Comments regarding Forestfarm

I received my first order from FF and was amazed! I expected after so many days in transit that the bushes would be somewhat bedraggled. They actually looked great, were larger than I anticipated, and had new growth! E-mail contact with the company with a couple of questions regarding some trees I might be interested in resulted in a response within an hour completely addressing everything I asked. I will happily order from them again.

They answer my inquiry promptly, thus I decided to buy form them. Trust the plants will be also nice.

What can I say, other than that if you can't find a tree, shrub or perennial for sale ANYWHERE else in the USA... Forestfarm will be the one nursery that's offering it! Despite the fact that it means paying for cross-country shipping (ouch) from the West to East coasts, I have ordered from them at least once (more often two or even three times) every year for about 10 years. If you're looking for something not (or no longer) in their catalog, a phone call or email will very likely turn up a few plants still in stock that are just what you're seeking. Great plants, great people.

I placed my first order with this company a few weeks ago after reading all the positive reviews on this bulletin board. I have to say I have been blown away with the service, friendliness and delivery condition of my trees. I placed a small order for some rockets as a trial run and I am definitely impressed enough with this company to make it one of my main sources of plants. I can't wait to peruse the catalog that they included with my order. I am particularly impressed with the friendliness of the phone call I received from the service department to clear up my credit card info; the unique way the plants were shipped; the awesome condition the plants were in when received; the reassuring and educating information that was enclosed with the shipment and the accuracy of the shipping date estimate. All first rate and very satisfying - a delivery that made my day! If I were running a nursery, this is the way I would like to present myself to my customers.

I have just received my second order from Forestfarm. I am super impressed with the packaging, and the plants arrived in excellent shape. The plants from my first order are thriving and are healthy enough to go through a hot Arizona summer. I hope to put one more order in before it gets too hot to plant.

I ordered holly and manzanita from Forest Farms. I received large, healthy, beautiful plants that are doing extremely well. I will definitely order from them again!

I ordered 3 Japanese maples. I called the order in and the person I talked to was very helpful and friendly. My maples arrived in good condition and in about a week from the day I ordered them. I have ordered from Forestfarm in the past and had a positive experience. I would use this nursery again.

I had been searching for some Boronia heterophylla an after reviewing feedback on this site, I decided to purchase plants from ForestFarm. I chose this company because they had some of the harder to find plants.

I received my plants today and they were in excellent condition upon arrival. The plants were so well packaged. I was impressed.

I feel that I will certainly buy from them again in the future.

I decided to order from Forestfarm due to the positive comments on this website. I ordered two conifers, a Pinus parviflora 'Gimborn's Ideal', advertised at 2-3 feet in height, and a Picea likiangensis 'Purpurea', advertised at 5-6 feet in height. They even went as far to say that there would be a surcharge on the Picea due to its height, but I told them that would be fine as I wanted a large tree. I ordered my trees two months in advance and waited. When they arrived, the Picea measured at 3.5 feet, which was well below the advertised height! When I called to discuss this, the customer service rep was apologetic but offered no solution for this problem. So I called back and spoke with another rep. She was more helpful and after a lengthy conversation and waiting on hold while she talked to the owner, she said that there weren't any trees left at the advertised height. I responded that the professional thing to do would have been to give me a call to let me know that the plant that I was getting was quite different from what was ordered! She agreed, talked to the owner, and then offered a $10 credit. Since this tree was a foot and a half shorter than what was advertised, I thought the credit should be more substantial. She called back and offered a $15 credit, and in order just to close this issue, I accepted. However, I am still waiting on the credit and it has been almost a week. If I do not get the credit, I will revise this review to "Negative". After all of the positive comments, I am disappointed in Forestfarm.

I have ordered Japanese Maples from ForestFarm several times in the past three years. Plants always arrive packaged well and looking healthy.
Their customer service is excellent.
I have recommended them in the past with no hesitation and will recommend them in the future.
P.S.Porter

I recently ordered from Forestfarm due to the feedback on this site. I ordered a number of inkberry hollies, several types of grasses, a number of prince and princess hollies, a Graham Blandy boxwood, and a Japanese cutleaf maple "filigree". Overall, I was pleased with the appearance of the plants. The Graham Blandy was a bit yellow, but the remainder of the plants looked healthy. The Japanese Maple was especially healthy and larger than I expected for the price. I was especially impressed with the packing. The packing and shipping were much more expensive than other retailers($87 on a $215 order), but they were shipping coast to coast, and they really put a lot of care in the packaging. What a welcome relief from Wayside Gardens' plants tossed into a green bag! Lets face it - you get what you pay for(most of the time!). Also, the selection was tremendous.

Very comprehensive list of plants, if your looking for something hard to find, chances are forest farm has it. Ordered four ornamental cherries from them a year ago. At first I was a bit hesitant, the graft unions on all the trees were not the best, and they hit an early spring heat wave during shipping and had dried out. However after a year in the ground all four trees are doing great. Would order again from them that hard to fing item I can't find anywhere else.

I finally decided to order some Hakonechloa and went with forest farm due to their good feedbacks.

My tiny plants came and it took me longer to unpack them then it took to grow them. surely there must be a way to have smaller packaging for these little guys?

the grasses are on the windowsill above the sink. I might get them out somewhere tomorrow. they are looking better!.

I thought the shipping was way expensive for these two little plants, in *tubes*. It blew my whole plant budget, which wasn't large to begin with. The reason I got two was they didnt have the one gallon size I wanted, so I said to send two, thinking they would cut a break on the costs, but nope. oh well. I hope they live.

I am glad that Forest Farm had the plant I really desired and finally made a decision to get. they sure have a good selection.

I would like to buy from Forest Farm again.
thank you,
sheri williams

Forest Farm is a top notch company. I had many problems with my order, all my fault.

I changed the species of plant and I had problems with my credit card which resulted in the payment being regected.

Forest Farm worked with me to change the plant and offered that I send money a different way.

They were also very knowledgeable and helpful with my many questions.

The plant was beautiful, in great form and was even in flower which suprised me since Manzanitas are known to be slow growers.

The plant was expertly packaged and was shipped fast.

I trust this company and would order from them anytime they have something I need in the future.

I ordered 10 plants from Forest Farm. They all came in good shape and I am very pleased with the quality and the packing. The plants also came in a hurry.

rec'd my huge order yesterday........right on time! another PEFECT experience with this company. i have had two very large orders and they are just a pleasure to deal with. success rate from last year's trees and scrubs...100%...

I had a question about a tree I'm considering and I was answered within minutes. Very prompt. I'll most likely place my order with them thanks to this forum.

Just received my hydreangea one day earlier than expected. It was well-packed and appears healthy. This is a replacement for another plant that didn't make it last year, and I had no problem getting credit for it. Good experience overall.

I ordered from Forest Farm for the first time last year. The plants were healthy, nicely packed, and grew very well in my zone 7 garden. I was so impressed that I ordered more plants this year, and even placed a large order for a friend as a birthday gift. Great selection, reasonable prices, and good service.

I have ordered from Forest Farm since the early 1990's. NEVER have I been disappointed with any aspect of this company. The plants are healthy, the people are very nice, the sheer variety of plant material is astounding - surely this is one of the best nurseries in the U.S., if not the world! Order with complete confidence from Forest Farm.

I received plants from this company as a gift from a friend. They were well packed, healthy plants just breaking dormancy. I planted them immediately and they are growing by leaps and bounds!

Good experience so far. Selection is great, and prices reasonable (as is shipping if you stick with tubes - gallon shipping is pricey, even to relatively close California.) I did something odd when ordering on the website and didn't submit my credit card info with the order, so they called to check on it. They were nice about shipping when requested, since I was going to be out of town. Plants arrived very carefully packed. The brunnera are tiny, a bit worried they won't make it, but hopefully if there's any problem will have the same good service as when ordering.

I just received plants from this company...two days after I placed an on-line order. Talk about speedy shipping! The plants were packaged very securely and have already started taking off. They all appear to be very robust. I will definitely order from this company again!

I love Forestfarm. I've been an occasional customer for years. Yes, their shipping costs are often higher than other places, but their prices are so much lower! If you compare the total price (plants + shipping) with other catalogs, they come out way ahead of places like Wayside Gardens. I love the tube-sized woody plants. I can try a rare plant that is a risk or an unknown in my area for a low price.

Ray at Forest Farm was knowledgeable, helpful and patient in helping me select the right tree for our yard. The tree arrived last summer happy and healthy and packed with great care. I will be buying from them again, thank you.

I ordered from forestfarm for the first time this year, 2005. They have rare speciman plants that I have trouble finding anywhere else. The plants came in great shape and were packed so tight that they would not be harmed in shipping. I will be ordering more exotic plants from them in the future.

Some rare species and exotic clutivars. Extremely well packed, absolutely no chance of plants shifting. Will order again. On-line catalog a little difficult.

I agree that the shipping seems rather high. If ordering gallon sizes, order enough to take full advantage of the shipping cost (if ordering more than 1 gallon, the postage is the same for 2 to 4 gallon-sized plants). I appreciated the company emailing me to let me know this prior to shipment. I ordered the butterfly bush 'Niche's Choice,' the lilac 'Josee,' and the Italian Sweet Honeysuckle. All larger than expected. Very well packed. Soil still moist. Complete planting instructions. The lilac appears dormant, so I'll update in the spring as to it's health. I would order from this company again. I only wish they would keep you better updated via email as to the status of your delivery.

ForestFarm is great.
They offer rare plants at good prices. The shipping rates are better than other companies as long as you stick to buying tube sized plants, instead of gallons. The tube sized plants are larger than you would expect and a great bargain.
I am very grateful that this company exists, giving the average homeowner a chance to collect rare plants from around the world.

I too think the postage charges are a bit high, but the packaging makes up for it. The plants are packed so well, that it takes me 3 x as long to unpack their plants as that of other companies. The results are worth it though, the plants look just like they do at the nursery, despite a week long trip. I have had occassion to notify them of a couple of plants that did not look well and did not make it. They gave me full credit. This fall I decided to use this credit for a daylily I wanted but couldn't afford on other sites [theirs was 1/3 the cost]. When I got my well packed plant, I was shocked by the large size of the gallon plant--not bare root fans. When I lifted it from the pot, it further surprised me, since the root system filled the entire pot. I could have easily divided this and sold 1/2 for at least twice what I had paid for it--including the credit, postage, ect. In my view I got a real bargin even if I hadn't had credit coming. They do carry some of the best selection and prices out there. Yes I will still order plants from others, but I will always check their inventory and prices when shopping. I want the best plants for the best prices, and theirs stack up most of the time.

I have to admit, I thought an order through Forestfarm would cost way too much in shipping, however my order of two tubes wasn't exceptionally pricey. My order took 8 days (including a weekend) to reach me with ground shipping, but the plants were very well packaged and the soil was still moist.

My reason for ordering through Forestfarm was that they had what I wanted when I wanted it and overall I'm pleased with the quality of the plants I received.

On September 22nd, I ordered a single tree online to replace one that had died. Michelle from Forestfarm called the next morning. She was concerned because she had noticed my Texas address on the order and asked if I might need to postpone due to Hurricane Rita. She also wanted to confirm air shipping because that was the default selection on the website. That’s great customer service, especially for such a small order. A very nice, healthy and carefully packaged tree was delivered this afternoon. I’ll be ordering more from them in the future.

Fantastic Company! They have native trees I couldn't find even at local CA. nurseries. Nobody else that I know of has Great Basin bristlecone or Cliffrose or Bigleaf Maple. All plants I have received have been in beautiful shape, bigger than expected, and perfectly packaged. Forestfarm has the fastest shipping of ANY business I have ordered from, they will work to make the shipping as cheap as possible, and they helped me figure out plant problems I myself caused. Also, they write little 'thank-you's' on the receipt. Everybody has a different opinion of what is or isn't expensive, but the prices seem perfectly reasonable, even cheap at times, and of course if you want a rare or seldom-sold item from any business , you should expect to pay a little more. 100% satisfied

I wanted to place an order with Forestarm. I was confused about their shipping charges (as much as the order itself).
After their reply I decided to go ahead and place the order. In the mean time (within a week) all the plants had gone up a dollar. The homepage didn't mention anything about the rate increase and when I emailed the company asking the reason behind the increase I got a unpleasant reply. I think it is unfair of forestarm to increase rates in the middle of the season without warning its customers.

"

This was my reply to Kamal's question as to "what is the reason behind [price increase]":

There are many reasons behind price increases. Fuel/gas/oil price
increases have led to increases in prices in most of the products we use: fertilizer, pots, shipping (which we didn't increase, but are absorbing). Employee wages have had to go up to try to keep pace. So we're sorry that the prices went up, but I think you will see that happening widely through the economy--we have! Thanks, Ray

We make price changes in early August, and prices generally remain the same for one year. Our major shipping seasons are fall and spring, although we do ship all year 'round.
"

I love Forest Farm--I've ordered from them 5 times now, mostly shrubs & trees that I can't find in local nurseries and they always arrive in great condition. Delivery is also very quick--several times I've received the plants before I get the postcard saying they've shipped them!

I ordered from Forestfarm a few years ago, mostly hardy Euphorbias in various sizes. Two looked very bad upon receipt and I asked for a replacement. I was quite surprised when Forestfarm replied "ours look bad, too". If plants wintered poorly in Forestfarms' mild climate, why not just say "crop failure" or some such thing rather than send a poor product to the consumer? In addition, they had overcharged me for postage. Ultimately, I was credited for their mistake as well as for the dead Euphorbias but I couldn't help wondering why there is not more "quality control" before plants are sent out.
At the same time, I spent a great deal of time correcting what I thought was incorrect zone information in the Forestfarm catalog. Being in Zone 6 in Connecticut is not the same as a Western state zone 6, yet few catalogs reveal this potentially sales reducing information. Anyway, after compiling this list, and sending it to Ray, I received the terse reply "you are probably right....many of our zones are wrong" and then I was promptly taken off the mailing list!! Forestfarm, as evidenced by other comments herein, clearly has difficulty with criticism, and appears to be suffering from that terminal disease "lastworditis". What any reasonable person would have expected is a reply such as the following:

Dear Sir,

We appreciate the time and trouble you took to comment on some of our zone assignments, and will consider them when compiling our new catalog.

Although this experience took place a few years ago, I thought it would be fair to give Forestfarm another chance. Since I no longer have a print catalog, I went on line and started to put an order together....3 one gallon sizes and one tube (of normally small growing lightweight plants including 2 Oxytropis) which should have fit comfortably in one of their boxes that fit 3 gallons and up to 4 tubes. The website stated that only air shipment was available in Summer. OK, I can live with that due to heat reasons. The order came to approximately $45.00. Now, I've been mail ordering plants for 35 years, and the industry standard for air shipping from the Northwest to Connecticut is 30-50 % of the total order. I've never paid more than 50%, and 35% is about the average. Thus, I expected to pay about $15-22. for postage which would have been reasonable for a $45.00 order. Imagine my surprise when the shipping calculator came up with $98.00 for air shipment!!! A staggering 212% of the total order! While this makes a funny story to tell friends, it was a total waste of my time and any potential old or new customer deserves better. I'm sure they will respond saying they ship plants with soil, and that soil is heavy. Well, I can vouch that Roslyn Nursery ships with soil as well (out of NY) and their air shipping rates to the West coast are in line with the "industry standard" as well. (I believe 50% of total order at present) Obviously, I didn't send in the Forestfarm order, figuring I might wait until Fall and use ground shipment. But, the calculated ground shipment was about $35.00, more than 75% of the total order!! I really cannot think of ANY other nursery in the United States whose sense of shipping is so "out of whack" as this. It really insults any reasonable persons intelligence and although shipping charges are rising all the time, 212% of the total order for shipping is ridiculous!

Ray, the owner,personally, by phone, helped me to identify a Diervilla which I had purchased at a local nursery who no longer stocked them. I had three in the ground and when I ordered by the plant label they did not match. They had been mislabled by the wholesaler. He worked with me until we got a match. Very good customer service.

I decided to give this company a try after reading about it on this site. I was looking for a culinary red currant to plant in the back of my garden and I could not find anything locally. I did not know exactly what type I wanted, only that we had to have a red currant bush. I called Forestfarm, told them that I didn't have a catalogue, that I'd never contacted them before, and that I didn't even know specially what I wanted!

To make a long story short, the woman I spoke with spent quite a bit of time gathering information and trying to find something that would make me happy. Today I received two incredibly well-packed "Cherry" red currant bushes and they are in beautiful shape. No damage whatsoever. They will go straight into the garden once I finish typing. I cannot convey how impressed I am with this company. All I can say is that I will most definitely be ordering from them again and will recommend them heartily. This is by far the best mail-order experience I have ever had.

I ordered from this company last winter to have a delivery in May of this year. The plants I ordered were to me very hard to find and while their shipping was extravagant it was worth it for me to get these plants (Blue Gentian) which I have only found in one nursery in Vermont and that is a few hours drive away and I bought the one plant they had.
I placed my order the day I discovered that they had the plants listed in their catalog, I was sent a confirmation and a total and was told the plants were available and would be delivered on my specified date.
I waited until late May because the winters in this area have been terrable the last two years and I wanted time to ready the garden. Well the time arrived and I received a phone call that the awaited plants were not available and would I like to substitute something else for those plants, no thank you and how come they arn't available as I was told they were.
I was told very snipily I might add that there are many reasons why plants arn't available when it comes to the actual shipping time. I quickly said that no I did not want to substitute something else for the plants I had been waiting to see since last January.
Then to make matters worse I received a card in the mail telling me that indeed the plants had been shipped but a portion of my order would not be delivered that they were out of stock.
When I called back again they couldn't understand why I was so upset about a simple postcard error.
This is why I am giving it a neutral instead of a negative because I have never actually gotten a delivery from them so I have no idea what their plants are like, but dealing with their customer service is not pleasant.