Comments regarding High Country Gardens

High Country Gardens is the only mail-order nursery I will use anymore. 100% of the plants I have ordered over the past two years (a considerable amount of $) have arrived in perfect condition. Last year I purchased several flats of Ohme thyme and then circumstances prevented me from planting them in my chosen location. I watered the flats, hoping to get them in the ground soon, but by the end of the long, dry summer most of the plants were on their last legs. I threw them in the ground in October with little hope. Every single one came back this spring to my delight. This is typical of my experience with HCG. The only plants I have lost were due to my own mistakes (wrong location, etc.)

Wow! What wonderful plants, much larger than I expected. They are healthy, well packaged, and quickly shipped. Easy to use website and great communication.

I will be ordering more this weekend.

I just received my order from HCG.The quality of the plants are great and they were packed with care. I have been using HCG for the last four years and only had one problem that they took care of with one phone call. They have a great selection of plants that you can't always find locally.

I have ordered from this company twice. The first time was in the fall of 2005. Nothing I ordered survived but I chalked it up to my in experience with what I ordered. I placed a second order the begining of this year. Everything looked ok except the gladiolus segetum.
I went to plant it and there was almost no root sytem and this tine bulb
smaller than the size of a pea. I immediately e-mailed them:

I received my plant order Thursday Feb 15th. I planted my items yesterday on the 16th my Gladiolus segetum was of a little concern. The bulb of it was not even the size of a pea. it had ver little in the way of roots. Is the normal?

Thank you,

The reponse was :
Thank you for contacting High Country Gardens.

The Gladiolus are dormant. The root tuber is very small but if you follow the instructions for dormant plants in Davids Helpful Hints they should be fine. If there is no progress by late March please contact us.

>Sincerely,
I did contact them by e-mail again yesterday and I received a call this morning now telling me I may not see even one leaf until late fall. I was also asked if I had received a letter regarding this plant. I said no and had it faxed to me.
It basically says these are seed grown and while small they are well rooted (mine hardly had any roots) . I will change this rating once I see if this puts out a few grassy leaves this year.

"

Dear Marieortiz,

Gladiolus segetum is new wildflower species for us. As is often the case when growing new, unfamiliar plants, there is no instruction manual. This little gem has turned out to be a much slower grower than the vigorous, more familiar South African wildflower Gladiolus oppositiflorus v. salmoneus we have been growing for a few years.

After the first two weeks of shipping this spring, we noticed that the potted bulbs were very slow to wake up. By early March the plants in the greenhouse had started to push a few leaves and the roots were pushing nicely to the bottom of their pots.

I spoke to another grower of this rare plant and questioned him at length so I put together a cultural instruction sheet detailing what to expect about the behavior and growth characteristics of this species. This sheet was included with all subsequent shipments of the plants. We also added this information to our website and included photos of what the plants looked like in early March so our customers could see what they would be receiving.
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/54603/

Please be patient and mark where you planted your Gladiolus segetum. And of course, your plant is guaranteed if it fails to grow for you.

Sometimes being on the cutting edge of horticulture throws us some curve balls.

Thank you,
David Salman,
President/Chief Horticulturist HCG
"

I just placed my fourth order with High Country. I've always been impressed by the quality of their plants. Almost everything on their site grows well in the Denver area. The only problem I've ever had was one plant which arrived with a broken stem. They promptly replaced the plant for free.

plants that I have recieved from this company have always been of high quality and have survived the shipping and transplanting easily. I appreciate the large choice of unusual products that are available for my area and poor quality soil.

Plants were better quality than I expected. Fast delivery time and excellent packaging.

Most of the plants I received from HCG this spring were incredibly root bound, to the point of cutting the pot apart to get them out without damaging the roots. Loosening the roots enough to get them planted was a real challenge! The plants are growing and healthy, but given the relatively high price I was disappointed in their quality. They do have a unique selection of xeriscape plants and their shipping is impeccable, but I would only order from them in the future if I couldn't find what I wanted elsewhere.

This is an awesome company. Living in the zone 6 area of Western KS, it is very difficult to find great plants. HCG has made it so easy, we go from 117 degrees in the summer to -15 in the winter and most things just can't take the stress. The small plants we got from HCG last year are looking beautiful this year, I even tried a couple of Agaves and they are growing wonderfully. If you live in a harsh desert or grassland environ, try them out, they are worth every penny...and get the moisture granules...they are inexpensive and worth it...especially in this area where we only get 7-12" per year.

I live in the dry and hot central valley of California in Sacramento and have found High Country Gardens to have the perfect plants for the dry hot conditions and the poor soil conditions. I have a yard of clay that I have added limited quantities of compost to and have found my best answers at High Country Garden. I have had amazing experience with the surprisingly healthy plants I've received from High Country Gardens. They have come healthy and substantial and more carefully packed for safe delivery than from any other catalog plants I have ordered - and that has been many. My success rate with their plants has been astounding and the failings have been directly attributable to my experimentation with their location and inexperience with sensitivities specific to a plant. I have better luck with their plants than I have with the local nurseries and the failures have only been the natural result of bad positioning or neglect, since they lasted a long time until weather changes, soil or watering issues proved to be the problem. I would highly recommend their plants.

High Country is a lifesaver for gardeners in high desert areas! I've been ordering yearly for about 7 years now and have never been disappointed! The information about preferred soil types and other specifics in their plant descriptions is far more valuable than the usual zone chart. The weather is never the same from year to year here, but we can always count on wicked winds, plenty of sun and wild temperature fluctuations. HCG has helped me find plants that are native to the western US and perfect for my location. My sandy alkaline soil is not suited to many 'typical' gardening favorites. But thanks to HCG, I now have a beautiful, enthusiastic and waterwise high country garden! I'm sure I'll be back for many years to come!

Ordered four times now from HCG. Perfect shipping. Friendly and professional all around. Plants grow faster than what I thought was even possible for certain species. A+

I have been ordering from HCG for 3 or 4 years, and they never cease to amaze me with their advancements with native western plants. I am willing to pay their somewhat high prices in support of their progressive palette, to further the cause of native gardening in the west. As a biologist and landscape architect, I learn a couple new plants every year by browsing the HCG catalog. And my western Nebraska garden is rapidly becoming a local spectacle, thanks to David S. and his wonderful efforts!

Keep up the good work!

Brian Chilcott, MS & MLA

I ordered two plants from this company this past fall of 2006 and boy did they take off quickly. Beautiful color and I didn't expect to see them blooming so fast. Definitely will order again. They came very quickly and they were packaged very well.

Given how fussy these plants appear to be, I needed bigger seedlings than these tiny things. There was nearly a 100% mortality rate by spring, but what really shocked me when I finally looked closely at the invoice was that they had charged me shipping of roughly 23%!!!!!!!! I don't know anyone else who charges even half that.

That's outrageous even for perfectly packed shrub-size plants, which these were not.

Now I just shred their catalog when it arrives, use it for much.

"

Dear Summerkid,

I am very sorry you are unhappy with the plants from High Country Gardens.

I want you to know that the plants are guaranteed and you can choose to have replacement plants , a refund on the plants or a credit to order something else.

We would very much appreciate the opportunity to rectify the current situation.

Sincerely yours,
Ava Salman
Vice-President
"

Customer Service was friendly and helpful during ordering when their website was malfunctioning last week. Ordered a gift certificate (10% off until 12/17!), they shipped immediately, arrived today. Will try some plants in the spring. :)

High Country Gardens is wonderful. I have ordered plants from them for several years and never been disappointed. They have a great selection of waterwise plants for my high desert garden in Idaho. Plants are very carefully shipped and always in good condition on arrival. Highly recommended!

I was totally pleased with High Country Gardens. My plants arrived exactly when I expected, and they were in wonderful condition. They stayed beautiful, even though I didn't plant them until almost 2 weeks later! I ordered different types of lavender and agastache (which I had been warned against) and they are doing great (even though it's November now)!

I had also ordered plants from DIFFERENT company at the same time, and they were a disaster--those plants were actually infested with aphids!!!

I will definitely order from High Country Gardens again!

After numerous orders, I owe this country a rating:
Great website with a super variety of plants.
Super timely delivery after order
Great root systems.
Healthy plants.
Great packaging and plants arrive moist.

Thank you High Country. You are the cream of the crop along with Digging Dog (get some pics), Santa Rosa, Classy Groundcovers, and Bridgewood Gardens. You folks enhance the gardening experience.

I love this company and you will too.
Excellent communication--phone or e-mail.
Crazy fast delivery.
Nice healthy plants.
And helpful articles on the web site you can sign up for to receive in your e-mail.

First time experience with HCG. Really pleased with the prompt delivery and condition of plants. Order made via their website on 11/4/06. Tracking numbers for the flat of thyme and the other plants were provided so I was able to make sure I was home for the deliveries. The flat was shipped 11/6 via FedEx and arrived 11/8. The remaining plants were shipped 11/6 via UPS and arrived 11/9.
HGC made our first plant mail-order experience a positive one. Thanks!

As with most of the other comments I read, the plants were small for the price I paid but well packed and well rooted; I let them sit in the sun room with only watering twice for about ten days and they were looking good despite my neglect.

Put them in the ground and am waiting for results but since they survived the first week or so I think they will be fine since mother nature can now take over.

I have placed a second order and even though I am not a knowledgable gardner by any means, the site and the pictures make it almost fool proof! Kudos to you!

I ordered some garden supplies from High Country Gardens, which came right away. I also ordered some crocus, which they said was going to be sent when it was planting time for crocus, and sure enough, I got them today. Look to be healthy crocus.

Will definitely try this company again.

The website has one of the best plant selecion data bases I have seen .It is easy to select by height flowering season and water requrements. Plant selection and quality exceeds
my expectations

My sandy garden freezes with no snow in winter (zone 5b), floods in spring down-pours, bakes in 100 degree summer heat, and must take violent midwestern wind storms. It is hard to get tough plants that will last. But I have been happily shopping here for several years. The packing is great, soil remains moist and does not spill, plants are unbroken in lovely deep pots. I have bought plants from several mail-order companies so I have had plenty of experience elsewhere, and none can compare. The catalog and website have both concise and accurate information for each plant and great companion plant suggestions. I receive splendidly rooted plants that flourish. This company is making me look like a master gardener!

The order came within 2 weeks and the plants looked healthy (small plants in small pots). All the plants were rootbound. They have been in the ground for a week and look healthy.

As a cranky old bat, I really appreciate companies that connect me with a human being who knows what she or he is talking about and who manages to be nice to me. The two experiences I've had with High Country Gardens have both engaged telephone salespeople who were knowledgeable and who acted like they cared whether the plants ordered made me happy.

As others have noticed, the tiny size of the new arrivals can be a little startling, considering what you pay for the things. But without fail all the plants I purchased, including a couple of salvias a bit exotic for my climate zone, settled in and took ahold with elan. I was delighted with all the plants I bought, and in a couple of cases couldn't believe they would actually grow in lovely uptown Phoenix, Arizona.

One word to the wise: If you live in the Sonoran desert, what with climate change and the current long-term drought, you might want to upgrade your climate zone from 9 to 10.

I have purchased from this company for several years and have always been happy with them. It is true that often plants at a local nursery are larger when you first purchase them, but I have found that over time, I have always preferred the ones from HCG. When plants have died, it is so nice getting replacements sent (I have never asked for a refund) and having them go right out. Their pre-planned gardens are wonderful as I am NO gardener and that makes it much easier for "my kind". I recommend them to everyone who asks and have even planted some of their plants at my workplace.

Every time I have ordered from High Country Gardens I have had nothing but fantasitc results. Not only are the staff very knowledgable but their plants, grasses, and bulbs are of the highest quality. I recommend this company to all of my friends and to anyone who wishes to have beautiful xeric landscaping.

I am really impressed with the beautiful color catalog. I especially like the keys that specify plants that are deer and bunny resistant as well as xeric. I am a lazy gardener and truly expect my work to be done after planting. High Country Garden plants are small when they arrive, but by the end of the season, they are flourishing!!!! I'm always expecially busy in the spring, so, this year, I thought I would place a fall order and get a jump on spring.

I purchased plants twice last fall from HCG and was thrilled with the results I had. They were the healthiest and best-packed plants I have received from mail-order sources. I have just placed my first order for this fall season and am anticipating another great experience. I refer all my friends to their website.

We ordered four perennials for fall planting. The plants arrived very quickly and in excellent condition! We will continue to order from High Country Gardens.

Always a beautiful catalog and web site. I continue to purchase xeric plants here.

Ordred a Provence Lavender from them last year and was surprised by how small it was. But, once rooted, this plant quickly became the best in my garden....HIGHLY recommend HGC.

BTW: There's a reason why they don't ship on demand and it's clearly spelled out on their website. I personally prefer quality plants that are READY as opposed to immediate service.

I was somewhat leery when the pathetic little pots arrived with my plants. Somehow I thought when I paid nearly $6, the plants/pots would be bigger. My mistake though.

The results have been AMAZING. Those 'pathetic little pots' contained the start of great growing plants that have outstripped all my locally purchased big plants.

I had one broken plant upon arrival and they quickly shipped a healthy one.

I am already preparing my fall order.

I have dealt with High Country Gardens many times over the past few years. All transactions have been handled well without any problems. Plants have always arrived in good condition. I have had only a couple of plants die in all this time and it was mainly my challenging growing conditions: clay soil plus dry shade. Little grows there. Last year I had to leave a shipment of many dozen plants in my garage for more than a month before I got around to planting them. They all survived! Their pre-planned gardens are fantastic. The plants all were vigorous growers. I can recomend High Country Gradens to anyone who needs good plants.

I am new to the High Desert and have been trying to landscape my yard with plants other than the weeds. It seems that only the 'xeric' plants I purchased from High Country Gardens are still alive and well. All the other plants purchased from other gardeners, even tho' labeled zone 8-10, could not survive the hot-dry-hot-hot summer. I now know to purchase only from High Desert for quality plants that actually will live & grow & be beautiful. Thank you High Desert for quality plants & quality service.

I've received my first order from High Country Gardens and I'm very impressed with their products and service. The plants were shipped promptly and packed well. In addition, their website is very informative and user-friendly. I will definitely order again and recommend them to others.

I ordered the Full Sun garden package as well as some various other plants. I have been extremely impressed with the quality of the plants and roots as well as the care taken with packaging. I had two plants that weren't doing well after the first week and your customer service was more than accomodating and polite. Thank you for the great plants and wonderful service. Sincerely, Gail