Comments regarding Forestfarm

I just received my order today from Forestfarm and am so happy! I'd only had experience with one other mail-order company and it was rather dismal. Not so with Forestfarm!

My trees arrived healthy and obviously very well taken care of. They are in much better shape than many I've gotten from my local nursery and their size is true to what is stated. I now understand the pricey shipping fees---well worth it for such healthy, robust trees.

If I ever want a tree again "now!" that I can't get immediately locally, Forestfarm is where I'll go. Did I mention a very speedy delivery?

I recently ordered two Ginkgo biloba 'Magyar' trees from Forestfarm, as this particular Ginkgo cultivar does not seem to be available in Northern California.

The trees were shipped on Monday via UPS and arrived today. They are in good condition (no damage), are healthy, and exactly as described.

Initially I found that the shipping information was a little confusing when trying to order these trees online, so I placed my order by telephone instead. The person I spoke to was helpful and efficient at taking the order, and all subsequent e-mails to the company were followed-up promptly.

Overall, a very positive experience !

I have ordered from Forest Farms at least 3 times in the past year, a dozen or more plants each time. The plants are always alive when I receive them. I am not listing all the plants because it is just too extensive. Every time I have an issue they have are polite and have a ready explanation. My last issue was the color variation on the 13 Blue Velvet St. John's Worts I ordered. Some are blue-green and some are just green. They explaned that because they are started from seed that there can be color variations. although the designer intended the grouping to be blue-green my wife and I feel that the color variations might be pleasing when they mature.

Gorgeous, healthy starter plants at low prices. A specialist nursery for the sophisticated grower/collector.
An absolute wonderland of species.
Highly recommended. I purchased at least 20 species this May. Its late June and some have grown 2-3 feet already!

I ordered from this company this spring, after reading the positive reposts here. They did have a large selection of plants not available in my area. My first problem was that in ordering online, although plants were listed as available, some were not. Also, I had to call to get a shipping date, which was not when the plants arrived. The packaging was so secure that there was packing tape wrapped around the stems of plants, which were unfortunately not all attached to the plant itself. Out of 10 plants, 2 were without any stems attached, and one was dry and dead. I called the company that day either asking for replacements or a refund. I was willing to send pictures of the dead plants, which they declined. After being shifted among several people, I was told to " give the plants a chance to recover", to plant them and if they did not come back to call again in a few weeks. I was told they had a hard winter, and many of the plants were brittle. I did not feel this was my problem, as they still offered them for sale, and a higher price than I usually pay. So, I planted the 3 dead plants, which of course did not ever come back. When I called the company back with this information, I was given the option of either new plants or credit. I asked for new plants and then was told that because of the time, they would now have to air ship and did not want to have the extra cost. In offering me credit, I pointed out that I did not want to wait to next spring to order from them again. I finally received credit to my card. All in all, I was very unhappy with using this company.

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We often ask customers to give plants a chance to recover from the shock of shipping, because most, with just a little TLC, will grow vigorously. We hate to see live plants discarded! Most gardeners understand how resilient plants are, and willingly watch them for a few weeks. When we were informed that the plants did not revive, our records show that we immediately (on May 30) gave credit back to her credit card. The plants were shipped on May 13, and arrived in PA on May 21, only two days after her requested delivery date (UPS’ schedules did not permit delivery on May 19). We’re not sure why, in July, she is complaining! We work very hard to keep our plants and our customers happy, and usually succeed!"

We had looked all over our local nurseries for a good sized Crimson Cloud hawthorn but they were all too big. We were very happy to see Forestfarm had them at a perfect size and price. We took a chance and had it shipped to us on a far journey across the country. It arrived in no time, green and happy as can be, you would never have guessed it had just spent the last few days in a box. Very pleased and will surely buy from again.

I recently ordered three Salvia uliginosa from Forestfarm. The plants were shipped promptly, packed incredibly well, and arrived in fine condition. All three plants have put on new growth in the week since they arrived and are thriving.

My new favorite reading is the catalog currentus - oh my goodness, what a wish list! Will definitely be ordering again.

I placed an order recently solely on the basis of these reviews here and bec they were the only nursery that had the rose I wanted.

The rose was inexpensive, the shipping amazingly low and the rose itself, a gallon, was healthy, tall and very satisfactory.

I would give this company a 5 out of 5 rating and I am going to order from them again.

this is one of the very best nurseries around. I've placed large orders most years and have never had anything but great service and excellent plants. Their packaging is so plant protective, that I feel guilty about consuming all of that cardboard. Their tags, which are still readable after several years outside, give great information. Shrubs all come with steaks. Spring for a catalogue. It's worth it just for a resource. Mary

Every year since 1993, I have placed LARGE orders with Forest Farms, sometimes making a spring and fall order. Only twice have I had plant demise, which was resolved immediately, and graciously. Their catalog is my first 'go to' source when I see a 'must have' plant. Rarely, they won't carry it, but check future catalogs. The staff is courteous, friendly, very knowledgable, and if they aren't sure, will check with another staff member. You are treated as another plant lover, not just another customer. Plants are well packed and arrive in beautiful condition. EASY way to unpack: open top of box so as not to damage taller plants inside, then cut away sides. Set entire box in water. Cardboard will absorb water, and practically fall off at the slightest touch. As long as Forest Farms is in business, I will be a customer! Can't say enough good things about them!

I ordered a "Beauty of Moscow" lilac from Forest Farm for my wife for mother's day. It was shipped quickly and it was in very nice condition with 3 large blooms on it. I was initially worried because it would be shipped from Oregon to Ohio, but I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived without any damage. I will use them again.

I have placed several orders with Forest Farm over the years, and have always been delighted with the plants. Some have been small, but ALL have been healthy, and suvived my gardening inexperience and occasional neglect. There has never been a single problem with the order--no missing plants, no dead or broken plants. I like the way the company identifies species as "Pacific Northwest Native", "Attractive to Birds and Wildlife", "Good for Cutting Garden", etc. It helps me make a decision on what to buy, without having to do more research. I will continue to buy from this company.

I have received their catalog for a number of years, but this was my first time ordering. They have plants that I just can't find in the area where I live. I find their prices (even including shipping) to be reasonable for what I received. My plants arrived well packaged and healthy and I'll definitely be ordering from them again. I only wish that I had a larger yard.............

Five+ years ago we ordered several plants from ForestFarm. They all arrived promptly and were nicely sized. Although some -- castanea, two viburnums, a daphne -- have since succumbed to my non-green thumb and some tough winters and bad placements on my part, others -- kalmia, a viburnum, small conifers, false indigo -- continue to thrive. I was and am very satisfied with the quality of the plants and the service.

Ordered a wonderful Dawn Redwood. Great Size and after a month is coming into a beautiful form.

I loved the selection and customer service. My plants arrived safely, and the Princess Kay Plum was a nice sized little tree. The only down side would be the shipping charges to Ohio. Yikes they were high!

I have ordered from this company twice, once five years ago and again this past Spring. Both times I received very healthy well-packaged plants. The second time the box was severly damaged during shipment, so severely the driver did not want to deliver it. But I insisted, and once I opened the repaired box, I was amazed to find all the plants in absolutely perfect condition, even the 1 gallon camellia 'Herme' standing at least 14" tall, still with blooms on it!

I have always been impressed with their customer service and their obvious dedication to horticulture. They love their plants!

I want to thank Forest Farm for the wonderful healthy shrubs in one gallon containers and rose tubes they sent me. They shipped them on Monday and I received them this morning-wow! They did a fantastic job of packaging the plants also and the size of the plants was much better than I had expected. I will definitely be ordering from them in the future. There was no damage whatsoever done to any of my plants via shipping. Thank you also for the planting information.

I was looking for a Japanese maple that can survive the Texas heat and be able to tolerate sun. I searched Daves Garden and found Tamekuyama Japanese maple, which was exactly what I was looking for and Forest Farms sold it. I called them up to ask questions about how big the actual tree was going to be. I have ordered from other mail order nurseries that represent to you a certain size plant, but they measure the plant including the pot. Forest Farms assured me that the tree measurements are only of the tree. Forest Farms accommodated my request to send me the Japanese maple weeks earlier than for my shipping region and shipped my order without delay. I received the maple in its dormant state and it was exactly the size Forest Farms stated. I waited a few days for it to adjust, then planted it in a spot next to the front door, which gets afternoon shade. The Tamekuyama has flourished, it's leaves are deep reddish-purple and it is thriving in the hot Texas sun. Thanks, Forest Farms for providing me with such a beautiful, healthy tree.

Pros: Healthy, vigorous, well-packed plants, prompt emails & shipping. Great variety.

Cons: Small plants for the price (on single perennials, anyway, the prices were good on the shrubs I wanted), obscure web site layout with very little search capability.

Overall: I would order from them again as they have some harder-to-find cultivars and the plants I received were in great shape and doing great.

I've ordered from 5 nurseries this year, accepting shipping fees as the downside of gaining first-hand experience. I will definitely buy plants again from ForestFarm. The two roses I bought as tubes arrived in excellent shape, twice the size of two I bought elsewhere that cost more. They were very well packed with soil, but not too heavy, so the shipping fee was very reasonable. FF even called me to tell me I didn't need to have them shipped by air, and sent me a refund for the amt over land. It was too cold to plant right away, and my roses were fine for the 10 days I had to wait before putting them into the ground. I'm very happy with the experience.

My maiden voyage for Forest Farm. In early February I ordered 4 1-gallon and 1 5-gallon shrubs, with shipping requested for mid April. Within a day I received a call letting me know they were sold out of one of the shrubs. I was at work so I didn't have my catalog with me, the sales associate, Patty, help me pick out a replacement over the phone.

About two weeks before the scheduled ship date I received another call from Patty. Seems the 5 gallon Heptacodium I ordered had exceeded 5' and oversize shipping was going to be an addition $10, or they could (gasp) cut the top off. I kept the top. Since I had Patty on the phone I explained that while it was mid-April we were still receiving heavy snowfall. So we decided to put off shipment for two weeks.

Then a week or so before the schedule ship date I found out I had become a victum of identity theft. Seems while I was working in Spokane, WA., I was also in Italy buying airline tickets. I had to shut down accounts, cards you name it. I called Forest Farm, got Patty again (yeah) explained the situation and that the card number I'd given them was no longer any good and I would not have new cards for 7 to 10 days. Patty said no problem she would make sure the plants were held for me and that I wouldn't lose them. It was the last 5' Heptacodium they had. The thought of losing that was almost worse than the identity theft. Then yesterday Patty called to see if I had received my cards. As luck would have it I did indeed receive one of them that very day. I gave Patty the new number and asked when my plants would ship. Patty informed me they had shipped that morning.

Whether on-line or local shopping, I have never been so well looked after. And, Patty should you happened to read this thank you very much you are an outstanding individual. I look forward to seeing my "babies" this Friday.

I hate to say anything negative as they are very prompt and helpful when you ask an email question, I was shocked at how fast they shipped the plants (they shipped before my check cleared my bank). The tubes were wonderful and the shrubs (2 red twig and one yellow twig dogwoods) were also very nice. But I was disappointed with the trees. I had seen a lovely 8ft snow fountains cherry at Lowes (with a trunk about 2" in diameter) but figured I'd rather pay $20 vs $50. But the tree that came was little more than a seedling. If I pulled the stake out that came with it the thing would fall over (same with the Sargenti crabapple). They were both about 2ft tall with trunks thinner than a pencil. I wish now I had bought the snow fountains at Lowes it would definitely have been worth the extra $30. I would definitely buy tubes from them again, perennials, shrubs, etc, but I don't think I'll buy more trees from them.

Forestfarm seems to have EVERYTHING, so I had my suspicions about quantity over quality -- these were put to rest when I opened the gallon-sized Eucalyptus neglecta I ordered and was shocked to find a five foot tall shrub. Will absolutely be ordering again.

This company is a class act. Their plant list is phenomenal and plant quality very good. My last order was for 8 Kalmias. When the shipment arrived, there was a note apologizing for the small size of one of them, so they were including an extra Kalmia to make up for it. This is how you get people to order from you again.

ForestFarm is my favorite nursery. I pour over the catalogue and circle everything I covet during those long nights in February when catalogues arrive. (Note: I always give Forest Farm catalogues to new gardeners who wish to learn the Latin names.)
I’ve always been impressed by how large the specimens are when I receive them, by their variety of unusual plants and their professionalism. The plants always arrive in excellent condition. Forest Farm has nearly everything I’m looking for, including a huge “Acer Palmatum’ list that makes me wish I had serious acreage to plant trees on. I’ve always felt like FF is a nursery for “serious gardeners” and it helps that I was introduced to the company via a friend with an award winning garden.
Only down side: I live on the East Coast and their shipping fees are outrageous.

One of very few places with Acer palmatum Orange Dream available. It arrived, along with Phylliopsis 'Sugar Plum' in great shape and well packed. Definite supplier on my list.

I believe the best thing about ForestFarm (besides their catalog) is their customer service. Last year I ordered from them two Snow Queen phygelius, which, unfortunately, didn't survive almost from the start. When I called them, they explained they had been a bit concerned because of the hard winter but they immediately offered me full credit. I used that to order a betula nana and, in its second year, it is doing great ! Buying plants is risky - you never know why one will thrive where another won't - but dealing with a company which doesn't hesitate to try to make you happy is a sure bet.

I was having trouble with another company taking forever to ship my order. I found the same shrubs here for less. They shipped right away. The shrubs arrived well packed, in excellent health and with no damage.

The shipping is a little expensive but worth it because the plants are packed so well.

plants arrived quickly and in very good shape - they were out of catclaw acacia - I'll try again later

In February, I placed an order for about 25 plants, mostly tube sized shrubs, many viburnums and a few other choice perennials and grasses from Forestfarm. The site was very easy to use, the shipping costs clearly reported and very fair and their notification of my order received, was timely. The plants arrived at the requested time and the packing was superb, nary a broken stem. The plants are all healthy, happy, will leafed out and ready to be planted. Shipping to Nantucket always adds to the shipping time, so receiving them in perfect condition was beyond expectations. I couldn't be more pleased. They sent me their amazing catalog, and it is truly a treasure trove of great plants available, many that are nearly impossible to find at an affordable price elsewhere. I will be back and, now, I clearly understand why Forestfarm is so highly rated in the Dave's Garden Watchdog Patti

Ordered a few times to get some hard to get plants (for my area). Plants were well packaged and shipped out on time.
Plants were kinda a disappointment thou. The 5 gallon (advertised as 4-5') conifer I got was only 3' high but was at least healthy. I felt kinda ripped off cause I paid to have a larger tree sent across country.Hopefully it will grow up into a nice tree.
Smaller plants I got were kinda pathetic. I got one 1 gallon conifer that will become a nice plant but other plants looked like they had sat at a nursery for years struggling without growth, a couple of years away from normal growth. Got a 1 gallon Ginkgo that was just a roundbound small plant stuck into the 1 gallon pot, and the graft growth was a weak V shaped joke that broke during the winter.
I'm kinda scared to order from them again, since you don't know what you will get.

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When we list the size of plants in the catalog, we try to make it an average measurement, as a guide to what a customer can expect to receive, without making the promise that every plant of that type will meet the stated size. There’s no deception intended—it’s just that woody plants don’t come out of the ”cookie cutter” all looking the same (that’s what makes growing plants interesting!). Not all sellable plants of a certain kind may be the same age, or grow at the same rate, so there can be some difference in size. When we get down to the last of a particular batch, the plants may be smaller than the size listed in the catalog/website (which, we emphasize, is only a guide as to the size to expect). Apparently that’s what happened with “noki”. If we catch such an event, we may try to give a discount so the customer isn’t unhappy. We don’t think “noki” told us about his disappointment, or we would have offered him a credit on the plant.

We move smaller plants to larger pots regularly. We expect them to root out into the larger pot before we sell them, but we really have no easy way to see if they have done so. We apologize that the Ginkgo we sent to him hadn’t rooted fully, and would have credited for that if he had told us about it. Although we try to train the young trees, sometimes we miss something. Again, if he had told us about the breakage due to poor shape of the graft, we would have credited for this tree.

We have sent “noki” a D-mail in hopes that he would have told us who he is, so we could offer some compensation for the plants he didn’t like, but haven’t received a response."

This was my maiden order from Forest Farm. In the past, the only thing that stopped was the cost of shipping. After discussing Forest Farm's products with other gardeners, I decided to give them a try. I'm creating a new bed this year and was looking to purchase several "mini conifers" along with some other ornamentals that were mini versions of others that I liked. I order 4-1gallon sized mini conifers, and 4-tube sized trees/shrubs (2 ornamentals, 2 conifers.) The shipping on the gallon sized plants came out to $28.00. The trees that I ordered ranged in price from $12-19, so, essentially I paid aproximately $19-26 a plant...and I am by no means disappointed. The tube sized trees that I ordered, shipping was $11.80, the average price of the trees I ordered was $9, essentially, they came out to about $12 each.
The packaging and shipping was outstanding. It took me nearly 30 minutes to unpack everything. You really do "pay" for their shipping, and I am not complaining. Most of the gallon sized conifers that I purchased, especially at the size that they are, would have cost me about $30-45, if I were to buy locally...I feel I made a great decision.
I will be posting pics of my order from Forest Farm, and others that I have ordered from this year, on my journal. The pics of the order will let you know what to expect when you receive an order from Forest Farm.
Customer service from Forest Farm was/is outstanding.
The plant materials I received are superb!
The packaging was stellar!
I will definitely be a repeat customer!

I've had great service from them. Stan S

Very expensive for what you get. I was very disappointed at the extremely small size of the plants I received. The "5 gallon" advertised plant was actually a 2 gallon size...the other plants very, very small. I suppose you're paying for a very extensive variety which they appear to have from their catalog. I'd say Forestfarm is a ripoff.

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We have sent a D-mail to “bobnorth” to try to find out which plants he was displeased with, but have not received a response. We’ve checked our customers in Coos Bay, Oregon, and don’t find any purchases for which the plants would have been unusually small, so we really don’t know what he is referring to. As always, if a customer comes to us directly, we’ll try to work out something to make them happy. We do list approximate sizes of the 1-gal. and 5-gal. plants in our catalog, so folks can decide if they feel it is worth the expense for the size of plant purchased. There is no intent to deceive anyone."

The customer service and selection are outstanding. S&H is a bit pricy but the plants have always arrived in good condition. Even the plants in my latest order, which was left upside down by the UPS driver made the trip unharmed. The plants were not huge but from my experience a respectable size for mail order. I've ordered from them three times and I have been pleased with each order.

Three or four years ago I ordered one plant from Forestfarm, it was a Lonicera vine and was our "test order" from them. They must have been so desparate. It arrived so scrawny we couldnt believe it. The plant looked like it was fresh off of the fifty cent table. Two or three stems at most, maybe 1/3 the size of a pencil and about six inches long. By far it still is the scrawniest Lonicera on the back fence, if it is still alive at all--I dont even want it, dont even like it--last I looked it still had only two spindly branches. It is still the huge disappointment it was the day the thing got here. Mercifully, they must have finally got the message and quit sending us their unwanted catalog.

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Although “Donny” wouldn’t identify himself to us, we were able to go back in our sales records to find his order. In Feb. 2004, he ordered one tube size honeysuckle vine, Lonicera sempervirens. Now, honeysuckle vines are never husky—they have very thin stems, but a good root system, and will grow fast if treated properly. A complaint upon receiving the plant (which was dormant) would have elicited our standard response, which is to please take good care of the plant, and we believe that it will thrive for you. If it doesn’t, please let us know. It would be foolish of us to send a plant that would not! We hope our customers accept, as part of the plant-buying experience, that providing adequate fertilizer and water is their responsibility. “Donny” apparently wasn’t willing to do so, yet the plant still was alive, in spite of his non-care of it, years later. We try our hardest to produce plants that will do well for our customers, and most do! Thank goodness most of our customers are willing to provide better care than “Donny” was willing to do (and we thank you for it!)."

Excellent: friendly and efficient customer service, incredible selection. Plants got over the years have been true to name and healthy.
A friendly lady on the phone today actually suggested I change my already placed internet order to surface shipping as there was no need for air at this time of year. Other nurseries would scarcely have cared or bothered to try and save the customer the money. How nice!

Lots of communication from the grower kept me well informed. The plants arrived in great condition and very quickly. I am very pleased with my first experience with mail ordering plants.