom hedge roses from Spring Hill - got a good price through QVC - and ordered 6 sub zero roses, joans blood carnations, primroses and violas directly from Spring Hill. The bareroot roses are terrific - they have been in the ground about 6 weeks and have survived 2 unexpected frosts and are doing well.The perennials though were all pretty much dead when they arrived - they had been shipped the day after the Northeast got slammed with a late April snowstorm so they had to travel through frosts. Bad timing on Spring Hill's part (although they assure you they monitor weather patterns). Even if they had arrived alive it was another week before the snows melted and the ground was ready for planting.Called Spring Hill and they told me they would send replacements for the flowers. It took 4 weeks to get them - they arrived the day I left for a three day trip and by the time I got home they too were dead. Have called again and asked for a refund -they are very nice and are crediting me for the flowers. The flowers come well packaged and perhaps these two instances were flukes but the plants did look awfully small compared to things I have seen in localnurseries (although 3 times the price but for next year probably worth it). The hedge roses arrived in the typical Spring Hill (great) packaging - they were very small and I think perhaps 3 years for full hedges will be a bitoptimistic - Have had 2 flowers in 2 months and am suffering black spots right now in all of these plants but they look pretty healthy otherwise and hopefully they will morph into plants resembling hedges sometime soon.Am pretty pleased with the experience on the whole (their customer service made the dead plant thing not such a big deal) and will continue to order roses and perhaps try my hand at other types of plants next year from Spring Hill.

I am a novice gardener - and a lazy one at that. However, I ordered three garden collections from Springhill two years ago, and am more than happy with the results. My butterfly garden draws butterflies, my red garden attracts hummingbirds, and my mailbox garden draws bees, much to the dismay of my mail carrier. Out of the 50 or so plants that I received, I think maybe one didn't came back the following year? I don't think they deserve the placement in your "avoid" list at all.

I have one major complaint about this company: while I understand that they ship from different places and ship according to growing season, they still need to demonstrate a little logic with how their partial orders are shipped. 1. My butterfly/hummingbird garden was shipped sans the butterfly bush and the garden plan. Since this is a corner plan, the butterfly bush needs to be planted at the very back and I'm not expert or agile enough to try planting the bush after everything else. The entire garden had to wait for four days for the bush and garden plans to arrive.2. My container plants: a lemon tree and 2 sets of Goliath everbearing strawberries were all shipped without the containers. It was over a week before the containers arrived and I *still* haven't gotten one of the strawberry containers.I called them to place an order for two more azalea bushes and spoke to them about the missing container. To Spring Hill's credit, they air-freighted me 25 strawberry plants (I had only ordered 3 + the container) to replace the ones sitting in my fridge. These plants arrived six days ago, but I STILL don't have the missing container! They say it's in route along with the two extra azaleas I ordered and should be here at the beginning of this week (it's already Wednesday and they'd better be here today).In summary, I'd rate Spring Hill four stars. Their plants were well-packaged and arrived in excellent condition via US Mail Priority Post. Of all that I ordered, two complete gardens, six bushes and the container plants, only 1 item I planted seems to be dead -- one of the strawberry plants.

I only ordered for the first time this fall and received my order on time. I was sent one plant in error, with one plant that I ordered not received. I called their customer service and was able to keep the plant sent by mistake and had the correct plant in a few days. The packaging was very good and all of my plants were in good condition. A little small, but it is my understanding that they establish better that way. While the true test will be this Spring, it seems as if everything established before Winter and most of the plants are still pretty green now (in February - Zone 6). I read several comments about how the garden pictures are deceiving since all plants do not bloom at once. However, the individual plant descriptions do include the bloom period. I placed a large order for delivery this Spring based upon my good experience with them. I hope my luck holds out!

I have ordered with good results from Breck's and Spring Hill. Both have good customer service with prompt refunds of plants that aren't satisfactory. Plants usually arrive in excellent condition for planting.

I've purchased plants from Spring Hill annually for several years with very good satisfaction and results. The plants are small, but I prefer this over large plants that tend to get broken in transit or set back more easily. This year I had a slight problem ordering a collection of mini daylilies. I requested billing upon delivery, but was a bit surprised to begin to get 'second notices' and warnings about debt collectors even before I got the shipment!!! I phoned and got an immediate apology, plus a request as to whether I still wanted the plants. I said yes, and received an excellent, and very reasonably priced collection, about a week later. I have had perhaps a 1% loss rate from Spring Hill plants, or from any mail order nursery for that matter. Spring Hill replaces upon any complaint. Heck, they sent me a partial replacement shipment when I complained that my mixed color spiderworts all came out pink. The replacements at least included one blue among the pinks. But mixes can be like throwing dice: You can still get a run of snake eyes!Spring Hill's roses are the biggest, huskiest plants I have ever seen offered. I continue to buy roses from them, with great satisfaction. They are at least 1-1/2 times as husky as J&P's roses, and are quite nicely labeled, shipped, and priced…

I have had extreme success with Spring Hill and will continue to go to them for my flowers, trees and shrubs. They're available 24hours/7 days a week with an 800 number! When placing an order they offer you several payment options and also a credit option with their company. The items I've ordered in the past came at the correct time for my zone planting and in great shape. Once, I even received the incorrect flowers and they immediately shipped me the correct ones and I even got to keep the incorrect items as well!I have recently moved into a new home and have sent in a $200 plus order with Spring Hill. They will continue to get my business whether I stay in this home or move again. Call and request a free catalog. It's worth it. Maybe if more companies listened to customer complaints they would realize that word of mouth is the most effective and inexpensive way to advertise.Plus, it makes us all feel better in the end!

Although I realize they are not a quality plant company, I have found that for your most basic and common selections, nobody can beat them price-wise. I only order plants which I know are hardy and not too fussy as to conditions. I can get a lot of bang for my buck, so-to-speak, especially when it comes to ground covers. I haven't had anything I've ordered from them die yet, and I can't say that about any other mail-order company I've used!

I ordered rose hedges from Spring Hill. Of the 24, only 12 were growing. I notified the customer service dept. and they replaced the entire order. Best of all, the replacements were older, so they were already growing quite well. They look great and have grown as advertised. The customer service dept. can sometimes be inconsistent- one employee will seem much more knowledgeable than another but that is any business.

I have had very good interactions with Spring Hill. Their plants are healthy when delivered and are blooming well in their first flowerbeds. When 2 of them did not thrive, I called Customer Service, stated that the plants did not bloom, and was promptly sent 3 plants even though I only had 1 wither away; this was executed without a lengthy inquiry about my care of them, soil condition, etc. I have found their staff to be courteous and pleasant. I also am pleased with the options for payment and have not yet been charged on a credit card prior to receiving my plants. While I'm at it, I would like to offer an endorsement for one of Spring Hill's products -- the Advanced Formula Plant Food. THAT STUFF IS GREAT! I mix some of it into the planting hole or my peat pots and my plants are thriving.

On my brother's advice I tried some other companies who send you a bill when you receive your plants and you don't pay if you are not satisfied. One of these companies is Spring Hill; I have had very good experiences with them, and when I did have a problem I called the 800 number and was treated with respect and sent a replacement immediately.

From Springhill I received many perennials from way, way too early for this part of Georgia. I called and said it was too early but they said it was ok to put in the ground. I put everything either in the refrigerator, the basement or in a sunny window spritzing with water. Then planted when I felt it was right - around Easter time frame. Everything except one Russian Sage and 2 Red Husker Penstemon has perished and 2 Canna, which are now up to 1 foot tall and healthy looking. The Russian Sage died before I even got it in the ground - I called and they sent replacements but it took around 2 months).I did order a special (Wiegela); they came in larger 4" pots. I gave one tree to the neighbor and then planted the other. It is doing very, very well.As far as the Russian Sage goes, because they took so long to send the replacement I did not have time to put it in the ground and it has perished as well.I will still purchase bulbs from Spring Hill… and will only purchase 4" pots from Springhill.

I have also used Springhill, and although more expensive than MBC, the plants are of a better quality, and were shipped 2-3 weeks faster!

I have ordered plants from them for several years. I suspect that in many ways, I'm more patient than many of your commentators, and perhaps luckier as well. I had the same experience with the pink daffodils as many of your letters indicate - rather than pink, my blooms were orangey. However, the other daffodils I ordered have been beautiful and very productive. Some of the odder plants I've ordered haven't been successful, but I received a rebate without any question when I let them know that they didn't make it. The overall rating of my daylilies, lilies, tulips, etc. has been quite satisfactory… In summary, yes, caveat emptor, but Breck's/Spring Hill seems to be a good choice.

I've always gotten good plants from them, especially their roses, which are far better than [others.] Their catalog may be a little vague for beginners, but the plants have always been good quality. And since they are grown in Peoria, I know they will be acclimated to northern Illinois.

For those of you wanting an excellent mail in garden, try Spring Hill's catalog. I received everything I ordered, and their packing system is wonderful. One little plant was dry, but he perked up after an afternoon of watering. They are responsive, list their phone numbers, and have very friendly sales people.

I often purchase plants by mail. Spring Hill is on my shopping list. Since I have had successes and failures with each and every purchase, including purchasing from local nurseries and garden centers, I usually chalk it up to experience, and try something else.

These folks messed up but I got lucky. First they sent me several lilac bushes by mistake. I got to keep them AND was told they would re ship my order in case mine went to someone else. I ended up with several nice bushes for free, and my order arrived twice. This is not the only shipping error I had with them. Always to my advantage. (I don't know how they stay in business.) They will also give credit even if you lost the receipt. Unlike Brecks who questioned my ability to read!

I think that the service may differ depending upon where you live. So, if you live in a Zone that doesn't see the end of winter until well into April, read on. Three years ago, I lived in Zone 2 in Montana and dreamed all early winter about what to order from each catalogue. I finally narrowed down my choices…and I ordered about 10 plants from Springhill - which were about two-thirds cheaper than others. I keep a gardening journal, so I can tell you exactly what happened. Springhill plants were sent in mid-April (perfect for my zone), and every single plant thrived and became even more beautiful with each year. Since then, I pay two-thirds less and get better quality plants from SpringHill.

I have been pleased with my orders for perennials from Spring Hill. The orders were well packed and grew beautifully. On one order I received pink instead of white bleeding hearts. I kept the former and notified the company and they sent me three while bleeding heart's right away. Give them another chance. Their prices are also reasonable.

I've been doing business with Breck's and Spring Hill for about five years and I regard them as the best around. I have usually found their bulbs and plants to be of very high quality. But it's their customer service that is second to none! Last fall I received my annual shipment of bulbs and they told me not to bother paying for them because they feared they were damaged in shipment. Those bulbs came up fine this past spring. In addition they sent me free certificates on my next purchase. True their prices are a little bit higher than other places but they back it up 100%+.

I just wanted whoever see this to know that not all experiences with mail order catalogs are bad. I purchased 5 bare root hybrid tea rose bushes from Spring Hill through QVC. As ofToday, all 5 are growing and in bloom. Each plant is exactly what it said it would be and more. Everyone's experience is different - growing perennials takes time (years).

I am an avid gardener. I currently have approximately 2,000 perennials. I have ordered several thousand dollars worth of bulbs and bare root plants from Spring Hill and other companies in the past ten years. The service and quality of products from Spring Hill has been wonderful. I have had very little problem in timely shipment, or growth. The couple of times plants did not grow they were replaced or my account credited immediately.

Springhill Nurseries offers a no-risk guarantee and I used it last spring. I ordered a Japanese Red Maple from them and it croaked in the front yard. After it was pronounced dead, I called Springhill's toll-free number and they sent out a replacement with no questions asked. The new tree I received was bigger than its poor fallen predecessor. Also, you can inspect the plants before you pay for them, and if you are not satisfied with the quality, there is no need to return the plants. They have a large selection, and low prices.

I have ordered many, many plants, bulbs and shrubs from Spring Hill and have found the plants to be of very good quality. Their packaging is excellent, and the plants are very well protected during shipment. Their guarantee is good too. I had 8 roses bushes that did not make it through the winter, last week I called to see if they would replace them and within one week I had 8 very healthy plants. Their customer service reps are very pleasant to deal with too!! I would highly recommend using them!!

I have had nothing but success from all their roses, all fantastic great!

I have however had tremendously good luck with spring hill. They sent fine quality (alive)plants and the ones that did not grow I simply called their 1-800 number and they sent replacements no questions asked. I truly am impressed with them. There prices may be a little high but you definitely get your money's worth.

I have ordered many plants from Spring Hill and they have all come back year after year and multiplied. I have never had any problems withanything I ordered. The plants have always been healthy and well packaged and the bulbs in very good condition. I will admit to not being a very adventurous gardener. I have always ordered what I have already seen growing well in my area. I also have always ordered the "old"standby's - glads, daffodils, wisteria, clematis, roses, etc.

We bought a house two years ago and I bought an all year around color garden from Spring Hill. I was impressed on how nicely packaged and on-time delivery for November planting. The diagrams were easy to understand, and I watched the garden grow in the spring of the following year. It was up to me to keep educating myself through trial and error on certain plants like miniature roses and hydrangeas…The flowers I planted have established into a beautiful year around color garden as promised and I am continuing to keep up my ordering with Spring Hill. I was impressed for first time ordering. They promise you hardy plants and directions to follow, but remember it's up to you to keep educating yourself on how the garden grows in your area. Most is trial and error. Good Luck! Two Thumbs up for Spring Hill.

I have ordered from Spring Hill for the past several years. While the plants are small and the prices slightly high, their guarantee makes up for it. At any time that I have had a plant to not survive, they happily ship an entirereplacement of the item. Sometimes, this may take several tries to get a plant to survive, but I attribute some of that to myself for being slow at getting it in the ground. I have ordered from Breck's and have the same thoughts. Spring Hill will get future orders from me; Jackson and Perkins will not.