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Comments regarding Heronswood Nursery

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58 positives
22 neutrals
23 negatives

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RatingAuthorContent
Positive omasuziq
(8 reviews)
On Sep 26, 2010, omasuziq Greensboro, NC (Zone 7a) wrote:

I had never ordered from Heronswood, either before or after its acquisition by Burpee. But this August I wanted to try Astrantia 'Moulin Rouge' and they were the only ones who had it in stock. I also ordered Primula vialii (it was irresistable on the Website) and both arrived this week, well-packaged and healthy looking. I will definitely order from them again when their stock matches my needs. Right now I'm looking at the Hellebores in their catalog and I am sorely tempted....

Positive AllNative
(1 review)
On Jun 18, 2010, AllNative Edison, NJ wrote:

Viburnum Nudum Brandywine is quite difficult to find. I ordered it from Heronswood on SUNDAY and received it, in good shape, on WEDBESDAY! As I was waiting those few short days, I emailed Heronswood about the order. They emailed back promptly and courteously. The plant is now in the ground, being watered, giving me much satisfaction.

Positive bluepeach
(2 reviews)
On Apr 17, 2010, bluepeach Wichita, KS wrote:

I ordered over $300 in plants from Heronswood and was very pleased with the order. All plants are thriving in the garden. Had I read the reviews before I ordered I may not have ordered, but I am very happy that I did. I will definitely buy more plants from them in the future. The Helleborus are fantastic (I purchased 6) they arrived larger than I expected and very healthy. The one tree peony was a little small and starting to dry out, but when I emailed them they responded that they would be happy to refund my money if I wasn't satisfied. It has been in the ground for 2 weeks now and it is looking very healthy. Very happy with the customer service.

Positive VA_GARDEN
(33 reviews)
On Nov 8, 2009, VA_GARDEN Hood, VA (Zone 7a) wrote:

Had I read the reviews before I ordered I probably would not have done so, but I was very pleased with my order. The two hydrangeas I ordered were healthy and a nice size, and are thriving in my garden. The Beni Kaze Hakonechloa were very nice plants as well, good top growth and well developed roots.

Positive StellysPapa
(26 reviews)
On May 14, 2009, StellysPapa Dothan, AL (Zone 8a) wrote:

I placed an order with Heronswood for 3 Indigofera Heterantha, back in February, got the 3 plants at the time said in the confirmation. All 3 plants are growing and have bloomed. I have since placed another order just this week. I have not had any problems with them thus far and will keep them on my positive list.


On May 14th, 2009, StellysPapa added the following:

I just now received notification from UPS, that my order has shipped. I only placed the order 2 days ago, and it has already shipped. Now, I call that very good service.
Positive JiminRingoes
(19 reviews)
On Apr 8, 2009, JiminRingoes Ringoes, NJ wrote:

I ordered one plant (Sorbaria sorbifolia 'Sem') and am very pleased with the plant I received. It was shipped bare root and arrived just when I requested. It's 16" tall, well-branched and leafing out beautifully. At $18.95 + S/H, I feel Heronswood gave me good value for my money. I'll order again.

Positive Lazydaisy153
(12 reviews)
On Mar 26, 2009, Lazydaisy153 Lilburn, GA wrote:

I received my order of three extremely small plants on Monday. The shipping was high and plants almost miniscule. In previous years, Heronswood plants were top notch. What has happened???? I am very disappointed.


On April 9th, 2009, Lazydaisy153 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:

I was contacted by Paul . Within a few days I was sent and new plant . This week I was sent three entirely new ones. Thanks for correcting this mistake and restoring my faith in Heronswood. Also thanks to Natalie in customer service for her wonderful followup.
Positive luvblueridgemtn
(13 reviews)
On Jun 14, 2008, luvblueridgemtn (Zone 7b) wrote:

This is my first order from Heronswood Nursery and I am very pleased with the plants I received. I order 5/29 and received them on 6/12. They sent me an email to tell an exact date of delivery .They did not charge me until they sent out my order. The web site is wonderful. I will be ordering from them again.

Positive rince1wind
(2 reviews)
On May 8, 2008, rince1wind Evanston, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:

The catalog was beautiful; the packing was extensive but rather heavy and the shipping costs were high, as were the plant prices; the plants came in fine shape, although the two roses were very small. Heronswood called me to tell me I didn't need to ship airmail, and sconscientiously sent me a refund right away. I would buy from them again, something I was having trouble finding. I'd expect, however, that the plant(s) might well be quite small.

Positive fairygirl
(1 review)
On Apr 28, 2008, fairygirl Louisville, KY wrote:

I had originally placed a rather large order with Heronswood in early April but decided to go with a local nursery. So I e-mailed on April 9th to cancel my entire order. They did get back to me quickly and assured me that they had canceled my order. Fortunately, I kept that e-mail because just today (4/28), I get a notice from UPS Quantum View that my order from Heronswood has shipped. I immediately e-mailed Heronswood to ask if this was a mistake because my order had already been canceled. Again, service got back to me quickly apologizing for the mix-up and told me to refuse the order and I would be refunded. I double checked my e-statement and found that Heronswood had charged my card on 4/15 - still well after the order had been canceled. I may change my experience to neutral depending on how this turns out.

I've never refused an order from UPS so I'm not sure how that's going to go either.


On May 1st, 2008, fairygirl changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following:

I am changing my rating from negative to positive because of the customer service provided by Shannon. After I posted, she called me to tell me that she had called UPS directly to cancel the order and would be refunding my card. That's terrific customer service.
Positive straight8s
(3 reviews)
On Apr 28, 2008, straight8s Boise, ID wrote:

I found many great plants in the 2008 Heronswood catalog this year so I didn't hold back when ordering. The new website was easy to use as I selected my goodies and actually told you when an item was no longer available. When my order arrived everything was there (not usually the case in the past) very neatly packaged and looking very healthy. Three weeks later all the plants I ordered have put on substantial growth and look fantastic. As a keen gardener I am very happy.

Positive fleur_guy
(4 reviews)
On May 27, 2007, fleur_guy Parma, OH (Zone 5b) wrote:

I recently purchased some Iris Variegata from Heronswood.
The plants arrived in a timely fashion, were well packaged
and fully hydrated. The only caveat was that one of the
plants arrived with "ratty" foliage and upon further inspect-
ion was found to have a stowaway slug. I did not contact
Heronswood as overall the plant looked healthy and I
assume it will overcome it's holiness.

Positive ladyisle
(34 reviews)
On Mar 22, 2007, ladyisle Bohemia, NY (Zone 7a) wrote:

I placed an order last week with Heronswood. I received confirmation via E-mail. The prices were reasonable and the shipping cost low.

I have placed many orders with the old Heronswood, with different degrees of success-which is understandable when one is trying exotic varieties.

My order is very small, but I'm taking a chance that I will be pleasantly surprised and then can order more plants that are on my wish list. I will give my official rating when I receive my order.


On June 17th, 2007, ladyisle changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:

I received my plants 2 months ago and waited to give my rating to see how they would do since they hadn't put out a lot of growth yet. They are growing and seem to be doing fine. The pots were deep, so the plants had well developed root systems- more important to me early in the season than lots of top growth with puny roots.

Let's see how they make it through the winter- I lost almost an entire order of plants save one over last winter from another, (over-rated, expensive, and opinionated, if I may add), watchdog 30 nursery.
On June 17th, 2007, ladyisle added the following:

I received my plants 2 months ago and waited to give my rating to see how they would do since they hadn't put out a lot of growth yet. They are growing and seem to be doing fine. The pots were deep, so the plants had well developed root systems- more important to me early in the season than lots of top growth with puny roots.

Let's see how they make it through the winter- I lost almost an entire order of plants save one over last winter from another, (over-rated, expensive, and opinionated, if I may add), watchdog 30 nursery.
Positive Frank222
(1 review)
On Nov 17, 2006, Frank222 Washington, PA wrote:

I have bought from Heronswood many times and have made the journey out to Kingston to see the wonderful gardens. It was disappointing to see that Burpee closed down the gardens and moved the operations to Pennsylvania. But I decided to try them again, as they have many exotic species I can’t seem to find elsewhere. I tried and ordered a couple varieties as a test and they were sent quickly and the quality was excellent, in fact, surprisingly this was the best quality of plants I’ve received from Heronswood. I will be checking out their spring open in April at their new location to see how their new gardens are.

Positive DCUrbanGardener
(15 reviews)
On May 12, 2006, DCUrbanGardener Washington, DC (Zone 7a) wrote:

I ordered 5 plants from Heronswood, all of them hydrangeas. The plants arrived last night, very well packed. Decent amount of dirt around the rootballs. I live in DC, and selected the 3-day delivery option. I watered the plants sufficiently and they still look ok as of this morning. One more week of further acclimating and they should go into the ground.

Will no doubt update this post if anything changes. So far the plants look VERY healthy and nicely sized.

Positive DeerPhobic
(8 reviews)
On Apr 9, 2006, DeerPhobic Gig Harbor, WA wrote:

I, too, am lucky enough to live within an hour of this nursery. Last year I attended their early spring "open house" and purchased A LOT of plants. Yes, a lot of the containers appeared to be nothing but roots, but, just as promised, as soon as it warmed up the plants took off. Most of Heronswood's plants are in deep containers and the root structures are great. However, if you don't know what to expect, I can certainly understand how some purchasers felt underwhelmed when their order arrived. They are relatively expensive and you often get dormant plants, but, rest assured that they are top quality and will perform. In my opinion this is one of the best sources of plants and, in fact, I often notice other nurseries selling Heronswood plants.

Positive bluetomatofish
(1 review)
On Feb 19, 2006, bluetomatofish Sedro Woolley, WA wrote:

Heronswood nursery is a gem! I am fortunate enough to live in their area and made the 2 hour trip to their nursery for the first time yesterday at their 'Hellebore Open'. Amazing nursery and large woodland garden area. So many varieties that their workers and volunteers have to carry books with them to aid in identification. The nursery seems to be affiliated in some with the University of Washington horticultural department- I could be wrong though. If I were a horticultural student that is where I would want to be!

If you are looking for a rare plant, this is the place. Some of the plants (at least in February) looked small- but many I had never seen or heard of before. All looked healthy.

This nursery may use horticultural zones rather than the standard zones most gardeners use- I suggest clarifying with them when ordering. I also suggest caution as many of their plants are probably not for the average gardener. Some of the plants they had successfully growing out (and HUGE) are not plants many could probably keep alive due to the plants requirements. At this time of year several were well wrapped for environmental protection. Be sure you have the time and experience before purchasing some of their rarer varieties- just because the horticulturists at Heronswood can keep the plant thriving doesn't mean I could! Remember, many of their varieties have been collected from unique microclimates from around the world- be prepared to provide what they need.

If you have done your research or are ordering varieties you are familiar with you should be fine. The customer assistance I received there was better than I have ever had. All questions answered promptly, thoroughly.

I for one intend to be a repeat customer. I just don't find many of the varieties or the friendly, highly knowledgable staff anywhere else.

S Anderson
Skagit County, WA

Positive MeanoGreano
(1 review)
On Jan 21, 2006, MeanoGreano Webb City, MO wrote:

I bought two trees from Heronswood last spring. One of trees was a maple I could not find anywhere else and I was guessing it may be too hot in my area and my clayish soil too much for this tree. I thought I would plant it in a pot for a year to let it grow before I put it in the ground. The tree died a few weeks after I put it into the pot. I sent them an email explaining in detail what I had done and asking for advice. I told them I was not asking for a replacement just advice. They were very nice in pointing out errors I had made and promptly sent me a replacement. I followed their advice and the second maple made it through the summer.

Positive SNAKEBARK
(4 reviews)
On Oct 24, 2005, SNAKEBARK San Francisco, CA wrote:

I have ordered several hundred plants from Heronswood Nursery over many years, and I regard the nursery as an invaluable source for rare and interesting plants. My rating: EXCELLENT! I have found their service to be always professional, friendly, and courteous. The shipping has been great (I have had some orders sent to San Francisco, CA and some sent to Cheswick, PA). The quality of the plants is first rate. It is probably true that many the of the rarest plants are not for beginning gardeners --- they often have demanding cultural requirements, and a few years of careful gardening might be necessary until the plants mature. I'm happy to report that I am one very satisfied customer.

Positive Ashake
(1 review)
On Oct 6, 2005, Ashake Indianola, WA wrote:

intersting, a lot of comments rate this company on how BIG thier plants are or how often the give you replacements even when it is your own fault that the plants died ... what i love about this company is that they provide what so few provide: a wide variety of plants rarely or never sold at regular retail nurseries who must make thier money off of the most commonly known and used plants, and who manufacture plants by the scads... In the USA we have so few of the really great nurseries, those who are willing to put in the research and work required to make such plants available. And of course this means that they will frequently be out of stock, and plants will be expensive and often small!!! but if you want a nursery who caters to the unsophistaced gardner, the gardner who needs plants that can't die, and the gardner who doesn't like to speand money.. ther is one down the street! But her is one intersting suggestion, often at Home Depot etc. you will find that they experiment with five or six intersting plants in a season. Then you will find great plants that are cheap! ...
but mainly i say, support the good work of diligent passionate horticulturalists... there are so few!

... certgainly theyow it to us to be civil and helpful and resoanable and fair and disease free(at least ;-) the plants )... but we owe it to them to not expect them to act like the average retail nursery or Lowes - last year i was looking for Vinca Minor and went to Lowes who were advertising thier expertise, no one there had even heard of Vinca... but they were cheap and would replace anything.
diatribe over :-)

Positive Janna
(28 reviews)
On Jun 4, 2005, Janna Mahwah, NJ (Zone 6a) wrote:

Absolutely amazing freshness and quality of the plants! I orderer 2 wisteria plants, after reading positive feedbacks here, and they arrived in just fabulous condition! Not a leaf broken, fresh and happy, and BIG! And it was shipped across the whole country- from Washington to New Jersey.
Very happy, will order again.

Positive gwendylena
(26 reviews)
On May 5, 2005, gwendylena La Salle, MI wrote:

I ordered several plants for the first time this year. The roots of the plants I received were excellent looking. Overall they look very healthy.

Their prices seem reasonable especially since the plants are such high quality. I live in Michigan so the shipping was not cheap, but it wasn't out of line either. The way I look at it is either you pay higher shipping costs or you pay more for your plants. Either way you'll pay the cost of shipping your plants either directly or indirectly. As others have said, this is the type of nursery where you look for something special and different.

I also have to mention that they were absolutely wonderful about this: Right before my order was to ship I found out it was going to snow and also that I had to work 14 hour shifts on the day the order would be delivered and the three days after it. I emailed customer service and they delayed my order delivery by a week. This was on the morning my order was supposed to ship. That's really great customer service.

I highly recommend this nursery.

Positive ealbr
(6 reviews)
On May 4, 2005, ealbr Racine, WI wrote:

I have ordered fron Heronswood for years and will continue to do so. While some of their plants are fairly small, they are healthy, well-packed and often rare. The catalogue is a learning experience. I enjoy their unique selection and the plants I have received from them.

Positive plantbug
(8 reviews)
On Apr 6, 2005, plantbug Asheboro, NC wrote:

I received my order and was pleasantly surprised how well the plants were wrapped and the SIZE of the plants. Very happy with this order.

Positive slugmugger
(2 reviews)
On Mar 18, 2005, slugmugger West Linn, OR (Zone 8b) wrote:

A wonderful company to buy from. They are friendly and respectful and kept me informed of my order status. I always know that what ever I order will be of good quality, healthy and strong. The Hellebores that I ordered last year have tripled in size and bloom. The begonia and geranium I just recv'd are exceptional. I highly reccomend this company to anyone.

Positive Missyinbama
(37 reviews)
On Mar 11, 2005, Missyinbama Wetumpka, AL (Zone 8a) wrote:

They have an excellent selection of rare plants plants notified me when they were shipped, and the plants arrived in great shape! Although shipping is expensive, it is not much greater than any other nursery shipping from the west coast. (I wish they were all cheaper!) I can't say anything about how well the plants have fared yet, as I have just recieved and planted them, but I did get a mixture of small and large sized plants shipped to me- hopefully they will all live and grow well!


On November 5th, 2005, Missyinbama added the following:

Just getting ready to plant my latest order... thank goodness for the web specials... it allows me to buy more great plants! I definitely like when there are photos on the site; many of the plants are rare enough that it is difficult to find a respresentative live plant (especially in the southeast, where some plants may be experimental) or another photo on the internet. A very recommended nursery!
Positive billsmetro
(3 reviews)
On May 27, 2004, billsmetro Smithton, IL (Zone 6a) wrote:

Ordered a Canna Grande. Received timely and accurate emails, very courteous, Plant arrived on the day stated, and was superbly packed, HUGE and in wonderful condition. Their shipping is WAY expensive, but you know that going in. Wonderful collection of plants you can not find elsewhere.

Positive szygzy
(4 reviews)
On May 5, 2004, szygzy Bay Village, OH wrote:

In my ordering this year from most of the prominent mail-order houses, Heronswood remains the class of the group. A definate "best value" for the rare plant collector, as most of their more unique plants are unavailable elsewhere. Prices are in the medium to high range, but compare very favorably to the other "high end" mail-order shops. Previous comments on small plant size tend to be accurate, but the plants always arrive healthy, and it is not furniture, after all.

Positive mrsjones
(9 reviews)
On May 3, 2004, mrsjones wrote:

The plants I received these past two years were neither small nor sickly. I don't think of Heronswood as my source for easily available items, but they have do have great selections if you are "collecting," for example, Hardy geraniums. I do get mine earlier than my other shipments because I live in Zone 4, and they fill orders as they ship. It is important enough to me to keep them going a month in pots and then transplant into the garden. If I were to lose a plant, it's because I forgot to water it.
I worried when they got bought by Burpee, but so far, I am still glad to order from them.

Positive hostalovers
(3 reviews)
On Apr 28, 2004, hostalovers wrote:

I've read some of the negative reviews of Heronswood Nursery and I can hardly believe what I just read! I purchased from them and I am extremely pleased with the plants that I received. I ordered 8 different plants and every single plant is healthy and living. Sure, some may consider the prices a bit steep, but, the plants I received
were all of good size to make up for it. I think I got a great deal out of the entire purchase! Thanks Heronswood Nursery and I will be back for more plants. In fact, I plan to visit the nursery in person in just a few weeks.

Positive Tabassam
(9 reviews)
On Apr 21, 2004, Tabassam Beaufort, SC wrote:

I was very happy with my order. Very unusual plants and healthy, well packed and reasonable prices. I was expecting smaller plants, but they were strong healthy larger plants. They informed me beforehand (via e-mail)when my shipment would be shipped, which is extremely convenient because I'm always afraid of being out of town when a plant shipment arrive. I would buy from them again.
Good experience. Wish I could work for them.

Positive mouseman
(14 reviews)
On Jan 9, 2004, mouseman wrote:

My small, first order arrived in good shape - plants were small (as described in the catalog and like I expected and wanted) and healthy. The only semi-complaint: a couple of plants and substitutes that I thought were in stock based on the web catalog ("add to cart) weren't - with the minimum shipping charge of $7, my per plant shipping cost was relatively high. Next time I'll list more substitutes, inquire about availability, etc. (And the website explicitly recommends this.) I'll definitely order again. The catalog is a bargain at $5

Positive Happenstance
(18 reviews)
On Oct 25, 2003, Happenstance Northern California, CA wrote:

Excellent selection of hard to find plants, beautiful and informative catalog. Plants arrived in timely manner, of good size and very healthy.

Positive cpwiz
(2 reviews)
On Aug 7, 2003, cpwiz wrote:

I had a good experience with this company. Plants arrived healthy and growing great. Customer service is decent. I will order again.

Positive cej5026
(3 reviews)
On May 24, 2003, cej5026 Fairport, NY wrote:

The instructions for ordering were very clear. It does take at least 2 weeks to receive plants, but when they come, they are in good shape, ready to plant. Herronwood was the only place I found the particular plants I wanted. It was worth a bit more planning to get the plant I wanted. I ordered late in the season being on the east coast and in the nort. I received everything I ordered in great shape

Positive nevadagdn
(118 reviews)
On Apr 17, 2003, nevadagdn Sparks, NV (Zone 7a) wrote:

My order arrived today (April 16, 2003). I've ordered from Heronswood before, and the plants were the same quality as all previous orders. The plants are healthy, if a bit small. The leaves are nice and plump, the root systems sturdy, and overall I think the plants are a decent value for the money. Of course I'd like bigger plants. Of course I'd like lower prices. But for stuff I can't get locally (and locally it's mostly the same stuff year after year), I'm willing to accept a smaller plant and a higher price as long as the plant is healthy enough to survive my benign neglect.

I've lost exactly two plants from Heronswood in all the years I've been ordering, and I don't think that Heronswood is to blame in either case. I put the plants in with thuggish competitors and hoped they would survive. Most of my plants do, but two less-aggressive hellebores didn't.


On April 22nd, 2004, nevadagdn added the following:

Annual update: I've now lost three plants from Heronswood, and this year's loss was no surprise. I was trying something very, very iffy. I just received this year's Spring order, and the plants are all healthy and reasonably large. I'm not sure I really like the switch to the use of plastic bags with rubber bands rather than pots, though. It just isn't aesthetically satisfying, although the plants I've received this way are just fine.
On June 16th, 2004, nevadagdn added the following:

I killed one plant from this year's shipment. I tried something that likes moist, ferny forests. I live in a desert. Duh. My fault entirely.
On April 7th, 2005, nevadagdn added the following:

I've always been happy with my Heronswood orders, but this Spring's was better than all others. The plants in my order were very generously sized, and I don't think it's because I chose all monster varieties.
On September 1st, 2005, nevadagdn added the following:

My fall order arrived in a box that barely could be described as a box because it was so battered and crushed. Thanks, UPS goons! I opened the box expecting the worst, but since the inside packing was good, there wasn't a bit of damage to my plants. I haven't lost anything from my Spring order to plant thugs, slugs, bugs, heat or drought.
Positive datdog
(8 reviews)
On Apr 3, 2003, datdog Medford, NJ (Zone 6b) wrote:

My experience ordering from them is postive/neutral. Plants were small compared to other mail order nurseies, but not tiny. Shipping was VERY expensive. The bottom line, they had plants I couldn't find else where.
I will say, their customer service was EXCELLENT. I had a problem with a plant (or lack of a plant) and I was called twice in one day with a response. On the whole, it was a postive experience. I do wish the plants were a bit larger and I had a choice in shipping. I would order again if there was something I couldn't find else where. Kristi/datdog

Positive ninat
(13 reviews)
On Feb 17, 2003, ninat Joyce, WA (Zone 7b) wrote:

I visited Heronswood one week ago with friends. Although very early in the season their spectacular grounds were all abloom. Their nursery staff is very pleasant and well-versed on the nursery plants, which are simply wonderful. Without a doubt the most beautiful hellebores I have ever seen. Of course, we all purchased many, many plants which for the size, selection and quality were quite reasonable.
Indeed, on our return trip we went to another nearby nursery and found the same plants (some from Heronswood) at very much higher prices. If anyone is in the Pacific Northwest on a visit be sure and schedule a trip to this thoroughly enjoyable nursery. A must for anyone who loves
perennials.

Positive Gardengail
(3 reviews)
On Jan 20, 2003, Gardengail Bridgeton, NJ (Zone 7a) wrote:

Their catalog is a great read and a wonderful resource. Their plants were of good quality and comparable in size to other mail order companies. The only reason I usually don't order from them is that shipping to the east coast is quite high. I highly recommend them for gardeners west of the rockies.

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