Comments regarding Direct Gardening

Thanks to Garden Watchdog, I dodged a bullet here. So up front, thanks to the reviewers here.

I ordered about $120 worth of items on 5/11. The next day, I found this site and thought, "oh no, what have I done!" So, I checked their website and found their cancellation policy, and saw I was past their 24-hour window. I e-mailed to cancel anyway, hoping for the best, and got a response a few days later that it would be "forwarded to the appropriate department." That didn't leave me with much hope.

After a month, I had not heard a word, and tried calling them, but like many others, could not get through. I called the credit card company, only to find Direct Gardening had refunded my money over two weeks earlier. Again,, I did not hear that from them.

On the positive side, they did give me my money back, and honored my request to cancel, even slightly outside their policy. I give them credit for that. On the negative, communication was horrible, and I see within their actions with me the potential to have the same negative outcome many others experience. I call it a wash, but would not order from them again, given the poor reputation.

I encourage those who find these reviews and don't wish to receive your order to do two things: first, ask for a cancellation. It cannot hurt, and may save you as it did me. Second, if that fails, do not let things go past 30 days. My plan was to contact them at 30 days and if they had not shipped, to initiate a charge-back. Don't accept "we'll ship soon." It either has or hasn't by then, and there is no excuse. If you wait longer, you may lose some of the power in the charge-back process.

In early May, I ordered three Cobalt Dreams delphiniums.
I got a package on June 17. It contained three dead plants and the message that they were substitutes for what I ordered which were sold out.

I called Direct Gardening and was told I would need to return the dead plants AT MY OWN EXPENSE. They also ordered me to write a note explaining why I want the refund. I did this today. We will see what happens.

It is clear to me that customer satisfaction is something this company does not care about.

Completely waste of money. I bought 50+ plants from them, including roses, lavender, irish moss, and other ground covers. Only one rose survived the first year. They have one year replacement. So I requested replacement. The second year, only three roses survived. All other plants died.

Don't buy plants from them. It is a waste of money and effort. They do have one year replacement. But considering such a low surviving rate, you wouldn't get anything from your money, not even mentioning your time and effort.

Ordered four bare root Darrow everbearing blackberries. Followed instructions, soaking before planting in an automatically watered bed. None broke dormancy. 100% failure rate.

Ordered two Zepherine climbing roses and two Viking Queen climbing roses. One of each thrived, one of each failed to show growth. 50% failure rate.

This place appears to be the Harbor Freight of the garden world. Cheap but very iffy.

Ordered on 4/30. The website said they process orders in 7-10 days. Heard nothing after 2 weeks, so I emailed them; 3 days later got an email saying they are working as fast as they can. I finally canceled the order 6/3. I didn't lose any money, but by the time I went to the nursery the plants were picked over.

"On Jun 7, 2015 10:45 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customers experience. Our website states it does typically take 1-2 weeks to process an order. Once processed, the orders are shipped based upon weather and availability. We are sorry to hear of this customer’s experience as we do take pride in our customer care. As many know the weather this year has been very unpredictable which has started our shipping later than usual. While it may be warm in your location we have to take into consideration the transit. We want to make sure the plants reach our customers in the best condition possible."

Ordered 2x Thai Giant plants 5/25. Took screenshot of order confirmation and glad that I did. No email confirmation sent. Now 7 June. I finally got ahold of them and was told that it takes 1 to 2 weeks to get order "processed". What? No mention on website. Essentially told to keep waiting. I will never order from them again. Terrible online business.

"On Jun 7, 2015 10:51 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear this. An email confirmation is automatically sent to the email address provided at the time the order is placed, however if we are not added to your address book it is possible the email is sitting in the spam folder. Our website does state 1-2 weeks for processing of the orders. A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem"

I ordered late in the spring, but I received my full order in about 6 weeks. Everything was great. I ordered 2 rose bushes, 6 garden phlox and 8 double carnations. One of the rose bushes however looks a little not so good, but when I scraped the bark above the roots there was a little green. I am not giving up on it yet! They are hard to get hold of by phone, but they do email back in a timely manner. I will be ordering again.

"On Jun 7, 2015 10:55 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Thank you for your kind posting on Garden Watchdog. Your experience is more typical of our normal customers as we do ship hundreds of thousands of packages to satisfied customers each year. Thank you for taking the time to post your comments!"

It was the beginning of May and we were recieving warmer than normal temps in my planting zone (80+ degrees) and all my perennials were up and all early blooming plants were in full bloom. I had made my order in February and had not recieved one word from the company as to when my order would be shipped. I called the company 3 times, the first 2 I recieved a busy tone. Finally I got through and asked about my order. The lady I spoke with was kind and explained that they hadn't began shipping to my zone yet. I explained to her that we were having an unusually warm spring and that it was time to plant if I was going to plant what I had ordered. She said she could put a request in to see if they could ship my order as soon as possible. I recieved my order in 10 days which I was happy with. When I opened the box I was a little worried. I had ordered 6 2year blue spruces which already looked half dead and some various bulbs which didn't look healthy and a tomato plant which ended up being tomato seeds... I planted everything immediately except for the seeds because it was too late to plant those and have a healthy plant. The trees only got worse. I water them 3 times a week unless it rains, if it rains on a day I would water I skip that day. The trees sadly lost all their needles and they look done for. I will continue to baby them for a few weeks and if that doesn't work I will send them back and request a replacement.

"On Jun 7, 2015 11:02 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear about this customers experience. The weather this year has been very unpredictable to say the least! A customer care representative has contact this customer for further information. We do have a 1 year replacement guarantee on all of our plants and do hope that the customer takes advantage of this guarantee."

I am still waiting for plants to be shipped I originally placed order April 4th I called April 27th and was told it was canceled ....I re- ordered everything again ...I WISH I DIDN'T EVEN CALL TO CHECK ON THE ORDER...I was sent a packet of sunflower seeds supposed to be jumbo looks like a pack I would buy at the dollar general store nothing jumbo about the pack .....I have been calling all last month and the month before cause this was all supposed to be a mothers day gift.....I was told it would be shipped and I should receive my order May 11th a day after mothers day.....I said not a problem as long as I receive it by then...Since then I get told when I call Mondays oh it is gonna be shipped by the end of this week ....Call back Friday to check...I have been calling back every Friday and Monday to get the same thing told to me....I even spoke with a supervisor who said 'There is nothing holding up ur order ....I have no idea why ur order hasn't been shipped" and that she will see to it my order is shipped..Still nothing but a cheep packet of seeds that is TO LATE TO PLANT...I could have got them around here cheaper ..I thought live plants would be shipped tru fed ex or U.P.S not tru ur post office ... I had asked customer service if fed-ex or U.P.S was bringing them ..This is when I was told I was getting them tru mail....I will now have to wait whenever they decide to send my plants another 2 weeks before I receive it to drive to post office to pick up my order ....Yet I paid the shipping ...And they want another 12 to ship tru Fed-ex ...They will not get another Penny from me .....NEVER EVER BUY FROM THIS PLACE OR THE OTHER 7 GARDENING PLACES AFFILIATED WITH THEM IT IS ALL THE SAME PLACE....IF U HAVE FACEBOOK THERE ARE OTHERS ON THERE NOW COMPLAINING ...GO TO SEARCH ON FACEBOOK AND LOOK UP... NEVER SHOP AT DIRECT GARDENING

"On Jun 7, 2015 11:09 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customer’s experience as we do take pride in our customer care. As many know the weather this year has been very unpredictable which has started our shipping later than usual. While it may be warm in your location we have to take into consideration the transit. We want to make sure the plants reach our customers in the best condition possible. We are affiliated with other companies but these are separate companies.

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. We do hope to hear back from the customer as we would like to help resolve this problem

"

As a fairly experienced gardener who has used mail order houses successfully in the past, I ordered a couple of weeks before I needed to plant the items I was ordering, on 05/03. Having studied the website thoroughly, I had determined that they claimed they would ship at appropriate planting time for my zone (7b) and that I should expect shipment in about 14 days or so. Incidentally, I ordered two plants from an Etsy gardener, the first time I'd ever done that, and I was far more nervous about that order than this one, but it went quite smoothly and those plants were received within a week. Since I'm a wheelchair user and must hire someone to help with planting, I attempted to call after 12 days to see when my order would be shipped. I could get no answer on the phone, so I used the email form on their website, citing my order number and date as reference. I got their canned response that they had received the email. By the time I heard back from Customer Care, it had been nearly 3 weeks since my order was placed. (Note that my account was charged the day after the order was placed. This company has no problem processing charges.) The weather in Georgia was beginning to get on the hot side, and I had a trip scheduled, so I was anxious. I received a form email that said I needed to wait 10-14 days to contact them. When I responded to that email saying it had already been much longer than 14 days, they responded quickly that the order was being processed and they were shipping plants as they arrived - the same kinds of things it appears they tell everyone. I explained, again, that I need to know when the items would arrive so that I could schedule someone to help me and received a quick response that I could check the status of my order at any time and they would be glad to help. This does not mean, however, that they'll tell you when an order is to be shipped. I checked one more time and learned that they would not even give me a general idea of when the plants would ship, so I requested that they cancel the order and refund my money. It's now been a full month since I placed the order and the man who helps in my yard had a stroke over the weekend and I still have not received my package. I again attempted to contact them and got the exact same responses as before. I again wrote that I wanted to cancel the order and receive a refund, still not having received any direct response to the initial request to have my order refunded. At this point, I don't need the plants any longer because I have no way to plant them. Indeed, it is now getting too hot in my area to plant tender young plants directly outside. But I can't get anyone on the phone - it is constantly busy, no matter what time I call - and I get no response to my request to cancel the order and refund my money. It isn't much money - $25 for the plants and $10 for shipping (though that seems excessive, considering what I've read about their shipping practices). However, it is a meaningful amount to me, since I am on a fixed income. Since the company will not respond to me I have registered complaints with the Federal Trade Commission for mail fraud, to the USPS for mail theft (in each case, the problem stems from the fact that they mailed me a catalog which I used to order from, which constitutes interstate use of the mail to defraud a consumer) and to the Central Illinois Better Business Bureau, for not refunding my money. I am also attempting to make sure everyone else knows not to use this company or its sister companies. If I do ever hear anything from them, or, heaven forbid, receive live plants, I will post an update, but at this point, having read other reviews of the company, I expect I have lost the $35 and learned a valuable lesson. Though I have never had a problem with nursery mail order or online catalogs, the world has changed. It has always been my policy to check up on companies before I order from them, but since I'd never had trouble with nursery companies, and because I was so excited about finding the Angel Trumpets I wanted, and other old-fashioned plants that would work so well in my garden, I skipped that step with this order. My $35 lesson has been never to skip that step on any order in the future. I'm thankful I've found this site to help me with that. At least one good thing has come of it. I am embarrassed, however, that I recommended this company to my sister and had to tell her I got defrauded instead of getting the plants I wanted. I'll probably hear about that for years!

"On Jun 7, 2015 11:21 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customers experience. Our website does state that it takes 1-2 weeks to process the orders. Once processed, the orders ship based upon weather and plant availability. It does become very difficult to cancel an order once entered into processing. We do have a refund guarantee and we have contacted this customer via D-mail to see how we may be of assistance."

I ordered on April 29th. I called the company and added to the order on April 30th. I asked for an updated confirmation of my order, but unfortunately it never came. The funds were taken out right away. I tried to be patient and wait for my order to arrive. I started to worry since here it was at the end of May. I called and asked the company if my order had shipped. I was told no. I asked "do you have a general idea or eta for shipment". I was told "no". I asked if I was going to an email or tracking when the order was shipped. I was told "no". I asked "should I call back if I haven't seen anything within a certain time period?" The extent of the CSR's response was "sure". Once the week came I didn't feel comfortable waiting any longer and emailed to cancel my order. I was told, like many others, I couldn't because they process the orders so quickly it is virtually impossible to cancel an order once placed. Well part of the order came Friday 5/29. 5 (4-5 year old) blue spruce. Well they were completely rotten, the smell was so bad you could smell them walking up to the porch. When I opened the 12" round bag they were all crammed in, of course they were all dead, flat as a pan cake, and rotten. I told them I would send them back, but I was not paying for shipping. They want me to pay for shipping to them & return shipping for new plants to be sent. Horrible company!! Also, they are affiliated with several other companies. So be careful, you might order from them and not even know it. I filed a complaint with my CC since they were not willing to cancel my order or refund my funds. They have been shady all the way.

2015-04-21 - placed order
2015-04-23 - credit card charged
2015-05-19 - not received, no emails. I called them, phone frequently busy, finally got through, said there had been some delays in shipping, supposed to be shipped out early part of this week, should get email once its shipped, call back if no email or delivery by 2015-05-26
2015-05-26 - not received, no emails.
2015-06-01 - tried all day to get through on the phone, line busy. Company has no email address or on-line way to reach them. Making a claim with my credit card company now.

I placed on order on May 7, and understood it could take up to two weeks to process the order. It's been over three weeks, and I still have no updates. I emailed customer service for an update on my order, and got a canned response that didn't tell me anything. I gave this company a chance (despite the horrible reviews) because they were the only company who offered all four plants I really wanted, and I wanted to save on shipping costs. If I'd just spent the money on shipping with other firms, I'd already have all four of the flowers I really want.

If I ever get my order, I'll update on the condition of the plants.

Purchased online 4/17/15. As of 5/28/15 have not received order yet they took money out of my account immediately in April. Told several times over weeks order was in shipping and would be shipped to my area soon. That was 2-3 weeks ago. Called to cancel today and told it was shipped. Told them I was sending it back IF it shows up. After the fact I have looked of reviews of this company on various sites and 99% are negative. Never use them!!

I don't think that this company could suck any worse if they tried. I ordered some 'White Feather' hosta from them last summer after Holland Bulb Co. ran out. My order was for somewhere between $300 - $400. It took a month to get here, besides numerous requests from me asking where the order was. It ended up delivered at a time when I was going to be out of town (even though I by then had asked to cancel the order...and of course it was 'too late to cancel' (according to them). I ended up getting all of the bare root plants planted. When they came up, not even half of them were actually 'White Feather'. By then, it was to late to return any of them. (according to company policy). I'm currently digging up the entire row, in which there are approximately 4 hosta that are actually the 'White Feather'. So, I decided to let everybody know what a nightmare they are to deal with

Posted on May 19, 2015, updated May 21, 2015
Posted on May 16, 2015, updated May 19, 2015
I have purchased from other online companies, however I have to say this is the worst one. I placed an order over a month ago and every time I get someone to FINALLY answer the phone, all I get told is that they are working to ship my order out and it should arrive in a few days. I try to be a patient person so I wait a few days, call back and each time I get told, oh no I'm sorry it hasn't been shipped yet, but it should be shipped in a few days. So I try and wait and give them a few more days..but sadly days are turning into weeks..which is ridiculous. I have already been told the plants I ordered and in stock, and that that my order should be in the shipping area and be sent within a day to three days. Then after waiting three to four days and calling..I get the oh I'm sorry your order hasn't been filled yet. I am beyond annoyed with this company and if this is how this company does business I want no part of it. I have tried to send numerous emails to get an update and I keep getting the same lousy email that doesn't give me a bit of information. I didn't only order plants for myself, some were purchased for family members. I feel horrible for having to contact them and tell them that I honestly have no clue when the plants, or if the plants will arrive. This is the first time and the LAST time I will ever do any business with this company.

I should have listened to the other people to reviewed this company but instead the cheap prices got the best of me and I gave them a shot. it has been a month since I placed my order and still no products and its going to be june soon. Everytime I call the phone is constantly busy. I have been trying all day today. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY!!!

order GZJONXVKL placed 4/25/15

PLEASE DO NOT ORDER FROM DIRECT GARDENING YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE IT....
I ordered their 100 strawberry collection and roma beans and with this order, i was given some plants as complimentary for ordering over $40 worth of items. Told it would arrive in 1 to 1 1/2 weeks...well after many attempts to call their customer service dept (busy or no answer) and several inquiries via emails, NOTHING!
So....3 1/2 weeks go by and i receive a small envelope of green beans...NOTHING ELSE!!!OMG..REALLY??? By the time i get my strawberries the season will be OVER!!!!! I AM SO UPSET, THIS IS NOT NECCESSARY...TO BE SCAMMED AND RIPPED OFF OVER PLANTS.....REALLY?????

A friend of mine ordered a fruit salad stone fruit tree over a month ago and has called a number of times only to be told that it will be another month until the tree arrives if in fact they actually send it. We are in a high mountain valley where the temps will quickly rise into the 80's next month which will not allow for the planting of a bare root treen and they were told this upon ordering and we were assured that it would arrive in time for our planting season. Stay away from this company they are a total joke! Order from Peaceful Valley or the like.

Posted on March 30, 2015, updated May 1, 2015
I read the bad comments after purchasing and was really worried that I would not received what I ordered from Direct Gardening. It took 4 weeks but I received exactly what I ordered. I ordered bare root hybrid poplar, hybrid willow, and dawn redwood trees they were small but not bad for the price. I wrote them in the middle of the fourth week and stated my concerns. They replied with a ok answer but did not settle my concerns by giving me a possible delivery date or shipping number. Bottom line is that I was satisfied but it took too long with out any idea when the trees would or did ship which would have relieved my concern.

WOW! I wasted a good bit of money. Placed an order, money taken out of my account in less than 24 hours. Here it is 20 days later and I have nothing from them other than a standard BS email "we cant find anything". I even gave them the order number, copy of email confirmation and a copy of the online order confirmation. DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THIS COMPANY. Go somewhere else, pay more and have the satisfaction of actually receiving your purchase.

I ordered some plants in the end of March as a gift for someone. I contacted the company to let me know about the shipping date. My order has not been shipped and the gift event was last week. I emailed them to cancel the order, but they are not able to confirm cancellation even though the plants have not been shipped, nor can they give me a date of delivery. I would not recommend anyone to order plants from them.

I ordered several plants from Direct Gardening, lured in by their extremely low prices. While some of the plants are doing well, I'm upset that the plants I wanted more than anything else either haven't grown or a substitution was shipped in its place. I ordered Dorothy Rose columbine, and they sent Nora Barlow (which I didn't realize till after it bloomed). I ordered a flamingo willow tree, and they sent a forsythia. I did notice that change, so I emailed them. They replied stating their policy is to send a comparable plant (a forsythia is not comparable to a willow), if your requested plant can't be shipped. Um, why not just send what they have and refund the rest? They told me I could mail back the shipping label and they'd refund me for the willow/forsythia. Why do I have to pay to mail a shipping label (which is huge and plastic. Not sure normal envelope/postage would be enough) when they know they sent me the wrong plant? The low prices aren't worth it, if you don't get the plants you want and then have to pay to get your money back. And if you're outside of the 14 days you get a '"replacement"... But the plant wasn't available in the 1st place so how can it be replaced? I also ordered a dwarf Bartlett pear tree that was literally a 10 inch twig with NO roots. I tried soaking and planting, but it never grew (planted last year).

I have tried to call the company, I continue to get a busy signal. I also tried to contact the House of Wesley, their parent company, the line is also busy. Received Purple Astilbe, they arrived moldy. I am not sure if they will make it. It is a good thing I also bought some from Walmart, and they are doing fine. The Weeping Rose looks like it may make it, and I am not sure about the Tree Peony, it looked like a dead stick, but I have planted it praying for the best. I have 3 more orders that I placed in November 2014, and I am waiting for them to arrive. I have tried to contact them as well to get an estimate on a shipping date, and have not heard from them as well. I am hoping they will respond. Hopefully these plants will do better.

Sad, sad, sad. I think my plants have been in seal plastic bags for years. Dried up or rotten. Very bad packaging compared to others. Shocking when you receive plants from other companies on the same day.

I am going with my mother's idea. Sometimes the saddest plant does the best because its happy for a good home.

On July 31, 2014, I ordered 16 Almost Black Rose bushes. They finally arrived on August 15th. All 16 bushes were promptly planted because they were virtually DEAD sticks. Well 9 of plants survived and are blooming YELLOW and PINK! Yes, I ordered Almost Black roses. So, naturally, I contacted the company first by email and was told to send back the shipping label and photos of the roses. Really? Who has a shipping label after more than a month? They won't even accept the confirmation EMAIL they sent to me. They will accept my credit card bill as proof of purchase. Am I really expected to send them my credit card bill along with photos? I spent $59.92 on roses of a very specific color and am disappointed that they couldn't correctly fill the order and NOW refuse to refund my money. So basically they can get away with anything they want because it is their policy that you must have the shipping label. And to get a refund, you must return the product within 14 days. This company uses deceptive practices. I expect better and I am here to warn others NOT to purchase from Direct Gardening or any of their affiliates. I have also submitted a complaint at the BBB requesting that my money be refunded because I should NOT have to pay for their mistake!

I ordered in the middle of a heat wave. Plants arrived in a heat wave. Certain plants fared better than others. Every single plant after scratch testing was green, EXCEPT a ginkgo. Never buy spruce from DG. The hydrangeas fared the best, every single one made it, they budded the quickest after potting, in just 2 days. After 2 weeks I had practically store - quality 5 gallon size bushes. Northern Catalpa did really well too. Butterfly bushes and burning bush euonymus both did extremely well. The maples were supposed to be dead, I abandoned them and never watered them. Last week after more than 3 months one sprouted. I was shocked. The red buds both seem not to have made it, they are still green upon scratch testing, the maples make me think there might still be hope. Oh I wrote this review last week and forgot to send it. If I stopped midsentence and forgot to tie up the story sorry. I'm done typing.
-Ryan

Direct Gardening was the only source I could find for old fashioned Robin Roses. There were some issues with my order, but through good and constant communication, Direct Gardening I received totally healthy Robin Hood roses in a timely manner and they are beginning to bloom and are perfectly lovely! I will order from Direct Gardening again.

I was hoping to be one who could give Direct Gardening some positive feedback, thinking that they just do better with some items than others (ie daylilys, hostas, etc.) Yes, the prices are really low, yes, you receive bare roots, etc. and non potted plants. I'm willing to wait a little longer as I have a huge gardening project/redo at a new house that basically is all grass in the backyard. However, my latest experience is VERY Disappointing and I would have to concur that this is a company that will not be getting my business any longer.

I placed a $42 order on 6/15 and received my order 2-1/2 weeks later. The daylilies looked good and while the Chinese Lantern, Obedient plant, Fern Bleeding Heart plants and Adam's Needle Yucca arrived as "sticks" as others have described. Some looked wilty/not firm or in great condition (not just "dormant"); however I planted them and the bleeding hearts did great, the obedient plants took a while but are sprouting/growing slowly. The other 2 I considered the hardiest and have done NOTHING in almost 6 weeks. The Creeping Phlox was pretty dried out when it arrived, some has come back but about 1/2 has not. I know....Their prices are low, and you get what you pay for; but I still held out hope that bulbs and daylilies/hostas would prove to be well worth the order. The few bulbs I got (few hardy glads, liatris) sprouted well and I wanted more.

I placed a $92 order on July 21 mostly of bulbs including 50 Lily bulbs, liatris, dutch iris, hardy glads etc. The writeup on their lilys says "10-12cm" which is 3.9-4.7 inches. I thought That's a great size! I received my lilies and the largest were NOT EVEN TWO INCHES (and many were a lot smaller, many 1/2 that size). This is outright misprepresentation and false advertisement. I wrote customer service and mentioned I was happy with some of the plants, some from my first order had not arrived well but I was taking a wait and see attitude, however the lilies were NOT what was expected and not what was advertised.

Basically I got a "give your plants a chance and if they do not do well in 6 weeks, send the shipping label and they will send a replacement" canned answer. How will the replacement do? I have my doubts now. NO response to the size of the lily bulbs other than "If you prefer a refund instead of a replacement, return the plant, postage prepaid along with the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL within fourteen days in accordance with our guarantee."

It's apparent that they do NOT stand behind the quality or promised size of their items. I know most of their items do NOT give you a size, probably on purpose. The hostas I received were good and 1/2 of them are sprouting already, and 1/2 the daylilies looked pretty decent, though 6 had mold and wilty roots that had to be trimmed and may or may not do well. This company has seen the last of my money. I will take my business elsewhere. Shame on them -- and shame on me for giving them a 2nd chance.

I placed my order and was expecting to have to wait a long time to receive it; but it arrived quickly and in great condition. I ordered 3 Bonfire ornamental peach trees and when they arrived I soaked them over-night in tepid water and planted them the next day.
The trees are already starting to produce leaves and I am very happy with them. Customer service was great and I received exactly what I had ordered, sooner than I expected. Thanks!.... I highly recommend this company to any prospective buyers out there! Quality plants at an affordable price! Direct Gardening is an awesome company and they offer a 1 year warranty on all of their plants. I wish I had found out about them sooner; and I plan to be one of their regular customers in the future. I strongly urge other experienced gardeners to order their trees and other plantings from Direct Gardening! You simply can not go wrong in doing so!

I ordered from this company in 2012 and after my experience will not order from them again. The potted plants came through bone dry. I watered them and one tried to come out of it but didn't have enough energy and the other 2 died. Their return policy was confusing and responses curt. Not for me!

I too ordered from this company on May the 6th 2014. And as of this date 7/11/2014 have not gotten my order.they used the right shipping time to ship the flowers on me and then they used that mix up of the address on me too that I am the one at fault because they say that I did not give them the right shipping address, which I did and the one thing I did get from them was a flower boost soil to add around the flowers, that got to me with no problem at all. When I finally got a call in to them, they tried telling me I was not even in the system, so they are using the same excuses on me as they have on other people from what I have read. My order was for over a 100.00 dollars which they had no trouble debiting from my account and so far all I got was the flower boost. All I have gotten from them has been a run around and they will not refund my money,on the 9th of this month(July) they said they would reship my order to me and that it would take 1 to 2 weeks before they could get this order reshipped with having to reprint labels and etc,etc, sounds like a bunch of bull to me, all they are doing is giving me yet another run around over my order. , well we will see. Every time I emailed this company they said it would be shipping and I even called the company and they told me they would track my package as it had already shipped and I should have gotten it by then. They proceeded to tell me it was my fault with the addresses I gave but like I said above the flower boost got to me without any problem at all. I would advise anybody to not order from this company as they do not do what they say and you can get no where with trying to deal with them. I have ordered off the internet for years now and this company has been the worse so far I have ever dealt with!!! With giving them a rating, I would give them the worse rating possible, do yourself a favor and steer clear of this company! I even tried telling them I would contact a lawyer, that did not work either, I guess they have gotten away with all this junk so long they think they are above the law now.

I really wish I had known of your "Watchdog" before ordering. After receiving mail catalog a year or so ago, had ordered some bulbs- some of which arrived smelling DISGUSTING and looking moldy. What came up best were the "surprise" gifts. But the prices seemed economical, so ordered again. Shipping took far too long- then I began doing some research. Just as I was about to ask where my order was, it arrived. The "bargain" myrtle must have been such a great deal because it was completely dead. The ground cover lilies have come up, but have yet to bloom. The three little strawberries that came as "gift" which I did not have room for and stuck in pots, have a flower or two. But I wish I had known about all the negative experiences others have had and would have ordered from a more reputable outfit. The very lengthy shipping time was unacceptable- particularly for dead plants. I didn't even bother to complain and receive the unnecessary runaround that seems to be this company's m.o. Lesson learned! I will stick with Watchdog 30 nurseries from now on. Hopefully my next reports will be much happier. Thank you.

Lots to complain about with this company: slow shipping, truly crappy product, abysmal customer service. I recognize the difference between dead and dormant - and most of their plants were not just dead but close to rotted mush! I filed a complaint with their local Better Business Bureau, but of course nothing but a form letter from them.

They promised good merchandise, but did not deliver. If you get a replacement it's just more crap, so what's the point? If you try to nurse their 'plants' along you can waste weeks of a precious growing season and then have to start off over anyway. You've wasted both your time and your money!

To see the difference in a truly dramatic way try ordering something from "The Top Five" at davesgardens.com, such as my favorite santarosagardens.com. Santa Rosa provides competitive pricing with top quality plants (every plant I've gotten from them is thriving from day one!) and their customer service is exemplary - about as opposite as you can get from the Direct Gardening/House of Wesley scam operation - and their other aliases.

Placed an order for 3 blue moon climbing roses roses and 3 golden showers climbing roses on April 6th, 2014. Heard nothing about shipping, phone calls just go to a busy signal but the plants did finally arrive on May 3, 2014. They were not packaged well, just put in a plastic bag and sent through the post.

Pulled them out and got them soaking in buckets of water overnight in preparation for planting right away. I did not look at them too closely as it was late in the evening when I got home from work. I however got a good look on the 4th when I went to plant them in the ground. Five of the roses are in ok shape, and though I have seen better it looks like they have put out new growth. One rose however, a blue moon, was simply appalling!! It was a stick. When I say a stick, I mean an actual stick with little or no root system left in tact. They had all be CUT off.

We took a photo of the stick that is supposedly a dormant plant but it apparently is not enough proof. //i.imgur.com/BNq3xAp.jpg I have been gardening for a number of years and NEVER have I seen a rose in such poor condition.

I contact support and was told to put it in the ground and give it a little time to see if it would "come back". My response, to this was "really?" but I planted it anyway and waited. It is now now a brown stick. Emailed support and received a generic email to plant them anyway if I have not done so (already told them they were planted) and that I would need to return the plant, with the original shipping label. I don't know that I even have it as after the first conversation I had, NOTHING was said about needing the shipping label at all.

I placed an order about 3 weeks ago and have heard nothing from them. I sent an email to let them know that I had yet to receive my shipment but have gotten no reply. I also tried to call but only get a busy signal. I am very unhappy with this company and will not place another order with them.

Like lots of other customers I placed several emails to Direct Gardening, and made many phone calls to an always busy number; I too filed with the BBB. Funny how their D- rating of a few years ago was changed to a B-, despite the same exact offenses.

I understand from an ABC's 20/20 show a rating can be changed if a company pays the BBB fees. With as many bad reviews as Direct Gardening gets there's no way they rate that high.

Wished I had read these reviews before giving them $89.68 for a variety of 35 plants. How this company and their subsidiaries continue to conduct business all these years in the US is beyond me. It's interesting to note, that although they have racked up countless negative reviews on several gardening sites, no legal action has been brought against this company. I've waited four weeks for my order placed April 10, 2014.

The company lists 66 people but not one seems able to pick up the phone. I've requested to speak with a supervisor twice, no luck. Surely these repeated offenses can't go UN-noticed.

All the brush offs about waiting on the weather and nursery stock, and claims that orders are in shipping are delay tactics. As others note: EVERY other online gardening site processes orders in a timely manner, and sends updates with emails on shipping. Their websites offer ways to input order numbers to check progress.

Trying to get a refund from these people seems about as virtually impossible as their "quality" plants, trees and roots. They expect you to give up and go away. Don't. That's why they're still operating. I've contacted the Illinois Attorney Generals Consumer Fraud Bureau, the BBB, and am leaving reviews everywhere I can. Direct Gardening is anything but direct. Their business practices and customer service are not transparent. Given the general reported responses to dissatisfied customers, they don't care about customer service or retention.

I will NOT accept replacement plants,vouchers or believe in any supposed "guarantees" this company offers, so they can send me through a maze of misdirection and sleight of hand. I refuse to wait months to receive my more than deserved refund, given that all other plants I've ordered online from FOUR other companies were placed on the same day, from the same region of the country, and have long ago been received. All plants are healthy, with exception of Burpee, who granted my refund in 5-7 business days, as is proper business protocol. All plants have been in the ground for WEEKS!

One last note: This company can't seem to process or track orders in shipping, or process refunds----yet they can generate catalogs to send. I received a catalog from them last week. Proof they have a computer system.

I ordered 1200 vinca as well as cotoneaster and wintercreeper in early April 2014 from this company. I also ordered multiple thuja giant from another company at the same time. The company with the thuja giant sent my product within 5 days. They are planted and growing (fast-growing trees was honest with me). However, this has not happened with Direct Gardening. I have called and got a busy signal. I kept calling and got through on Sunday, May 6, 2014. I was told I am not in the system (it is May 8, 2014). I have sent them an email from here (I am so glad I joined even though I forgot I did and had to reset my email). I have told them of this problem. Most importantly, for the readers, I told them that using the mail and telephone to provide misleading or shoddy goods may violate federal law. They can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or Department of Justice (DOJ) for interstate mail fraud. I am waiting to hear back from them. I think anyone having this experience that is NOT remedied should seriously consider calling your local/regional/state FTC or DOJ. I know I will depending on what happens. It is one thing to use "the internet" to do this and quite another to "use the internet" and the "telephone and mail" to do the same thing: taking hundreds of dollars from hundreds of customers and doing little/providing shoddy & misleading products is not legal let alone moral or fair. But, well, let us wait and see. I could be wrong. Very wrong. I sure hope so. I, for one, will not let this rest nor will I pay quietly on a credit card order that was misleading if not outright fraud. Trust me.

5-3-2014 Ordered 5 mock orange plants from this company. Heard nothing for months. No answer to emails or if they ever did they were very vague or passed on to someone else who never answered. Had to threaten small claims court to finally get my bare root plants but even then they did not email one word. The plants look dead and I doubt if they will grow; only time will tell. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with and I heartily suggest you reconsider before doing business with them. Even "Burgess" who they are affiliated with does not reply to emails. BEWARE....STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE....