Comments regarding Digging Dog Nursery

I recently contacted Digging Dog with one of those, "Help! It's urgent! Can you get these plants to me today?" requests that mail-order nurseries must dread. The folks at Digging Dog responded immediately. They sent lovely plants w/ well-developed root systems that arrived in Washington sooner than I had any right to expect. I enjoyed superb service, quality plants, and a fair price. I will not hesitate to order from this company again.

We have ordered from Digging Dog for the past 4 years. In the Spring of 2009, we order several items including 12 eringium giganticum. When they arrived in April, there was nothing in the small pot, but we were game and went ahead and planted them any way. We waited until the end of June and nothing had come up. I emailed Digging Dog, referenced my order..while it took a little while to hear back from them, they indeed stood by their plants and sent me out 12 new plants, no questions asked. We appreciate the specialty nurseries that offer hard to find plants and know that it is a tough business. We appreciate them even more when the plants they sell are high quality and they stand behind them. Digging Dog gets a big thumbs up from us!

I ordered 6 salvia plants over the telephone. They arrived on the date promised and were in better shape than some of the plants in local nurseries! Nicely packed, still moist and with the leaves protected. They are thriving in my garden. This is a very service oriented business and I will be getting more plants from them for sure.

The smallest perennial and the largest shrubs I have ordered have all had deepepots and arrived with exceptionally healthy root systems - Digging Dog Nursery ships the most well established plants !

TheDiging Dog plants I put into my garden last year are thriving better - larger and healther - than those from other nurseries planted two and three years ago.

While I very seldom post on blogs, as I work fulltime and simply don't have time to do this, I am writing this rave review for all who check out Daves Garden Wathdog for honest, impartial information.

Sheila

I just received my order of 6 plants and they arrived in beautiful condition and were very carefully packaged. The plants had large root systems and were larger than I expected. They gave complete instructions on how to care for plants shipped in warm weather and I was also happy with the friendly service I received via telephone. I will definitely be ordering again. Their selection of plants is terrific too.

I go back to this company again and again. In general, the plants are well sized and are securely packaged. My first orders were placed in 2007 and I've made several orders since then. I wait for the clearance/special sales and find them competitive with other mailorder nurseries. The shipping is typically competitive as well, but I only live a couple states away and am comparing them to other west coast mailorder sources. Right now I'm waiting for my 2009 Father's Day 15% off order (grin).

The only negative I can state is that they offer some really nice plants that are not hardy in my area so I need to be very careful not to be seduced by their descriptions and buy another plant that needs to be lugged into the garage every time the temperature plummets (sigh).

Last year I placed an order and included in that order were 8 Mavis Simpson geraniums. Their website stated they were hardy to zone 5. I am zone 6 so I ordered them. None of the 8 grew this year. I've been reading about geraniums and I have found that Mavis Simpson is a tender perennial and a wonderful geranium specialty company has them listed as zone 7. I guess I know why mine didn't survive. I emailed the company to let them know the information for this plant is incorrect and had it been correct I never would have spent over 50 dollars for 8 geraniums that aren't hardy to my area. I feel the least this company could have done was respond to my email. Since I have heard nothing I decided to include a review on this site.

They shipped my plants from California to New York. 3 days in a UPS box, and they weren't even WILTED! Every specimen I've ever purchased from them has come back like gangbusters the following season. I've even found plants I've never heard of before - making my upstate NY garden very unique. My neighbors are green with envy. This is simply the BEST mail order nursery I've ever dealt with.

Absolutely Fantastic!! The Plants, The People, The Service!! Everything Is Great!!

Wow are the people here crazy or what, they get taken on shipping and rate this company as positive, I saw all the positive ratings and thought I would give them a try, my 32 dollar order had a 29.90 shipping charge with handling to Mo. That is a complete ripoff, it's insulting. There are many good companys that aren't on the top 30 that don't rip you off on shipping. Stay way unless you like the people your ordering from laughing all the way to the bank.

"On Jun 26, 2009 10:01 AM, Digging Dog Nursery responded with:

We are sorry that the person from Saint Charles, MO expressed concern about our shipping costs. We wholeheartedly assure this person and all who are reading this rebuttal that we are not 'laughing all the way to the bank'.

Since we are a small family run business, we are not eligible for the
substantial discounts that larger mail-order businesses receive from UPS.
As we are all aware, fuel costs have both fluctuated and risen dramatically
over the past few years. These events and recent trends have led freight
carriers to impose increasing fuel related surcharges on their customers.
Digging Dog Nursery has been absorbing these incremental costs for some time now. In fact, Digging Dog Nursery has barely raised their shipping costs
since 2003.

After careful research, we found that a $50.00 order sent UPS
AIR does average around $25.00. To offset, the UPS air charges for small
orders, we are now offering PRIORITY AIRMAIL VIA THE POST OFFICE.

Attentive personal service, eco-friendly nursery practices and choice hard-to-find plants that are not only well grown, but grown with a lot of love is what
kept loyal customers ordering for nearly twenty years."

I read some positive reviews about Digging Dog so I wanted to give them a try. When I was ready to order, I saw a notice that read "At present, we are unable to ship to Florida, Hawaii or anywhere outside USA." It should read "unwilling". I emailed the company to ask when they will be ABLE to ship to FL and the reply I received was "Sorry, the state's agricultural regulations are so strict, it simply is not worth it." I for one would not feel comfortable purchasing from a company unwilling to meet the strict agricultural regulations of any state. What does this imply about their quality standards? High Country Gardens is willing to meet Florida's strict standards ( I've made over $500 worth of purchases from them so far) so my confidence and customer loyalty stays with them!

On a side note: some of the zone information included with each plant is incorrect. Lavenders are hardy to zone 10/11.

Brilliant. Perhaps the finest plants I have seen, betraying what must be well-adjusted specific and individual care. They are lush and noticably thick-stemmed. The company was very accomodating as far as shipping plants in early winter.
Under all of this, they offered not one, but five specific and hard-to-find plants I was seeking, at a price that makes me wonder how they survive.

What beautiful, healthy and mature plants I received! Could not be happier with this source! Highest accolade!

I ordered a number of plants from them and they all arrived in great shape with nice tags. They are all up and running and look great.

I ordered 17 plants and got a virtually immediate response when it turned out that a couple were out of stock. I chose substitutes and they sent a shipping date with their confirmation. The plants arrived right on time and in excellent condition, beautifully packed and labeled. Best of all, they're having a sale for people affected by the drought and I saved 15% on my order. I'd definitely order again.

My first order with this company came right on time. The plants are nice. The packaging was great. Despite the heat, the plants were happy and moist. Customer Service took the time to call me with a question. Good experience. Just wish they had photos online. Would order again.

Excellent customer service and great plants. You can't go wrong with Digging Dog.

Every year I order from Digging Dog and every year I recieve beautiful plants. This year was no exception. In fact I made some last minute additions and and all was shipped at once exactly on time. Packed well and amazingly healthy well rooted big plants. I could not be more pleased. Excellent company

This is the second time I have ordered from Digging Dog and I am very pleased with their plants. They have a great selection and their plants have always arrived healthy. The plants I purchased and planted in the fall have come up nicely. I will continue to order from them.

I had ordered 2 cistus plants and when they arrived their main stems were broken in half. My feeling was that the packaging was pressed down in a way that may have resulted in the damage. I was very disappointed since the plants were so healthy and even had buds on them. When I called the company, they offered to replace the plants, even though we both knew the broken plants would grow just fine. I felt that their offer was generous and very fair. The replacement plants arrived today and they are just as beautiful as the first and in one piece.

Great prices, beautiful plants... I just received my order from Digging Dog, placed way before the season. They don't have online order tracking like some of the bigger websites, but the plants I received were good-sized and healthy. For the prices, I was gratified at how well-established the plants were.

Huge huge roots! Ordered some penstemons from DD and they arrived well-packed with the best root system I have ever seen. Will definitely order from this company again.

I ordered four Brunnera (Jack Frost). I have been waiting for my area Sacramento, California to get them in for a few years with no luck. I decided to order from Digging Dog and wanted my plants ASAP. They emailed me quickly to let me know me know their concerns about the heat effecting the plants. I told them to send them anyway. The plants arrived early and packaged wonderfully. The plants had the perfect amount of roots, healthy, with great foliage. A+++ to this company.

My first experience ordering with this company. Punctual shipping and good packaging. The plants were large. A great value. They have many unusual offerings for those looking for something a little different or hard to find. I will order again.

I ordered 5 Helianthemums which are hard to find locally or through my usual mail order sources. Very healthy plants arrived a day ahead of the promised delivery date. There was an unexpected bonus in the root ball of one of the plants: a real live wriggling worm! That has to be a first. In addition, for the price I paid the plants were huge. I took a chance and figured they would be quite small. I was pleasantly surprised.

This was my first order with this company and I look forward to more in the future.

Timely shipping, good quality plants and interesting selections. These guys are great!

I was looking for some hard to find plants and had heard good things about Digging Dog here. I was very pleased with my order. Received promptly, well-packed and in excellent condition. I've never seen such huge root systems on a mail order plant!

I do not doubt that these plants will take off and thrive in my garden! I will definitely order from them again.

Just got my order today- nice, healthy well packaged plants. Shipping is ok, considering they made it across the country with no problem, and price is on average with other mail order nurseries. Although I may have ordered some plants that would do better on the west coast, (lavender) than in the heat and humidity of the southeast, sometimes I like a challenge.

On June 24, 2006, I sent an email to the company (business@diggingdog.com) inquiring about a hard to find shrub that I was very interested in ordering. The website showed it as being "Sold Out" and I asked when it may be in stock again and the price. Since I never received a response from Digging Dog Nursery, I found the shrub on another website and was able to order it there with no problems.

I just visited Digging Dog Nursery over the weekend, and was very impressed, both by their plants and their beautifully landscaped surroundings. They have a wide range of plants (many which you don't see elsewhere) and everything was healthy, vigorous and picture perfect. The word which comes to mind is "cherished." I bought a few of these beauties and they are blooming already! Thanks Cat and Barbara for your help.

I found Digging Dog in a gardening magizine and am so thrilled I did. I went to their website after reading about them and was so impressed I immediatly placed an order ( after checking with Garden Watchdog of course !)
My plants were delayed 3 weeks due to the hot weather. Each Monday someone from Digging Dog called, explained the sitution and explained the delay. What service!!
My plants arrived today happy healthy and good size. I could not be happier and will shop Digging Dog much in the future

Ordered a bunch of Cistus. They came very well rooted and looking healthy. One even had flowers on it. They were well packaged. Shipping was rather expensive, but about the same as other companies. I'd order from them again.

My plants arrived from Digging Dog yesterday: healthy, large, beautifully packed, and on time. From the website to the customer service to the arrival of these lovely grasses, this has been a very satisfying experience. Although website ordering is easy, I encourage you to call your order in to benefit from the friendly and knowledgable staff.

Great catalog. Great plants that were well-packed and shipped on time. Overall, a perfect experience.

I just received my order of five Phygelius plants. They look great. I'll definately be a repeat customer.

Ordered a selection of plants from Digging Dog earlier this year: campanula, ajuga, columbine, etc. All looked great, with healthy root systems. They've all settled in well and are thriving. I will order from them again.

As one other person commented, it would be nice to have pictures on the website, but I just keep google open in another browser window and search for pictures as I browse.

My order was packed very carefully, every plant was watered well before shipment and in great shape on arrival. Thanks Digging Dog

My plants arrived in good condition. Some of the plants were a little smaller than expected, especially the dierama.

In early April 2004, I ordered 4 hakonechloa from this company. That particular grass is hard to find, but not impossible -- I also ordered 4 others elsewhere that same week. A week later they told me it was sold out, and offered a substitute, which of course I declined. They then promised shipment in early June. On July 7 I received an email thanking me for my recent order (?) and telling me that they were shipping on July 19th, and informing me that since it was hot, shipment would be at my own risk!! (This is $50 worth of plants!) So I cancelled -- it looks like the other four I bought from a more conscientious seller will be ready to divide by then, anyway! All this trouble could have been avoided by simply posting "sold out" on the listing, -- I'd have bought the others from the other source. I note from other comments here that this is their common practice.