Comments regarding Burgess Seed

This is a negative that turned into a positive. On April 11, 2021, I put in an order with Burgess that contained the Postage Stamp Orchard among other items. I got some of the order in May and some in June, but not the Orchard or any of the free items and gifts. When I called up about the missing items they told me it was now too late to ship to my area and they would ship the balance of the order next year (2022).

I went online this week to check the status of my order, and was startled to learn that according to their system I had not made any orders in the past 3 years! So I called them today and found out that the company was sold last October, which is why it didn't show any orders made by me. I explained the issue. The Customer Service man, Sarab, had to put me on hold several times while he transferred my account from the old Burgess system to their new one (for which he apologized profusely) but when he was done I had store credit for the missing trees plus full credit for the shipping costs I was charged. He definitely turned a negative into a positive.

The new owners seem determined to turn Burgess back into the highly credited store it was before. I have over $80 store credit, so I'll soon be finding out.

Year's ago,started clearing orchard space of a fixer upper property here in Pennsylvania.From family experience,I wanted some grafted fruit trees to enjoy fruit sooner ,and many on own root stock for low maintenance, and no chemical because insects seem to attack grafted trees more.I then looked to Burgess and they're amazing stock.I started with North star Cherry and Russian Mulberrys (tree)...Just as they said,the third season I would be in fruit and I wish I planted all Russian Mulberry's.I squirt some Neem oil on trunk now and again, for anti-fungal.The Cherries are just as fabulous.Through the years I have passed they're name,teamed on order's with friend's,neighbor's,cousin's and never been let down.They treat us all like gold.One time I had a Russian Mulberry never awaken,I sent in original slip and they replaced it with a MONSTER,and tossed in another little one.The shipping is actually the insurance in my mind ,and teaming up makes our orders larger ,so sure do not mind as they are honest and deserve for the great prices.Garden planting,again we team up and they for example,use some organic fertilizer that they also sell in envelopes that make them a sure great yield.The Potato tubers my cousin got me turned onto,best potato's ever that have a superior flavor and with fertilizer rolled on,resemble X-mas cookies that make me hungry.Now I have finest apple,pear,cherry,Mulberry orchard around,giant Russian Mulberry's to enjoy every july ,and all thank's to Burgess.My landscaping goodies from them I won't even get into.lol..When I see a negitive,I cannot believe and wonder if some think old fashioned,that once in earth, nature takes over.Cannot blame others for a red,rather than green thumb.My Green thumb Is Earned by experience.On my land until second week in august,the sucking ant's attack.I use Diatomasious earth (pool filter material powder) ,that is organic ground sea shell that cuts they're body when traversing through(dusting trunk and ground).If you can't make it with Burgess,you must ask other people tip's and be humble, because we all Love Burgess and won't go anywhere else.Every season change, we look forward to the catalog,and they have it all and is strategically organized for perfect yield chances.I recommend the Russian Mulberry's..On own root stock for hearty life ,and with invasive SPOTTED LANTERN FLY moving up east coast here from China,they won't bother..Russian Mulberry's were taken to China long ago and to thrive there with the fly,may be the sure chance if your area has the insect moving county to county attacking grapes and some other fruits.No matter if late frost,your sure to always enjoy the finest fruit,even when others have tough year..I noticed the larger the tree grows,the larger the fruit size and they are the perfect crop for United States...My Cousin and myself are teaming up on a order soon.Are trying the 100% disease resistant Service Berry,and Wintergreen Cherry Berry because the Russian Mulberry's just sold out for the season...Give Burgess a chance,and be ready to turn your thumb green with pride..

We have ordered from Burgess twice. The first time most of our plants did well, long after we moved from that location.

This year we ordered over $700 in trees and plants for our new homestead. I was a little worried, because I had read the reviews on this site, and even though we had had a previously decent experience with the company, the reviews had made me wonder if using them again was a good idea. But we took the plunge and ordered over 40 trees for our orchards, several grapes and berries for our vinyard and several plants for our driveway and yard.

The plants arrived, bare root, in their bags. One plant was damaged beyond viability due to its root having been snapped off in shipping. Some looked very dry, especially the 16 forsythia we ordered. But two weeks after planting they have leaves started on most of them. My grapes are already leafing our with big beautiful leaves. My berry bushes have leaves. Most of my trees are leafing out.

I didn't have the funds to order the bigger trees for my orchard, so I opted for the smaller versions of the trees, and 1 to 2 foot trees, and though I did get a few 1 and 2 foot trees, most of which are leafing out already, I also got some amazingly beautiful 4 foot trees as big around as my thumb. Some came with leaves on them. They are amazing.

I have to say that I am beyond impressed with Burgess. They are not a scam. They sent me better than I paid for.

With mail order, you have to expect some loss. Mail order hatching eggs only have a 50% hatch rate. I only have issue with 1 berry bush and 4 trees, in my entire order.

I just felt it was necessary for me to post here, since they have so many negative reviews.

I attempted placing an order on line in March of 2019. I had technical difficulties placing the order which was probably user error. I waited a week and didn't receive any confirmation of my order. I attempted calling several times but could never get through. I also sent 2 emails to see if they had received my order. Hearing nothing back from them I sent in the paper order form that was included in the magazine. I waited 2 weeks on confirmation of my order but heard nothing back. Again I attempted calling but could not get through. By this point several weeks had passed so I sent a letter explaining why I was cancelling my order. Another week passed. In my mailbox was a green plastic bag with plant material, I assumed was my order. I went to the postoffice with the un-opened package and 2 sets of letters to the billing department and the shipping department which included my original cancellation letter. Three weeks later I received a full credit minus the shipping fee on my credit card. I am pleased with my results, I just wish I could have spoken with a live representative during this whole process. After reading all the reviews I did not think I would get my money back. Nancy

Positive experience, positive feedback. Ordered peony trees in the beginning of April, received in beginning of May (not a problem!) , they are saying on website about delivery time, it’s depends on weather, what zone you are, what zone they are, plants condition and other “plant related things”.
It’s not like you ordered something that can be shipped at any time, it is live thing – plant, so you have to adjust to it. I worked with plants for many-many years and I knew they will deliver when they are ready and weather and plants are ready.
So, I waited, checked with customer service email couple times, got very nice response back, and checked again like 10-15 days later, got update. And I received what I ordered, in great condition, all alive, nice size plants, not just something started this year, peony has good roots, leaf buds, all packed nice, roots are in plastic bags , not dry. I planted them and now couple days later they are doing fine, hope they all will stay.
One thing I can say : do not rush delivery, it’s not like you ordered table or clothes, it may not come next week. And think a little about people who are working there – 100 years in business! It’s not 5,10 or 50 years, with bad plants and bad service they will not be able to survive, so …
And they are taking good care of plants, they are not sending them right away, we all in different states, weather, temperature...
And different plants has different sensitivity, or how to say that…Some will survive trip, some not so good, some will not…We cannot be sure…the same with seeds, we are not sitting inside the seed to know if it will grow or not. So, it’s like a lottery, a little.
When I don’t want to wait or to take a chance, I am going to nursery, one or other; they will have what I want , eventually.
Plants are in pots and nice condition…the only thing is – they can die also.

All the Best to All Gardeners!

"On May 17, 2017 10:12 AM, Burgess Seed 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. We just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post your comments."

I was pleasantly surprised to receive my Burgess order today. I placed an order for one lemon tree, one dwarf banana tree, and 10 asparagus roots. Based on the negative reviews I had read on the internet, I expected my trees to be "dead" and scraggly. Yes, they are small, but they both have beautiful green leaves and a healthy root system. I planted them right away and have them in my little outdoor greenhouse now. I'm hoping for the best.

My asparagus roots look like...roots. :) But, they are healthy enough they are even trying to grow through the plastic package they came in. I do not know how they will all grow or how it will turn out, but I got more than I expected, and I'm hopeful I'll get a good return on my investment.

"On May 17, 2017 10:12 AM, Burgess Seed 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. We just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post your comments."

I received all products ordered over a few weeks. They explained in their catalog it would take a while to ship all ordered to Florida. No problems with anything. All onion starts, shallot starts, garlic starts, in excellent condition and are all taking off already in the garden. Robust and healthy!The best onion starts were the candy apple red ones. I have ordered from Burgess in the past and have never had any issues. This most recent order was also good and I had no problems. Thanks, Burgess!!

I've always had good luck with Burgess. Last year I ordered 4 shrubs. All were a bit scraggly and slow to emerge, but that has been my usual experience with bare root plants. The all lived through the season and I expect to see them back this spring.

Similar to a review further below, I created a log in just to give a positive review to this company and the Direct Gardening family of companies. I also saw a lot of reviews about people being unsatisfied with the return policy, with the quality of the plants, shipping timing, etc. I took a chance on purchasing 2 different variety of blackberry bushes, hydrangea trees, strawberries, and grape vines, along with the free gifts. I've ordered a variety of live plants from other sites, and was very pleased with the pricing, timeliness of shipping, return policy, and quality of plants from this company, and will be placing a larger order this spring. Most of the plants I purchased have already come out of dormancy (unseasonably warm winter unfortunately, hope they make it when the cold weather hits), and have thrived. The company is very clear about their return policy (which is the best return policy I've seen with online nurseries) and the fact that the plants are dormant, and you can't reasonably expect full size, fruiting plants when you're buying 3 blackberries for $5. They shipped much quicker and much more affordably than a lot of other sites that I ordered from (I waited 5 months for some grape vines from a different company that gets great reviews here). To anyone that wants to try this company, please do so (after educating yourself about the return and dormancy policy)! I continue to tell everyone about how great these companies are to garden on a budget. To be fair, I have not had to deal much with their customer service (outside of a few questions, which are answered promptly), but the majority of the reviews I see are from being either uneducated about their policies, or unrealistic about the size/immediate liveliness of the plants.

"On Jan 20, 2017 8:37 AM, Burgess Seed 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. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post your comments."

I placed an order for over 60 various bare-root plants with this company in the spring. After placing the order, I read a number of negative reviews on the company, so i really didn't expect much to show up. When the plants arrived I planted them right away. Approximately 70% of the plants began growing and still look fine. 30% of the plants never showed any signs of growth (including some items they substituted for out-of-stock plants). I mailed them the packing label and requested replacement plants in the fall, To my surprise, I received all the replacement plants, including the originally requested out-of-stock plants, within 3 weeks. I will have to wait until spring to find out if the replacements survive. So far, so good.

I registered an account at Dave's garden just to post this positive review. I read all the negative reviews about Burgess seed before placing my order, and I assumed that the complaints I read came predominantly from people who a) don't know what a bare root plant is and b) didn't read any of the information regarding processing orders, replacing items, or how to care for your plants when they arrive. I assumed correctly.

My plants arrived immediately after the weather warmed enough to permit shipping, clearly labeled, with a booklet about how to care for them and some free seeds and bulbs. Six out of eight trees are now thriving, and since my first email to the company to change part of my order was answered promptly I have every reason to believe I'll get the promised free replacements for the two persimmon trees that have not budded yet (a scratch test still shows green towards the base of the trees, so I'll wait longer before requesting replacement). I saved an enormous amount of money, I got plants that are not available at any local nursery, and I've already placed a larger second order.

I'm extremely pleased with what I got, and I would encourage anyone who's willing to follow instructions and give a little pampering to their new plants to take a chance on Burgess seed.

Just received replacement items for last year's 2015 shipment. These items were sent earlier at my request and were in very good shape, unlike last year's items that were sent much later in the spring. Customer service was very nice each time I contacted them. They told me not to ask for replacements until their 2016 catalog came out so I would receive fresh plants. They kept my shipping label on file for me and never asked me to send the dead plants back. Trees are very small, but they usually grow well after they start to grow. You can't expect large trees at these prices. I ordered from them because they handle plants I can't otherwise get. I'm sorry to hear that many customers seem unsatisfied.

Posted on May 6, 2015, updated June 23, 2015
I have not ordered from mail order garden companies in years but this winter was so debilitating and unending that when I received a Burgess catalogue I just had to thumb through it and started mentally checking off unusual things I would like just to feel like I was actually gardening again. In the end I decided to order these plants, none of these varieties of which I have seen around here in the numerous nurseries I frequent. I ordered several shade plants (primroses, hosta, dianthus) and a fruit cocktail tree as well as red daisies, day lilies, yucca, etc. The order came to a bit over $100. I made the order back when the snow was thick on the ground and was rather surprised that they charged my credit card immediately and not on shipment, but that wasn't really a problem. I had no trouble getting through to order.
The plants arrived in a bag a few weeks ago, just about when they should have. The bare roots all looked healthy. In the booklet they had a paragraph: Is That Tree Dead or Alive? instructing you to scrape the bark a bit and see if, of course, underneath it was green or brown. My fruit cocktail tree (which was quite thick, unlike the twigs sent by the Arbor Day foks etc which are viable but tiny) was vibrant green underneath. I was able to plant the bare root plants and the tree immediately, but there was a warning not to plant the potted plants (there were about eight small ones) if there was a chance of cold and, Unending Winter, we were expecting temps in the low 30's for several nights.
So I put these plants as instructed in the basement.
Meanwhile I noticed that I had received two Stella d'oros which I hadn't ordered and didn't receive the hostas. One look at the form explained why: one of them was 7377 and one was 7337 - it was a simple error. In calling I did get a busy signal three or four times, which surprised me, but then got through and I admit I expected to be told they would simply ship the two hostas but was told I had to send back the packing slip. When I protested that this was for the warranty the clerk told me that it would be kept on file once they received it. Also a little surprising- I was starting to think the words "fly by night" described the company.
So I mailed it back that day with a note explaining the situation (again). Then I broke my foot. Between that and the ungodly unseasonable cold I didn't get the potted plants in the ground for a week and by then the edelweiss was a goner and the three primroses on their way out (the dianthus and other primrose seem to have made it). I figured a week in the basement should not have done the plants in so I attempted to call Burgess but again, busy signal. So I emailed them. I am thus postponing a verdict on their customer service. I fully expect them to send the hostas and replace the other four plants.
As for the plants themselves, outside of those weaklings that didn't make it, the others looked pretty healthy, as did two indoor citruses I ordered.

I ordered about 40 willows and some other small perennials. I would say nearly all of the willows have sprouted and are growing well (maybe there is one that still has not come out yet, but it is still green). Two of the perennials were kind of dry and crisp when they arrived, however I did put them in seeding soil, watered them well, and placed them under a fluorescent for a few weeks and they came back really nice. I was hesitant from the negative reviews on here, but I am pleased overall with the quality and service.

I have had nothing but a positive experience ordering from Burgess over the years. The plants do arrive without warning but I am usually chomping at the bit in early spring to get outside and get dirty any way so it's like a pleasant surprise to me.
Some of the plants do arrive small and weak looking but plant them and give them a chance! Have patience! (After all, if you do not have patience, maybe you should pursue another hobby instead of gardening!) Some of the better trees and bushes I have on the property have come from these small, wimpy looking twigs I have gotten.
I have used their plant warranty on several occasions and they have never challenged me on anything, just sent the replacement plants and we tried again.
I have bought from Burgess and other Direct Gardening companies for about 6-7 years now and I will continue to do so.

It's been years since I have ordered from a mail order company…. bad luck every time. But, I decided to give Burgess a try due to the selection and prices.
The plants arrived a bit later than I expected but in plenty of time to put in the ground. The root plants are excellent and the bulbs are fresh and slightly sprouting - as they should be. The seeds? Well, time will tell, of course.
I'm happy with my shipment and will most likely order from them again and definitely recommend them to my friends.

I been buying from this company for over 5 years as their prices are good they do take awhile to ship out but it depends on the type of order you made potted plants tend to take a little bit more but I just got my order and every thing looks green and healthy I will be doing business again next season I order the citrus collection every thing arrive at about a a foot tall as they should be

I found the best way to contact them is through their email. They are courteous and checked on my staus of order. They were running a little behind, but they said they would ship it right out. IT was here in 2 days! My pear tree and rose bushes were soaked, but even dormant show no sign of life remember to do the scratch test right away. My 3 in 1 citrus tree was in beautiful shape and i transplanted to a larger pot..plenty of foliage, my asparagus roots had a tiny bit of mold..just rubbed some off. They are in the ground now and are doing fine. Just remember trees are hard to ship through the mail and do scratch test right away if you wish to go that route and soak in water. Make sure to contact them right away with problems..they resolved mine right away. Better to use email..they are mostly busy on the phone. The seeds are phenomenal and they have been taking care of many generations through their seeds. Please give the seeds a try everyone. Germinate them inside first. Good luck!!!!

I have ordered from Burgess for several years now. Each time has been positive. My orders arrive in time for spring planting. Items that I have ordered arrived in good condition. I will continue to order from Burgess each and every year. The prices are fair and usually a great bargain.

After reading all the reviews here about this company, my heart sank and was now anticipating the worst.

My plants arrived in a bag, the 2 5in1 trees were bare-root as others here indicated and looked dead(Pear was a whip and Apple had branches). Grafting unions looked good on both trees. I have purchased berries bare root before, and the currants and gooseberries looked nothing different from what other nurseries sold.

I soaked the trees overnight in water exactly as the instructions said (I even scratched the bark and confirmed it was green underneath) and planted them. A couple of weeks later, lo and behold the buds were green and now both trees are growing well. The Pear has many new branches popping out as well. All the berries survived. Either I am very lucky, or the people here don't know how to properly care for a bare-root dormant tree.

The St. John's Wort and Wintergreen shrubs shipped very much alive in plastic pot holders and looked great, as did the 4 different citrus trees I purchased.

Did they take far longer than I expected, yes they did. But, this is a discount place that sells items for 50-75% what you would pay elsewhere for many items, so you should expect some tradeoffs.

People should not expect this company to be a top rate nursery. You get what you pay for. I am happy with my purchase, but I also understand that if it isn't perfect, it's my fault for choosing them and trying to save a buck.

My experiences with Burgess Seed have always been free of frustration, with very few end-of-season disappointments. I am not going to write every successful seed story that began with Burgess Seed , but long reviews only get read if they are full of complaints and blame. I will say, however, that last summer I ordered "Better Boy" tomatoes from Burgess because I listened to my grandma's advise (I live on my family's homestead farm and every generation has been fed primarily by growing their own garden so my grandma knows what varieties from which vendors will produce high yields and great flavor.) My neighbor, on the other hand, ordered them from somewhere else because she read a bunch of negative reviews about Burgess Seed. And when I say she read bad reviews, I mean she read into Burgess's star rating and concluded that she should buy seeds from Amazon.....
She had a 50% germination rate; my germination rate was 90%.
I live in Utah at 7500 Ft above sea-level, and a lot of plants ordered from other states can't handle the dramatic change in environment. The only times I have had Burgess plants die have been due to my refusal to accept that the plant I want doesn't grow where I live. And even when it is my fault that a plant doesn't do very well, they still hold to their satisfaction guarantee and replace them.

Burgess has fed the families of my great-grandma, my grandma, my mom, and now mine. We buy from them with our cellars in mind, not current trends pinned all over social media.

I have been dealing with this company for more than 6 years, This year I ordered on June 25th, plants arrived on July 1st. a citrus tree, Mekong banana tree, (ordered 1 but received 2) and 3 victory rhubarb's. The citrus plant had already fruited about a foot tall, both banana tree's also a foot tall, and 3 very healthy rhubarb starter's. I have always had success and healthy plant's. I see alot of negative feedback on the warranty policy, the booklet they enclose clearly states how the warranty is handled, I had a issue year's ago with one item I followed the instruction's mailed what they asked for and it was handled with no problem's. No phone calls needed. Great experience always.

In March, I ordered two elderberries (bareroot), a maypop (potted), and liatris bulbs. After reading reviews, I expected nothing but dead vegetation, but Burgess/Direct Gardening was markedly less expensive than other vendors so I went with them. I received my package generally on time and planted everything. Now in June, my bareroot elderberries have tons of new growth, my maypop is thriving and I think everyone of my 40 (?!?) liatris came up. Speaking of which, I wanted 2 or 3 liatris, but they only sold them in packs of 20 (for less than one plant in another nursery) and they gave me 20 more free. I thought maybe 10 percent would come up, but they seem to all have and now my plants are healthy and 2 feet tall. The 3 hardy gladiolas they gave me (free) came up and are healthy; alas the 3 balloon flower bulbs they gave me (free) were dug up by the squirrels.

I've ordered from multiple nurseries. Perhaps the plants arrived in less attractive packaging, but everything was fine, alive, and thriving 3 months out. I won't hesitate to order again.

I placed two orders with this company. I was concerned at first when I saw the numerous negative comments here shortly after ordering. My orders consisted of currants, bush cherries, honey berries, castor bean seeds, hardy kiwi, and a "Giant Mekong" hardy banana. The first order containing the berry bushes and kiwi arrived looking healthy. The second order was split into two parts, one with the seeds and one with the trees/banana. The seeds all sprouted with no issues. The cherry trees arrived dormant, but very much alive. The only issue with these was the packaging. The trees were simply put in the bag without water, which given the quality of the first order I assumed to be the result of negligence by a particular individual rather than the company as a whole. In general, I was very happy with my order and all my plants are doing well a month later. The price is unbeatable. I would consider ordering again, but the shipping issue with the trees should be addressed as I am sure it would have been a problem if I was not only one state away from where it was shipped

I ordered 12 hedges and 4 fruit trees..6 hedges and one fruit tree did not grow! As a gardener this is expected! I let then know and they were very print to send me the replacement items! I recommend this company and will definitely order from them in the future!!

This is a review from my experience with Burgess Seed online.

Overall: EXCELLENT (so far)

I ordered around 35 trees/shrubs online and the order did arrive within 2 weeks, which was early since the order confimation did say please wait two weeks for processing, then plants will ship.

The plants came yesterday, packaged as most online plants do, in bags. The bags were wrapped nicely and labeled well.

I opened the bag and the single blue spruce I ordered was packaged in a separate bag from the other trees.

All of the specimens I received have a very nice root system for smaller starter trees and the blue spruce is beautiful in color and strong. I have placed the trees in water and will update after planting and evaluating

Overall so far, with proper expectation, every seems great.

I have ordered seeds and plants from Burgess for several years. I have had wonderful results with seeds I receive from Burgess. I have also had positive results with tress I have ordered from them. But - I knew how to care for and plant dormant, bare root stock...you need to put the trees in water overnight and then make sure to water often after planted.....I have not had much luck with plants...nothing grew from my perennial garden collection last year and I ordered another one this year and everything was mushy and moldy when it arrived - we will see if anything grows.

My experience with Burgess has been generally positive so far. I only discovered the large number of negative reviews against them after I had placed my order, and I was extremely nervous, particularly because they give you no order updates, no method to confirm order status, and no shipping notification. The first portion of my order arrived, out of the blue, yesterday. Aside from some slightly moldy asparagus starts, everything looks to be in a healthy dormant stage. The grape vines I ordered are small, but well rooted, and considering I only paid three dollars for them, I am pleased. I ordered three red robin hood roses, also, and I'm actually shocked by how large and healthy they seem. I paid about $4.50 for each of the plants, and I honestly expected a rooted stick. Instead I received three fairly large, well rooted plants, carefully packaged, and ready for the ground. All the gladiola bulbs I ordered seem firm and healthy. Yes, a few of the asparagus packages have a touch of mold, and maybe I should be more concerned, but I'm not. I received 40 starts for $16 dollars, less than .50 a root crown, which is a better deal than the local nursery. Shipping prices can't be beat.
That being said, I will look forward to the rest of my order being delivered. I truly wish this company would give shipping notification and tracking numbers on their purchases, particularly because we are buying live plant materials. Aside from that, so far, I am pleased with the very low prices, the seemingly good quality, and Burgess as a whole.

Burgess is a wonderful company. I ordered privet hedges and was short by 2. I told them and they immediately sent me 5 more. I was so happy with them I ordered 40 more and they were large plants. They were very receptive and very helpful This is one of the best companies I have ever dealt with. Customer Service is wonderful!!! They truly know how to treat their customers. I will tell everyone I know what a great company they are!!!

"On Dec 19, 2013 10:35 AM, Burgess Seed 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 again and happy gardening!"

I placed three different orders with Burgess Seed Co. back at the end of may. I had read a lot of reviews and was shocked at how many negative reviews people were posting. I stayed unbiased, waiting for my order to come in so I could make my own judgements. Needless to say within a two week time period my orders come in. Now I'm going to tell you exactly how the looked when I received them. The orders were inside solid green shipping bags, these weren't flimsy. Each plant was individually protected by a cardboard pouch, neatly stapled at the top with tags for identification. Now my order included climbing vine, bushes, container plants and such. How thrilled was I when I saw how lush and green my plants were! There was no mold or broken plants. They didn't look like twigs either. Overall I am completely satisfied. You get exactly what you pay for, these plants wer e cared for and shipped appropriately. Any mishandling happens between your postal service and delivery. I will continue to order from Burgess Seed and I recommend that you give them a chance too. They were prompt to answer any questions that I had, and were never Impatient with me. Thank you for making my experience pleasant and hassle free!

I read a lot of negative reviews but I really wanted cheap trees so I decided to risk it. I placed my order in early Feb. My order arrived in early March. It consisted of many sticks with roots. Each stick was clearly labeled so I would know what was what.

I didn't know where I wanted to plant my trees and I had read so much about trees never growing so I decided to just plant them in a bunch of pots for now.

After a few weeks the first trees started growing leaves. Slowly several more of the trees began to show signs of growth. Many did not. By the end of March, 6 trees were still sticks and 4 had sprouted. By mid April 2 more trees had sprouted. By last week 4 trees still hadn't done anything and I told my hubby it was time to forget it. But I was busy and didn't have time to through them out. Yesterday 2 more trees were showing life!

I think people who write the bad reviews about trees being dead don't think about the different time periods for different types of trees. I bought two of each tree type and each type is sprouting within a day or two of each other. It has taken two months for my lily of the valley trees to sprout! And I was sure they were dead. I am so glad I didn't give up. The only two trees to not sprout out of my 16 tree order are my red buds but I will not give up.

I wonder how many of those negative reviews just didn't give their tiny plants time to wake up. I love my trees and the ones that have started sprouting are now growing like crazy! I would absolutely order from them again.

"On May 28, 2013 1:43 PM, Burgess Seed responded with:

Thank you for your post! We are happy to hear that your trees are thriving! Happy Gardening!"

Our order arrived in the time line stated, the plants were in excellent condition. We were very pleased with the service and our order... Great Job !

"On May 28, 2013 1:38 PM, Burgess Seed responded with:

Thank you for your post! We are happy to hear that you are pleased with your order. Happy Gardening!"

Received my plants several weeks ago, soaked according to directions and planted in potting soil. They are growing well and greening up great! Lots of new leaves! I will be ordering again! Thank you Burgess!

"On Apr 30, 2013 1:18 PM, Burgess Seed responded with:

Thank you! We are happy to hear that your plants are thriving. We look forward to being of service in the future!"

Just last week I placed an order with Burgess and have been very happy with their Customer Service. I am looking forward to the receipt of my plants at the appropriate seasonal time and will update at that point.

This is my first time ordering from any mail order/internet gardening site. After finding this site and reading all the negative feeback I was feeling discouraged about my two orders totaling around $180. The two week processing time came and went, I waited another week before calling, got a friendly CSR that informed me that shipments were being delayed because of the heat wave, this sounded reasonable. After another week my first package arrived. As others have said, the packaging is pretty sorry looking, and the sticks with roots looked pretty sad. My wife and I immediately planted everything as directed, and soaked the sticks overnight and planted the next day. Approximately four days later the order of fruit trees arrived, I was not there to witness the actual packaging but when I arrived home in the morning I was unimpressed with the purchases I'd made sitting in the bucket of water, but again we planted the trees as instructed.

It has been about three weeks, two (of 6) of the hydrangeas (which arrived potted) don't look as though they will make it. The blue festuca grass (3) does not show any signs of life. The two ferns and the daylilies from the color in the shade garden have done nothing so far. I bought the dwarf fruit tree trio, the only tree not showing leaves is the pear, but it is still green under the bark. The two cherry (trees/bushes) have shown the most growth with many leaves. The silk tree has one small green growth at the base and I'm hopeful as this was the largest stick I received. Everthing else from the shade garden has come up nicely, the ground cover rose has a great deal of new growth. The mock orange (2) while not getting any larger has green buds, and some leaves everywhere. The two lilies I purchased have come up although I'm not certain if they will bloom this year.

While I was put off by the slowness of the transaction, in this day and age we are so used to instant gratification with our purchases. The condition of the plants when they arrived was scarey. A lot of the plants that I bought, I have not seen anywhere else locally, and definately not at that price. Yes, it will be a year or two before some of my plants look anything like the ones in the catalog, but I was not expecting to get full grown plants/trees in the mail. I kept my shipping labels and I have every confidence any plants that do not make it through this winter will be replaced, maybe not as quickly as I'd like but I think gardening is an exercise in patience.

Another thought, I did buy some lily bulbs for my wife's birthday in May, during a QVC moment of weakness. 25 Dutch Master Grower bulbs for about $35. The bulbs arrived in a bag, inside a box. they were planted as directed 20 of them came up only about half of those ever bloomed. I complained and was told I would get 5 new bulbs. Three weeks later I received another box of 25 bulbs. I did not want to have to plant 25 more bulbs and frankly that was more than would fit into the area I had set aside for them. I planted them anyways and again only about 20 came up and fewer than 7 will bloom before winter. None of the blooms were anything like the ones on TV. I paid much more for these bulbs up front and my results with them is not as good as those with Burgess, so far.

I got a tricolor brugmansia 1 years ago and it is a big gorgeous plant now!

I have been not only pleased but somewhat amazed at the plants I have ordered from Burgess. Especially noteworthy are the Rose of Sharon trees I purchased for about $2.50 each. They have been planted in my smaller garden less than 6 months and today, two of the plants are covered in a mass of double purple blooms. The other two plants are begining to exhibit a plethora of buds.

My Sugar Sweet Cherry has also performed well above all expectations and has grown over two feet in less than six months.

I did receive a damaged climbing rose (the tap root was broken in shipping) and immediately got a healthy replacement. It too is growing at an astonishing rate.

I don't think you can find better values by mail/internet than with Burgess!

Posted on March 30, 2012, updated May 9, 2012
drastically scaled back my first order with this company based on reviews. it is with extreme regret that i can't check positive because our order arrived yesterday and our plants are amazing. fresh, moist and green despite being on a truck for several days. yes the trees look like sticks but they're sitting in a bucket of water and i'm sure they will be just fine. My only problem is that my order is short by one plant (only two prime-ark blackberries when i ordered three). i called this morning and jeff was very polite but in order to get my third blackberry i now must mail a detailed letter and my original shipping label, you know the one i need to keep for the one year warranty, back to the company. why can't they just say "we're sorry there is another blackberry on the way"? seems like it would require very little effort on their part to get an outstanding review from me and a lot of effort on my part just to get the dang $7.00 blackberry that i ordered. not sure if I'll bother trying to get the plant or ordering from this company again, I don't have the time for BS.

I am new to ordering online and my dad expressed that he did most of his ordering from burgess most his life so I followed his direction and boy was I amazed at the kind, pleasant people I had dealt with, My order was shipped when they said they would, they shipped when it was time for me to plant and all of my plants we are stated when ordered, sealed, wet with plenty of soil, but the time I got he plants I had buds all over all of them and I bought, roses, 3 of them, they come with directions how to plant and today they are all green and budding like crazy..One bad plant does make a company bad. I would definately encourage others to buy there products from this company. I am very pleased and amazed at how many buds were already on them all.