Comments regarding Burgess Seed

I would like to be able to say that my experience with Burgess was totally positive, but that is not the case.

I received plants from them at the end of May 2006. Out of 6 raspberry plants, 1 was dead. Out of 2 manchurian apricots, 1 lived a week after planting and there was no indication the other 1 ever was alive. The stevia plant I ordered was dead in the bag. The hazelnut and cherries are all doing fine.

I sent the company the shipping labels and a note explaining my problem and desire for replacement plants as both the website and customer service told me to do on June 20th. Today, June 30th I received a 1 inch strip typed note saying to give the plants 6 weeks. This note was stapled to my labels, letter and envelope.

We called customer service and got a repeat of all the original conversations we had about sending labels, checking the bark etc. I am going to resubmit the labels with another note and hope this time I will get replacements as their guarantee promises instead of more runaround.

I will not do further business with them or any of their associated companies and my recommendation is for anyone else to really take care and do a lot of research to try to find other people to order from. I cannot in good conscience recommend them because if there is a problem, the customer service didn't give me any indication they cared.

I decided to place a small order with this company to see what all the fuss was about. I ordered a couple apricot trees, a couple of pawpaw, and a dwarf nectarine. They came yesterday. I read here about their poor packaging and when I saw it with my own eyes, I literally laughed out loud. The trees were all broken in half. Another complaint with the packaging is that the trees were provided no moisture in the shipping bag. No wonder many peoples trees arive dead.
I will say for the price payed, the trees weren't that bad and they were all alive. I trimmed the jagged edges where they had broken, planted, and watered well. So we'll see.
My only suggestion for this company is to buy some shipping boxes and shredded newspaper.

After reading all of the negative comments posted here, I was EXTREMELY nervous about ordering from Burgess. However, my husband wanted very much to order some Canadian Hemlock seedlings, and he didn't want to pay a lot of money for them, so we decided to place a small order and give it a try. They arrived last week, rather poorly packaged; they were mailed in a sealed plastic bag with no support of any kind. (Luckily, they were quite flexible, since our mail carrier bent the package in half to get it into our mailbox!) But I have to say that they looked very healthy, and we planted them this past weekend. My husband says that if they continue to grow and look as good as they do now, we will be placing another, larger order from Burgess in the future.

I have ordered at least 3 times from Burgess. I already know before ordering that at least 1/3 of my plants will die. I have a greenhouse and am an experienced gardener and the loss of the plants is not due to neglect on my part. I've learnt that if you want to order from these type of companies that your best bet is to order bushes or trees. Perennials never hardly ever make it. I've received moldy strawberries and mushy plants and on one occasion had to fight with them for a replacement order which I eventually received. I have to admit that when I did receive it, they sent extra plants. My advice.....you get what you pay for. The reason I occasionally order from them is even at a 1/3 loss, they are still cheaper than the local retail center, plus I live in a rural area where the local nursery likes to stick you with large prices......my solution.....I started my own nursery. Now I can indulge myself in my love of plants and pass a great price onto my neighbors and friends and treat other gardeners like I would like to be treated....ha ha

When I received there catalog I was so excited, they had everything that I wanted for a fraction of the price that I would be paying for, and I would be ordering from one company instead of several. Then I looked them up on this sight and I couldnt beleive what I was reading! So I riped up my order. Needless to say I couldnt leave things alone ; ). I had made my orders to other company's and decided to place a small order with burgees just to try them out. I have a very limited budget so it was just to tempting, that way if it works out I have some more plants to show off, and if it didnt it was just a few bucks instead of my whole budget. I decided to order two rose bushes ( since I figure they are prety failproof ), and I thought I would take my chances with a queens tears. I placed my order late january and waited. In march I called for the stats on my order, the girl on the phone was helpful and nice. She told me that my order was being shipped in two shippments. I dont understand why since I only ordered 3 items and they were shipped only 4 days appart. My first package was shipped the day before I called. I received it one week later. I was shocked when I opened my door and my mailman asked me if I ordered some roses, then he pulled a plastic bag out of his mailbag and told me to be carefull. He must have gotten stuck from the thorns coming threw the bag! I have never known anyone to send plants in a bag before. I am just glad that they were not damaged in any way. Both roses were small but they were at least healthy, one is growing and the other is showing signs of growth. The queens tears took a couple of weeks to get here. I called them a second time asking about it since I should of received it a few days after the first package. The girl was helpfull and nice again. I had finally received it today, two days after I spoke to her, and I was glad to see that it came in a (small) box, but when I opened it, there was a SMALL plant in a little pot. All of its leaves were dried at the tips and faded. I think that it will come to full force with lots of TLC but I was expecting something bigger and healthier and greener. Over all, I'm glad that i got my plants and they seem to be doing well so far. I can definently say I wouldn't buy from them again. I would rather spend a couple extra bucks to get something bigger and better from someware else, even if it means buying less to get quality. Reading everyone elses experiences makes me feel bad for everyone that a company would just treat so many costomers so terribly and without care. I think its just so wrong! I have purchased from other companys on several occasions that have a negative rating and still got good service and great plants, which is why I still wanted to try burgees out, but I think that they take the cake when it comes to the the worst ratings and smallest plants that I have purchased anyware. I will not order anymore and hope that no one else will, just to save them selves any dissapointment that they might encounter, unless you don't mind takeing chances with small plants in plastic bags. I know I don't want to take anymore chances!

I too should have read this site before my order. I placed an order in early February. My credit card was charged on Feb. 17. I did at least receive a confirmation email about my order, but it's March 22 and still no plants. I understood they mail them at the correct planting time. But they have already charged me, and it is the correct planting time. I'd like to hope it will be a positive experience. I emailed them today asking about the status of my order.

I have ordered from this company (and from some of the other Plantron companies) and it really is a crapshoot. Some plants have done well and were actually larger than I expected(bush cherries) while others were DOA. However, I would not chance it by ordering from them again.

i just ordered $200+ in plants from burgess and direct gardening. i went in to look for their website from a computer other than my home one, and when i did the search on google, i came up with this site to look at! how i wish i had known about your site before i apparently wasted all that money! there is something i would like to add that i don't see in the remarks here. since our orders online are by credit card, there are certain guarantees that go along with that. as far as i know, if you are not happy with the goods when and if they arrive, you can deny the charges to your credit card. after all, these businesses offer a year guarantee on their plants--let's make them live up to that! if these businesses, which are all a part of one parent one, it sounds like, are so bad, why has the state not put them out of business? thanx.

I ordered $50 worth of plants from Burgess and then found this website, so I was worried. My order came in yesterday (Michigan) and I am thrilled. The packaging was pretty bad-just a pile of plants in the bottom of a plastic bag-but the plants all look good now that I've sorted them out. I cetainly got more than I paid for. The roses were 3 for $10, and they look like number one plants to me. The magnolias ($1.50 each!) have little leaves already, and the climbing hydrangea is the cutest little plant I have ever seen. Everything else is good, and if a little small, was very cheap. I hope this company can be more consistant so that everyone can be as pleased as I am.

WOW!! Now I'm scared. I recently ordered from House of Wesley ($26.62) and DirectGardening ($67.09) My debit card has already been charged. I was just about to spend another $100 when I came upon this site. All the negatives!! This is not looking good! I will wait and see what they send me. But I will contact the companies asap, to see what they have as a ship-date for my area. I ordered trees on ebay, and National Audubon, during this winter. The trees from ebay came as twigs (BUT THAT WAS OK, AS THEY WERE IN DORMANT) My trees are now blooming beautifully, in preparation for spring. So plants coming as twigs....aren't a problem, as long as they grow. My concern now, is that I ordered from House of Wesley and DirectGardening (affiliates of BURGESS)...and all the ship-date problems, refund and exchange problems, and wrong orders! I TOO, will WAIT~AND~SEE, will contact them immediately, and let you know what arrives! Gosh I wish I would have seen this site sooner! Gardening is my passion, and just bought a home with 2 acres I wanted to fill with my "dream garden". I have a fixed income....and my heart breaks for those of you that have been scammed in this way.

I'm scared now that I've found your website and discovered the substantial number of negative comments about Burgess Seed & Plant Co. Why am I scared? I'm a retiree that lives on just my pension and I have $182.56 order pending with Burgess. I mailed the order on 1/15/04 and my check cleared the bank on 1/29/04.

I have 27 trees, 1000 peat pellets, 20 asparagus crowns, and some seed on order.

I called them today (2/8/04) to see if my 1000 peat pellets were on the way as I need to get some plants started real soon. I was told that they don't start shipping nursery plants until after March 1st. I said that makes sense, but that these peat pellets weren't nursery plants. She said that there is no way for her to check on the status of an order that has already gone to shipping. She said to call back next week. I'm guardedly hopeful.

This is the first time I've ever ordered from this company. So I guess I'll take a wait'n see posture for right now. I hope I get the chance to come back here and upgrade my experience rating from Neutral to a real strong Positive. Burgess, here's your chance to shine!

Hey folks, you get what you pay for! These guys, (and other plantron entities), are really cheap, but their customer service and quality of product matches their prices.

I'd only order very hardy plants, (daylilies, bearded iris), from these guys. Good deals to be had IF you select plants that can handle abuse.

We ordered 58 dollars worth of plants from Burgess and the order arrived looking rather dried out. We planted everything including grape vines, apricot trees, asparagus etc and so far seem to have about 100% success. Of course the proof of the fruit is in the eating so we will see. So far so good.

After finding this website and reading all the bad reviews, I called the company immediately to find out the status of my order. I wanted to cancel my order if they haven't shipped it. I tried calling the 309 number but the number's invalid. I was furious! I was ready to call my credit card company and dispute the charge. I saw the 800 number on my credit card statement for Burgess. I thought it was strange that they would charge me the full amount if they didn't ship my order soon after. Other online companies don't do that. I was connected to a very nice and sweet lady. She told me she just got trained to support customer service for Burgess. She answered the phone for "CROWN" something company. At this point, I was just glad I got a friendly customer service rep. I asked if any of my order has been shipped. She said 2 of the 3 packages were shipped on 13th and 14th. The 3rd will be on its way soon. I placed my order on the 9th. So that's a pretty quick turnaround time! Whether they really shipped them or not.... who knows! I'm anxious to see the quality of the plants/bulbs. So far.... I have nothing negative about Burgess. I'll let you know soon!

I have ordered a few times from this company, and have found that you have to know which items are good and which ones are bad. Bare-root trees and shrubs: O.K.; you have to baby them though. Bareroot perennials: most are bad; come to you rotton, some are good though. Seeds: good. Bulbs: good. Bare-root roses: O.K. Bare-root strawberries: good.

I ordered 10 Hybrid Poplars and a rose bush, (which has really taken off thanks to some rose-grow on a weekly basis) from Burgess. They all finally arrived after about 6 weeks. My wife couldn't stop laughing when she saw the Poplars...well after 5 weeks five of them are flourishing, (my dog dug up three and ate them) of the two others one is trying to grow and I have given up on the other one. I doubt I will buy from them again, but will likely try out one of their competitors.

Thank the Lord, my husband is not alive to see this website. David E. Burgess, former owner of Burgess Seed & Plant Co. in Galesburg, Michigan passed away April 1st of this year. His parents, Margaret and Harry, started the company in 1912. The company had the very best of reputation in the gardening industry and was world-renowned. When David sold the company in 1969, it was heart-breaking to watch the company leave Michigan and relocate in Bloomington. Then, to see the decline in catalog quality and lack of varieties in seeds, made him very sad. We still continued ordering from "our family" catalog until this year. I am so sad to see the nobility of the Burgess name go down the tubes because of tarnishing the history of Burgess Seed & Plant Co.

I just received an order for some cannas, a 50-piece bulb garden set, Dahlias, and torch lily. The problem I do not think is the company here. It is the post office. There was a label stuck on the top of the shipping label saying that it arrived at my local office in this condition. The bag was ripped in several spots and had grease on and in the bag like it got caught in a machine. A couple of the dahlia bulbs were crushed. The top of the torch lily got grease on it and turned to mush. The cannas bag is ripped and has grease on it. Once the bulbs have grease on them you know they are not going to grow. It might help to start sending in boxes even if you have to add a few cents to the products.I take it spring hill is part of burgess or vice versa since they are on the MySeasons site too. I have ordered from them and they send really nice plants in nice snap containers and they are well started. I was really happy with those plants last year and the carnations were coming back in Feb. already. The torch lilies made large clumps and I have had to divide them already. I will write the company and send my label and let everyone know what the outcome is regarding the damaged shipment. Sometimes you have to follow their procedure for returns no matter how silly it sounds. I will try.

I've been at this gardening thing for about 30 years now. I see a lot of the "cheap" nurseries getting regularly trashed in these postings. Every year I buy items from Burgess and the others of this genre who sell plants at very cheap prices. I've learned to ignore the glossy pictures, pay close attention to botanical names (and look the items up in my gardening reference books to be sure of what I'm getting) and above all keep in mind that you get what you pay for. If you order a $2.00 tree and are disappointed when you get a 12" stick then you need to adjust your expectations downward. If what I really want is an older, larger plant I go to my local garden center ready to pay the price or order from the wonderful but expensive places like White Flower Farms. Following this strategy I have been generally pleased with all of my mail order purchases.

I've had mixed results with Burgess. Most of the 'twigs' have done surprisingly well, especially the hummingbird vines, the cherry bushes and the rose of sharon trees (which bloomed the first year and have grown about one foot this year. They're 18 months into the ground and are about 5 feet tall and cost only about $3.00 for both!) But all of my bare root flowers have died and a few of the twigs have died as well.My plants arrived in about April, which in the northeast isn't the best time to plant. I wrote my letter and included my credit card receipt and one of the two original packing labels. My letter included how pleased I was with the above-mentioned plants. Well, I haven't heard from them and I'm very disappointed. When I telephoned, the customer service rep told me I should get a letter of explanation in about 4 weeks. I should say that I was about 6 weeks or so over the one year time period, but then again, nothing blooms here in April!! The horrible thing is, had they replaced these items, I would've been such a strong and vocal proponent. Although I did have some success with them, I wouldn't order again through them based on the poor follow up and time of shipment.

I made a $64 order to Burgess this winter. The order came incomplete. I had to call them to send the rest, which they did. When I later informed them that my English Walnut tree, and the 12 English Lavender plants came dead, I gave them a few weeks so see ifthey would come back, they said it would not be a problem. I was to write back and request my money back, or new plants. I did this only to receive a generic letter from them informing me that I should wait six weeks after delivery to give the plants time to revive. I had already waited six weeks, so I was a little upset.I wrote them again asking for a refund for the 12 Lavender plants, and to send another Walnut. They wrote back not mentioning the Walnut tree,but informing me that they needed to know how many Lavenders died. I had already corresponded with them in two letters that 12 died, and they were asking again. I have sent back another letter making my same requests. To this date Ihave received nothing from them. I would strongly recommend to keep away from ordering from Burgess. I would also like to inform people that all of the plants were small and close to death. The Rhododendrons are very misleading. They came with two half cut leafs to a plant. Five of the eight already died.

I was drawn in by Burgess' low prices and catalog's pretty pictures. My first shipment of lilies, sedum, phlox and myrtle came in a plastic bag which gave no protection to the plants. The shipping label said that I received 12 phlox, but all I received was a little mass of roots in a wet, plastic baggy. No instructions were included on how to separate the plants or prepare the soil for most of my order. They did include a generic booklet on planting trees, some seeds and other plants but it was not much help. The booklet used the words "dormant" and "give your plants a chance" a number of times to try to soothe their customers' fears. Of course, no phone number is to be found anywhere in the catalog or on the shipping invoice. I also received a couple of mystery plants that were included in the shipment with no label. I will say that the lilies looked fine though.The second part of my order arrived today (4/3/97) in which the lavender and spreading evergreens actually came packaged in a box and each plant looked hardy and well developed. The plants were in there own little containers with soil to keep them alive. Now I am confused to whether this company is as bad as this site says they are.