Comments regarding Direct Gardening

This is ridiculous, I am furious, it has been two weeks, over two weeks since I placed my order and have received nothing, not an e-mail confirmation and notice of shipping, the deliverables, this is asinine. When I attempted to ascertain the status of such order, the representative, said I don't know what's going on with your order, that’s great customer service, whom cannot even tell me what is the status of the order and what the holdup is. Further, when I attempt to get in touch with you today, your phone lines are busy for over an hour and a half. I formally request my items to be expeditiously shipped. if no e-mail confirmation is not received within 24 hours and items are not received prior to the EOW, i will be forced to file a complaints with multiple consumer complaint boards. Further, if a shipping confirmation is not received within 24 hours I will be contacting my credit company to challenge the charge as no product has been received.

Posted on April 8, 2014, updated April 28, 2014
I am extremely dissatisfied with the service I have received from Direct Gardening thus far. To be fair, I looked at all of the reviews of the company - both positive and negative - prior to placing an order with them and decided to take a chance. I have placed orders with other online nurseries in the past and have always had a good experience. Unfortunately, at this point I am left to believe that the negative reviews I read are all correct.

I placed my order with Direct Gardening on 3/21/14, which consisted of the following:

1 Rose, Blue Moon
2 Peony Tree, White
60 Windflower, Grecian
2 Smoke Tree, Pink Mist
1 Bulb Garden, Summer Rainbow
1 Bulb Garden, All Summer Blooming
2 Sweet Pea, Everlasting
1 Bloodroot
1 Rose, Victory
1 Campanula, Takion Blue
4 Carnations, Mixed

I spent $132.59 after adding in $9.99 for shipping. The confirmation email I received stated that I should "allow 1-2 weeks for [my] order to be processed", which was perfectly fine. Although this statement indicates that two weeks should be the maximum amount of time that Direct Gardening should need to process my order, I do understand that this is a busy season and that delays can sometimes happen that are outside of a company's control. With that said, I have become exceedingly dissatisfied with Direct Gardening after attempting to get a status update. At the very least, a customer deserves that much.

After reading many reviews, I was not surprised that I had not received any kind of shipping confirmation. It seems this is normal. I am, however, excited to receive my plants and get them in the ground... so at the two week mark I began my attempts to contact the company to find out the status of my order. Not because I was dissatisfied, but just for planning's sake. Not only would it be helpful for me to be able to estimate the arrival so I know when to begin preparing the ground, but I also want to make sure that the plants will not sit outside for too long in the box after being delivered. Spring in Texas means that today it might be 50 degrees but tomorrow it might be 90. I want my plants to have the best chance of success.

So, I sent a casual email requesting an update. After three days, I received no response. My second attempt was to call all of the multiple phone numbers listed on the company's website, receiving a busy signal for each and every one. Third, I sent another email through the contact form on their website. Finally, I attempted to call again and did get someone on the phone.

The customer service representative was rude and unhelpful. I gave her my order information and requested to know the status. She spoke to me like I was a child, throwing around dates, talking in circles, and making me feel like I was crazy for giving them a call. She indicated that it had not even been two weeks since I placed my order, but once I was able to process through all the words she was throwing around I let her know that it most certainly had been over two weeks since my order was placed. She then informed me that 1-2 weeks was "average".

Okay. I get that. Although that's not what my order confirmation led me to believe, I can accept that 1-2 weeks is average. But, when I asked what the status was on the order, she simply said it was in processing but she didn't have any additional information. She could not give me an approximation for shipping, had no idea what was holding up the order, and had no interest in giving me any additional information. I asked if there was someone else I could speak with and was told that yes, she could give me to someone else but they would tell me the exact same thing. There was no additional information that could be provided. They had received the order and it was in processing. Period.

So, I requested to speak with a Supervisor. The customer service representative actually SIGHED, mumbled under her breath, and then put me on hold for a few minutes. The "Supervisor" came on the line and was no more helpful than his subordinate. I expressed my concern over the poor customer service, requested additional information as to the status of my order, and was shut down from every angle. The "Supervisor" seemed incapable of speech except to make the statement "I'm sorry you feel that way" in a very monotone voice. I actually feel sorry for him, because if they honestly have no access to any order information and cannot give customers any information I am certain that he fields many of my type of phone call every single day. I would be exhausted and disinterested, too.

The bottom line? At this point, my credit card has been charged and I have no assurances whatsoever that my order will be shipped to me any time soon. No one could tell me when to expect my order to ship, except that weather and plant availability affect the shipping time. Duh. From the information provided to me by the customer service rep and her "Supervisor", I could expect my order to ship any time between now and... when I die? Apparently there is no timeline. It will just ship at some point in the future. At the very least, it would be helpful to know whether my order is held up by the weather or a specific plant that they do not currently have in stock. Perhaps then I could make the decision of whether or not to wait for said plant.

The prices of this company are highly desirable; however, I am sorely disappointed at their lack of ability to know anything about what is going on with a customer's order. Lower prices are not an excuse to exhibit poor customer service and in the future I will be taking my money elsewhere. I would rather pay a little more and know that I am going to be taken care of than to pay less and to be treated like receiving my business doesn't matter in the least. Poorly done, Direct Gardening.

"On Apr 13, 2014 3:29 PM, 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.

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

"

Posted on April 23, 2014, updated April 24, 2014
Posted on April 22, 2014, updated April 23, 2014
I have never left a negative for any company. I don't even tell anyone else that I don't like this company or that company. But I have had enough and not gonna take it anymore.

I have been a customer of DG for at least 15 years. Why at this point I don't know.

4/22/14:

I placed an order Oct 18th 2013 and have yet to see it. DG shows it delivered. Well it has yet to be delivered to me.

2/21/14: Placed an order and have yet to see that one.
3/1/14 placed an order and that one just arrived two weeks ago.
3/26/14 placed an order and have not seen that one.

It says on their website:
Please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to be processed. Seeds and Merchandise are normally shipped as soon as processing is completed.

I have been emailing them for the last month almost on a daily basis. Of course they do not answer for at least 48 hrs. When they do respond it is very vague and does not come close to answering the questions you have asked. Example: When will I see my order, When will my order ship. Calling them is almost a joke.

I don't mind the small plants or bare root items. I just cannot understand the total lack of customer care. I realize spring is a busy time for them, it is for me also.

I have placed orders with other companies since my orders with DG and have received them all. Those companies kept me informed as to when, why, and how. Also found them to be less expensive than DG.

Gardening and new plants are suppose to be fun and exciting. DG makes it frustrating and aggravating.

It is also very sad that they have this great business and choose to have a reputation as they do.

So order from DG just don't ever expect your orders today, tomorrow or the next day or maybe never. Sad, very sad.

I will update if needed.

DO NOT USE THIS SELLER.

I gave them a shot for some cheap plants (ground cover mostly), as they were having a sale, and I thought I'd give them a try, since there ARE some positive ratings here. Unfortunately, my roll of the dice was not any better than some here have seen.

The order took a while to process, but once it shipped, it didn't take too long to deliver. However, they sent me dead, dried up plants in plastic baggies. If I'd wanted dried Thyme, I'd have bought some at the grocery store.

I emailed their customer service and explained that, while some of the plants had arrived alive, none of the ground cover I ordered had. After a few days of waiting, I received a response saying that they send plants in 'dormant form,' and that if I give the plant 6 weeks to come back to life, it should be fine. This is a line. I'm not a neophyte at this, and I know dead plants when I see them. They told me that, if I wanted to send back the plants for a refund or replacement, I needed to include the shipping label from the original shipment.

They, of course, did not include a shipping label. The scrawled on plastic envelope in which my poor excuse for plants arrived is strangely label-free. I DID received a bunch of advertising material in along with my poorly packed and shipped plants, but I doubt that would qualify me for a return.

As I didn't spend too much money with them, I will just eat the cost and know that I will NEVER use this company again. It is absolutely not worth bothering with. Forewarned is forearmed.

Some recent comments said that the negative review coming from idiots....I would agree if there was one negative comment over twenty or ten...BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE OF DIRECT GARDENING....
I ordered more than once from this company and from its supplier catalogs (Burgess and so on)....I encounter always the same problems ,that for semplicity I will list as bullet point:

Problem 1: some plant are kind of rooted cutting that will never come back to life no matter what you do....
I ordered several plants that no matter how much attention I gave were just incapable to survive for more than one month, and sadly I am talking about vigorous species such as: butterfly bush, honeysuckle and old fashion lilac. Who try to grow these plants at least once know how resistant are these species, and how easy to grow they are.... I received in middle spring these plant I gave the best sun exposure, I ammend the soil and water regularly....even the liliac at the beginning of the summer die .....

Problem # 2:
If you order bulbs be aware that you have 50% chance thet the bulb will never make to germinate.
I give my example: I ordered towering lily that although were not the variety that I wanted they grow nicely. same thing for the colocasia. Now I ordered a bunch of anemones, and around 30 ranunculus....NO ONE EVER emerged....the bulb were planted in early spring with some other bulbs (non direct gardening one, and cold sensitive ) the other bulb bloom profusely the direct gardening made a good compost....Same things for the freesia..form more than 20 just a couple emerged....

problem # 3: sometimes they forget to send you items...and you cannot do much!!!
I never received some items, like the orange mock that I ordered...they asked for the receive that I lost (althoug I have oreder number and anything else)....Partially my fold? probably, other company with the order number and electronic receive are able to help you not here not in my case...for 3 dollar of shrub they lost a custom that spent this year 100 dollar of shrubs in a another serious company...too bad fro them...


problem 4: the company often did not send the variety that you want
This is very irritating...this means that if you wish a particular variety for color matching purpose on you garden or for any other specific characteristic, you CANNOT trust direct gardening, I mention my personal experience:
example #1 I ordered blue girl rose, a hybrid tea super doubled flower with a cold mauve color, I received a horrible single petaled rose dark magenta of course miniature rose. You can very well image that if you reserve a spot for a hybrid of tea you want a relatively medium size bush, and not a micro plant that disappear on landscape....Not even mention that the rose was not healthy and since three year make one bloom or two during the entire season.
example #2 : towering anastasia lily..even worst..at least when they shipped the rose they told me that they replaced with another variety...In this case I grew up some lily that were not anastasia but lavon, completely different color (anastasia bright pink, lavon maroon-cream)...at least these bulbs were healthy (very rare case for this company).

With three large order that I made (50 dollar each one, that considering the low price that they offer was really a lots of plants) after three year I end up to still have: three forsythia and three towering lily over 150 $ of order....Horrible experience that I deserved, now I only order from high ranked garden watchdog company and guess what? I never had any issue...
If you are ordering I wish you good luck!!!

After checking reviews on directgardening.com, I was unsure about ordering. There are so many bad reviews. It took longer to receive my order than I expected, so I contacted them to discuss it. They have very good customer service. They responded quickly and appropriately. Most of the bad reviews had to do with later than expected deliveries or condition of the plants. After thinking about the late delivery problems, I realized in most cases it was timing. When orders are placed at typical planting time, it takes longer to recieve them. They obviously have a lot of orders at that time, not to mention those that could not be sent out right away due to weather/climate. My order arrived about a month after I placed it, which was in March 2014. It's now April.

After considering the bad reviews about quality and having received my order, quite frankly I think a lot of people are idiots. The plants arrive dormant, as expected...not dead. The roots are in excellent condition and I expect them to grow well. Most of the plants are quite small, but at these prices, they can't afford to raise the plants for several years before sailing.

Please excuse my bluntness, but seriously people. Think before you complain. If you want large, fully grown, ready to bloom plant, buy somewhere else and pay 3 or 4 times the price or more.

Kudos directgardening.com

I placed an order for $50 on 1/24/14 with Direct Garden. It was my first (and last) time using them. When plants started arriving from another company I ordered with (Michigan Bulb) a couple weeks ago I become curious of what my order status was with Direct Garden. I sent them a friendly email asking about it & got no reply. I sent another email & was told they have no record of me placing an order with them at all. They asked me if used another name or address. As if have several different legal names. Luckily I knew enough to save the confirmation email they sent me back in January with the order number & my contact info which was all correct. I have sent them 3 more emails in the past 8 business days with all the info they would need to "FIND" my order. I have yet to hear back from them of course. Obviously I am beyond upset with them at this point. After reading the complaints on this board I am going to request full refund & see what happens. It seems evident I well have to get on the phone & battle with them because they ignore my emails now. Three months have past & they weren't even aware I had an order?? Though they took my money right away & sent me a confirmation email?? That doesn't seem right. I think they have gone into straight rip off mode & more people can expect to have their orders "lost" rather then receiving dead plants & chasing them for replacements. I would stare clear of this place guys & girls. I am happy they "only" stole $50 from me after reading some of your horror stories. Wish I found this website sooner. DONT USE DIRECT GARDEN.COM!!

"On Apr 13, 2014 3:31 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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 24 canby thornless raspberry bare root plants last year in addition to other plants. for whatever reason about half the plants started sprouting and then died. i requested a replacement. recently i received two shipments of 12 canby raspberry plants each. i put them in pots inside due to the cold weather. i checked them a few days after planting and all of them are budding and leafing out. Direct Gardening was true to their word and i am very pleased with their replacement of my plants. i will order from them again.

I made an order on 2/22/14 for 4 rose bushes, 2 blackberry bushes, 3 English lavender, and 2 weeping willows. I received the order today 3/8/14. Most everything I received was dormant, a few of them look to be just coming out of dormancy. I will plant them all tomorrow and update with either a positive or negative depending on how well these plants do.

When I first got my shipment from Direct Gardening, I admit feeling a tad underwhelmed. The items were very small, and they did look rather dried out and dead, and they did have just a very sad looking little bit of damp paper towel on their roots, BUT, they roared to life.

I actually did not want them to come roaring to life, as it was a fall planting, but, it warmed up a bit and bam, my knockout roses and my Nanking cherries came out of dormancy and raring to go.

Now, I do not know if they will survive the subsequent Polar Vortex that followed that warm spell, but I do have to stand up for Direct Gardening and their "dried up ole twigs." My dried up ole twigs were absolutely viable, and I would order from them again. Even if the plants mentioned above do not survive the winter. I just might not order for fall planting again given this years experience. My Juneberry did not break dormancy, and I will not know until Spring 2014 if it is alive at all, but the reviews were so horrible I just felt I had to comment on the dead twig situation. Looks can be deceiving.

Posted on December 18, 2013, updated January 24, 2014
WARNING!!! DON'T buy form this company. They will send you dry straws in plastic bags. And don't believe their one year policy. I sent out my request in June and didn't get a single replacement till now. And your credit card companies have weaker power to protect you because the merchandises are living plants. DON'T BUY and DON'T believe their one year policy. They got my money, didn't send me replacement and they sent me a mail asking me to pay for the living plants immediately!!!!!!!! What a waste of time and money. This company is like a pile of dog shit. Don't STEP IN.

"On Dec 19, 2013 10:33 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customers experience. We do have a refund and replacement guarantee available. We have contacted this customer via D-mail to see how we may be of assistance."

The only plus here are the prices, the cheapest around. However with coupons other sites will come close (e.g. Gurneys 25 dollars off). I've ordered about $500 dollars with them, many died and were difficult to replace because you need to send the label back and wait indefinitely for a replacement. You never know when things will be shipped. I had a daffodil bulb shipped in May!! (Surprisingly it made it and still blooms). They shipped me nanking cherry for Hansen's cherry and variegated hosta instead of the blue hosta I ordered. Summarizing I do not order from them anymore.

"On Dec 19, 2013 10:28 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this problem. A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information.

"

Buyers Beware! Ordered on 8/13/13, understanding that would be shipped in fall.
Emailed on 10/4 inquiring about purchases, company replied that the items had been shipped but should have been received by me. Company would trace delivery but I needed to verify address. 10/6/13 I emailed stating that address was correct and never had a problem with packages. 10/8 company would start the trace.
On 10/15/13 I wrote stating that I have yet to hear from them about items. On 10/16 the company said the order was damaged and unable to be delivered and asked if I wanted a refund. On 10/16 (same day) I requested a refund, I have RA and the cold weather does not set well with me or plants. 10/17 they replied my request would be forwarded to the appropriate department.
I had found Dave's Garden and read reviews and wished I had done so before ordering.
On 10/29 (12 days later) I wrote stating I had not heard back regarding my refund, and on 10/30 they replied to wait 1-2 weeks for my cancellation to be processed (remember it had been 12 days). On 11/12 I received a package of plants even after I was assured one month earlier they would be refunded. I emailed company that two of the packages were moldy and I did not want plants because it was too cold to plant now.
They replied that the order had been reshipped before they could process refund...REALLY, over a month had passed? They also told me I could keep in my fridge or return package with a written request for a refund...There game seems to be to wear one down and I don't believe a word they say. Buyers beware!

"On Dec 19, 2013 10:26 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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."

Posted on November 2, 2013, updated November 2, 2013
Posted on October 30, 2013, updated November 2, 2013
Posted on October 21, 2013, updated October 30, 2013
Ordered from Direct Gardening and have been waiting very patiently to get products ordered. Ive called Customer service many times just to hear that my order has not been shipped. Called today very upset and requested to speak to a supervisior. spoke to supervisior and requested that my money be refunded. Was told that money can only be refunded when sent as a written request. The season is come to an end here and I see snow on the mountian tops here. Still no product and getting the run around by this company. Reps sound as they are just parrots as the responses are the same. "you order has not shipped yet but it will go out next week" Enough is enough. I would highly discourage anyone from ever purchasing from this company. Don't let the cheep prices are a bargan.

"On Oct 29, 2013 10:06 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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."

After MUCH online research about a particular colored rose I wanted but could not find locally, I made my first online live plant purchase with Direct Gardening. I could not be more pleased (and, frankly, surprised). They responded in a timely fashion to two emailed questions. The shipment arrived sooner than I anticipated. All plants were as expected and in good condition. And, they had included a "bonus" assortment of bulbs...a nice and welcomed touch. I highly recommend them.

Posted on October 8, 2013, updated October 9, 2013
Posted on October 3, 2013, updated October 8, 2013
Posted on September 30, 2013, updated October 3, 2013
Posted on September 25, 2013, updated September 30, 2013
On September 16th I placed an order with Direct Gardening though their website. The items requested are as follows: (1) North Star Dwarf Cherry, (2) Hansen's Bush Cherry (1) Blue Spruce and (1) .99 Tree Bargain. My total with shipping was about $25.

Unfortunately I did not look at the company reviews before I confirmed my purchase so now I am skeptical and decided to document my relations with Direct Gardening here for you all to see.

One thing I noticed while going through the comments here are that a lot of people are complaining that they received 'dead sticks'. I have been an avid gardener for a great majority of my life and have purchased from mail order catalogs more times than I can remember. These 'dead sticks' that people are complaining about are known as 'Bareroot'. This means the plant is not dead but in a dormant state. I believe this throws a lot of people off when they receive their plants. Now, the condition that these bareroot plants arrive in will be up for debate.

I have recorded a neutral rating so far and will change that as this ordering experience unfolds. One troubling thing has already occurred. Over the last few days my wife has asked me if the plants have shipped (as these are a gift for her) so I have tried to contact the company. I dialed the number given on their website (309) 662-7943 and it was busy. Called back later - it was busy. Needless to say over the last 3 days I ended up dialing them 31 times and it was busy every time except the last one. Neither of us were impressed. All that just for them to say it hasn't shipped and to give it another week. I also would like to note that the woman who picked up the phone did not sound like she knew anything about plants. I don't think that is the number to Direct Gardening's nursery or office. I'm guessing it was a call center that is contracted out.

In the mean time I have ordered other plants from different companies and they have already arrived even though I placed those orders after this one with direct gardening. I don't understand why this company takes so long.

Anyhow that is all I have to report at this time. I will be documenting this whole process and linking to my own pictures of the product when it is received. I will post links of the photos so you can see how it was shipped and what condition the plants arrived in. Check back later folks.

"On Oct 15, 2013 1:28 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

A customer care representative has contact this customer for further information. We do have a 1 year replacement guarantee on all of our plants. If any item is received not as advertised we would be happy to issue replacement. We are happy to hear that the customer is taking advantage of this guarantee."

I was VERY disappointed with this company. This was the first time I ever ordered at site for flowers and it will be my last. I made my order in April 2012. I waited and waited for my order before I finally called them. They told me that because it was so hot they would not send the order until it cooled off some. I bought that and waited. Finally in August 2012, I received them. They were packaged separately and were dry. Because this was a first for me, I was not sure how they were supposed to look, and I still don't, but not one of the plants that I ordered came back. I had to search all my records to figure out who it was I purchased from (I get a lot of emails from flower companies) and it took me a long time. When I finally found the one, I called. They told me I ordered them at a different time, my warranty was up, and that I needed this paper or that paper for proof of my order, all the while they are looking at my order on their screen !!!!!!! Bottom line....they would NOT do anything for me. I recommend this company to NO ONE!!!!!

"On Oct 15, 2013 1:23 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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 clear up any confusion."

I have ordered from DirectGardening three times and have had success with some plants, but in general the plants are smaller and more sickly than plants I have gotten at other online stores. However, since the prices are so low I found that my total purchase was worth what I paid so that's why I ordered a second time. One time I ordered many asters and they arrived as tiny twigs covered with white mold (no leaves or any green), but I'm not the type to complain a lot so I didn't report that or ask for a refund. My items usually arrive quickly and so when I ordered a third time during the summer I expected my order to arrive within a few weeks.

Right after I ordered my purchase I called to confirm when my items were arriving and was told processing is slower in the summer but most items ordered in the summer arrive in summer. When I called later they said that nothing has shipped, they don't know if any of my items will be available, and they don't know when they will arrive but I will probably have to wait a few months. Since I live in a cold climate I had to plant soon so I canceled my order. They responded that my items will ship in a few days but after waiting about five days I called and they said the items never shipped so I wasn't told the truth.

I didn't want to do business with this company anymore because of the dead plants they gave me and the numerous falsehoods and the nasty tone of voice some of the representatives had, so I canceled my order. I had to keep calling and emailing to get a confirmation of my cancellation because they kept stonewalling me, but finally they said I would get a refund in 1-2 weeks. Over a week later I received some of the items and I called to make sure I was getting the refund, but I was told they won't honor my cancellation because they sent me the package, so I told them they confirmed that my package hadn't been sent at the time I placed my order. The manager said that the package was mailed to me two days after I cancelled my order and when I asked him why they shipped my package when I told them I didn't want it he didn't apologize but told me that I had to ship the items back if I wanted my money back.

I don't trust them to give me my money back so I will keep this last shipment that I paid over $80 for. The conifer trees were individual twigs with some green leaves, and there were some sad-looking plants. I will do the best with what I have. However, I won't be shopping at DirectGardening any more.

"On Sep 19, 2013 8:20 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customer’s experience as we do take pride in our customer care. We do have both a refund and a replacement guarantee which is clearly posted on our website and we stand behind them.

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

"

Posted on June 13, 2013, updated September 15, 2013
I love the bareroot trees Iordered. Yes they look like a bunch of dead stick with roots when they arrive, but I removed them immediatly from the bag and spritzed the roots and wrapped the roots back up in plastic. Then soaked for about 4 hrs in water before I planted. They are already waking up and its only been a week. The ground cover appered DOA (but planted just to make sure)but Ill just wait till next spring to make sure everything makes it before asking for a replacement. I will be ordering more trees next year. You can't beat the quality and size for the price!

I recently ordered about 30 raspberry plants and 4 blackberry plants from Direct Gardening and to my surprise they arrived on September 7th all thrown into the bag with nothing to keep the roots moist. Normally this wouldn't be a problem if they were shipped at the right time of year. September in Nebraska can be very hot and sure enough its been 90+ everyday for the last couple of weeks so much for the company watching the weather to ship at the right time. Out of the hundreds of raspberries I've order from many different companies these are by far the worst looking. They are a dry as can be no sign of green even when you scrap the bark and I trimmed some just looking for a sign they are going to live. To me they look like left overs from the fall 2012 harvest. So i figured I would go ahead and plant them anyway following the guidance of the company that bare root plants can be plant anytime of the year and I do believe that I can plant a dead stick anytime of the year however probably will not grow. One the same night that I order from direct gardening I also ordered from another company and got a polite email asking when I would like them delivered fall 2013 or spring 2014 the normal times of of the year to get plants to grow. I joined this site just to write this review and I plan on updating often as I will wait until spring and send back the shipping label as it states to get a replacement as I've already set aside this is one I'm not going to forget to get a replacement. One a side not the blackberries look very healthy to me.

"On Sep 16, 2013 2:48 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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."

Posted on August 30, 2013, updated August 31, 2013
Posted on August 24, 2013, updated August 30, 2013
Posted on August 14, 2013, updated August 24, 2013
Posted on August 7, 2013, updated August 14, 2013
Posted on August 2, 2013, updated August 7, 2013
Posted on July 31, 2013, updated August 2, 2013
Posted on July 28, 2013, updated July 31, 2013
Posted on July 26, 2013, updated July 28, 2013
Posted on July 25, 2013, updated July 26, 2013
I ordered 80 hybrid willows and a ton of plants. They arrived on June 10th crushed. Out of almost 100 items two things lived. I sent them all back with the shipping label. I called to let them know and the woman talked me into using the credit towards my thujas I wanted to order. This was back in the middle of june. To make a terrible story short I called everyday after they received my package to see when the new trees would ship. I even had tracking on the package. NO ONE KNEW ANYTHING. It took 3 full weeks for them to even see that I had returned anything. AND the entire time every single person I spoke to had no Idea what was going on. They said they were a call center and had no clue about the actual company. I called every single day. Today ( A FULL MONTH LATER) a woman told me that now my trees will not ship until October. WHAT??? I have been getting the run around for a full month. This is the worst company in the world. I mean that. I found out today that the call center also answers phones for 48 different companies and has no idea about anything to do with direct gardening. They have a catalog in front of them and they can see what is in there to help with orders. Then they literally go on the website ( the same website you do when you order) and they place the order for you. They have no one to call to ask any questions at all. NO ONE. The woman said in her 10 years working at that call center she had never saw nor spoke to anyone in direct gardening or the House of Wesley. That all complaints get HAND WROTE AND MAILED to the office. That is why it takes months and months. I almost died. I am being honest here this is by far the worst company i have ever dealt with. I asked for a refund today. The woman said she would hand write a request and I should call back in two or three weeks to see if they processed it. This will be over 8 weeks at this point. The customer service with this company is shameful. And if anyone on here says anything positive they are crazy. Unless you place an order and you are the 1 in 100 who gets good plants at the time they state. I looked at the Better business bureau and it is SO BAD. I wish I had read it first. 100s of people with the same issue as me. Dead plants, crushed plants, waiting for months and months, no one knowing what the heck is going on. This company has cheap prices for a reason. THEY ARE NOT WORTH A PENNY. They are overpriced if you ask me. You have a 20% chance that your plants will grow. (from what I have read on tons of websites and the bbb) That is my opinion. But it is based on weeks of investigation into this company. I currently have a case with the BBB. To help me get my money back. Do not order from this company by any means.

"On Jul 30, 2013 2:40 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customers experience. We do have a refund and replacement guarantee available. We have contacted this customer via D-mail to see how we may be of further assistance.

Posted on August 3, 2013, updated August 23, 2013
Posted on July 30, 2013, updated August 3, 2013
This was not a good experience, simply because over half of my order died (there is a difference between 'dormant' and 'so dead it is crispy') and parts were not what I ordered.

100 Walk on me thyme - not one survived.
60 vinca minor - roughly 20 survived
3 Maria Stern roses - should be an orange bloom. They sent three pink double knockout roses that were listed as Maria Stern on the shipping label. Two of the three were gifts. Imagine my embarrassment when the intended gift was for Father's Day as part of a design to include his alma maters color bloomed pink instead. Sorry dad!

The shipping time was great and I'm sure if I tried to send it back they would have complied, but I took the time to select, order, pay for, and plant them. I'm not collecting it all and sending it back. Way too much of a hassle. Lesson learned.

"On Aug 3, 2013 11:01 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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 as we DO NOT require the plants be returned when requesting replacement.
"

Last June, 2012, I ordered 2 red brugmansia. I kept one and gave another to a friend/avid gardener. The sticks we received were very small but very alive. We both grew and then babied and held over in the winter, these two sticks. Both survived the winter (I'm in the PNW) by putting them in a garage. We were elated! And then just 3 weeks ago they bloomed. We were waiting with anticipation having managed to keep the sticks alive. Mine was white and my friend's was yellow...not red. I took a picture of mine and sent it to Direct Gardening with the date purchased. The reply was that the one year guarantee might not be honored and I was to send them a picture and copy of the invoice. Not happy. I did send the picture and I did give them the date of purchase. I had assumed they kept customer records. Not worth any more extra effort on my part.
I was not sent what I ordered and there wasn't any way these sticks could have bloomed within the year long guarantee. Disappointed in product and lack of customer service.

Horrible, shameful customer service. They will not abide by their stated guarantee and refund our money or send us new plants depsite e-mails and calls. So, basically, we lost our money on this company.

We had ordered a hummingbird garden in June and the plants arrived fetid and dank, clearly having been delayed in shipment. But, we couldn't get a refund as it had been over 14 days due to the time the package was in the mail and not finding it's way to us.

We would have been fine w/new plants but they advised us to plant them and wait 6 weeks. Shocker, nothing grew. But still no new plants or refund and now it is August. They send the same deflecting messages over and over.

We went through every step that they required including mailing back the paperwork that came with the plants. But no refund. THEY DO NOT HONOR THEIR GUARANTEE. They clearly hope that you will lose patience and let your money go with the 6 week delay. Do not use this company!!!!!!!

Last year was the 3rd time we had ordered from Direct Gardening.

You think we would have learned from the previous orders, but we really wanted some English Walnut trees.(They lure you in with the cheap prices)

!st - instead of English Walnuts they sent sent Almond Trees. We planted and nothing! The were dead. The only plant that lived from the order was a rose bush.

Next we sent the label back and asked for a replacement for the dead Almond trees- we requested the Walnut trees we order.

After 6 weeks and no answer - I emailed the company when the replacements would be shipped. A bag arrives a few weeks later.

It arrived at the end of June in the Texas Heat - thrown in a bag, no moisture around the roots, a barely 1 foot stick that was dead on arrival. Who knows it may have been dead when they threw it in the bag.

The company stands behind nothing they sell.

If you want a quality products check out gurneys, or even ebay.

I have over an acre of plants and trees that I have planted over the last 4 years, and never had a problem like Direct Gardening plants.

"On Jul 30, 2013 2:33 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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 placed an order for over $300 as I have built a new house- well over 2 or 3 months ago. I have rcv'd 2 shipments and still have not got 1/3 of what was ordered. A couple of the items have done very well so far but some did come broken and I was unable to rehabilitate. I am waiting to see how every thing does before I send the shipping label to get these items replaced. Some items were very unhealthy and never took. I have contacted a couple times to find out about the rest of my order and have rcvd no response other than an automated email. I wish I had read these reviews previously. If someone would answer my questions from the company I would feel better.

"On Jul 30, 2013 2:32 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this problem. A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. "

Posted on June 12, 2013, updated June 20, 2013
On May 22 2013 I ordered 60 Privet Hedges, 2 Burning Bushes and 2 Rose Of Sharon Trees. I received these items in the time frame that was described on the website (2 weeks). I read the enclosed literature which told me to soak the hedges in water overnight. The bushes and the trees had a root ball and soil, so I immediately placed them in a pot of soil. I planted the hedges the following afternoon. I followed the enclosed instructions. By June 9th All of the plants had new leaf buds! Not only did I have my landscaping in both my front and back yards finished, but I saved a ton of money by only spending $40.
I have seen the comments on the Better Business Bureau's website and because of all the negativity, I almost didn't purchase from this website. I am glad I ignored the negativity and saved a bundle. If people would read the information available on the website where it says that plants are sent "dormant" and "bare root" , maybe then look up what that means, they would know what to expect. Odds are the plants will look dead, but the website even shows you how to do a "scratch test" . My point is: before you write a negative comment....READ before you purchase. I received exactly what the website said they would send. I figured that they offered a 1 year guarantee..I can't go wrong. I saved my shipping labels and every little tag on every plant inside the bag even though my plants are healthy and growing well. the website clearly says to save the shipping labels.
I will make sure that all my fellow gardeners know to ignore the negative comments that were made because someone didn't read that they were not getting a full grown plant or that dormant plants are just that...dormant, not dead. The pictures of fully grown plants are supposed to give you an idea of what the plant will look like when its grown. READ before you buy and don't blame the company if you choose not to read. What do you expect for these great prices? Your negative comments are ruining the bargains for those of us who follow instructions. I also posted on BBB's website.

My roses were very healthy and once planted, as instructed, they're doing very well. Pleased with the service and the quality of the plants. Can't wait to see them bloom!

We bought 2 almond nut tree's in 2010. in summer of 2012, the tree began to bare fruit which we were very happy to see. But, instead of almonds, we got peaches. I wrote Direct Gardening an email explaining the situation and asked them to please send the almond tree's out as that is what I paid for. They relied saying that the fruit of an almond looks a lot like a peach and that we should cut open the fruit and inside we will see the almond. I grew up on an orchard in Sicily...I know what an almond should look like. But, I did as they said and even sent them pictures. The fruit tasted like a peach, looked like a peach and had no sign of an almond inside. Customer service said they could not replace the trees because it was more than a year past the ship date and that we should send a letter to the corporate office with pictures and they will consider giving us WHAT WE PAID FOR! But, we have been ignored since last fall. Attempted to send another letter, but I am seriously thinking of lodging a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau in Illinois and our State's Attorney's Office. It's not a lot of money, but it's the principal. I bought one thing - they gave me another. Their mistake. They should fix it!

Posted on May 10, 2013, updated May 30, 2013
Posted on May 9, 2013, updated May 10, 2013
Posted on May 9, 2013, updated May 9, 2013
Posted on May 8, 2013, updated May 9, 2013
Posted on May 8, 2013, updated May 8, 2013
My wait for plants was about 4 weeks. I had ordered before and it took 2 weeks. My problem was my last order. It contained 8 old fashioned lilacs, Gila apple, north star cherry. The apple and cherry tree came to me broken with the roots seperated from the stems. They had been tossed into the bag where as the lilacs were tied together. I contacted company. Their first response was send in shipping form and they will replace. Why should I have to pay to send them my shipping form. The way they were shipped its obvious damage would occur. Contacted them again and they told me to plant the roots and they would grow. I did not pay or order roots. I ordered trees. I am still waiting for their next response. I will update with their response. Better business bureau, consumer protection and every complaint board I can find. I will not pay more to get what I already paid for.

"On May 28, 2013 1:26 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

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.


"

One little tip on "dormant" plants from any mail order vendor. For spring delivered dormant plants only, I stick the plants in the fridge (not freezer) for a couple weeks to reset their little season "timers" and they come out ready to wake up and go. Or you can plant them and if some don't start, pull them and try the refrigerator trick. Unless they are stone dead you will be amazed at how a lifeless looking plant can be kickstarted into action by this simple method. Cut off any rot and douse the roots in fungicide if any dead plant tissue exists.
I have been ordering from DG for many years and they have never failed to replace the occasional "dud" plant. I just have to remember to keep the shipping label that is stuck on the shipping bag in case it's needed it as proof of purchase. Their prices are crazy low and for me it's a small price to pay dealing with the odd non-performing item. Actually, getting a replacement is less painful with Direct Gardening than my local hoidy toidy nursery!

Again, not good experiences with this company. I ordered perennials, a climbing rose, and a tree. Several items came dormant/bare-root, which is not my preferred method at all. I disagree with the concept that nurseries should ship in bare root or dormant status unless it's a bulb, tuber, or similar, and it's appropriate timing to do so. Reading the reviews of the various nurseries, it doesnt seem to satisfy people.

Anyway, the perennials that did come were sad-looking and tiny, being planted in some weird material rather than nursery pots. The Zephedrine climbing rose came bare root but was starting to sprout in the bag it came in. I recently planted it, but doubt it will come up this season. The weeping rose tree came dormant but looks dead. Again. I hope it comes up. The biggest issue I had with this company is their "right to replace out of stock items with similar". They replaced a gorgeous Dorothy Rose Columbine with a yarrow plant. I cant stand yarrow. Not an equivelent replacement at all. Let us know when/if you're going to replace items. It wastes all of our time and resources when you do so and it's a fail. A courtesy note letting us know would allow us to choose what to do; cancel or replace. This would save a lot of hassle on both of our parts. Good business...it's not that hard.

I will not order from this company again. I think there are multiple companies tied with a larger one coming from Bloomington, Illinois: this being one as well as the dreaded (to me) Farmer's Seed. They ship in the same garbage bags with the same ridiculous tape/plastic and staple method, and have the same return requirements of sending a letter explaining the return. I returned stuff from both companies and they went to the same place. Hmmmmm.

Ordered roses. Received a green bag full of moldy sticks. Mailman complained because he poked himself. I opened the bag saw the mess threw it away.

I thanked Direct Gardening for proving my husband right - he laughed when I ordered - laughed harder when the order arrived.

As far as I'm concerned they should have just sent me a bill and kept the bag. Didn't bother with the whole "return" thing. I learned my lesson and went to Lowes.

"On May 28, 2013 1:31 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear of this customers experience. We do have a refund and replacement guarantee available. We have contacted this customer via D-mail to see how we may be of assistance."

I found this site after I ordered my stuff, I was so worried. Well, I am very pleased with what I bought! I received my order within a month. I ordered 8 dwarf flowering cherries, 25 strawberries, and the tree sampler. I also received peacock orchids. I did as the directions said and all my plants are doing great! I have blooms on my strawberries within 2 weeks! The cherry bushes took 3 weeks but are getting leaves on them. My tree sampler started getting leafs the first week! But I thought I would get different trees but they were all the same but they sent me good ones! They all came in decent shape. A little dry but that is normal with shipping. I will definitely order from them again!

"On May 28, 2013 1:31 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are happy to hear that your plants are thriving! Thank you for the feedback! Happy Gardening!

"

Ordered 4-29, as of today, May 12 nothing received. I have requested a refund and will be rejecting any packages that are attempted.

"On May 28, 2013 1:28 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry to hear this. As stated on our website it does typically take 1-2 weeks to process an order. Once processed, the order will be shipped based upon weather and plant availability.

A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information. "

Posted on May 11, 2012, updated May 9, 2013
Posted on November 26, 2011, updated May 11, 2012
I ordered a great number of mixed plants from them at the end of September. I knew the dangers with dormant plants, that some might not come out of dormancy, but I said, what the heck, with the prices they have I can afford 1/3 of the plants to come survive and will still be cheaper than buying from anywhere else live potted plants. I ordered 3 types of climbing roses, several butterfly bushes, several hydrangeas, lilacs, white spirea, forsythia, and more, a total of about 40 plants for around $100.

I received the plants in the green "trash bag" (it's actually a very sturdy plastic) end of October. I planted the plants (and the free bulbs) in a period of 3 weeks, as i could work on the garden (I'm a breast cancer survivor and still recovering from the multiple surgeries). I also received free iris bulbs, free hyacinth and daffodil bulbs, and free windflower bulbs.

It is the 26th of November, and we had a very mild fall here in Oklahoma, only a couple of freezing cold nights. As of now, except for two spireas, ALL the plants have new growth, are alive and doing well, and except for the irises, all the bulbs that were in the ground have leaves! I was very pleasantly surprised to see that.

I am getting ready to put in a second order with them.

"On May 28, 2013 1:24 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Thank you for your positive feedback and wonderful tips for our customers! Happy Gardening!"

Posted on May 8, 2013, updated May 9, 2013
I have been ordering from the direct gardening company and its affiliates since 2001 and have always had a positive experience. They have cheap stuff (the equivalent of gardening at Walmart) but if you baby their products and save your mailing labels they will replace free of charge what doesn't make it. I have never had them refuse to replace or keep my money or wrongfully charge a credit card. There are only about 300 negative feedbacks on this site and they must mail out 10, 000 orders a year. In 10 years that is only 300 negatives and 9,700 positives so I am not afraid of the bad negative experiences that a handful of people have had. Like I said, 10 years and totally aware that I get what I pay for--I baby, and continue to order, and continue to save mailing labels. They have never ripped me off. Yes, things arrive broken, that is the postal service not them. Yes, things have arrived moldy (again the postal service)--send them the original mailing label and they will replace it free of all shipping charges. No questions, no problem, no hassle. Be nice and send them a nice letter with your mailing label (cut it off the package as soon as it arrives and keep it in a safe place) and they will send you new things. (Also, read the descriptions of what you are buying--bareroot means exactly that--bareroot. You are not paying for a potted plant at the local gardening center. You are paying for them to ship you a bareroot plant that resembles a twig or a branch or a dead bulb--it is your job to bring it to life by planting it and watering it appropriately.)

"On May 28, 2013 1:22 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are happy to hear of your positive experience! Thank you for your post!"

I placed an order on April 18th for 23 plants. Its been over two weeks now, so I decided to give Direct Gardening a call to see if or when my plants would be shipped. The line was busy, I called several more times at different parts of the day, the phone line always busy, so I tried calling Four Season's Nurseries phone number instead - again, the phone line constantly busy. I've emailed them as well, and yet to receive a response. If they do not get in touch with me by Friday, I'm calling my credit card company and filing a dispute. Whether or not I receive my order, I will not order from Direct Gardening or Four Seasons Nurseries again.

"On May 28, 2013 1:21 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to be processed. We will then ship based on weather and availability of the plants.
A customer care representative has contacted this customer for further information.
"

Posted on February 27, 2013, updated May 4, 2013
Posted on November 3, 2012, updated February 27, 2013
On October 5th I placed an order for about $65 worth of plants. I ordered 50 periwinkle, 4 blue hydrangea, 1 color in the shade pre-planned garden, 2 butterfly bushes, and 6 english lavender. I found their website through a beginner rose gardener website, and after seeing the prices, I was hooked. Of course I wish I had known about Dave's Garden prior to ordering, I probably would have thought twice about ordering because I am such a novice gardener. My order arrived today, November 3rd in a tiny green plastic bag the size of a fed-ex envelope. I panicked immediately because the bag had been sitting in the sun on my porch for who knows how long before I found it today. I rushed it inside and opened, the plants were sweating but everything seemed ok. My order was complete, nothing missing and no substitutions. I am relieved to report that everything seems to show some sort of life. Here is what I have found:
Hydrangeas: small, came potted, new life sprouting, great roots
English Lavender: look questionable, appear pretty weak, bareroot, decent roots
Periwinkle: not sure I got all 50, planted 40 in peat pots to build up the roots as they were very small, but good foliage, bareroot.
Butterfly bushes: really disappointed in size (little stick no bigger round than a piece of straw), but these were really cheap so it's ok, plant looks very very dormant, but scratch test shows green, bareroot, not holding out too much hope here.
Color in the shade garden: hostas are not recognizable, lily of the valley are just pips, ferns look like clumps of bark- no green on these, columbines, trinity, and astilbe all show life. All bareroot.
Freebies: all freebie bulbs were received and appear to be in good condition!

The only thing of the whole order which actually resembles a plant are the hydrangeas (barely). I suppose if you wanted to get your plants one step ahead of starting from seeds, this would work. I would have liked to at least recognize some of the plants (thank goodness they came labeled!!) I would have been more disappointed if I have planned on landscaping the whole yard with this as it's going to take a while to get them to a decent size. Luckily for me it's more for filling in spaces and we'll see what ends up living! I also think I timed it right for shipping, temperatures are cooler this time of year and I can see how that green bag could cook those plants in the time it takes to get here.

I'm giving a neutral rating for the lack of communication from the company about shipping, the legnth of time it takes to get here, the small size of the plants, but my order was complete with no substitutions.

I'll keep everyone posted!

"On Nov 6, 2012 8:24 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are happy to hear that the order was received in good condition! Many of the items are bare root and dormant and will need some time to begin showing signs of life. If for any reason the plants should not live we do have a 1 year replacement guarantee available on all of our plants. "