Comments regarding Almost Eden Plants

I have ordered several times from Almost Eden. Their shipping is a little costly, but my orders have been well packaged and survived shipping quite well. I contacted their customer service about a hardy hibiscus that I thought was dead. They said pour hot water on it for a few days, and sure enough, it sprouted and has bloomed reliably for years in a container. I have another order out right now, and I hope it turns out as well as the previous ones.

This is my second year ordering with almost Eden. Their customer service is top notch and thier shipping is fast and accurate. I live in Ohio and my plants arrived meticulously packed . Each plant had a wet towel on the soil and was wrapped in plastic and secured with rubber bands so their was no spillage. They were taped to cardboard and tightly packed so they wouldn't be moving around in transit. All the plants in my $220 order arrived without a single branch broken. I am a customer for life!

I have ordered from Almost Eden several times and have always been happy with the promptness of delivery and the quality of the plants.

Ordered 2/2, shipped to me (FEDEX) on 2/20 received five plants on 2/27 looking bedraggled at best; a lesson about ordering at this time of year, perhaps; cannot recommend them.

I ordered for the first-time last week and received my plants yesterday. I decided to take a chance and order from this company because they were the only place I found with all of the uncommon varieties I wanted.
I also have extensive hort experience having worked within the industry for decades and having ordered plants by mail for several years from a variety of growers. Not only did each plant come with an id stake, but each pot was also labeled with permanent marker to prevent misidentification (common with green employees) which is a huge failsafe in my mind.
I was really impressed with the packaging method used. I had 5 plants included in the box and not one could have even jiggled during transit.
I just placed my second order with this company after contacting them with a growing question and getting an almost immediate reply.
5 stars!

I have ordered from this company for three years. I was totally pleased the first two years: great plants, well-packed, good customer service. This year, though, has been quite different. The plant quality wasn't as good as the first two years, but the primary issue was the customer service fiasco that followed.

In my initial order, they failed to send two of the plants. I contacted them about it, and told them I was planning on placing another small order so they could just include the missing plants with that. They readily agreed.

When the second order arrived, two were bone dry and wilted, one of the plants had come loose from the tape and had spent the journey smacking the plants to either side of it--which caused substantial damage to all--and another plant in the order looked very poorly.

I contacted them and they said they would send replacements in the next shipping batch, but asked me for additional photos of the invoice (to see who packed it) and to supply them with the item numbers rather than names I supplied. No problem--sent the info off within 24-hours and told them the wilted plants were snapping out of it after watering, so just send the three damaged plants. When I didn't receive tracking information the following week, I reached out to make sure they'd been sent. They replied with the same request for the photo of the invoice and the item numbers, saying the items would ship in the next batch (a full week later)--to which I replied that I'd sent out their requested information the week before. They apologized and said they'd missed it, but now the shipping team said they didn't have time to ship my three plants in the next batch and I would have to wait yet an additional week. He offered a refund if that wasn't acceptable. I requested the refund since our temperatures are already pushing it for perennials, and certainly it will be too warm by the time they'd finally arrive near the end of May (mind you, the replacements were supposed to ship the week of May 9).

I get that mistakes happen and I have no issue with that. My issue is that the team would not prioritize fixing their mistake by putting my three plants in a box and shipping them out with their next batch, as if my business was not valued. A sad resolution to a pretty simple customer service issue.

Fantastic packaging. Of all the places I have ordered plants, they by far have done the best job of protecting the plants and packaging them up to survive a trip.

Everything in the order was healthy and reasonably rooted/sized for the product they were offering.

This is definitely one of my go to online vendors for one off plants that I wont to add to my collection.

The following is a note I sent by email to John at Almost Eden Plants; I thought it would be nice to share my positive experience here:

It was my first time ordering from your company. I chose your company for the great selection and its close proximity to our home here in the panhandle of Florida.

Our 6 plants arrived yesterday, packaged so perfectly, protected and secure ( as a plus everything is recyclable ) and what beautiful and healthy condition the plants are.

They are waiting to be planted but we will have to wait perhaps until Sunday or Monday as Saturday night as we are to have a hard frost and high winds, isn't that crazy for this to happen at this time of year.

My husband and I are looking forward to watching them all grow.

Thank you again for the plants, will keep Almost Eden in mind when looking for more plants to add to our landscape.

This used to be one of my go-to places for plants. They are always healthy, usually growth with care and an eye on them so they don't get deformed or root bound, and you could rely on reasonable shipping costs. Something has changed as they now are gouging ridiculously for shipping costs by hugely over counting on weight. Each 3.5 in pot adds between 1 to 1.25 lbs, and the 4.5 add 1.25 or more. This is more than twice the weight of these small pots, even when the plant is watered! I would challenge them to find a single plant and pot combination they sell that is even close to 10 ounces, yet they count it as double or more. We all having tough times now, but let's now gouge each other, hmm? Not trusting this place any more. Too many other reputable places to shop without feeling cheated or played for a fool!

"On Mar 1, 2022 3:10 PM, Almost Eden Plants responded with:

Please understand that FedEx, USPS, UPS and all other carriers charge by cubic inches as well as by weight. Our plants nearly always take up many more cubic inches than the plant's actual weight allows for and so that is why the plants are 'weighted' as they are. Shipping costs for a company includes much more than just the amount paid to the carrier. It also includes the costs of the materials, labor to pull, inspect, wrap, and box the plants, as well as all of the prep work that is required to get to that point. In truth, shipping is something we really do not even break even on. We know as well as anyone that costs are higher now as our costs have increased across the board. Today, a case of pots has doubled or more, if you can get them at all. We do hope that you can now better understand why our plants are 'weighted' as they are and why our shipping costs are what they are. We work hard to try to keep the costs as low as possible for our customers as it has never been our practice to 'make money' on shipping costs. We do hope that you can understand and we will be sorry to lose your business if you cannot. Thank you for being a customer as long as you were. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this issue further as we will be happy to work with anyone, any way that we can.

Jeff McMillian
Almost Eden"

I placed an order to Almost Eden on June12, requesting delivery the week of June 21. Today, June 26, a very carefully packed box arrived containing the Passiflora 'Lady Margaret' plant. It was in excellent condition with soil moist and leaves well hydrated, even though FedEx had transported the box from Louisiana to North Carolina in the heat of summer. Every one of the many leaves were perfect. I have wanted a pink passion flower vine for a while and was very pleased to see the Almost Eden had them for sale. Many thanks to SB who wrapped the potted plant and Jm who boxed it up for mailing. Both are very conscientious people. I will be ordering from Almost Eden again!

I have been buying plants from them for several years and I have been quite happy with the plants that I have received.

Wonderful people to deal with with the kind of Personal customer service you just don’t see anymore. Highly recommend and I will be ordering from them again.

One of my favorite places to order from. They have the coolest and most unique selection of plants available. I love the waiting list feature so I can get that reminder email when items are back in stock. 5 stars!!

Almost Eden and John are fantastic. My Pineapple Guava and Purple Passion Vine arrived in wonderful condition. All plants were well rooted and healthy. The secure packaging was amazing. The pots were taped down inside the box so they didn't wiggle around and placed in cardboard sleeves. Wet towels kept the root ball moist. I will definitely buy from Almost Eden again. Their prices are very good and the shipping was fast.

Thank you, John, and Almost Eden!

Melissa Skasik
New Braunfels, TX

Found them on a search for Wood Vamp vines. Received beautiful big plants and they were packed with the utmost care. I purchased these to plant on my lot in SC a few years before building to get them going. Looking forward to giving them more business.

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I purchased a Queens Tears bromeliad - it came and is absolutely beautiful, almost 30 inches tall it was packed so well that it looked like I purchased it from a local nursery. I was so surprised at the size and quality of the plant because the cost was cheap. I will definitely continue to purchase my bromeliads and unusual plants from Almost Eden:)

This is an excellent source from which to buy your plants. I received my plants on time, in great shape, and they were very well packaged for shipping. I highly recommend Almost Eden, especially if you live in the South.

I AM EXTREMELY happy. I cannot believe the excellent job they did with the packaging and shipping. I ordered one plant from another company and it came so poorly packed it was basically a total loss. Dried out, smashed and broken. Eden Plants arrived wet, sealed, completely intact and green!!! The plant stalks were suspended in the center of the box and the box was oversized to protect the plants. The cost of shipping was VERY REASONABLE considering the time, effort and materials involved. John is quick to reply with answers to any questions and is extremely friendly! You have earned my business for as long as I am alive and you're in business. I look forward to more purchases in the future. EXCELLENT JOB!!! Thank you!

I’ve been using Almost Eden for a few years now. I received my order this week and everything was healthy and packed well. Great company. I think their prices and shipping costs are reasonable. They have some beautiful plants that you won’t easily find. I highly recommend them.

I got my first order today from Almost Eden and I was so impressed! It was packaged very well and the plants were strong and not wilted. They took the time to wrap with wet towels so the soil was still moist when I got them. They also packaged them in a safe way so you don't have to worry about damage to the plant. I have ordered plants from a neighboring state from me and it took twice as long and the plants were stressed when I got them. I definitely recommend buying plants from here because you will get a healthier happier plant. Thank you!

Just received my first ever order from Almost Eden Plants, and I was completely impressed. The plants were beautifully grown, healthy, and they arrived absolutely fresh and undamaged. Amazing packaging, and excellent customer service!

Probably the most efficient, customer-centered mail order plant company I have ever dealt with. The order came on the shipping date specified and I was amazed at how well it was packaged for shipment. The plants were in superb condition. It may not be the least expensive place to shop, but it stands heads and shoulders above it's competition.

I've been ordering from Almost Eden for a few years now and have been very happy with the quality, packaging and communication.

Ordered a Blue Sky Vine and am very happy.
We had a few bumps in the road, but John and his staff were great keeping me informed.
Plant arrived well cared for and packed well. Good chunky plant.
Great variety here and emails always answered quickly. I look forward to ordering again, now that I have a place for rare and unusual plants.
Thanks, John and staff!

Pat Dumas
Fair Haven, NJ

Posted on April 17, 2020, updated April 29, 2020
I love Almost Eden Plants, I order from them each year and have always been happy with the plants they send me. I would recommend this place to anyone that wants to find some plants you cannot find in the local stores.

This company always has the nicest hard-to-find plants to attract hummingbirds! I ordered four plants from them and they arrived beautifully packaged and in pristine shape. I wish the shipping costs were a bit less expensive, but I have never been disappointed by the quality of their plants and recommend them highly.

I order twice this month and it just get better. I’m so impressed with the quality of the plants for the price. I bought ceropegia plants. Bigger size that I expected and perfect price. Packing perfectly. My favorite online nursery.

I am thoroughly impressed with my 2 new night blooming jasmine plants. They arrived in flawless condition. It's obvious these were grown with much care.
The packaging is to be commended as well. I appreciate the paper around the base. Keeps it neat and dry.
Looking forward to watching these grow and flower!

I only recently started ordering from this company a few months ago and I'm very satisfied with both the quality and exceptional customer service of this place! I do think the prices are just a little high but their selection and quality are great. I started with a test order of 6 Salvia 'Kisses & Wishes' since no one else literally has them available. They came in very well packaged but sadly 2 of them were a little small and damaged - I contacted the company about this and they quickly sent me 2 replacements attached to another order I placed for some 'Cuphea Schumanii' plants. The gentleman I spoke too was very kind and understanding I can certainly see why this company has so many glowing testimony's - I've very excited to have discovered them and will certainly be ordering more things from them as they become available - just know what you are getting are essentially starter plants and I'd recommend growing them up a bit in gallons before placement but these plants certainly look like they've got a head start!

This nursery has a diverse selection, reasonable prices, and healthy plants! I find myself browsing Almost Eden’s website more than any other...it’s become a bit of an addiction.

The Turks cap hibiscus I ordered from them several years ago are thriving, the lantanas I ordered this spring are still covered in blooms, and the fig I purchased a few months ago has grown over three feet! In my opinion, this nursery is one of the best.

I've ordered plants twice from Almost Eden and was pleased both times. The plants arrived quickly and were very healthy.

Plants arrived well-packaged and healthy. They even called in advance to ask if they should delay shipping because we were expecting a hurricane! Will definitely order again.

I recently received my first order from Almost Eden and am very happy with the size of the plants and secure packaging of my order. Thank you!

Very pleased with my purchase of 3 figs baby plants from Almost Eden. Despite the heatwave in California, they arrived looking healthy and happy with perky green leaves. 3 days later, 2 tiny figlets popped out of one of the fig plants! John, the owner is always there (during business hours) to pick up the phone and answer questions. The package was sent priority mail, and each plant is expertly packed and protected in cylinder containers. Almost Eden carries so many exotic fruits and plants varieties I'm definitely a return customer.

6/23/19 I ordered a Magnolia figo 'Hagiwara Everblooming' shrub from Almost Eden plants. Communications were good, packaging very secure and the shrub arrived in excellent condition on time. I would order from them again.

I ordered three fig trees. They all arrived on time, expertly packaged. When I had trouble with them, I emailed, and they responded right away. They're very helpful and professional.

I was having difficulty finding a luna red hibiscus with a reputable nursery until Dave's Garden came up. There I saw Almost Eden in their top 30 nurseries that had luna reds. They gave me a choice of dates for shipping, and it arrived 2 days after shipping in excellent condition, lovingly and carefully packaged in a small pot, secured, and still damp with newspaper on top. I was able to track it's travel via an e-mail and tracking number Almost Eden gave me. It came with a certificaion from the State of Louisiana that is had been inspected and found to be free of insects and diseases. I am so happy to have found Almost Eden. I planted it right away. Now I can watch it grow ! Thank you Dave's garden and Almost Eden !

I bought an Orange Sweet Olive and had it shipped to our family in California. The plant was beautiful, well packed and arrived in great shape. The Sweet Olive is growing well and had a large, well-rooted root ball. It transplanted without a problem. John at Almost Eden is wonderful to work with and very knowledgeable. I would very highly recommend this nursery for all your plant needs!!! I give them a 5 out of 5!

Melissa Skasik
New Braunfels, TX
Texas Master Gardener
Texas Master Naturalist