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

I ordered seeds and some seed starting domes from Park. The seeds came right away, no domes. Please note, it did not state at the time of ordering that the domes were out of stock. I never received a message telling me they were out of stock and when they would be shipping. I emailed them 3 times, as per their " email us with any questions". No response. I tried calling several times, never able to contact a human. The longest I spent on hold (and then hung up because no one had yet answered) was 9 minutes 28 seconds. I tried calling at different times of day to no avail. My domes showed up 4 weeks after the original order and then THAT day (Feb 14, 2017) I receive an email stating "Your order shipped 2/8/2017". That is all totally unacceptable customer service. I will NEVER order from this company again. I will update this review when I see how the seeds work out.

"On Feb 20, 2017 10:13 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. Please accept our apology. Customer Service is important and we always appreciate the opportunity to address any dissatisfaction with our products and services. Unfortunately at times items can become back ordered and unfortunately we do not have a automated program that will notify our customers of the back order. I am so sorry, unfortunately during the peak season our emails can fall behind due to the volume received daily and due to the call volume in our call center our hold times can be long. We do our very best to respond as soon as possible. Again we are so sorry for the inconvenience caused, please accept our apology.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I'm a bit flummoxed by all the negative reviews I've been reading about this company. So much so, that while I hate signing up for anything, I had to sign up here to post a review.

I've been ordering vegetable and flower seeds from Park Seed for the last 5 years, placing orders several times within each year. I've found that while they carry many of the common varieties, they also carry some that I have found harder to get elsewhere - case in point, Cobra French Beans and Caraflex Cabbage (before this became popular).

In all instances, the orders have been filled promptly and have arrived in excellent condition. I like the foil-lined seed packets, which seem to keep the seed fresher. Germination rates have been very good, typically greater than 90%, on everything I've ordered.

If I had anything negative to say, it would be that they, like all companies, inundate me with emails. Rather than understand that I would appreciate a email a month, emails typically show up at least daily - I wish companies would realize that this shows some disrespect for their customers and their customers' time.

In October of last year I placed an order with Park Seed and most of the seeds that I received had a sticker that said "packed for 2015."

Just a few months later I got a 0-10% germination rate from almost all seeds in my order, several varieties. It's clear to me that they sold me old seeds that were past their prime. To sell 2015 seeds in October 2015 is very deceptive, especially because they are not labelled as such on the site. Even at garden stores they give seeds away that late in the year, but instead Park Seeds sold them to me representing that they were good, when in fact more than half of my order did not germinate after a few months because the seeds were old.

I assumed this was a mistake and was prepared to order from Park Seed again. I wrote to them a few days ago to see if I placed an order now if the seeds would be 'packed for 2016' or 'packed for 2017.' They told me I didn't have to worry about it because the seeds no longer have dates on them. This indicates to me that Park Seed are well aware of this issue but are trying to hide the fact from consumers that they sell seeds that are near the end of their shelf life.

It appears that it's common practice for Park Seed to sell old seeds and now they are just trying to cover up that fact by not putting a date on the packaging, which every single reputable seed company does. I'm disappointed and feel ripped off.

"On Oct 31, 2016 2:48 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

Currently, our seeds are not dated. However, they are tested in our seed lab and we guarantee at least 80% germination. When a seed's germination level becomes low or a seed is exhausted, we do replenish the stock at that time. Because we re-stock regularly, the seed you order could be several days or months old. Generally speaking, our seeds are fresh and replaced each year. Our seeds should be good for at least 1-2 years; even longer if our customers refrigerate them in an air tight container. We do store our seeds under ideal conditions; therefore, regardless of the time of order, the seeds purchased should perform well for you. Also, when we were date stamping the packets, all new empty packets are stamped early in the year, however we replenish seeds several times a year. We apologize for any inconvenience caused or any confusion caused by the date stamp on the 2015 seeds packets.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Posted on October 2, 2016, updated October 7, 2016
I have probably ordered $75+ worth of products from these guys over the year, and I can say for sure that their products are the bare minimum. The first thing I bought was one packet of Gay Butterfly Weed and two Orange Milkweed. I never saw one sprout from the Gay, and only one, measly orange milkweed ever grew. I eventually dug it out and threw it away, since I had bought other Orange Milkweed from a local nursery - three that looked much healthier and I even collected from its seed pods (so I’ll never have to buy orange milkweed again!).

There were a few things in the middle. I had attempted to grow the next seeds inside, following the instructions properly and giving good care to them under a UV light. While other seeds were strong (seeds from other sellers, of course), the ones from Park Seed struggled and eventually died. I even bought some of the Jiffy Pots from them, which I ended up hating… a lot. It created a moldy environment and had no way to allow ventilation - allowing the seeds to be suffocating and the mold to thrive.

Then Mother’s Day was around the corner. My mom wished for live plants, and their “Burgundy Iceberg™ Floribunda Rose “ seemed perfect - and it was on sale for Mother’s Day! I bought a bareroot, and Mother’s Day came around… no roses. My mom was a bit sad I didn’t get her a gift, and was surprised to find the roses I had ordered about two weeks ago were arriving… that Wednesday. Once I finally got it, I told my mom “it looks ugly now, but wait for it to bloom!” And we waited. And waited. Leaves formed, but they blew weakly in the wind. I cut them back, and watered it all summer in hopes it would grow. Nope. Not a single leaf ever grew back, even though I put it in nice soil with mulch surrounding it.

I decided to Live Chat with Park Seed, but was told that it had a “90-day policy”. A bareroot only had a 90-day policy. I understand that policy for live plants, but even then there are a lot of sellers who have a YEAR policy for live plants AND bareroots. Many plants will take a month to grow their leaves back, and another to grow their flowers in their barefoot form.

Now, they were having a good sale on my favirote fertilizer about a month ago. Nature Source is a good, natural fertilizer with no weird stuff in it - very good if you have a wildlife-focused garden or you have pets who go through the garden. This product was alright, but no there were no warnings saying to water it down. Me forgetting that most fertilizers need to be watered down used it anyway… and killed about $30 worth of seed. You know what the real sting of all of this is? Most the people I had bought the other seed from understood my mistake, and gave me new seed for free - because they’re real people who understand that people can make mistakes. But… I had decided to buy two seed packets since they were only a dollar at Park Seed. They sadly died too. I emailed them 48 hours ago, and have I gotten a response? Nah. They’re not in a rush, they’re probably going to wait until my 90 day return policy is up to reply.

As a final note, I’d like to mention that ALL of my boxes from Park Seed have been damaged somehow. I have never gotten a damaged box from anyone until I bought from Park Seed. I’m never buying from Park Seed - and if I do, it’ll be because I love Nature Source.

"On Oct 3, 2016 11:03 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me with your name, address, and order numbers so that I may help you with this situation. We at Park Seed would like to make your experience better. I would like to review your account so that I may bring a better resolution to your issue.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I have been buying my seeds from Park Seed for many years with great success so this growing season I decided to buy several different live plants from Park that were unique and not seen locally where I buy from. I was very excited to receive my plants and expected top quality but I was completely disappointed. I made several different purchases and the timing of the delivery time was poor as my account kept saying they were being shipped. When I received my plants the size and quality were terrible! I had ordered three six packs of San Francisco Begonias that were barely alive. They were root bound beyond anything I have ever seen and brown leaves and dried up. The roots were not a healthy color at all. I have been able to nurse a few to live and after two months they are just looking like starter plants. I bought several Ice plants that came root bound...dried up...horrible looking. Most have died. I purchased several other Ice Plants from another supplier and could not believe the beautiful large healthy plants that were packaged so nicely when I received them I was embarrassed I had to plant them next to the ones from Park...and they were much cheaper. I also bought the Cheyenne Spirit Cone flower from Park and they should have come in a casket! They look like my dog chewed on them or a child dug them out with a spoon. They were hacked. I was so disappointed in every plant in that pack. I also ordered Bacopa...the plants were maybe an inch or two of a cutting that was fried up. For the amount of money I paid I expected top quality plants. I sent a lengthy email to the company on 6/10/16 and never received a response from them. Very disappointed in the customer service. I would never purchase a " so called" live plant from Park Seed ever again.

"On Jul 29, 2016 3:17 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me with your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation. We at Park Seed would like to make your experience better. I would like to review your account so that I may bring a better resolution to your issue.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I bought 2 50-seed packets of celosia, but had only a 48% germination rate. . .with all seedlings surviving transplant into my garden Needing 77 celosia plants, I made a 2nd order, buying ONLY an additional 50-seed packet, but had only a 36% germination rate . . with only one seedling surviving after transplant into my garden.
While the company responded the 7th day after my seed guarantee claims, notifying me that the cost of the seed would be refunded, they refused to refund the shipping charge I paid to have the 2nd order of substandard seed sent to me, citing "company policy".
I will no longer do business with them OR their known affiliates. It is not right, just or honest to charge the customer for shipping substandard seed.

"On Jun 24, 2016 12:08 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I placed an order for tomato plants on 4/27/2016 and as of today (5/26/2016) I have not received them. I called their office today and was told the plants could be shipped as late as 6/10/2016. When I placed the order, their website indicated these plants would be shipped beginning 5/16/2016. Today when I checked their website, it shows these plants "now shipping" Why is their customer service department saying one thing and their website saying another? Maybe they don't know what truthful means!

I live in Ohio which has a limited growing season so young plants received in the middle of June, if they survive the summer heat, would not have time to mature and produce many tomatoes by the end of the growing season. With this in mind, I requested that my order be cancelled and my money refunded. The response I received was: "Unfortunately we cannot cancel your order". I asked to speak to a supervisor and after several minutes of stalling, Jessica finally connected me to Chantra who said she was a supervisor but again said she could not cancel my order. She did offer a solution; Refuse the order when it arrives and it will be returned to their vendor. Their vendor will in turn notify them that the order was refused and then they would refund my money...sometime in July or August. I said I did not want to wait 2-3 months to get my money back and asked to speak with her supervisor, Brad. Unfortunately, Brad (and all of the other upper management people) was in a meeting and would have to call me back. I will contact my credit card company to see about getting my money back.

In doing some research on the internet, I discovered that Park's Seed has had a long history of not being dependable when it comes to fulfilling internet orders. And their customer service is horrible!!!

I ordered from them last year and had no problems so based on that, I would say you have a 50/50 shot at getting your plants! Beware!

"On May 26, 2016 3:22 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

Please accept our apology, unfortunately when the orders are sent to the fulfillment center we are unable to make any type of adjustments. The final shipments did begin the week of 5/16/16 and will continue through week of 6/6/16. The 6/10/16 date would be the latest the order would deliver. We realize this is very inconvenient for you the customer and we are so sorry. However, as the Supervisor Chandra stated you can refuse the delivery and we will refund you for the order. The refund will not take 2 months to be given as well. This will take place as soon as the fulfillment center lets us know the package has returned. Your information has been given to the department Manager, Brad and he will give you a call at his earliest convenience.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Posted on May 4, 2016, updated May 5, 2016
I placed an online order and decided to cancel it after 12 days of no response or updated info online (I also called and spoke to a not very nice representative that said "Sometimes it takes a while for order to get processed ". I asked her if I could cancel online, she said yes any time. I went to the website and on the order status page there is nowhere I could find to cancel so I wrote an email to: info@parkseed.com on May 2nd asking them to please cancel my order. Lo and behold the same evening I cancelled they placed a charge on my credit card. I never received an answer to my email. I immediately wrote them again and sent my cancellation email 3 times including all the information. I still have not heard back, but the email works fine since I got notification today that the order shipped. I am very unsatisfied with their customer service and would not recommend this company to anyone. I do not want this order and they forced payment and sent it anyway. What a bad business practice!

"On May 5, 2016 11:01 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me with your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation. We at Jackson and Perkins would like to make your experience better. I would like to review your account so that I may bring a better resolution to your issue.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I have ordered several seed packets from this company both last year and this year and was very satisfied with everything I received. They are one of my go-to companies for flower seeds, and I would recommend them to other gardeners.

Posted on March 31, 2016, updated May 4, 2016
Posted on March 30, 2016, updated March 31, 2016
Posted on October 20, 2015, updated March 30, 2016
Posted on October 17, 2015, updated October 20, 2015
Posted on July 31, 2003, updated October 17, 2015
My Park orders have been 100% seed, so I can't address other areas, but the seed is outstanding. It is very carefully packaged, and the prices are reasonable. I ordered wave and double petunia seeds from Vermont Seed, Harris Seed and Park. The yield from Vermont Seed was zero, from Harris about 80%, which is fine, but Park's was 95% plus. That has been a consistent experience with all kinds of seeds from them. My rule of thumb has become, if I want something a little unusual (new hybrids or new colors colors)and I want them well packaged so the seed lasts several years(paper inside of foil)and I don't want to pay a ridiculous price (Thompson & Morgan), then Parks is it.

"On Oct 17, 2015 3:05 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry I am unable to contact you directly, I do not have any of your information. If your order was placed within the last few weeks, we are currently in our Fall season and this is why our order shipped now. We are happy to know your rose arrive in good condition and you are pleased with the quality. Please feel free to call us for advise for the expected frost spell and planting your rose.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

Ordered four honeyberry plants from them in early spring. It had been a few weeks so I emailed them asking the status. Had a reply back the next day saying my area wasn't ready and it would ship soon. No problem. Plants arrived in great shape about a 1-2 weeks later. Plants were actually bigger than I expected and were packaged well. Prices were great and bought them when they had free shipping sale.

Posted on April 11, 2016, updated April 20, 2016
Posted on April 6, 2016, updated April 11, 2016
Posted on March 30, 2016, updated April 6, 2016
Posted on March 29, 2016, updated March 30, 2016
I purchased a Fire and Ice Hydrangea and a Empress Wu from the company. The plants took a while to arrive, but they were packaged well. The hydrangea was frail and the hosta was small, but it looked healthy. I planted the two and hoped for success. Well, the hydrangea turned out to be a huge disappointment. I was thinking to give it some time and try not to rush to judgement. I called Park Seed and complained about the purchase. I was instructed to use Epsom Salts and I did, but it did not do a bit of good! I called back and requested for a manager to call me and you may have guessed that I did not receive a phone call. I called today and was told I was out of warranty! The warranty is 90 days and that is hogwash because the warranty info was not included with the order. I viewed their website and it is on the guarantee section, however; I spoke to a CSR who told me that the plants could have been replaced the item last year. Ok, Park Seed should have a guarantee longer than three months! The CSR informed me that since I live in the South, the company took the location into consideration. Whatever! Park Seed sends out plants that are so overpriced for what you are getting! I could have pulled some twigs from my yard for free and saved $$$$! Park Seed is a scam and I will never order from them again! They will not replace less quality plants and it is not fair to the consumer. I will purchase my plants from other nurseries! I would have done a lot better with Lowe's, Home Depot and Wal-Mart than Park Seed!! Stay AWAY from Park Seed!

"On Mar 29, 2016 2:00 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

Posted on April 19, 2016, updated April 19, 2016
I ordered the Calibrrachoa assorted mini pak - 6 plants, 2 each of scarlet, tangerine and blue 87827-PK-6a. (order # WEBPS 1930876) The shipment arrived with all the plants jumbled up in the box, but they survived well enough to be planted, although 2 were broken. Some had blooms, some didn't, but after a couple of days, it was obvious that there was a packing error, since there were no blues, but 2 red and 4 tangerine. I emailed and aside from the automatic response, never heard back despite the 48 hour time mentioned in the email. After 3 days, I called and after a long wait, was tole that the relevant department would get back to me, implying that they'd send the missing plants. Five days later- nothing. Called again and spoke to another helpful and sympathetic person who, after talking to her supervisor, said they'd refund me about $5,( waay less than 1/3 the price!). This was not acceptable and so finally they offered to send me another order, but not until May 18, another month. I am very dissatisfied. This is no way to keep a customer

"On Apr 19, 2016 9:47 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. Please accept our apology. Customer Service is important and we always appreciate the opportunity to address any dissatisfaction with our products and services. Annual plants are very tender, and because of this, we do try to avoid extended periods of storage. Therefore, our annual plants are started and grown for each individual hardiness zone. Therefore we only have 3 shipping periods for annual plants. Annuals grown for your zone begun shipping the week of April 4th. The plants grow for the next shipping period which begins the week of April 25th have already sold out, this is why your replacements can not ship until the last shipping period which begins the week of May 16th. We are so sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

First time customer this spring with two orders totaling about $60. The products sent and customer service proved extremely disappointing. Hydrangeas were dead within 4 days of planting. I contacted customer service as instructed via e-mail. They did not respond even though a reply within 48-hours is promised. So, I called the (800) number and was told I would need to supply photos of the dead plants to prove it. Sent that exactly as instructed and was blocked by their spam filters (apparently the system is not equipped to handle attachments). I was also told on the phone that the asparagus ordered wasn't dead enough (roots arrived moldy and didn't produce sprouts after three weeks of ideal weather conditions). They wanted me to call back in another three weeks on these, presumably requiring I go through the send e-mail for no response and/or a bounce until the 90-day guarantee window expires. It boggles my mind that a company charging premium prices would make a customer spend so much time trying to resolve an issue they created with poor product then add insult to injury with required instructions to begin a discussion about resolution that are impossible to comply with. That's not a product guarantee.

"On Apr 13, 2016 4:33 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I ordered 3 six-packs of flowers. I selected the first week of April as the delivery date. I called the company a few weeks before the delivery date and was told over the phone that I would receive the plants on Friday of the first week of April. I sent them an email a week later to confirm the delivery date, and they responded in writing that my order would be shipped the first week in April. So, I scheduled my landscaper to come out on the second week of April to plant everything for me.....and guess what...flowers have not been shipped. Now they tell me that I can expect the flowers on Friday of the 3rd week of April. They will not issue me a refund or allow me cancel my order, even after I forwarded them the email they sent me which confirmed the plants would be shipped the first week of April. I will not buy from this company again.

"On Apr 12, 2016 12:06 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I've been buying seeds and plants from Park for decades with no problems until now.

1. My password quit working. I tried several times to get them to send me a new password and they said they did but they didn't. I finally got a new one by calling.

2. My order history shows only my last order, nothing from the last 20 years.

3. I tried to find my shipping history and couldn't so I initiated a chat. The response was a blank screen.

4. Via phone I found out that my hibiscus (ordered over 2 months ago) were on back order and wouldn't be shipped until next month.

I'm going to find a better company to order from in the future.

"On Mar 25, 2016 11:20 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

Dear Gardening Friend,
I am sorry to learn of your disappointment with our product/service. Please accept our apology. Customer Service is important and we always appreciate the opportunity to address any dissatisfaction with our products and services.
I am so sorry that you failed to receive one of the auto populated passwords when requested, it is unusual that you would not. It is a possibility that it may have went into your spam folder. We apologize that you are no longer able to view your long term order history, in the recent years our website updated and changed and older history is no longer available. I apologize that you were unable to Live Chat with a representative due to a blank screen, I will look into this to see if there is an issue. Unfortunately from time to time we will have plants back ordered due to many different reasons, mostly due to weather change and harvesting the plants. We never want or mean to disappoint any of our customers. We ship thousands of orders each year, and our goal is to offer only the best in both products and service.

I have ordered seeds from this company for several years and have always been very happy with both the seeds and the company service. They have new varieties of plant seeds earlier than most other sources and the prices are very competitive.

Ordered 7 packets of seeds, most on sale, entered a promo code good for "15% off any order" - simple enough. Was charged full price minus 15% percent so $6 more than the sale price. I would have been happy with the sale prices, I was even okay with $6.95 shipping, but to bump the prices to full price and then take off the 15% is so dishonest and smarmy. The promo code should state "off full price" if that is the case. I called to cancel the order and was told I couldn't but that I could send the order back when it arrives. Again, only $6 but beyond dishonest. Lots of great seed companys to choose from, stay far, far away from this one.

"On Mar 8, 2016 1:08 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I have to agree with those who have had poor experiences with Park. I sent a question to them via their website email form, regarding some seeds I intended to purchase. I received a reply thanking me for my interest, and letting me know that someone would be contacting me within 48 hours. A couple hours more than 48 later, and still no reply. So i used their website's chat feature to ask my questions.

I was ok with the answers I got about the seeds themselves, but having in mind all the negative reviews posted here, I figured I'd dig a little deeper. I asked if the seeds happened to be on back order. I was told that they can't tell until I actually place an order. That is absolutely ridiculous in 2016, even if it is true. Fortunately, I was told that I could cancel if they are on back order, since my credit card wouldn't be charged until the items shipped. Fine, I guess.

So, I asked about shipping. It would take 7-14 days standard shipping. No problem there. But I was told, as someone mentioned here, that they will ship "at the optimum planting time for your zone." I'm in southeast PA...so they'd ship sometime in...April? May? Whenever they think it's safe? Add a week or two for the actual shipping, and I'd be getting the seeds much later than I needed them.

I asked if I could get them shipped now, in case I wanted to start them indoors early. I was told, "If we ship before the optimum planting time it will null the warranty." I didn't even bother going into how silly that is. At least the person was friendly and polite.

So, yeah. Proceed with extreme caution when ordering from them. They won't be getting my business unless some of these things change.

"On Jan 29, 2016 4:43 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

Please accept our apology, it appears there was some miscommunication via our Live Chat. I would like to address your questions in regards to the back order on seeds and the shipment time of orders. The Angelonia Blue and White seeds in the Serena variety are not back ordered at this time, they are available for ordering and shipping now. The statement you seen "shipped at the optimum planting time for your zone." This is in reference to live plants and bulbs only, seeds and accessories ship within just a few days of ordering. All of our shipping Policies can be reviewed online, just follow the link below. Again we are so sorry for the wrong information given and any inconvenience caused.

http://parkseed.com/shipping-policies/a/6/

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Last spring I ordered seeds for the platycodon variety 'Komachi' (this is the type in which the blooms never fully open and look like little balloons). I had grown them successfully from seed before, but lost them to a drought a few years back. The seeds this year germinated and grew into plants which are now blooming. Unfortunately, none of them are the variety 'Komachi.' but rather are the typical open-bloom platycodon that I can buy at any garden center. I feel I have wasted months of time and effort trying to grow a special variety with nothing much to show for it.

"On Sep 24, 2015 1:43 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

We have reviewed your posting on Dave's Garden Watchdog. We want to resolve the problem but are unable to locate your order with the partial email address provided by the site. Please forward your order number or complete billing address (including zip code), and any other pertinent information to my email address below. I want to help and look forward to hearing from you.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Posted on August 18, 2015, updated September 10, 2015
Posted on August 6, 2015, updated August 18, 2015
Posted on August 6, 2015, updated August 6, 2015
Posted on August 5, 2015, updated August 6, 2015
I ordered $34 worth of seeds from Park Seeds last Monday, July 27th. The very next day, I received a confirmation e-mail that my order has shipped and received a USPS tracking #. I waited patiently for the tracking # to show up on the USPS website. Last Thursday as the USPS website claims the tracking # is not found, I contacted Park Seed customer service and asked them why. They emailed me right away and said their shipments usually do not have tracking #s and confirmed my order was in fact shipped and on its way. It has been 6 business days since my last email and I still HAVE NOT received my shipment.
First they give you a tracking number to make you feel good that your order was shipped (when it is not) and when you inquire about the tracking # not working they claim their shipments do not have tracking #s and assure your shipments have shipped. It has NEVER taken this long for domestic mail to reach me if it was shipped 10 days ago. I get mail from other side of the world within 10 days. They are misleading me and buying time by lying to me. They have no integrity. How am I supposed to trust the quality of their seeds????
I won't order anything from this company ever again! STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"On Aug 5, 2015 12:26 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Sounds like you order shipped via UPSMI, UPS Mail Innovations. Which can take up to ten business days in transit. Tracking information is not available for this shipping method. Your order was shipped via UPS Mail Innovations and will be delivered to you by USPS. However the shipping date shown is the date your order shipped from our facility. We apologize for any confusion or any inconvenience caused.



Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

I really wish I had done some research before ordering from Park Seed. Had I even done just a quick search I would have found review after review of their HORRIBLE customer service. I have NEVER encountered a company that cared so little for their customers as Park Seed.

It was 11pm at night and I wanted to order the "deal of the day" also they were advertising "free shipping" on the home page so I went check out, entered the code and the system would NOT take the code. I had over $39 worth of stuff in my cart and was entering it in correctly. Since it was so late I gave up and decided to try again in the morning. However when trying to order the next day the cost of the flowers I wanted went up and still, the system would NOT accept the coupon code for free shipping. Naturally I contacted your customer service thinking they would do their job and make it right. However all I got was a snotty attitude, snide remarks and an agent who obviously had NO intentions on doing anything to make up for the money I missed out on saving. I was absolutely floored at the way Terri handled my issue, I have NEVER received such horrible customer service, it was so bad I made sure to save the script. I continued on to email the company thinking I may have just gotten a bad CSR.. NOPE!!! that was not the case, the person from info@parkscs.com wasn't any better.

Now on top of the HORRIBLE service Park Seed has processed un-authorized payments on my account. I made my purchase on 6/6 for $41.78 which was taken out of my account immediately. Now on 6/9 I had a charge on my account for $35.88 and a second charge for $5.90. This is NOT OK! This company has processed unauthorized charges on my account. DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM.

***PLEASE READ THE ABOVE INFO BEFORE ORDERING FROM THIS COMPANY***

I will be doing my best to warn others about this company, and will be submitting a BBB complaint. I hope at the very least this info can help warn others so they don't order from this company.

"On Jun 11, 2015 11:43 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

Dear JackiO,

I have reviewed your posting on Dave's Garden Watchdog website as well as your Live Chat session and your email inquires. I would like to help with your situation and bring a resolution to your issue. First, please note that I will be issuing you credit back to your account for the difference in price of the 12 Delosperma Jewel of Desert Topaz plants in the amount of $6.00, we apologize that you were unable to process and submit your order on June the 4th while the Deal of the Day was valid. Second, to explain how your charges appeared, we charge for items as they ship and on 6/7/15 we sent in a pre-authorization for $41.78 and when we made shipment of the 2 packets of seeds on your order we billed only for them at $5.90. Once we processed the plants for shipment we pre-authorization the remaining balance of $35.88 and billed for this amount once the plants shipped. Giving a total of $41.78 that we billed you for. Pre-authorization are roll off accounts once the money due is collected. Customer Service is important and we always appreciate the opportunity to address any dissatisfaction with our products and services. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

"

I've ordered seed in the past and had great luck with it. This year was no different, plants are growing and I am one happy gardener. This was the first year I order a plant, missed that it was a bare root plant, planted it and it's growing now too. Very happy!

"On Aug 6, 2015 12:37 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how pleased you are with your product. Thank you! Your opinion is valued and we, of course, welcome feedback. It's customers like you who act as a reminder of why we do what we do and the importance of supplying only top quality products as well as to offer the best service possible. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Posted on May 11, 2015, updated May 19, 2015
It took six days to get here and when it finally did, the seed packages are short. Instead of 25 Rudbeckia, I received 18. On Calendula, I received 39 instead of 50.

I'm not done counting yet, will have a final tally later.

The quality looks like dollar store seed.

The shipping costs half the order, and they gave me a unusable tracking number.

The seed count is less then what's on the package.

Never again. I order from Fedco, Johnny's, and Baker, and I've never a problem like Parks has given me.

The only good thing is the germination chart they sent, hopefully their seeds will germinate 100% to make up for the rest.

"On May 11, 2015 4:43 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Posted on May 14, 2015, updated May 18, 2015
Order was placed on the web to speed things up? I waited almost a month and never heard back from them. Finally I sent an inquiry by e mail and no response. I called twice and e mailed a few more times. Still not a person knew when the seeds would be shipped or what was going on. Another week went by and two more e mails and they finally got the ball rolling. Ive been given a usps tracking number that so far is no good. I think the shipping # is a sham. On a scale of 1 to 10 in making an effort to make a customer satisfied and do business with them again is a big fat ZERO. This is not the same Park seed I remember from the 1990's. As far as Im concerned for the aggravation they put me thru my order definitely should have been complimentary. It is obvious to me they do not seem to care that they are losing customers faster than they are gaining them. Ill order elsewhere next time. And the thing that really gets me is the seeds were displayed on the website as available for shipment while I was told repeatedly that they were on backorder. Im still trying to figure that one out. Its going onto six weeks for my order to get to me.

"On May 14, 2015 9:05 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me with your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation. I would like to review your account so that I may bring a better resolution to your issue. . During the peak season it can take several days to get a response due to the volume of emails we receive daily. However I will be more than happy to assist with your order, please email me directly at adavenport@parkseed.com.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

I ordered 2 wisteria plants, and a few petunia surfinia. The wisteria came and was packaged horribly and very small. The plants are all broke off and crushed. I emailed them to tell them that I need replacement plants or a refund because the wisteria are destroyed. I still have not heard from them. I haven't received my petunia surfinia yet. I have emailed them to cancel those because I will just go somewhere local and buy them. Don't waste your time with this company. Their plants are very small for what you pay and if there is a problem they don't get back to you.

"On May 11, 2015 4:42 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear the product was damaged. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I ordered several organic seed varieties and a 3 pound bag of organic fertilizer on April 4, 2015. As of this date, May 9, I have not received the fertilizer and had to buy locally. I have emailed and although their automated response says they will reply within 48 hours have received nothing. I have called countless times and chosen either their Billing or Customer Service option only to be left on hold until my cell phone battery dies. I realize the cost of the fertilizer is minimal, but a company as large as Park should care whether their service is complete and professional despite the size. If reviewing on Dave's is the only route to resolving this issue then so be it. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement as I have been a guest at Park (for professional gardeners and landscapers) in the past.

"On May 11, 2015 4:40 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

"

Posted on May 8, 2015, updated May 8, 2015
I placed an order back before the first of the year. Excited as usual when the seed catalogs started to arrive. It is now May 8th and I still have not received my order. After calling several times being told the shipment had been moved to priority I found myself at davesgarden.com looking at complaint after complaint. As I like to pretend to be a good gardener I had thought this company was where the real gardeners went for quality. Their magazines and website are top notch and prices are higher (meaning better quality????). Well obviously this pretend gardener fell for the pretty outer shell of Park Seed. While each person I have talked to has been nice and seemingly helpful (one wonders if its the southern accent that made them seem overly nice) not a one of them came through getting my order to me. So again I ended up at davesgarden.com and found this Angela Davenport's email address with Park Seed. An email was sent and she did respond stating she was not even certain why it had not shipped and that an e-mail had been sent to the shipping departments supervisor asking that my order be shipped ASAP. Again this seems nice and helpful, but lets remember that the three other people I have spoke with stated the same thing. I again just checked the status of my order through their fancy website and it stated anticipated ship date of 5/7/2015.....Today is the 8th and it has not been shipped. I am giving them until Monday and then I will contact my credit card company and file a fraud or complaint to get my money back and go to a local green house and get what I need or close to it anyway. So upsetting and its set my garden back nearly a month now.

"On May 8, 2015 3:34 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am so sorry for the delay in the shipment of your order. I do want to inform you that I have made arrangements with shipping to have your order shipped out Monday morning via Overnight UPS delivery due to the delay you have experienced. I also want to make you aware that The King Fern you had on order is not available due to a quality issue and was canceled. I will be emailing you with an offer. Again please accept our apology,
Angela D.
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com


"

Posted on May 3, 2015, updated May 6, 2015
Posted on April 23, 2014, updated May 3, 2015
Posted on April 4, 2014, updated April 23, 2014
Posted on July 7, 2012, updated April 4, 2014
Posted on May 22, 2012, updated July 7, 2012
Posted on March 5, 2012, updated May 22, 2012
I have to give credit where credit is due. I, too, have had some delays in delivery of seeds and orders of non-plant materials that are not subject to weather, but what I did receive was well packed, arrived safely and was exactly as advertised. When seed packs didn't have good germination rates or other problems occurred, they always refunded promptly and without question. All in all, I give Park's a positive rating. Yes, smaller companies with less overhead and business can react faster, but they get the job done and treat people humanely. If I had any troubles with getting a good outcome when problems occur, then I wouldn't be so generous. But, as long as they continue to do the right thing, I'll continue shopping there. No real harm has been caused by the problems I've encountered and they've gone the extra step to make it right. Thanks Park's!

"On Aug 26, 2014 2:40 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

We have reviewed your posting on Dave's Garden Watchdog website. We want to resolve the problem but are unable to locate your order with the partial email address provided by the site. Please forward your order number or complete billing address (including zip code), and any other pertinent information to assist you. We want to help.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

Simply awful in every respect. The so-called customer service said there's nothing they could do about it when I complained my order never arrived. There was no USPS tracking number generated, no nothing. If fact, the person at the company was somewhat abrasive besides being of no help whatsoever. Never again will I do business with them, nor should you.

BTW, the order did finally arrive after I raised a ruckus. It had not been shipped in the first place and what I got was their first attempt to ship, some two weeks after placing the order.

This company is just miserable.

"On May 2, 2015 11:57 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me with your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation. We at Park Seed would like to make your experience better. I would like to review your account so that I may bring a better resolution to your issue and review what happened with the shipment of your order.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

This Spring I ordered plants from 3 businesses Burpees, Chileplants.com and Park Seed. Everyone delivered plants at the projected times except for Park.. I have called and emailed about this issue several times. I still have not been contacted about when I can expect delivery of the plants that I ordered. The plants were originally to be shipped on 4/3. This was the 1st time that I have ordered from Park and at this rate will be the last time. No one seems to be concerned about this problem. My order number was WEBPS1188604. I am an extremely dissatisfied customer.

"On Apr 28, 2015 2:47 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. I will review your order and email you directly shortly. We are so sorry to that we have disappointed you in the delay of your order being shipped..

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

"

Still waiting for seeds ordered two weeks ago. Says they shipped on 4/9, but now it's the 20th and still have not arrived. This company is a two bit operation that talks out of both sides of their mouth. When asked why the tracking number didn't work, they blamed it on the USPS first, then they said small packages weren't tracked. Why give me a tracking number if it doesn't work? Why do they charge almost $7 for shipping 5 packets of seeds from SC to NJ? And then, after almost 2 weeks, they are not even here yet. Never again will I order from this company and I will be sure to tell everyone I can to never deal with them.

Scott R Smith

"On Apr 21, 2015 11:02 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I recently ordered 4 seed packets from Parks seed and was charge 26.95 for shipping and handling!!!! This is the last straw for this long time gardener. NEVER again. I did contact this company and have been assured that they will get back to me. I am still waiting and am NOT holding my breath. Don't do business with these crooks.

"On Apr 20, 2015 7:59 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I would like to assist in bringing a solution to this issue. Please email me with your name, address, and order number so that I may help you with this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Unfortunately I have to leave a negative review for Park Seed. If my review makes one fellow gardener think twice before ordering through this company it will be worthwhile. I will start by saying I gave the company a chance to make things right prior to posting my experience and there was never any effort made on their part.

Generally I order almost all of my seeds from Baker Creek, but received the Park Seed catalog and thought I would branch out. I ordered $50 of seeds from them in January and received them in a reasonable period of time. This review isn't going to go into the poor germination of those seeds, because what upsets me even more is the lack of appreciation for their customers. Due to an email promotion I received in March for "free shipping" I thought I would take another look and purchased another $20 of seeds. I placed this order on 3/12. I noticed the charge on my credit card on 4/11 and by that time I couldn't remember what I ordered. I called the company and they said the credit card is charged when the seeds ship. They provided me a tracking number to check on the package myself. I explained it was ridiculous the seeds shipped 1 month after ordering. The caller stated "they ship based on your zone and proper planting time". My entire order was for seed packets! Clearly it is now 4/17 and TOO LATE to plant flowers from seed. After the call I checked the tracking and was given a "no such tracking number exists". Contacted the company again. Was told packages under 1 pound cannot be tracked. I was also informed the seeds were on backorder and that is why it took so long to ship. I asked why I wasn't notified of the backorder and was told they currently do not have an automated system for backorder notifications. Really? Do I care? How about a little customer service and someone takes the time to send a quick email to notify their customers when an item is not going to ship because it is on backorder? If one item is on backorder, how about shipping the other seeds that are available and giving me a chance to cancel the others that would not arrive on time? I explained I would be refusing the package and expect a refund. I can only imagine how long it will take to get my $ back.

Bottom line, there are plenty of great seed companies out there who would appreciate my average spending of $300 on seeds each year. There is no reason to risk ordering from Park Seed. I actually came to this site before placing my order to research them and for some reason didn't listen to the warnings. I hope someone listens to mine.

"On Apr 18, 2015 9:23 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am so sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our services. Please accept our apology. I would like to help you with your situation. Customer Service is important and we always appreciate the opportunity to address any dissatisfaction with our products and services. We ship thousands of orders each year, and our goal is to offer only the best in both products and service. Unfortunately, because of this volume, there are instances when it is simply impossible to avoid a mistake or prevent an error from occurring. When that happens, we will make every effort to correct the problem. Our way of assuring that your gardening is successful, is our willingness to make the appropriate adjustment whenever a customer expresses dissatisfaction with any product purchased.

Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation by issuing you a refund for the order.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I ordered two seed packets from Park Seed which took 18 days to leave their warehouse. I emailed their customer service team during this time to ask why my order was taking so long to fill and never received a response. When I received my seeds, I felt that it wasn't a good value for the volume. With so many competent competitors in the marketplace, I will not be ordering from them again.

"On Apr 16, 2015 8:36 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with your product ordered. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

On 4/4/ (Saturday) I ordered two seed packets on line. After filling in the details, address, card # etc. the review page showed an estimated shipping cost of something like $5.00. When I submitted the order the shipping cost suddenly became $24.95!! This for an order weighing not more than one ounce!! I immeadiately tried to cancel the order by using the order number but was given a canned response that it might take up to two days for the order to be registered.
Tried again on 4/5 (Easter Sunday) with same inability to get a response.
Ditto on the morning (Hawaii time) of 4/6. Finally located a phone number on their web site on their shipping page (also difficult to find). This shipping site noted that to ship to Hawaii there would be a surcharge of $20.00--- this apparently was regardless of the nature or weight of the order.
Was able to speak with a Letricia (SP?) who tried to stop the order but found it was already on the truck. I stated I would not pay such an outrageous charge and would dispute the credit card charge. She suggested I refuse shipment when it arrived. I replied that I had other things to do instead of sitting by the mail box.
Later in the day I received and e-mail from Parks proudly announcing my order had been shipped.
How inept for them to use FEDEX to send 2 seed packets when a first class envelope would cost 50 cents.
Seems like they are heading for another bankruptcy and it is well deserved.

"On Apr 7, 2015 2:01 PM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

I am sorry I was unable to contact you directly, I do not have any of your order information. I would like to assist in bringing a solution to your issues. Please email me with your name, address, and order number so that I may refund you for the $20 upcharge on your shipping. I look forward to receiving your email.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

This is more a report about customer service then product quality. I ordered a Garden Sieve and received another product in error. I called Customer Service and she promptly took down the information, shipped me the correct item, telling me to just keep the wrong item rather then shipping it back to them. Now that's good honest customer service. It's what I would expect from a reputable company.

When the plant I ordered (in addition to the bare root strawberries) arrived, the quality was.... wait, there was no quality, the plant was ll but dead! Yellow and rolled leaves, broken stem. It appears from the other reviews that quality is not something in which this companies believes. When I called them to express my discontent, I was greeted with an attitude befitting an adversary, not a customer. I was told I would be given a refund on the plant and a partial refund on the shipping with in 5-7 days. I will report back then are the veracity of their customer service representative.

"On Mar 19, 2015 9:27 AM, Park Seed Company (aka Park's Gardens) responded with:

We are sorry to learn of the condition of your plant upon arrival. Please accept our apology. Customer Service is important and we always appreciate the opportunity to address any dissatisfaction with our products and/or services. We ship thousands of orders each year, and our goal is to offer only the best in both products and service. Unfortunately, because of this volume, there are instances when it is simply impossible to avoid a mistake or prevent an error from occurring. When that happens, we will make every effort to correct the problem. Our way of assuring that your gardening is successful, is our willingness to make the appropriate adjustment whenever a customer expresses dissatisfaction with any product purchased.

We have been operating for many years and are known in the industry for offering only the best products and service possible. Our continued success is due to the many satisfied customers who return year after year. They know that we will honor our promise to them of offering only the best. We hope to be able to include you among our many loyal customers by reconsidering your decision and continuing to look to us for your gardening needs.

If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to email me.

Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

I ordered a few seed packets from these guys, and received the seeds in a respectable time (holiday weekend). So far everything has sprouted nicely and are creating leaves, except for the hardy cactus blend. I've never had much luck with germinating cacti; and it has only been ~2 weeks so far, but I figured I might get lucky with at least one early-ish sprouting cactus. Everything else; however, is going about as expected with 60-90% germination rates.