Comments regarding Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens)

I ordered some seeds on 7/6, today is 7/13 and the website is showing that they still have not shipped. I called and the representative and she told me that they were closed for a week for the 4th of July and that it was stated on their website. I don’t remember seeing any notice of closure on their site, and it certainly did not let mention delayed shipping on my order. The representative told me the order would ship at the end of this week or maybe next week. I requested to cancel the order and she told me it was impossible because the order was already in process. How can a business expect to run if it takes 2 – 3 weeks to simply ship a few packets of seeds?

Park Seed is in the middle of bankruptcy at the moment and is restucturing. I too have had the wrong items shipped and the wrond plants in the wrong packaging. They have always been reliable but this year not too much.

Posted on September 5, 2009, updated July 5, 2010
Not only am I fed up with the "Oops, that's out of stock and won't come in until growing seasons is half over" garbage, but the products that do show up are lousy as well.

I ordered white cucumbers that are in actuality plain, boring green. They're also covered in cactus-like needles that gave me hives from picking them.

I ordered multi-colored packs of bell peppers that are--you guessed it--green. I've left some on the plant until they started to rot, and still they haven't changed colors.

I ordered rose seeds that didn't even germinate. Every time I called, they told me to "give them some more time". Is four months long enough, boys?

I am so over Parks. There are plenty of companies out there who actually stock the products they advertise, and whose merchandise fulfills its basic description.

I'm shopping from Canada, and have used Park Seed for the last 3 years. The seeds germinate well, the shipping is quick considering the border crossing. Corespondence is good, and any issues I have had have been quickly addressed. I hope they survive their finacial woes so we can continue to do business.

I have been doing business with Park Seed for over twenty years, and I even attended three of their annual open house events. They are my favorite seed company. I can't tell you how much it hurt to hear of their financial difficulties.

But I needed some seeds and so I placed my order. The order was shipped Monday and arrived at my mailbox on Wednesday. Everything was OK, just like normal.

I hope Park recovers. In the meantime, they will continue to get my business.

I ordered at the end of April and my order was processed May 10, 2010. I received only 1 item and all the rest were out of stock. Here's the problem they still haven't refunded my money. When I called (twice) they said that they issue refunds in 30 days. It is now 39 days and they said they processed the check but still haven't mailed it out yet. I told the lady that I don't appreciate them sitting on my money. Again she said it is their policy to issue refunds in 30 days and they operate on a first come first serve basis. I asked to be removed form their mailing list. This is the first and last time I will do business with them. I hate to be this way but 40 days is ridiculous. Plus with their shipping charges I ended up paying $16 to ship a $9 plant. :( The woman was pleasant during the conversation.

I have ordered from Parks and Wayside for years. Yes, the plants were smaller than I could get at local nurseries, but were healthy, and the selection was much more diverse.

My order for annual plants this year was a disappointment. I ordered four different items, and they were to be shipped in early April for my zone. By mid April, I called to check my order. I was informed that none of the items would ship before late May. That was far too late in the growing season here except one item. I canceled everything else. It finally shipped last week. It arrived in good condition, but on the whole my experience was not satisfactory. I had always considered this company to be a regular part of my gardening experience, but now I'm sad that I have lost a company that used to seem like an old friend.

The bedding plants I ordered - impatiens, coleus and angelonia all arrived
looking good. All were properly planted and we had a great rainy spring. Now they look like, well, miserable. Very little growth with a few wispy buds. An
email complaint was answered but offered no remedy and was written
for a novice gardener. Very disappointing and I now have these bare
places in my flower beds. Luckily there are some perennials that need
to be moved. I had not planned to do this till the fall when I can count
on more rain so that means additional watering this summer. I will never
order from them again.

The negative - I ordered 32 packets of seeds from Park this year & had problems with poor germination on 12 of those packets & one packet that was shipped with only 3 seeds in it (there was supposed to be 20)

The positive - I called Park Customer Service & they were friendly & helpful. They shipped out replacement seeds to me but, these took awhile to get to me.

Not sure I'd order from them again since the germination rate was so low & by the time the replacement seeds arrived it was to late to plant them.

Posted on May 27, 2010, updated June 10, 2010
This was my first time ordering any live plants from any mail order company and to be honest I didn't do my research before I started. Upon reading everyone's reviews, a bit "after-the-fact", I became a bit concerned but in the end was very pleased. Park Seed was the only company who had Fragrant Corkscrew Vine plants available so I purchased 2 at the end of April. It took a while for them to arrive. I didn't receive them until the 20th of May, however, I do live in central Minnesota and our frost date isn't until the 15th so actually it was appropriate timing. The plants arrived on time via UPS in excellent condition, no spots or wilting. They were well watered, and contained a fiber-type packing on top of the soil to keep everything in it's little pot. They're slowly taking off, with nice new growth emerging every day in their new home on my balcony.

It's unfortunate this company seems to have a 50/50 satisfaction rating. I guess we all take a gamble in the mail order realm when we can't actually see or touch the product, or have that immediate gratification of walking into a nursery and walking out with a product as we would at our local garden center. For now, I'm very satisfied with my purchase and Park Seed. I'm rolling the dice again and making one more purchase of an Angel Trumpet plant. I'll keep everyone posted.

This is the third year in a row I have ordered from Park. (Just Park not the other "companies" it owns). I have had a smooth experience each year. The seeds germinate well, the shipping is rapid, and the prices are on par and sometimes betterthan elsewhere. Please keep in mind that folks with a negative experience are far more likely to post than those that are satisfied. I can not speak for everyone but I am 100% satisfied with my experience so far. I plan on ordering more product soon and look foward to recieving the catalog come the next cold winter.

This is the third year I have ordered live plants from Park's, and have received very nice, healthy plants each time. This year I ordered fuchsia plants. They were good sized plants that had been pinched back correctly, so were nice and full. The plants were shipped at the correct time.

Park's does a very good job of packing plants. The pots are fixed to the bottom of the box so they cannot move, The dirt in the box is also covered to everything stays intact. I will order plants from them again.

Posted on April 7, 2010, updated May 19, 2010
Posted on April 7, 2010, updated April 7, 2010
Took too long for seeds to come in and I am disappointed with the ones I planted. Too bad for this company!

I ordered a single packet of 'Marbles' pepper seeds. They were shipped out in a timely manner and the seed count was a bit higher than what was listed.

I first ordered seeds in Jan. because they had the poppy seeds I wanted but they turned out to be on backorder so I cancelled the order. Then I found out they only gave credits instead of refunds. That was okay because I needed a Mothers day present for my grandmother so I ordered their Angel's Trumpet collection. I sent them a message a couple days later and told them I was going out of town in a couple of weeks and they shipped my plants that day. All three plants arived in the mail today and they are healthy, and they were a lot bigger than I thought they would be.They were well packaged, too. Overall I am happy with this company even though there were a few rough spots.

Order #: 6045459 - 1 Order Date: 4/21/10

I purchased a Meyer's Lemon Tree and Blueberry bush from Park Seed on April 21st. The Lemon Tree arrived in great condition and is doing very well. However, there was a mistake in the packing and the blueberry plant was forgotten. I sent Park Seed an email and their customer service apologized and another blueberry bush was shipped out. Despite the negative comments, I had a good experience with this company.

Posted on May 1, 2010, updated May 11, 2010
As others have said, don't do business with Park Seed now. This is sad for me to say as I have ordered from them for many years. Because of bankruptcy they are not honoring commitments their customer service department makes. They promised a refund but "converted" it to a credit without telling me. Four calls to customer service, and no satisfaction. They lie and say anything now, the poor operators. I feel sorry for them.

I purchased seeds from Park for the first time in 2009. I received the seeds in spurts, some of them arrived weeks after I started my transplants so I held them to use until this year (2010.)

This year, I ordered seeds during the first week of February. Six weeks later, I called the company numerous times to be told we're holding your order until your carrot seeds come in next week. Next week rolled around and they still weren't in stock. Three weeks later I called and asked them to send out what they had in stock and the carrot seeds later. Several more calls later the carrot seeds shipped out and arrived before my main order.

During this fiasco, I had employees assure me that the seeds would be sent out 'in that days mail.' Three business days later the main batch of seeds shipped. I don't appreciate having no response what-so-ever from the company in regards to the status of my order. I called to inquire and received a run around from their customer service agents.

For the most part, the seeds that I ordered in 2010 have very poor germination rates. Most of them have a germination rate of about 25%. My seeds that I kept from them from 2009 are germinating around 75%. I have three types of flower seeds that I purchased from them that haven't germinated at all and I used an entire packet of seeds for all of them (in the case of the one a packet and a half.)

I am looking for a better online company to purchase the harder to find seeds from. This one won't get my business ever again.

Posted on April 21, 2009, updated April 29, 2010
My experience was EXCELLENT and I would highly recommend Park Seeds to anyone. Their prices are reasonable and the shipping is not as high as many other seed companies. Their seeds are enclosed in foil packs to keep them fresher, which is great if you are getting seeds for spring and fall.

Placed order in the beginning of March for plants which were to be shipped week of April 26th.
April 29th called to check on when I could expect them only to be told they would not be available until mid May as two items were on backorder. Asked if they could ship what was available but was told they do not ship partial orders. Asked if they could cancel backordered items and ship the rest but they could not to do that either. Ended up cancelling this order and a subsequent order. Now I can only hope that they will refund my credit card.

I have previously posted my negative experiences here.
I called the Better Business Bureau and they are looking into it, altho I don't know what if anything will result.
Anyone who wants to join me in a complaint:
//upstatesc.bbb.org/
is the website for BBB - Greenville, SC.

Posted on March 24, 2010, updated April 26, 2010
What has happened to this company - seriously! I have ordered from them in the past and what I ordered I received in good time. This year - holy cow! Like many others, I ordered in January.

Since then, I have spoken with customer service reps twice (once in February, once this month - March), they were both very polite and looked up my order and told me that the seeds were on back order...in January??? I could see later in the planting season but this early? Did they actually have the inventory offered in their catalog one might wonder from all of the negative feedback?

On the same date in January, I also ordered seeds from: Territorial Seeds, Baker Creek, Burpee, Johnny's, as well as Terroir Seeds - every one of these companies delivered with astonishing speed! A couple even included complementary seed packets. Wow...

So, where am I to date? I received the email below last week (indicating that two of the four items I'd ordered were finally shipped) - and still have nothing a week later! This is not good business.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS SHIPMENT MAY NOT INCLUDE ALL ITEMS ORDERED. CHECK OUR WEB SITE UNDER -ORDER STATUS- FOR INFO ON ANY ITEMS NOT INCLUDED IN SHIPMENT.

Order Date: 1/17/10

Date Shipped: 3/19/10

Amount Charged : 6.35

USPS FIRST CLASS REGULAR Package 1
Total number of packages: 1

Items included in this shipment:

1. CAULIFLOWER AMAZING (5730) Qty : 1

2. PEA GREEN ARROW (5237/PKT P1) Qty : 1

Last fall, I ordered 4 rose bushes, received them in a reasonable amount of time. No problem. In the spring, 1 was dead.
I was told I would get store credit for the dead bush. The same shrub wasn't available, so I ordered another, same price. 2 weeks later, it wasn't shipped. I emailed, was told it would go out "any day now" a week later, again - "order under review, would be shipped ASAP". A week later, after a phone call: "We don't ship on Friday, it will go out on Monday" Then - it will be shipped TODAY, with FREE 2 day shipping. Still nothing.
I have only recently learned about their bankruptcy problems. Had they told me, upfront, that I would not be receiving a replacement, I could have dealt with that, and bought, brought home and planted a new rose bush a month ago, instead of waiting around for their lies.
This will be my LAST experience with Park Seed, and I have been buying from them since about 2005.

I was very pleased with my seed order from Park Seed. I placed my order on March 21st., and my order was filled and mailed to me on March 22nd. Germination has been good also. I've been a customer of theirs for years and have always been pleased with their service.

i ordered from them this year and had no issues. The seeds are sprouting very well. i ordered two types of French marigolds and some hardy Hen & Chicks... the H&Cs seeds sprouted within 5 days. I was surprised because i was expecting it to take much longer! The marigolds are showing high germination rates as well.. I am pleased.

I used to order from them years ago and never had any issues. I read (shortly before this recent order) that they are having issues and later that they are reorganising. I sure hope they straighten things out, i have never had any problems with this company and i hope soon (if they fix whatever it is that is going so wrong) everyone will have good experiences with them like i had.

Nothing but a headache--didn't get a confirmation, didn't get a tracking number, my order was lost in their system, and when I got it 8! weeks after ordering, the number of seeds were not what I was expecting. To top it all off, the germination rate on the sugar snap peas was horrible, and these are easy to germinate.

I have ordered seeds from Park for several years now with no problems. I have seen good germination rates and my orders are always filled accurately. The seeds were shipped quickly and well packaged.

Too bad there are so many negative comments, I guess my experience was rare. I've ordered from Park's a few times in the past, and shipping has always been quick and the seeds have grown well. Their prices are a little high for many items so it's not the first place I look. I do like the germination info in the catalog. They carry some seeds that I haven't seen elsewhere (flowers, that is). For veggies I stick with Baker Creek. Since this company apparently has gone bankrupt, they obviously haven't done good business for the most part.

I've only ordered from this company for two years and have had mostly positive results.

The seeds themselves are really fantastic! This year I planted 46 tomato seeds and 44 germinated. Out of the 44 pepper seeds I planted, 42 have germinated. The herb and flower seeds I've planted have also done very well. (Keep in mind also that I am fairly new to this, as it is only the third year I've had a greenhouse.) And the variety of seeds is quite impressive, some of which you just can't get elsewhere.

The only problem with this company appears to be actually getting the seeds to you in a timely manner. Last year they split my order and some seeds didn't get here until a few weeks before planting time. (I ordered in January) They also didn't ship my hot pepper mix until April, much too late to pre-plant in the greenhouse. Of course, I ordered about 20 packets from them last year, so that's not so bad, but it is a bit nerve wracking!

This year they did better, with only two shipments, all before I had to have them. I'm going with a positive for now, and will continue to order from them. (if they don't go bankrupt, as someone mentioned in one of these reviews.)

I would say that they are worth ordering from, but have a backup, just in case.

Weeks ago I ordered a plant light. Over $90.00 total. I called after a more than reasonable time after having not received it or any correspondence and was told that it was out of stock. The person said that she was surprised that I had not received a refund by now. So was I. I waited 3 more weeks, still nothing. This morning I called again. After much double talk and hedgeing I found that they have filed Chapter 11 and I will not be given my money back. I will have to be issued a credit. No ifs, ands or buts! Per the lawyers orders! What choice do I have???? None! BEWARE!! I talked with 2 people, one a supervisor. I ended up feeling really sorry for the people who have to take these calls. They were very curteous and apologetic. I felt that they had been kept in the dark about the bankruptcy but have to deal with the angry people. I was assured that I will get my plant light in time as I don't feel in the mood for $90.00 in seeds or plants right now!! Again, Beware!!

FYI,
Park Seed, along with Jackson & Perkins has filed for bankruptcy.

//www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100406/BUSINESS/304060012/Park-Seed-to-reorganize-under-bankruptcy-protection

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY! I placed an order in January with Jackson and Perkins and they charged my credit card over $200. The items were suppose to ship in 2 weeks but the items never came. 30 days later I contacted customer services and was told the product was not available and they would cancel my order and issue a refund to my credit card. I never received the refund. Today I received an email saying they have filed for Bankruptcy and I would only get merchandise credit which must be used immediately. Since they cannot provide anything I want I have lost $200 by doing busniess with this company.

I received my order and felt as though the product was O.K, however one of my items was VERY DEAD looking. I also placed another order with a different company and received their product almost a week before Parks items.

I also noticed today that Park Seed is filing for Bankruptcy?

//www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100406/BUSINESS/304060012/Park-Seed-to-reorganize-under-bankruptcy-protection

I was very reluctant to order, seeing the feedback here. However, being a long-time customer and wanting some seeds unique to Park and also wanting some of the "sale" seed for my horticulture students, I took the risk and received my complete order within two weeks. The order was not charged until shipped and so far, everything looks as good as ever. Maybe they got their act together. At least I hope so, as they are one of my favorite suppliers.

My order arrived in a timely manner, I placed my order March 7 and received the shipping confirmation March 10. I received my order just a few days later.

I went in on an order with someone last year and was pleased with the results I had with Park Seeds, I was especially pleased with the Small Wonder Spaghetti Squash. With the seeds I have started indoors from my order, germination seems to be very good.

The reason my review is not Positive has to do with the seed counts advertised and the number I received. I ordered 7 varieties of seeds. Two of the 7 did not have the same seed count that the website advertised. The zucchini I ordered shows online that a packet contains 30 seeds. The seed packet says it contains 20 seeds. I have not yet opened it to see the actual count as I'm not ready to plant yet. One of the cucumbers I ordered shows online that a packet is 40 seeds but the packet states (and seems to contain) 30 seeds. The other easily counted seed packets seem to be as stated.

I sent an email to Park's customer service and received a reply stating the Internet Dept has now been notified of the error but a week later the website has not been corrected.

Posted on March 24, 2010, updated April 2, 2010
Posted on March 18, 2010, updated March 24, 2010
Posted on March 11, 2010, updated March 18, 2010
Posted on February 25, 2010, updated March 11, 2010
Oh Parkseed...it makes me sad to leave a negative review. You have beautiful catalogs, nice customer service employees, and good selections, but you do not actually deliver any seeds.

I placed my order on January 31st. All items were listed as in stock and shipping time was said to be 7-10 days. Time passed. It is now Feb 24th and I have no seeds. I e-mailed customer service and they said one item was on backorder and would "hopefully" be shipped next week.

I understand that this is the busy season, but I think you need to put accurate shipping times on your site. Since I notice that you immediately charged my credit card, I think that any item listed in stock at the time I order should immediately be reserved for me. At the very least if there is a delay or the item is backordered you should notify the customer or update the account status on your website. I live in Florida so shipping times are kinda important to me. Seed sellers on e-bay are actually a lot more reliable.

I hate to add to the negative reviews, but I must. Something has clearly happened to this company in the last few months.

In years prior, I've had success with Park Seed, seeds were always sent quickly.

This year I placed an order the last week in January. I called to check on the order after 2 weeks. I was told one packet (onions) was on backorder, but they could send me the packet of Fire Blend peppers right away. Sounds good. A week later, no change in the order status. I call again and the (very nice) customer service person says exactly the same thing. 2 weeks pass. I call again, and am told the onions will be in "next week" but that they will put my peppers on "rush" delivery. I explain how many times I've called. 2 more weeks pass, still no peppers. I call a FOURTH time and am told the exact same thing. I explain to the (still very nice) customer service person that they have told me the peppers would be shipped immediately every time I've called. She promises to have them sent.

A week later (now the middle of march) I call one last time (the 5th time) to cancel the order. I am told they cannot cancel the peppers, because they've already been sent to "the delivery department." She says the only thing I can do is refuse the package when it arrives.

This week I finally received the peppers, and to my shock, the seeds of ALL FOUR TYPES of peppers are bundled into ONE package. How am I supposed to tell the difference between habaneros, jalapenos, cayenne, and anaheim chiles from tiny identical seeds? Seriously?? Do you want me to plant all 100 seeds and then weed them out once they're actually forming fruit? Does that seem insane to anyone else?

UGH!! After all that time waiting. :(

I immediately ordered heirloom seeds from organic growers on Etsy.com and they arrived in 4 days.

I still haven't received my onions and at this point I don't expect to or care.

I was a little hesitant to order from Park reading all the negative comments on this board but went ahead with my purchase from them. My order consisted of about 15 packs of varying types of seeds and about 100 small jiffy pots. Their website tells you up front that your order will be sent out in 7-10 days and 10 days later my package was on my front door here in Austin. The seeds look good as well as the pots. I suppose with most other things that get reviewed online, only the negative experiences get posted most of the time so the overall quality of service gets skewed a bit.
JP

Seeds ordered Jan 27th...five phone calls later, received seeds Mar 19th. poor, poor. As with others, many excuses; even asked to cancel the one seed type they were missing and ship the four others, that request was the last two phone calls which finally got me some seeds. They've lost a customer!