Comments regarding Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company

TLDR: 4/5 good plant material, correctable problems

Ordered 2 pawpaw and 1 persimmon for the week of July 2 delivery. Delivery was postponed by 1 week. Plants were double boxed and soil was saturated on arrival. The saplings had been trimmed weeks prior, even so the grafted pawpaw had new, vigorous growth that was bent over to fit in the box. The ungrafted pawpaw was not as large. All plants had many roots near the container sides and bottom, but there was no evidence of late repotting at earlier stages. The pots were filled with soil, burying the root crown as much as 3 inches. While the trimming is forgivable, burying the root crown is not.

Have seen some negative reviews about Stark's online, and was a little hesitant...
Took the plunge anyway, and my experience was totally positive. In fact I'm ordering something else from them.
Good communication skills, good product, good packaging.
Don't know what they're like on the phone - didn't have to call, but a little slack, maybe, people...
Weird times, and it's not like I never screwed up or dropped the ball

I've ordered from Stark's to the Denver area a few times. Their plants come on time and in good shape. My last order came with some hiccups, but after I reached out, Stark's handled things excellently. The order shipped the week that Covid hit the US; the plants arrived dead, and a currant bush was missing from the order. Starks made good on the entire order -- shipped the whole thing again. Come July, everything is leafed out and piling on new growth. Meanwhile, some apples and raspberries that I ordered from Stark's a year ago are, also, looking beautiful. Not a thing has died.

Posted on April 24, 2020, updated April 26, 2020
I found Stark Bros customer service to be very good. They were just super helpful to me.

Almost every nursery seems to have delays right now. I work for a company that ships items, not garden-related. We have been shut down temporarily by the state twice now and had to appeal. We could resume operation but with less people working. Employees in most companies right now are free to call out and take as much time off as they see fit, and they do. So I can see why there may be varying delays in processing and shipping orders. Often in these times, there are many unknowns.

"On May 19, 2020 1:27 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you so much for leaving your feedback. This has been a very difficult spring for many businesses and we have been fortunate to have remained open. It truly has had its challenges and we greatly appreciate our customers for being patient and understanding during these unprecedented times.

We are so happy to learn that your trees arrived in this great condition and look forward to hearing more about your continued success.

Your success is truly important to us!

Sincerely,
Tabitha R
Customer Support Manager "

I purchased nine fruit trees and sixteen blueberry bushes from Stark Bros last week. I received my shipment in just five days! The plants arrived in a large box, very safely packed with cardboard sheeting and large plastic air bubbles between the plants. Every plant's pot was wrapped and sealed in its own plastic bag. Every tree was staked in its pot and all the plants looked to be in very well cared for before shipment and beautifully pruned. The blueberry bushes even had a little mulch around the top of their pots. Stark Bros' EZ-Start pots are very easy to transplant from and they obviously permit a healthy root system to develop. I love how, once you register on the Stark Bros website and give your location, every product page indicates whether the plant is suitable for your growing area. I am a happy customer!

Earlier this year, I ordered 6 apple trees (2 Enterprise, 2 Jonafree, 2 Goldrush all semi-dwarf supreme) from Stark Bros. The order arrived on time and the trees were packaged well with wet newspaper strips around their bare roots and loose plastic lining the box. The trees looked healthy as far as I could tell (I am very new to apple trees). I wasn't able to plant them for a few days and kept the roots moist, like instructed, and the trees did fine. The trees came with a little instruction booklet on how to plant that was helpful.

Each tree was between 4-5' tall, as described on the website for supremes. Some had a few branches left on them, but most were just whips. The trees were planted in mid-April and responded well. I planted them in a mix of the soil, hummus, and roto-tilled partially decayed leaves. When spring truly broke, they started producing leaves. Now August, most are at least a foot taller, many have produced large lateral branches and are leafed out fairly well.

I am very happy with purchasing from Stark Bros. The trees appeared very healthy to me and have flourished.

On another note, the Stark Bros website was very helpful when choosing trees. They had certain varieties of apples I was looking for that other companies did not. I also like the descriptions they give of the sizes of trees, the characteristics of each type, etc.

"On Aug 30, 2019 11:38 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

Thank you for leaving us such a wonderful review. We are thrilled that you loved your experience; our team will definitely be happy to read what you wrote. We put quality and customer satisfaction as our priority, and your review reaffirms the hard work we put in every day. So thanks for your kind words and we look forward to being your nursery of choice in the future."

Posted on May 17, 2019, updated July 9, 2019
Posted on November 25, 2013, updated May 17, 2019
Posted on July 21, 2011, updated November 25, 2013
Posted on September 25, 2010, updated July 21, 2011
Posted on June 23, 2010, updated September 25, 2010
Posted on June 9, 2010, updated June 23, 2010
After my Elephant Heart Plum that was purchased locally (not through Stark Bros.) had not produced after the fourth year, I found it needed a pollinator. I don't like other plums, but Stark Bros. had a variety (Delicious) that looked similar and could pollinate my Elephant Heart.

Of course, my other trees are in full leaf and so my order was VERRRRY late. In fact, I was told I called it in on about the last day Stark Bros. would even ship bare root at all. They recommended waiting until fall so I would have a better experience with the tree. But I could not wait and ordered anyway...

Well, the tree came today. I was expecting a leftover that I could nurse in a corner of my property for primarily pollinating purposes.

What I got was better than the description in the catalog. The tree was well proportioned, the roots well developed, and there were clear indications of life, including new root shoots and swelling buds.

I normally buy my trees from a friend who is a commercial grower and who gives me pick of his bare root stock. I have never picked a better looking tree myself than Stark Bros. sent me today.

Stark Bros. exceeded my expectations in every way and I will definitely use them again if I am in the market for the products they carry. I recommend them highly.

P.S. We are having a cool spell and wet weather for the next week, so the conditions couldn't be more ideal for this tree to succeed and I have no doubt it will.

"On Sep 27, 2010 12:05 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We are so grateful: not only has your experience with our trees and plants been wonderful, but you took the time to tell us (and all here at the Garden Watchdog) about it! We're very happy to hear of your growing success. :)

If you ever have questions or need anything, you know where to find us!

800.325.4180
info@starkbros.com
facebook.com/starkbros.co
@mystarkbros"

I was rather surprised to see the negative comments for Stark Brother's. I have ordered various fruit trees from them several times in 2018 and again this year and have never had an issue.
Online ordering is simple and I get an email with an estimated shipping date right away. I am not charged until the order ships and it has shipped every time on the date given.
The trees I ordered are all growing great (now that I protected them from the hungry deer). I've ordered cherry, peach, apricot, pear, and many apple trees and all are doing great. Now the hard part is waiting for the trees to bear fruit.

Customer since 4/20/18, so I obviously missed the merger that some customers mention here. I was originally looking for an apple tree variety that for some reason is a major pain to find around here in Southern California - Granny Smith. Granny, BraeStar, and Mac trees that I purchased on that day are all doing great right now with Granny being loaded with flowers. I think Mac and BraeStar just need more TLC and mulch.
The next order in August of 2018 added a plum, a peach, and a few brambles into my collection - all doing well currently.
Another order, January of 2019 - two sour cherries and a set of honeyberries. While cherries seem to have taken off like there's no tomorrow, one of the honeyberries arrived quite beat-up looking. They already broke dormancy, and the smaller one recovered a lot quicker. Maybe I should trim the leggier one. I'm giving these honeyberries a "meh" grade for now.
March of 2019 - cornelian cherry, muscadine grape 6-pack, Tribute and Tristar strawberries - all doing well, especially Tribute. Tristar are sort of slow even though they're in the same growing conditions as Tribute.
April of 2019 - two filberts (already leafing), jostaberry (dormant), hardy almond (leafing), lilacs 10-pack (leafing), and rose (looks like it's going to bloom already). I'd say all of these are doing well.

That sums it up as a highly positive experience. My only wish is that they wouldn't advertise pecans when they're completely out of them :)

I have bought quite a few items from this company including fruit trees and garden plants--apple trees, cherry trees, raspberries, blueberries, asparagus etc and have had only a few issues that were not attributable to them. I had a bare root cherry tree that must have been delivered upside down the whole way. The leaves had started to rot and eventually fell off. I planted the tree and that was two years ago--the tree rebounded and is growing great. I had some raspberries that were abused by the shipping company--it looked like he body slammed the box after dropping it off at my front door. Starks replaced them all with no questions asked. As far as shipping dates are concerned, they have either beat their estimate or were right around it. They have always sent me an email with a ship date and tracking numbers. Everything that wasn't abused by the shippers always seemed to be in great shape. I've only had one blueberry bush die after arriving. That bush was replaced the next spring per my request. Again--no questions asked other than for me to determine that it is was dead by doing a scratch test. I'll buy from these guys again

After ordering a citrus tree trio for Mother’s Day, there was very little communication and some hiccups once my order had been received, just a damaged plant, initially the customer service was not great but after calling and speaking to the customer service manager my transaction went smooth as silk from there. Tabatha and her customer support team at Stark Bro’s really did a great job of quickly sending me a replacement tree, and all three are amazing, showing new growth within only a few weeks of being put into some Coast of Maine bar harbor potting soil and feeding with Jacks citrus tree food. I will definitely not hesitate to order from Stark Bro’s in the future, a little hiccup in the beginning but they definitely made up for it and retained my business.

I have ordered a couple dozen fruit trees and vines from Starkbros over the last few years. I have never had any issues with the plants, they have always been large and healthy. Their website is also very informative.

I ordered 50 strawberry plants from Stark Bros on March 26th. They shipped out on April 9th, which I was at first a little upset with, but then realized it made sense given it's still only early April and that they're likely very busy with shipments this time of year. I received my bare root plants today, the 11th, and counted exactly 50 plants, all alive from what I can tell. Being used to buying bare root plants only to find half of them dead, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the best prices I could find for strawberries, too! I almost certainly will do business with them again.

"On Apr 16, 2018 9:53 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

I have ordered blackberries, strawberries, and apple and peach trees from Stark Bros. and have always received plants in excellent health. Indeed, the everbearing strawberry plants produced a nice crop of fruit during the fall of their first year (from a summer order and planting).

"On Apr 16, 2018 9:53 AM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

Posted on February 15, 2017, updated May 3, 2017
Over the years I have ordered several fruit trees from Starks. One never leafed out at all. However all others were good stock and are still flourishing. Concerning the dead one, all I did was notify them and no questions asked, it was replaced. And unlike another nursery I've ordered from and received bad stock, Starks didn't ask for shipping. *Very* satisfied with them!

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:25 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company. If you have any issues please do not hesitate to contact customer support. "

I have ordered 2 times from Stark Brothers and both times have been a great experience. The first time was years ago, I believe 2 Cherry and 2 Pear trees. I do not live at the residence that they were planted anymore, but I do drive by occasionally and they are still beautiful trees!

Last year I ordered 3 PawPaw trees and 4 Kiwi vines. The male Kiwi came DOA and looked it, I called CS and they asked me to plant it anyways and let it sit for 3-4 weeks. I gave it 4 and all that was left was some shriveled roots. I called CS back and the person I talked to was hesitant to believe me, I even offered to take a photo of the dead one that was in a row along with 3 other healthy, growing vines. She then agreed to send another one out, and it arrived much healthier than the first. Now I have an entire arbor started with Kiwi vines that all budded and leafed beautifully this spring. The PawPaw trees were great, but they do not look like they survived the winter, I am giving them more time, but I do not have good luck at all with the PawPaw, not the first that have died on my watch.

I am looking forward to ordering some Goji berry bushes from them later this spring after I prep the area and move some lily plants to a new location.

"On Apr 27, 2017 12:18 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you select us time and time again.

If you think you’re Pawpaw is dead we suggest that you do a scratch test. Try scratching the trunk or main stem with your thumbnail. If the underlying tissue is greenish, the tree or plant is still alive. At this point, it should still grow. If it is dry and brownish, it has died.​ If it has died, please contact customer support at 800.325.4180.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

I find most people tend to write more often when they are being critical and not when they are satisfied with an order. I think it is equally important to make favorable comments.
I recently tried an order from Stark Bros. as it had been many years since I had ordered from them. My order was shipped immediately and received in 2 days. The plants were shipped with wet shreaded paper on the roots and the plants were well grown and healthy. I received 2 Peach Trees, 3 Grape vines and an asst. of Gooseberries. Everything has been planted and buds are coming from everything. Exceptional plants and I have re-ordered again just now. If all the orders they ship are like mine, they should never have a negative comment again.

"On Apr 19, 2017 12:21 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us again. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come"

I have ordered from Stark Brothers for a while now and have had nothing but the best of experiences. After reading some of the negative reviews, I feel I need to write about my experiences. The trees are always very healthy with green buds and large moist root systems. I get some of the best fruit off of these trees that I have ever tasted any where. They have altered the shipping dates a few times, but changing temps change the safe planting time for trees. Also their trees are not grown at the nursery but rather at their growing fields, and are then shipped to the nursery to send out to customers. I can see how this also affects the shipping times. Their customer service is excellent! I have had a few trees die in the past and they had no problems sending me free replacements with no questions asked. I have had questions with regard to diseases with my apple trees, and they are very quick to respond with a solution to the problem. I will always go to them for my fruit tree and plant needs, and will never think about going to any one else. I have that much confidence in them.

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:23 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you select us time and time again. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company.

Thank you so much! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come."

I ordered blueberries, dwarf apricot trees, bush cherries, kiwis, and grapes. They arrived carefully packaged in good condition. The blueberry plants are beautiful and look very healthy. My dad and grandfather bought from Stark bros before I was born. I highly recommend them and will buy again.

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:25 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company. If you have any issues please do not hesitate to contact customer support. "

I ordered two of their urban apples red and green, a pack of blackberries, and two grapevines. My estimated delivery date was moved back twice from 2/9 to 2/17 and then to 2/24. I was starting to get worried since my area can start experiencing weather in the 80's in early spring. I called around the 16th and they said my order would be going out that day or the next, I guess it did since I got it on the 22nd or 23rd. I wish the FedEx driver had bothered to ring the doorbell instead of just leaving the box on the doorstep baking in the sun. Both apples had plenty of roots and were moist in the package, one of the grapes had a good size root system, the other was pretty small, maybe like five roots. In the last couple days everything has started leafing out even the dinky grape, so nothing was a dud. The blackberries had somehow gotten knocked out of their cell packs and were a mess, but in the ground they seem to be growing fine so not a problem. I would order from them again.

"On Apr 5, 2017 12:24 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We appreciate your positive review. Thank you for choosing Stark Bro’s for your nursery stock needs. We love being your partner in growing your own legacy and are honored that you selected us. Your continued support and suggestions help us grow into a better company. If you have any issues please do not hesitate to contact customer support. "

Posted on May 15, 2015, updated October 5, 2016
I ordered from Stark last year and the trees came through wonderfully. However they didn't make it through the winter and I contacted them and they promptly sent replacements! I will continue to order from them and recommend them to anyone else who wants what they offer.

Overall I'm pleased with my experience with Stark Brothers this past spring. The apple trees that I ordered arrived safe in a sturdy box. All leafed out and have grown reasonably well considering this is their first season. I am attracted to Stark Bros. because of the many varieties of fruit trees that they sell. I also like that they stand behind their trees with good customer service.

The only issue that I had was with one of their "premium" apple trees. This tree was nice and big with a perfect straight trunk, but it was diseased! The main trunk had irregular sunken places in the bark that were black in color. It was blight or canker. I was very disappointed that my premium tree was diseased and possibly contaminating the others. A call to customer service resolved the problem. Around here the Stark Bros. name in trees is highly respected, so I hope this was just a random oversight, but I expected better quality from Stark Bros. It would also be nice if customer service were more knowledgeable about the rootstocks used on the apple trees. Serious apple growers like to know the disease resistance and growth characteristics of rootstock.

I have nothing but good to say about Stark. I have been a customer for over 10 years and have always found the customer service top notch. They sent the wrong tree once but acknowledged the error and sent me a replacement no charge. Every tree and variety has produced fruit. Thanks Stark.

I ordered some supplies from Starkbros and saw they had an end of season sale. On a whim I bought 3 apple trees for $4.99 each. I wasn't expecting much as this was June. The trees I received were about 3 foot in height, just budding with a few small leaves. All trees had really good root systems. It took 3 days for the order to come central Virginia. Trees were packed well. Starkbros refrigerates there trees. Two weeks later my trees are full of leaves and growing well. I can highly recommend Starkbros. One negative, Starkbros sells by size - dwarf, semi-dwarf, etc. They do not sell by rootstock. I contacted them about the root stock and got this answer - Dwarf - M26 or M9, Semi-dwarf M7 or B118.

I had a very large order with Stark it arrived on time and in mostly good condition. The kiwi I ordered looked awful but they replaced it quickly as well as the three blueberries that did not do well. So far everything is coming up nicely and they are relatively quick replying to my emails for any questions or concerns.

I have been shopping for a weeping willow tree for a large area in my front yard that tends to stay really wet. Local nurseries wanted an arm and a leg, and I finally stumbled upon Stark Bros. My experience with them has been great.

I ordered my tree on Thursday, and they were having a 200th anniversary special on berry plants, so I had them toss 3 raspberry plants in there as well. The goods arrived at my door yesterday. All of the plants had very extensive, healthy looking root systems, and all plants seemed to be coming out of dormancy and had fresh growth on them. The root systems were packed well in damp shredded paper.

There was however a minor problem with the graft on the Willow tree. Unfortunately I got home after hours, so I could not speak with them, but I called left a message for their customer service team. This morning right after 8 AM they called me back and said they were sorry and would send a new tree out to me right away. Fantastic customer service. You hear that the true measure of a company's service is how well they respond to problems, and in this case I'd say they're great. I will not hesitate to do business with them again.

I ordered a cinnamon spice dwarf apple from Stark. I ordered on Sunday and had it on Thursday - very fast. It looked like a stick, but it also looked like the branches and roots were trimmed expertly. I stuck it in the ground according to instructions and hoped. It took almost a month, but a little green started showing and it has now burst out all over in beautiful green leaves. I think this will be a really nice tree and look forward to eating those apples. I'm quite happy with Stark.

I have been a buyer of Stark Bros. since 2012 and have generally been happy with what they have sent me until this fall. My order consisted of three trees, two apples and one asian pear. I emailed them that one of the supreme trees I was disappointed with and never heard back from them.

This spring I emailed them again as to my displeasure with the Hardy Giant Asian tree they sent me this fall and attached a pic showing that the tree did fall short of their own specifications for being a supreme tree. To their credit they did promptly email me back and set up a replacement tree to be sent to me.

The tree they sent me as a replacement really exceeded their specs. this time as it was a 1" caliper tree. I am very happy with the replacement tree they sent me and will continue to order from this company!

Just received an order from Stark's for a Starkcrimson Red Delicious apple,(supreme dwarf), a Ultramac Spur-type Macintosh apple,(supreme dwarf) and a Stark Saturn peach,(Supreme dwarf XL). First off, the shipping took me by surprise, almost overnight...Very commendable. The two spur apples are kind of small for the money paid, but the varieties were not available elsewhere. The peach however was much smaller than anticipated, it barely squeaks in at 1 inch (no generosity here) and 5 foot. I am very concerned about a pruning cut made at the top of the tree, to a fairly thick branch, that appears to show that the branch was dead when pruned. Also, broken root sections were found in the bottom of the box, and the wrapping used over the roots was all over the box. Will plant the trees and update at a later time. Hopefully all will be fine.

After reading many of the comments here, I felt compelled to add mine. I have ordered from Stark about 5 times over 20-25 years. I think that my experiences and perspective are a more accurate reflection of the company.

I would rate them a 4.5 out of 5. Yes, I do have some tiny nits. Overall I think that they are excellent for the home gardener. This past year I decided to add apple trees to my orchard and decided to look elsewhere. After spending a good bit of time looking, I ordered (again) from Stark. Why? Because they have the selection/varieties and sizes that I want. I like to support as many different nurseries as possible, but Stark meets my needs.

I am a very serious home gardener. I have a large vegetable garden, a large (for a homeowner) orchard, a large (for a homeowner) vineyard (yes, I make wine) and am a beekeeper. I also have a greenhouse and grow orchids.

I ordered my apple trees back in the fall to insure selection and delivery scheduling. Recently, I changed my mind about my selection and called Stark. I quickly got through to a real person who was pleasant and helpful. I was able to change one variety and add another. I am confident that I will be receiving my proper order soon. I have never gotten the wrong trees, all of my trees have been the proper size (dwarf) and there have only been minor problems. Once I thought that they had root-pruned a tree too much and called to complain. They offered to replace the tree if it didn't grow. It grew well and is still growing well.

Nit #1 They claim that the fall is a good time to plant. Maybe in parts of the country, but not New England. The only trees that died or didn't grow well were planted in the fall. A Reliance peach barely survived and grew. It has been set back about 2 years over a spring planted tree. It lost all of it's limbs on one side. It is growing now and I just learned a trick to encourage new branches on the bare side, but I will never plant bare root trees in the fall again.

Nit #2 They claim that Fig trees can grow in New England. No they can not. I have tried with 3 trees twice, including a Chicago Hardy. I also planted that in the fall (with a Brown Turkey, second attempt) and neither grew in the spring. I should have known better myself.

Nit #3 Their shipping dates are too early, at least for New England. However, they are very happy to change if you ask for a later date, as I do.

Nit #4 I don't really know if this counts. At a pruning seminar last weekend, the extension agent said not to buy if the seller can't tell you the root stock. I don't think that Stark can supply that information. However, I also don't think that it is relevant to home growers. I am very serious yet don't know anything about rootstock selections (except that it is important). This may be important for commercial growers, but I don't think that it is for home owners. As I said earlier, all of my trees have been as advertised.

Nit #5 They sometimes hide the real name of the tree variety. For example, I have a Starking Delicious pear tree. I can't find out what it really is and would really like to know.

In conclusion, I have ordered many trees (~25) from Stark over many years. I have been happy with the trees I got. All have been healthy and grown well (except the figs and the fall peach). They have a great selection and the trees I have received as always been in great shape and exactly what I ordered. I really like that they are now offering larger trees that may cut a year off of when they start bearing. (Others are doing the same thing.) I continue to do business with them and do recommend them to others.

Chuck Crisler
New Hampshire

Posted on February 15, 2016, updated February 15, 2016
While there are complaints about their shipping times, I have an entirely different experience.

When I ordered, I knew they'd not only wait until they ship to charge me, but ship at a day that they felt was a good time to do so.

Knowing I needed to have the order charged right away (so I don't spend it first), I asked them to submit the charge. They did so on the day of asking.

I also know when my area is supposed to be frost free and that's when I need to plant. I asked them to change the shipping date to mid-April. What they did, was re-submit the order within their company and I got a new invoice that shows the shipping date of April 18th. That would be perfect for me.

For those who complain about shipping times, please look at your invoice. It DOES show when your plants are expected to ship.

You can either call or at the top of the page, there is a "Chat Now" button at the top of the page during the day (when the company is open).

I ordered several trees from them last spring. Two trees failed to leaf out and perished. Once I informed them of the problem via US mail (no response to my email) they put me on order for replacements which arrived this fall. I know it will take several years for the trees to establish and bear fruit but I am appreciative that they did the right thing and replaced two of the trees.

"On Jan 27, 2016 4:39 PM, Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company responded with:

We're glad you understand that weather and soil conditions have a lot to do with how well the trees will acclimate to your planting spot. Please do keep us posted and let us know how your trees are doing. We want you to succeed!

Sincerely,

Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co.
http://www.starkbros.com
800.325.4180"

In the last year, I have received from Stark Bros: Jonathan apple (Fall '14), All-In-One Almond (Fall '14), Redhaven peach, Moorpark apricot, Santa Rosa plum, Kanza & Peruque pecans, 3 Boysenberries, 3 Jewel black raspberries, and 25 Eversweet strawberries. Now, at the end of the season, everything yet lives.

The fall-planted trees have had some trouble. The apple was debarked by deer over the winter, and the top 3/4 of the almond never leafed out, but both showed growth from the bottom, but above the graft. The apple is now taller that the original whip, but the almond had some insect pressure and isn't looking as good. So, the apple is not the fault of Stark Bros, but the almond is, at least partially.

Everything else looks great. Despite deer pressure in the spring, and a cool, wet May, the trees all are growing strong. The Boysenberries were potted, and slow to take off, but started putting on long canes in August. The raspberries actually put on a few berries, and have since put on many new canes, rooted at the tips, and grown more canes. I should have a pretty good crop next year. Likewise, the strawberries have taken over their bed and are still putting on a few berries.

I placed a few calls in to customer service regarding order details prior to shipment, and, in every case, I talked to a human who addressed my concerns quickly and professionally. One representative even pointed out that an item similar to the one I was requesting was on sale, and offered to change the order to the sale item, saving me money. Their website even allows you to go back and change orders that are waiting for spring to ship, so if you change your mind or want to add something between January and March, it is easily done without having to call customer service or deal with multiple orders and higher shipping costs.

All in all, I am impressed with the service and quality from this business, and will most likely continue to place orders from them in the future.

I've been gardening for three years and over this period have purchased a variety of products from Stark Bros, as well as from other online sellers. Some of what I planted from SB has died, but not after having responded positively to my garden environment. In most cases death was due to a late frost. In another instance I may have overwatered.

In addition to their products having faired well in my garden, I appreciate the expert advice their call center folks offer and info on their website (e.g., espalier instructions seem far more logical to me than what has been recommended by others).

Upon recently phoning to understand possible causes for two rhubarb-plant deaths, I was (pleasantly) surprised when SB offered to replace the two crowns (I was going to order two replacements).

Across my online purchases from all sellers, I haven't yet received a plant, or seeds, different from what I ordered and only once did a plant prove to be weak (one doorman red raspberry plant grew weakly whereas the companion plant in the same mailing put out so much fruit that the county agent said it was the most robust doorman red he had seen that season). The raspberry plants were not from SB...just checked and they don't offer that variety.

I have bought quite a few trees and other plants. I won't lie, I am absolutely not the best gardener... if it isn't pests, vermin, or just some failure on my part, it is a miracle.

In the past, I have bought plants from many many many places, but not online, except Burpee and Stark Bros.

I am going to leave feedback for both of these.

Yes, I have plants I bought from Stark die...some my fault, some maybe not so much.

I didn't complain much if I KNEW it was probably my fault. But this year, I didn't see my Paw Paws coming up, and I lost a pineberry strawberry, and then all the Kiwis went "blahhhhhuugggg" and tried to die.

Ok, I know I don't suck this bad this year, because look, that apple tree is still alive, so are all those plants, and I even figured out how to successfully move plants and my seedlings are doing amazing... plus, all the other plants in the order and overwinter plants had done well.

So, I complained. Technically, they didn't have to replace the Paw Paws, but they offered to if they were dead. She told me how to conduct the scratch test they were alive (the puppies didn't agree and pulled them out a month later).

The Kiwis... well all but the male were dead, except this one, it showed dead wood but it had a leaf on it. I was baffled, but she said it was dead. They sent me all new kiwis, but the male, because he was still alive.

So, I have had very good experiences with Stark. IF you have problems, you really really should call and talk to them and try the things they suggest if you can. I don't kill most of their plants without help from the pups, I cannot always say that about my local nurseries.

Ordered several trees over a year ago and one peach tree did not survive. I waited till other trees leafed to be sure it was dead and that made it a couple months past their 12 month warranty. Based on other comments I was afraid they would not want to honor the warranty but I had no problem. Since they were busy during the spring it took a while to get a response but then they processed a replacement order with no problem.

Gardening requires faith and responsibility. Stark has both, especially with their product and customer service. I urge you negative "gardeners" to exercise a little faith and responsibility, for your own good. This site isn't the place to debate your issue with the company. Pick up the phone and call or move along.

I have several years, past and recent, of positive experiences ordering with this company. Sure, their boxes don't say THIS END UP, but our friends in the delivery trucks don't mind that anyway do they? Sure, much of their product is pruned prior to shipping. It can't be to fit in those (spacious) boxes, but it is to balance the tree tops with the disturbed root system. Any gardener who isn't blinded by victim-rage knows this is important. It doesn't hinder growth and performance in the least.

If you have 100% mortality rate on anything, it's time to take responsibility and call a spade a spade. If you can manage to receive plants with dry roots in a package with wet paper inside, consider that you might be a wizard. If you wait for a clearance sale and complain about availability, I want to meet you because you make me laugh. If real-life gardening is too real for you, they have an app for that.

Just so I don't seem like a Stark BRO, I will say Stark could improve in their communications to customers when things are not going to ship as planned. I am a gardener, which means I'm the most patient person on the planet next to a mortician, but it's easier to rest easy if I know about the occasional delay or unexpected change to my order.

Stark, you have always been a pleasure to work with even when things don't go perfectly. It's gardening. Anyone who expects perfection has got the wrong idea in the first place.

We ordered a set of 10 asparagus roots. After following the enclosed directions, only 4 sprouts had emerged after 3.5 weeks. Since those that had emerged were a 1 foot or taller, we had concerns that the rest were not viable. I contacted Stark Bros. via their online chat at their website. We had the problem solved and a new set of 10 roots on the way in less than 30 minutes. The roots arrived on schedule, and after soaking and planting almost all of the new 10 roots have sent up stalks. We are very happy with their customer service! Prompt, friendly and helpful.

I ordered 3 of their All In One Almond trees last year. They shipped right out, and arrived looking good. All three started leafing, but then 2 just shut down. Sad. I let them know, and they scheduled me 2 replacements for this year.
This year, the one from last year woke up fine, and the 2 replacements arrived, leafed out, and look good. Very happy.