Comments regarding High Country Gardens

I am doing a relandscaping project - and chose almost all of my plants based on the descriptions and pictures provided by the catalog. Stage 1 of the project went in last November -and I have a beautiful and strong exhibit of hardy perennials this spring and summer. The plants were all in great condition upon arrival - and have outperformed anything I have ever planted in my yard. I have ordered Stage 2 for this fall's planting - and will report back. I am very happy with the services and plant quality of this provider.

I was told my plants were mailed on the 26th of June, Monday and I received them today, June 29th. They were packed exceptionally well and appear to be healthy plants. I would recommend High Country Gardens to friends. Joy B - Michigan

I received a number of plants from HCG this spring. Almost all of them were so potbound that I removed one of the Echinacea from the pot, took a picture of it and sent it to HCG with a complaint. The reply I got was rather condescending, telling me that what I was seeing was just a well-developed root system, as if most experienced gardeners don't know the difference. I had to do real violence to those roots to free them up a little before planting them, and, while they have survived, they have been slow to take off (unlike the fantastically vigorous poppies I got from them in the fall). And, no, this is not just because I am gardening in the east in clay soil; similar plants from other sources are doing just fine.

I bought three perennials and one shrub rose from HCG last year, and have great results. They came healthy and well rooted, and transplanted well into my garden. All are thriving this year! The rose has added two feet to its original size, and keeps growing. All of the perennials are huge, and are preparing to flower. I will definitely be a repeat customer

I received a Darlows Enigma and a Theresa Bugnet today. Both were in great shape and well packaged. I was impressed. Much large in size than the Roses I received from Heirloom Roses. I will certainly use High Country again.

These are great little hardy plants. I have ordered twice from High Country and am very pleased. Very nice to deal with as well. That is SO important to us gardeners.

On 5/5/06 I ordered 6 hardy orange gazania and 4 callilrhoe involucrata. All arrived in good condition and are thriving.

This is my favorite online source for plants. The plants are exceptionally healthy and always very, very well packed. Not to mention (though I AM mentioning it, aren't I?) the great selection of plants that can tolerate the harsh weather conditions here in the dry West, with our extremes of quite cold (-15) to very hot (100+)--that's asking a lot of a plant, and HCG offers an excellent selection of plants that are not only hardy but beautiful.

The company's customer service is excellent--they always respond in a quick and friendly manner to my e-mail questions and are friendly and helpful on the phone.

This is my fourth year ordering from them and I plan to continue into the future. I always look forward to their catalogs and their Website is excellent (expecially the "plant finder").

Highly recommended!

I placed my first order with HCG last fall. I ordered the "Inferno Strip Pre-planned Garden". The plants arrived right on time and were packaged well. Subsequently this spring everything came up and is growing beautifully, except for the English Lavender. I finally decided they were just dead, so I e-mailed HCG about this. Their reply was that it was past the deadline for replacements or refunds but they would send me all new English Lavender plants anyway. They did just that and I recieved them today in great shape! My experience with HCG has been great and I plan on ordering more from them soon. I really love the fact that they have these pre-planned gardens and have lots of xeric plants which is what I need for my area.

I cannot say enough good things about this company and their products. The selection of plants is excellent, as is their mail-order customer service. I have purchased plants from this company for one year and have always received my orders within the time frame stated and in excellent condition. When I have encountered problems, customer service has always been helpful in remedying the issue (i.e., replacement of plants). Another positive aspect of this company is the customer service staffs' knowledge of the plant materials (most seem to be expert gardeners). Friendly staff, healthy plants, excellent company!

It does no good to have a space on the on-line order form for comments about the order when the comments are ignored. I asked that my order be shipped immediately instead of waiting so that it would arrive for weekend planting, as I had weekend committments and wanted to get the plants in the ground. There was no indication from HCG that they ever even read the request. I finally called them and was told by a very rude "Customer Service" rep that it was not possible to ship earlier unless I paid for 2nd day air. I don't believe that shipping charges should be used as extra profit margin. Good customer service involves assisting the customer, not just sticking to rigid rules with no explanation. After this hassle, the plants finally arrived extremely small. It's my first and last order from HCG, and I will tell all my gardening friends, as well as the staff at my garden shop about my poor service.

I have just placed my second order with HCG. Last year I built and began to fill in a landscape bed in an area where deer abound. Altho my first shipment was left in full sun by the delivery folk all plants revived, survived and thrived. Every deer resistant plant really WAS!! In fact, the deer stood in my plants to feed on the roses I have in pots on the patio but never touched any of my HCG plants. I decided to add to the beds this year and I had a hard time keeping from buying more than what I could fit into my area.
The catalogue is organized and informative. It helped me locate the types of plants I wanted in my yard: deer resistant, attractive to hummingbirds and butterflys, longblooming and xeric for the areas I wanted to keep for the low water needs. My area is snow in winter, hot and dry in summer and all plants are doing great! Thanks HCG...I will continue to order from you in future seasons. I really appreciate what you do and how you do it.

I have nothing but a rave review for High Country Gardens. Plants shipped across the US, grown in the SW, have done beautifully in my 'strip garden', survived our Western NY winters and come up even more beautiful the next spring. I am also impressed with the perfect condition in which the plants arrive - amazing, knowing how far we are from NM. I have recommended High Country Garden to many friends, and their experience has been equally satisfactory. One comment: "not only have the plants done well in my 'berm;, but I learn so much just reading the catalogue'.
Thank you, HCG, for providing such wonderful, DIFFERENT plants for our NE gardens.
Shirley Warren

This was our first order from HCG and we were looking forward to our experience. What a dissapointment! We had friends and neighbors scheduled to come over and enjoy a day with us planting trees and our two "Inferno" gardens. We had read that plants were shipped in time for weekend planting, that was not true. After calling HCG on the Thursday before our planned planting weekend, we were told that our plants had not shipped yet. We were told that they ship to far away places(like New York) before shipping to areas that were closer to Santa Fe. We had ordered early(six weeks) as suggested in the catalog in order to assure our planting week. The plants didn"t arrive until late Monday afternoon and when we opened the box's we found plants that had been smashed down and many were broken. (The shipping containers were just fine, this was obviously done by the packers). The "premium" plants were little more than the worst small pieces of #*$% that I have ever seen. They were dry and many of them were broken by placing too many plants in the box. After calling and talking to customer service we were told that they would pick up the plants if we wanted them to. We will plant these and see how many survive and then we will let you know about their replacement guarantee. I have another order that is supposed to ship the week of May 29, however I will call and cancel that order and will never buy from High Country Gardens again. I will also make it a point to tell the people at our local Botanical Society about our experience and pass this on to our local Master Gardeners program at the CSU extension service here in Montrose, Co. .We spent over $200.00 for this junk plus shipping and my next order was for over $200.00 as well. Thanks for nothing HCG!!!

Adrian C. Appelhans/M.J.Durall
Montrose, Co.

High Country Gardens has been one of my "regular" mailorder nurseries for about 3 years now. Their prices (especially in multiple quantities) are reasonable, the plants come healthy and with good root systems, and the packing is excellent without being "overkill". The only thing I've ever received from High Country that didn't survive my zone 7 winter was a Penstemon that was "marginal" to my conditions anyhow (but was it ever gorgeous all during its single summer of life in my garden!).

Great ordering/response system and overall great quality. A nursery to rely on!!

I have been trying to find information to learn from for 4 years.
High Country Gardens catalog and web site is very
educational, informative & applicable for any person in this
type of situation. The pictures are well taken and allow you
to see the plant properly at maturity, so you can gear how
your plants are doing.
The service is excellent. The mailing prompt. And the plants were the healthiest mail order plants I have ever seen & received. It is a pure joy to be a customer. And I thank God for David Salman and his staff. Martha Moss

I ordered several agastaches and ornamental grasses. All plants came in excellent packaging. The plants looked healthy upon arrival and are all now thriving in the ground. Look forward to ordering more great plants in the future!

I just got my first order from HCG, yesterday. Three plants looked healthy. The Apache Plume however looked a bit dried out. Superb packaging, timely order. I liked the planting guide. Outstanding catalogue. I also ordered a Liatris p., Blue Glow Globe Thistle, and Purple Prairie Clover. I was not happy with the root systems however, of these three. Very small amount of roots. I have planted these three, and will keep steady watch over them. If they make it, I will be shocked. I decided to keep the Apache Plume on the porch until tomorrow....before placing it in the hot sun, in a permanent location. Luckily we will have a slight cool spell for a few days, which should help. I hope these plants make it...they will be a great addition to my garden. I appreciate the hard to find varieties, this company offers. The pictures, and info on the catalogue are extremely well done.

I have been pleased with my orders from HCG in the past, but this springs order made me very happy.
My order from last fall did O.K. and I only lost one plant over the winter. The plants I had recieved last fall were on the tiny side, but I e-mailed HCG about the lost plant and I recieved a freindly reply and a replacement.
The plants I just recieved are much bigger and healthier than those of last fall. Good costumer service. Packaging very nice!

We just bought a new home close to the Great Salt Lake Desert. I have a south wall that is constantly being bombarded by wind. I have bought plants from HCG for 2 years and have been very pleased. The plants are shipped for specific dates. FedEx notifies me 2-3 days before the plants are to arrive at my door and the plants are in containers and gently laid in boxes with packing so no damage comes to the plants. When planted they grow with vigor and beauty. HCG carries plant cultivars that are unique and rare. I am totally satisfied with this company. I have dealt with other catalogue companies that did not take such pains with their plants so I know this is a winning nursery.

I've been ordering from HCG for several years now. They have the absolute best plants for my area, bar none. Even the local garden shops don't have their selection or quality. The one time I had a problem with an order, they replaced the plants with no question. The only disappointment I've had was with some flowering shrubs. The plants were very small and just never thrived, so I won't order those again.

I have been ordering from them for about five years and have always been pleased with my order. They have plants that you don't find anywhere else.

Replacement guarantee for damaged plant (only one time of many orders) is excellent. Plant quality is terrific. The soapwort is particularly terrific at my altitiude - it is a prolific re=seeder and sorry to say I probably won't have to ever buy another soapwort. which opens the door to many other plants.

I have ordered from High Country Gardens now for 8 years. My entire garden of waterwise plants have come from them and I have found them to be superb plants, the best packing ever for shipment and their customer service people the most informed and friendly I've ever encountered. This is the best mail order company I've ever dealt with.

My neighbor and I combined to make a small first (from this company) order. It arrived is very good condition. Nary a loose speck of soil in the box. All plants look healthy, their root systems are very well developed. I like the manner in which High Country Gardens keeps you up-to-date throughout the ordering to delivery process.

I have placed about a dozen order with HCG over the past five years. Every order has been filled and shipped with satisfaction. The one exception where a few tender plants apparently died of heat exposure during shipping were immediately replaced with apologies from HGC, though they clearly were not at fault.

Using mailorder firms like HCG is not the most cost effective way to garden. However, if you want the best cultivars available, grown to high standards, then you can't beat HGC.
If you can find the same cultivars they sell at your local nursery in one gallon containers, then use your local nursery.

I'm certain to place more orders with HGC in the future, and I'm anxiously awaiting the latest one!

I have ordered 3 times from High Country Garden. I like their website very much. Have not found another that I like more for xeric plants. I can find specific plants and their price is not too bad.

My order arrived very nicely packaged. I was impressed with the size and vigor of the plants. The order also included a terrific plant catalog. What most impressed me was the customer service. I called because it took close to two weeks to receive my order from the time I placed it. I was told to call back if I didn't get my order by Saturday. Didn't have to call back, because the company called to make sure I received the plants! very impressive.

I ordered from High Country Gardens the first time this spring. The plants arrievd on time and in decent shape. They are on the small side, but the roots look good. Hopefully they will do well. A great place to find Agastache and other hummingbird plants.

Last year I ordered the same plant from this company and another one. The one I ordered with High Country Garden came in very good condition. When I got the same one from the other company the plant was dried up and dead. I just ordered plants from them again this year and I'll never order from any other place again.

I ordered three Russian sage filigran plants. They came in the time promised. They were well packed. And best of all they were already growing --about 6" high. Also, they were very reasonably priced. Much less than most other companies.
I was so impressed with the service from this company that I immediately placed an order for two varieties of ornamental grass.
Keep up the good work High Country.

Wow - this is a terrific resource! I've ordered quite a few times: the products were delivered quickly, securely and in great shape. (They're in the southwest, and I'm in the northeast, by the way, and they were shipped FedEx.) These are the best quality plants I've ever got via mailorder - and I'm comparing many hundreds of plants over many years from all the major companies. I give this company the highest recommendation, above all others. I will order my plants from this company if they offer the variety over any other company, every time.

Ordering on the web was really quick and easy. They sent the plants out exactly like they said they would. I received them before the weekend and they were all in excellent condition and packaged very carefully. I did have one (out of at least 18 that I ordered) that didn't make it after I planted it, and they are sending me a replacement.

I am very pleased with High Country Gardens and look forward to ordering more plants. They have wonderful selections that you just don't find in the local nurserys!!

I've always been extremely pleased with their catalogues, online ease, and their plants. I especially like knowing deer resistance and drought tolerance as I live in the Zone 4 mts. west of Denver. Their plants arrived packed the best of any I've ever ordered through the mail!

Nearing the end of the 90 warranty, I contacted them about some grasses I had planted in Oct and weren't showing signs of life. They immediately emailed me that the warranty was extended to May 1. Thirteen new plants from them are in the ground and thirteen more on order. I am very pleased with their service.

When we moved to this area which is hot and dry most of the year, but with cold winters, I was stumped as to what would grow besides cheat grass and tumbleweeds. High Country Gardens has become my bible. I have ordered many times from them and have been very happy with everything I have received. I have just ordered some cactus and succulents and their clear, complete descriptions made my selections easier. I have recommended them to many other people, including one lady who was at the local nursery asking questions of an "expert" yesterday. We get many compliments on our yard, and tell everyone "We owe it all to High Country Gardens." Emma Lou Nielsen

Ordered 2 Blue Spires Russian Sage and one Silver Buffalo Berry bush. Came exactly when they said it would. Plants are very small but in good condition. My baby got a hold of one Russian Sage, completely pulling it out of the pot, banging it on the ground shaking most of the dirt off the roots. I replaced the dirt and watered...you can't even tell the plant had any trauma.

Rec'd my order a few days ago at appropriate time. Plants are small, but the prices aren't too bad. Two plants were rec'd broken, but I should be able to root the broken tops, so I am not going to complain.

I just received my first order from HCG, and it's very impressive. I ordered 3 gardens - 80 plants - and every one of them was alive, healthy, with a good, strong root system. I have ordered from other mail-order suppliers, and HCG beats all of them hands down. Now lets see how they do in my garden...!