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

I have ordered from Park Seed many times, and each time I received the correct items promptly. I find their website very useful with all the info they put in, especially the little info "quickbox" on the bottom right of almost every item. Thank you!

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I am glad to hear that you are happy with our service. "

This was my first time ordering from Park's. I ordered a Teller's Blue Hydrangea and it was beautiful. I was really surprise that the plant was much bigger than I expected. I have ordered hydrangeas from QVC in the past and they were working with Cottage Farms at the time and I got 4 itsybitsy plants that seemed to take forever to look like the one that Park's sent. Very Pleased

I have ordered from Parks a number of times (online) and have never had any problems receiving my items. I rec'd a gift certificate for Xmas and promptly placed my order: Biodome, seeds, etc - and everything arrived fine. I have also ordered a number of their green plastic trays for my plantlets and all have arrived with no problems.

This is my 3rd year ordering from Parkseed and I'm happy with the plant quality and shipping.

Although this year I had 2 minor problems, First problem: one seed packet was empty, I emailed the company and got quick response that they will mail replacement and it came fast. The second was they forgot one seed packet for my 2nd order, again I emailed the company and got fast response and the seed packet came fast too within a week.

The Double Knockout Rose was a WOW, big and healthy. While a lot of company ship their plants with very little care, Parkseed packaging always good only small dirt come out of pots and the important thing is the plant still in pots and healthy.

The Butterfly bush Adonis blue although it was small but healthy (I found another company sell this with same price and bigger pot 5.5" but hey I'm just glad that my plant arrived healthy).

My order #4635358 and #4576439. Please say thanks to anyone who take care my orders.

My only concern is about the plant and seed prices, sometimes they have very good price but sometimes they charge twice the other company for the same size of plant. I felt increasing prices on this year catalog.

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Thank you for your kind comments. I will pass along your information to the appropriate departments.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
JJohnson@parkseed.com"

I placed an order with Park last fall for the first time and was impressed with the whole experience. One of my plants did not make it thru the winter and I emailed them a replacement request. I received my replacement within days, as a matter of fact, I placed a small order the same night and I received the replacement a day BEFORE the new order. I am extremely satisfied with this company and would not hesitate to order from them again.

This was my first year ordering from park seed and everything went fine. I only ordered seeds and some started onion sets. Everything was shipped when promised and the orders were complete. I would shop here again without hesitation.

Received two Pinky Winky hydrangeas. Vey small (as I expeted as they were cheap) and they are actually alive and were packed well. My first experience with Park and I was nervous but they came through.

I just received 5 peonies today (order ref # 4732533). They were very well packed. Two of them (Coral Charm) were of extremely impressive size. I actually had to pot them up in 2 gallon pots because the roots were too long to fit in a one gallon pot.

The reason this is neutral is I also ordered two Kopper Kettle Itoh hybrids. They were so small they fit in my hand. Neither had roots half as big around as a pencil. In addition one of them had the biggest root broken in half. There was one eye on each tiny little thing. Now these peonies (my birthday present from my mom) were $45. EACH!

I took pictures and will send them to Parks when I get them downloaded. I will change this comment either to positive or negative depending on how they deal with this situation.

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I have located your order and I am in the process of reviewing your information. I would like you to know that I will be contacting you via e-mail shortly. We will make every effort to resolve this issue.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
JJohnson@parkseed.com"

I have ordered seeds and supplies from Park for the past couple of years. I have had no trouble with this company and will order again. If you are considering ordering from this company, PLAN TO ORDER EARLY - by the end of January at the latest. They are a very well-known seed company and get overloaded when spring rolls around. If you order early, you will not have to worry about seeds selling out and you will have a cushion against backorders.

Keep in mind that their varieties are best suited for the south. Their seeds germinated quickly and prolifically for me and produced vigorous plants. When I plant freshly purchased seed from Park, I only put one or two seeds in a cell, expecting very close to 100% germination.

Their packets of dried kelp are a good buy. Each makes a gallon of concentrate that lasts a long time when mixed and sprayed on for foliar feeding. I really like the Kozy Coats for tomatoes and their Sun Grip Gloves.

One last note - their Biodome is very popular and works just fine, but I do not recommend it. It is made of styrofoam, a very environmentally-unfriendly material. Also, the soil sponges Park's recommends using with it are expensive and unnecessary - cell trays can easily be filled with a moistened seed-starting mix. I much prefer the Deep-Root Seed Starting System from Gardener's Supply. It's made of sturdy plastic and is dishwasher safe. Hopefully Gardener's Supply will keep carrying this wonderful item.

just wanted to let everyone know i visited the garden center here in hodges and had a blast. everything looked so beautiful. i could hardly control my spending. the staff there were quit busy with custermers and each one of the staff was more than willing to help me find everything i needed. i cant wait until flower day here (june 23 2007) at parkseed. i would encourage everyone reading this blog to visit there garden center and trial gardens it was a very exciting experience.

We order several large orders a year. Excellent !!

My family used Park Seed to send sixteen packets of seed to my Grandpa, who is an avid gardener. He was delighted to get them within two days! Because of low germination, they'd also sent extra seeds for a seedless hybrid watermelon. He also commented positively on the gold foil seed packets, which made a good impression on him. He's completely pleased with the experience and the family plans on using Park Seed more in the future.

I usually don't order from companies that have anything other than a great rating on GW but I took a chance on Park despite the negative comments because - it was just some seeds. That was all I ordered, no Bio-Dome or other hard goods, or plants, or anything else that people seemed to have problems with, just seeds. And they arrived quick. Packaging was great.

Those that I have started have sprouted and I've already transplanted into larger pots. There was only one type of plant that did not have a good germination rate and when I looked the plant up on other websites to research their care, it was noted that the seeds have a notoriously poor germination rate. So that can't be Park's fault.

So if you need seeds that you haven't found elsewhere, as I did, I would say it's worth it to place the order with Park.

I have ordered from this company twice. Each time I received my order quickly. There were a few problems with the second order. It was processed as 3 separate orders and customer service insisted I placed three orders. But everything except the Park's starts refills arrived quickly. They are supposed to be shipped later. I just love the Sponges and the Starts although the Starts are very tiny. Still my seeds started germinating in two days. I will definitely order from them again. Hopefully they won't get amnesia on my Start's refills.

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I am glad to hear that you enjoyed ordering with us so much! I believe I can explain why your order was separated, our internet site books item all together however our various items ship from different facilities. An order for seeds, perennial plant, and annual items would then need to be broken up into three orders for processing.

I hope this clears up any confusion, and again thank you for your kind words.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com
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I ordered my seeds from Parks this year and have had an excellent germination rate. Their service was prompt including quickly replacing one packet of seeds that was missing from my order. I will definitely order from them again.

I just placed an order for the first time with this company. I was very pleased with the prices, including that of shipping. The site was very user-friendly and I had no complaints.

I was very Happy with Park Seed. I ordered from them twice recently and found that they were quite fast with shipping and helpful advice. I will buy again.

I have purchased seeds, plants and seed starter trays from Park;s for many years. All of my seeds have come with the exact amount or more. This was the only year that I had only half germinate. I contacted them and they replaced them quickly. For a large company I would highly recommend them, they allways respond quickly and ship me exactly what I am expecting. I have ordered seeds from other companies and this is the only one that blooms exactly as pictured.

I've only ordered seeds from Parks on & off for the past 10 years & always a positive experience. I like the heavy foil type packets. I've tried flower, houseplant, vegie, & herb seeds. Very good germination rate. Good selection. No delivery problems. Orders always correct.

I have ordered from Park every year for over 20 years. I am very puzzled by all the bad experiences people are having. I have never had trouble with their seeds, except one year they arrived about a month after everyone else's. Only one year. I order in January, so no big deal. I also order their lovely glads, they have a ruffled peach colored one that is the most beautiful I have seen, even better than the pricey ones from the specialists. I used to order fall bulbs, and they were very high quality, but the price was a little too high, so I get them elsewhere. Not much experience with their plants, but I am clear across the country so prefer to order from local companies. Anyway, I am a very experienced grower, and plant tons of seeds every year, so I know what I am talking about. I like Park, and they have some wonderful things no one else offers. Pictures and specific directions would be nice on the packages, but their foil packs keep the seeds viable if you don't get around to planting them the same year. Plus, it's nice they are reading the comments.

Park Seed is the greatest! My order has arrived yet again in perfect condition, and in a timely fashion. I love the new catalogs and the many new items they now carry. You can't beat their seeds for freshness and high germination rate!
I've been gardening for many years, and have watched this company improve dramatically in the past few years. If you strayed away, you really should come back. They have improved so much! I can't wait to get these babies in the ground!! I expect a bumper crop of Whoppers again this year!

I placed my first-ever plant mail-order this year, for plants. I crossed my fingers, having never ordered plants from a catalog before. The plants arrived earlier than promised and in perfect condition. They were enclosed and well-supported in a large cardboard box. The leaves were green, and two of the plants even had some small blooms. The plants were in 3.5" pots and stood at least 8" tall and about 6" wide; I don't know if this is considered good-sized or not, but we were pleased. They were completely free of pests and disease. They have been in the ground for 2 weeks now and are showing new growth and look GREAT. The prices may be a little higher than at the nursery but the convenience can't be beat especially considering the quality of the product and service I recieved. Job well done! I will be ordering from them again in the fall.

I ordered coleus seeds #4557361 ( love coleus!) about a month ago and started them indoors to transplant later. Of all the coleus seeds I planted, only the Park seed coleus have come up. This is the first time I have ordered from them and will do so again.

This was my first order with Park's and I am satisfied with them. I ordered seeds, Naomi Campbell calla lily, and a blueberry bush. I haven't planted the seeds so I don't know the germination rate, but shipping was fast. The blueberry is small but very healthy. It already has little buds on it. The calla lily is the largest I have ever seen. I plan on ordering again.

I placed a large order for seeds because of their collection. I received all of order extremely quick and neatly package. In addition, on the tomatoes and peppers seeds the germination rate has been great. Althought it is an estimate, I think the germination rate is over 95% on the tomatoes and peppers I have started. .

As I do each spring I placed an order with Park, this year they were far better than in the past. In the past I encountered may backorders, especially of sale items which would be back ordered, than backordered again and so on until I would have to cancel them, but this year everything came in quickly, in great shape, and if expererience is any indication ready to put on a great show this summer.

My husband ordered for the first time from Park. I was reluctant to order from them because of their feedback rating here.

We ordered both seeds and plants (blueberries and raspberries). The seeds arrived in two separate shipments in a timely manner, with bonus seeds included. As I haven't sown them, I don't know how the germination rate will be.

I just received the plants today and was very pleasantly surprised. The blueberries weren't cheap, and they were just beautiful. They were just starting to bud out (appropriate for planting here) and looked extremely healthy. The raspberries are still dormant but look just fine.

Unless I have problems with the seeds or the raspberries don't leaf out, I give my experience a thumbs up!

Jeanne

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

I would love to forward your compliments; if you would send me your order information, I can let the appropriate department know that their efforts were recognized and appreciated.

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

My Passion is gardening, and I find every order with Park Seed to be a pleasant experience. My seeds have all sprouted easily with the help of the Biodome. It's the easiest way I have found to start seeds indoors. My fall plant order arrived in a timely manner and all the plants were great!

I have to say, previous years, things weren't so good, but it seems there's much better quality control and orders are arriving on time! Whatever they are doing now is working!

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I am so happy to hear that your experience with us was great. The Bio-dome is one of our bestselling items, I know you will get years of enjoyment out of it.

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
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I have always used Park Seed products and I would like to Thank you for your outstanding customer services ! It is no wonder to are 139 years old now. Congratulations !
Your seeds, plants, and exceptional services are the best. As a veteran gardener I just want to say keep up the great work. I always look forward to receiving your delightful catalog. Happy planting to all !

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I am so 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.

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

I just recently place my first online order for seeds. I ordered Salvia Flare. I needed about 6-8 seeds to sprout for my garden this year. Therefore I planted 18 a week ago. As of today ALL 18 have sprouted. I am very pleased with the quality of there seeds. I can't wait to plant the Magellan Coral zinnia and Janie Mix marigolds I also ordered from them. I was also pleased, because the shipping cost me less than the gas it would have taken for me to track down these three specific varieties. The seeds were delivered in a timely manner. I would not hesitate to order from them again.

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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.

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
Park Seed Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com"

I've been a long time customer with Park Seed. Occasionally in the past, and been satisfied for the most part, but I gotta say, the last few years things have improved greatly! Much better quality plants, and a greater selection!
It's like this old seed company woke up and is now fresh and full of new products and a new outlook on how they do business. I'm very pleased with the changes and recommend their products highly!

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I am happy to hear that you enjoyed services 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 couldn't be more happy about my recent order from the Park Seed Catalog! When the second part of my order for 4' full-spectrum flourescent bulbs arrived, I could hear broken glass. I did not open the package and immediately e-mailed the company, asking how to resolve the problem. They responded the next day, telling me not to return the package, and that a replacement shipment would be on the way within 7-10 days. The following day I received confirmation that the shipment was on its way, and it arrived in good shape 7 days later! I definitely will continue ordering from this company and will recommend it to my gardening friends.

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I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed our quality of service so much. We take great care in our shipping process but if something should ever go wrong we will make every effort to address the matter.

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 placed a small order on line a week or so ago and recieved my entire shipment within a week. I would suggest asking to recieve a print catalog and use it to order in combination with the website. There are seeds listed in the catalog that are on clearance or marked down that do not appear in the web catalog. If you have the print catalog you can order them using the provided item numbers.

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I am happy to hear that you enjoyed our seed 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.

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

Last year (2006) I made my first seed order online. I chose Park Seed because they happened to have the varieties I wanted and looked like an established company.

I was VERY happy with my order. Despite an invasion of bugs, I had a bountiful, beautiful garden. All of the seeds except one kind (Goats Beard) germinated without problem. The plants were healthy and robust.

I also had good experiences with prompt email responses.

Overall, I'd give them the highest recommendation. I'm already studying their website and catalog, trying to hold myself to a reasonable-sized order for this spring. I'll certainly be a repeat buyer.

Juls

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I am happy to hear that you enjoyed our products or services so much. Thank you for sharing your garden with us.

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 recently ordered some seeds and a growing tray from this company. The customer service has been excellent and the products were shipped promptly and in good packaging. I'm sure the seed will germinate properly as they are in good shape.

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I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed our customer service so much. We do take great care in every step of your order, I'm sure you will see great returns on your seeds.

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"

Wonderful ! Have ordered several times. Nice selection, great packaging. They email you Thanking you for your order and they emailed you to let you know they have been shipping. I like it when a company does this. Good Customer service on phone too !
I will shop again !

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I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed ordering with us so much. The Perma-Nest Trays are a very popular item, I am sure you will get great results in using them.

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 have been ordering seeds from Park for about five or six years. I have had only excellent experiences working with this company. For me, the germination rates of both vegetable seeds and flower seeds has been nearly 100%. I only received one packet over the years that had less than the listed amount of seeds, but I was sent a new packet within a couple of days of my call. I just received my order for this year and can not wait to plant my seeds again. I feel Park is a great company for ordering seeds.

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I am happy to hear that you enjoyed our products so much. We take great care with our products to make sure we deliver the best.

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 have ordered loads of things from Park's this past year and have had nothing but great service and products from them. Whether bareroot, potted (small or large) or as seeds. I'm kind of perplexed by some of the negative comments below.

In detail:

packaging -- from trade gallon roses to bareroot Clematis, I was always surprised at how well things looked as they arrived this very hot summer (they're in SC, I'm in AL). They use boxes, peanuts, etc., but all pots have faux straw on top and all of my plants arrived with moisture retained (another company farther north shipped rather poorly but, again, we've been very hot and dry this year.) All Park's packages contain detailed information about each plant, too.

speed of service -- I always got things in less than a week (usually 4-5 days from placing online order), and I never asked or paid for rush shipping

success -- whenever I planted small or larger live plants (or bareroot), they have been trotting along just fine even in this dry, hot year. Their bareroot Clematis and bareroot Daylillies have been a particular joy.


I really like Park Seeds and intend to do plenty of business with them in the future. Right now, I keep trying to rein in my potential "for spring shipping" purchases... you know how the winter makes us devour those catalogs!

As I am located in Canada, I've not had the opportunity to order live plants from Park Seed or their affiliated companies. I was surprised to read the comments from some of the posters as I've never had problems germinating Park seeds.

About 2 weeks ago, I received an order from Parks since I took advantage of their fall seed sale. I sowed the seeds which included Eucalyptus, Digitalis, Dianthus, Agastache, Papaver, Platycodon, and Verbascum and all these seed varieties germinated well.

The previous year, I sowed 11 different seed varieties and all of them germinated well. I keep very accurate seed germination records and I would say that Park seed sends out very good product. Their service is quick and they provide excellent customer service.