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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

After reading the negative comments I thought I should post about my positive experience with Park Seed. I have no affiliation with the company other than having ordered from them over the years--but not recently until now.

So many of the old "tried and true" companies have changed, as indicated by the change in style of their catalogs. When I received my latest Park Seed catalog I was pleased to see that it still resembled the catalog I remember from years ago.

I ordered online on February 14 and got an acknowledgment almost immediately by email. There was plenty of info in that email about how to check the status of my order. My order consisted of seeds with the addition of plant marking stakes. I did not oder plants.

On February 17 I got notification that my order had shipped via USPS. One item was not listed and it was explained that I could go to the website to check the status of that item. (In checking it simply says, "Not yet sent").

The order arrived February 19. I am on the West Coast, so I think that is pretty good transit time. I am confident that the backordered item will arrive in due time.

I figured the company should get credit for an order that went right.

Posted on January 16, 2010, updated February 14, 2010
I have ordered seeds from Parks off and on over the last few years and have not had any problems with the orders nor with the products. I like the foil type packets and the directions and I have had good success with germination and the plants that resulted. I have not ordered any plants and probably will not as I like to grow from seed and/or propagate from plants myself and have been doing so for many, many years. I just received their new 2010 catalog which is always very informative, nicely laid out and I like the plants (flowers) being listed in alphabetical order with a heading as to whether they are annuals, perennials or biennials. I also noticed that their prices seem to be lower than other companies, such as Burpees, in many areas. I will be ordering seeds from them again.

Although I realize Park Seed has changed hands, they do have things that are hard to find elsewhere. Because of reviews, however, i did cut my order down to a "test" size. I ordered 5 packages of seeds.
I got my total order in one week. My credit card was not changed until the order was sent, and all the packages were labeled 2010 and were sealed foil, which should be mentioned as they keep seeds much fresher than the traditional paper packs do. I am happy with them and will probably order more from them.

I've ordered from Park seeds for years and haven't had many issues. The biggest one would be that they don't always have things in stock but I have always received them before I'm ready to start them in my greenhouse. The seeds have been well packaged and they carry varieties that I can't find elsewhere. I comparison shop and don't find them a lot higher than some other companies.

First off I can say I am surprised the read such negative comments about Park's.

I have ordered many seeds over the past years and have always been completely satisfied with the speed and quality of the products.

The problem I have with seed companies is the presentation leads people to believe that these companies are seed producers. Nother could be farther from the truth. Most of the seeds I received in the January 2010 were from Japan or various European countires. That shocked me.

I have ordering from Parks for many years, but seeds only. So far, orders have been on time, and good germination rates. They have had some very nice introductions, like the profusion zinias, and a good overall selection and fair prices (I have noticed some increases this year though). I like the foil packets for re-sealing the surpluss seeds. The only complaint I have is that orders often arrive in many seperate shipments and I have to do some more checking.
After reading some of the negative comments, I would like to add that I would not buy bulbs, shrubs, etc. from what should be a seed company, I go to a bulb, tree/shrub, perrenials plants company.

I ordered seeds last year and they came in on time with a planting guide booklet that was good. I had a really nice Garden , they sent me a free bonus packet of banana sweet peppers that grew like crazy I pickled 8 quarts and gave away bags full. I just reordered my spring selection, Parks is my seed company of choice, Grady, Central Florida Gardener

I am surprised with all the negative ratings. I hope they have not had some idiot take over since the spring of 2009. I have ordered from them yearly since 1999 and I have had some pretty good experiences dealing with this company. My orders were recieved in about a week. I will often use the website to pick which seeds I want and then phone-in my order to make sure they have them in-stock. I hate waiting for something and this works great for me. The phone ordering department is great (patient and professional). I phoned in this year's (2009) during March or April, their busy season, but maybe that is why they had the seeds I wanted in stock?
I nearly gave them a neutral rating due to the price. But the seeds that I order for my garden are specialty and I have found their price to be the best (compared to the other companies that carry the some varity) and the seeds germinate well.

Message: 'Hi,
I just want to thank you for another great garden.
All my vegetables were wonderful this year. I order all my seeds from you.
I was very impressed with the Parks Early Thickset Peppers. This was my first try with them and they were wonderful. Applesauce tomatoes are big and great tasting.
Also, all my flowers were beautiful.The Sunny Smile Sunflowers were filled with blooms. My Easter Egg plant is filled with eggs and everyone can't believe it's real.
Thanks for another great year. Look forward to receiving my 2010 catalog.
Thank you for being such a dependable company.
Linda from Virginia'

After reading the reviews here, I almost didn't order, but I'm glad I did. My seeds arrived within two weeks (minus one packet but right after I placed my order they informed me that those would be shipped later). They communicated well with me regarding shipping dates, etc. I counted several seed packets when they arrived: I wasn't shorted any seeds. I went with Park because I couldn't find such selection at low prices anywhere else on the web. When I bought seeds from them when I was a kid, they grew very well, so hopefully the quality is the same. I did buy after the seasonal rush, so maybe that's why they came so quickly. At any rate, I am satisfied with my purchase.

I placed my order for flower and herb seeds on May 17 and received them on May 23. The order was well-packaged and complete. I'm very pleased with this experience.

I was really surprised by all the negative comments, since my orders this season (seeds) were fine. I have ordered seeds from them for quite some time.

In fact, I needed to add two types of seeds to my second order, and my request was handled with no problem by a helpful CSR.

Maybe I was lucky, but honestly, I have no complaints. Hope these negative trends are addressed soon, they've been a good source for me.

I placed an order several weeks ago for various items. The seeds arrived in a timely fashion. The rest of the order was on back order, but nothing that I had to have immediately. The two plants arrived a couple of weeks later. The day I called in my order, they included a free Lord Baltimore hibiscus. I didn't realize what I was getting until I looked it up on the Internet and it is a beautiful plant that should actually live through our cold winters here. (All of my tropicals froze last year.) The Rose of Sharon I ordered arrived in good condition. It is a young, healthy plant with good roots.

When I called in my order, I was helped by an extremely friendly and knowledgeable young lady by the name of Sarah. She went out of her way to accommodate my needs and make suggestions.

I liked the fact that they did not charge my credit card until they shipped the items. There were three different charges. I don't like paying for something weeks or months before I receive it.
With the negative reviews, I was skeptical about ordering from them, but I couldn't be more pleased. Last year I ordered Disco Belle hibiscus seeds from them and they did so well that I wanted to order more this year.

I placed a small order and received them promptly and had nearly 100% germination.

I ordered online and my order was acknowledged right away.
I requested three corkscrew vines and the order was for
plants.

I placed the order on 3/30 and had a shipping confirmation
on 4/07. That's quick enough.

The plants arrived and are absolute beauties. I have had
these before from other sources and these are as good
as the best I have had and better than others.

I will use them again. I have for years, I know they time
orders, and they have in the past even gone ahead and
sent me things sooner than they had planned because I
asked.

I admit I was hesitant to order from this company given all the recent negative comments I read here, but I have used them many times in years past and never had any major issues. I also had a credit to use, so I gave it a shot.

My order consisted of some vegetable and herb seeds and supplies. I placed my order on line on 3/30. A notice there said something to the effect that due to heavy demand, processing time would be 7-10 days. I was notified that one item I wanted was out of stock so I deleted it from my order. Well, I got everything today which was earlier than I expected given that I chose regular shipping.

As an aside, I've never experienced problems with germination. In fact, depending on the variety, I've had success with some Parks seeds that were 7 years old!

I ordered various items from Park Seed in October 2008... I ordered quite a few flower seeds (monarda, shasta daisy, blanket flower, larkspur, snapdragon, foxgloves)... they arrived about 2 weeks later in envelopes with individual directions on each as to recommended sowing instructions. It seems like they have difficulty when something isn't in stock and they are still selling items.

I just recently placed another order for more seeds and still haven't received them yet. I called and talked to someone saying that they expect delivery in mid March... so I'll update everyone as to how that turns out.

All in all I love their website, the variety of what they offer, and the sales they have on a lot of seeds, etc. I realize it is frustrating for people who anticipate their orders being sent right away however.

I placed an order for garden seeds and received them in the mail in a reasonable amount of time (2-weeks). The seeds were packed nicely in a bubble envelope and everything was as ordered.

I have been very satisfied with Park Seed Company. I do love their different varieties that they have for different flowers. the seeds i have recieved do very well.

I ordered 2 Dwarf Black Fig Trees and a Meyer Lemon in the fall that were delivered only three days later. The Meyer Lemon tree arrived with grocery store sized lemons, already on the tree.I highly recommend Park Seed Company for dwarf 1ft Fig Trees and lemon trees. Thanks.

I've occasionally ordered seeds from this company in the past. All germinated very well, aside from one ordered last year that did germinate very well but was most certainly not what the label suggested.

It was supposed to be a bush spaghetti squash so I planted a lot of them but they all ended up being a large vined pumpkin which makes this a tentative positive rating because it does make me a little apprehensive... But everything else I've planted from them has been true to type and I've never had any other problems with this company.

Additionally, I just received a plant order yesterday for three hellebore plants. I wasn't quite sure what to expect since I've never ordered plants from this company, but they were very well packaged, were shipped promptly and arrived in wonderful condition.

While they wouldn't be my first choice for full-priced products, they do have some good offerings and I have gotten some great seeds and plants from them.

They have a great selection on herbs, and I got hooked. Shipping I thought was steep; however, it satisfied the ID because the seeds arrived with a quickness.

Some of the seeds are Back-Ordered, and they were clearly stated on the packing slip.

It was a breeze to order from them online, and when I checked on my order via telephone, customer service was great as well.

I will be ordering from them again.

"

I am happy to hear that you are pleased with your products and service.

We would love to forward your compliments; if you would send us your order information, we can let the appropriate department know that their efforts were recognized and appreciated. Please email me your zip code, last name, and order number.

Thanks again,

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"

Giving Park's a positive overall, because the seeds are always excellent. Nice selection, good germination rate. That said, the plants are not good. I used to have excellent luck ordering live plants from them, and if it's a barerroot plant, I'll still do it, but I'm done ordering live plants from them. For several years, they've looked like they've been thru the wringer, and most of them die. I ordered 3 dwarf phlox from them this year, and one died almost immediately after arrival, and the other two sprouted new shoots about 1/2 an inch tall, then died. One other plant I ordered was DOA, having been wrapped in a plain sheet of paper to keep it from drying out, which obviously didn't work. Long story short, excellent for seeds; dicey at best for plants.

"

I am happy to hear that you enjoyed your seeds so much.

We would love to forward your compliments; if you would send us your order information, we can let the appropriate department know that their efforts were recognized and appreciated. Please email me your zip code, last name, and order number.

Thanks again,

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"

I've ordered seeds from Park's in the past and have always had good luck with them. I can't comment on the live plants, since I have never ordered any from Park's. Judging from most of the recent comments, it seems the problem lies with their handling of live plants versus just ordering seeds. I would probably order seeds of things I can't find anywhere else, and buy live plants locally.

"

I am happy to hear that you enjoyed our products so much.

We would love to forward your compliments; if you would send us your order information, we can let the appropriate department know that their efforts were recognized and appreciated. Please email me your zip code, last name, and order number.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"

I ordered 3 fringe trees. These trees were not easily available to me locally.

The three trees arrived in beautiful shape. They had been packed so carefully that I cut the packing box off of each one to access plants whose roots were still moist.

The foliage was in excellent shape, and the trees were larger than advertised. Instead of getting trees that were 18 inches tall, I got trees that all were at least a good foot taller.

The trees would not have been in any better shape had they been packed and delivered the same day.

Kay

"

We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how pleased your 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 and offering the best service possible. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]"

I odered bean, corn and watermelon seed. Delivery was quick. 1 item was on back order but it arrived 5 days later. I have had good germination with what I ordered so far. Will plant the other item later. If I have a problem I will let you know.

"

Dear Irishkm,

I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed our product so much. We do constant test on all our seeds to keep our germination rates high. 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 and offering the best service possible. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"