Comments regarding Nature Hills Nursery

Posted on March 25, 2013, updated March 26, 2013
I am so frustrated. Last week I ordered 4 potted plants. My debit card got charged but so far I have no confirmation email regarding the purchase. I have contacted the company's customer service line and it does not work! Seems like the line is disconnected. I have emailed customer service twice and still no response. Who runs a business this way? I wish I had never purchased from them. I should have done my research on nature hills. If I had gotten to this website first I would have never even looked at their website.

I am a beginning gardener. I have ordered a Weeping Cherry along with some other trees and bushes. I am personally not familiar with Flowering Cherries and I never knew they didn’t produce cherries. I was looking for a fruit bearing tree, looked at the picture and read the description of "Weeping Cherry" on NH website and was under the assumption this was a real cherry tree as its title suggest. When the order was on its way I found out through a friend that "Weeping Cherry" might not be a fruit bearing cherry at all. I then contacted Nature Hills about it, and told them I would like to return it. Then I’ve got this strict email telling me that if I want to return that their "Terms and Policies" will apply. So to get a return on the "Weeping Cherry" that I bought for $59.98 plus shipping I would have to spend almost half of the price to send it back. What is the use? I contacted the customer service and said that I made a mistake buying this tree but also it didn’t say anywhere in the description of the tree that it wasn’t fruit bearing. Then I asked if they could be more lenient and if they maybe would pay for the return shipping. They refused and send me this reply:

"Thanks for your inquiry. It is a common practice for nurseries, botanical gardens, and gardening magazines when describing Flowering Cherry trees, to describe the flower color and size but will not list it as a non fruit producing tree. The reason for this is the catagory "Flowering Cherry" refers to deciduous flowering ornamental trees only. Fruit bearing cherry trees will be classified under "Fruit Trees-Cherry" just as you see on our website. Nature Hills Nursery realizes that our customers may not be able to locate the answer to their question(s) on our web site, and we provide a toll free telephone number for this purpose. If you are wanting to return the Weeping Cherry as indicated in your previous E-mails, our return policy will apply and can be found on our web site at the bottom of each page, under "Terms and Conditions". Best Regards, Sabrina"


I am not sure if this is a common practice, but as I said before I am a starter and I didn’t know. I also didn’t grow up with flowering cherries as my friend who lives in DC, did. I don’t think you can expect from anybody to know this unless only nurseries and botanical gardens are buying plants from you?

Now I was stuck with the tree I had no use and place for. Sending it back was even worse, what was the use of losing half the money to return it? Also I had 2 more orders pending (over $200) (that would ship in 2-4 weeks) and I decided to cancel them all and never buy from Nature Hills again. Obviously to cancel my orders was a pain in the *** too. I first wrote them an email and never got a response, then I called and some vague person told me she needs to redirect my request somewhere and then they will cancel it. I waited a day and I, of course, didn’t hear anything from them on phone or email. On the website my orders were still processing and not cancelled. I had to call them again. The person on the phone said that the 2 orders will be canceled. Afterward I called my bank and they said that I have already been charged by Nature Hills for those 2 orders.

AVOID NATURE HILLS, THEY ARE NOT IN BUSINESS OF HELPING PEOPLE AND MAKING HAPPY CUSTOMERS.
THEY ARE OUT FOR THEMSELVES AND THE NASTY PROFITS BY SETTING UP THEIR CUSTOMERS.

"On Mar 6, 2013 12:43 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

I am very sorry this customer feels that we were not supportive or helpful.
We were very sorry to hear that Ms. Orr had ordered the Weeping Cherry by mistake and we truly did try to help by assisting her with a return.
We do understand that she was disappointed as a new gardener to have made such a mistake.
As noted above the the fruiting cherry trees and flowering cherry trees are listed separate on our site. We also have Plant Care Specialists available for our customers that may have any questions.
Nature Hills values each and every one of our customers so we were sorry that she felt her mistake warranted cancelling her other items with us.
We would like to assure her that her orders were cancelled and her credit card credited within 24 hours of her cancellation call. I'm not certain how she felt there was any misunderstanding regarding her cancellation.
In reference to Nature Hills charging her card for her other items, that is done at the time of the order as we had reserved those items for her.
Finally, if Ms. Orr would like to reconsider purchasing the other items we would like to offer her 10% off her next order as a courtesy.
We do hope Ms. Orr can find a place for the Weeping Cherry as it is a beautiful tree that we are sure will bring joy to her family for years to come.
Thank you"

I ordered a Pink Lemon Citrus Tree for a Christmas present online and recieved the order confirmation right away. I contacted the company after 2 weeks because the product had not arrived. Sabrina explained they ship out on Tuesdays and the past two weeks they were snowed in. She said I would receive notification once the product shipped and apologized for the delay. I received my tree and it's just lovely. Perfectly shaped and in great condition. It's the perfect Christmas present that lasts for years so thank you all for such a quality plant, Debi

I am surprised to see so many negatives on here about this company - had I looked at this before I ordered, I may have passed.

I ordered two American Cranberrybush Viburnums about 6 weeks ago. I agree with some other comments, the company's website was unclear as to shipping date - other than "ships in Fall 2012." So before I ordered, I called Nature Hills. They did tell me that my credit card would be immediately charged, and explained to me that the shrubs would ship when dormat, near end of October/early November.

The bare root shrub arrived 2 weeks ago, but I was disappointed to find that there was only one in the package - even though the paperwork indicated two. I took photos immediately. I called Nature Hills, and spoke with Sabrina. She asked me to send pictures, which I did. Within 24 hours, Sabrina contacted me again, apologized for the error, and two days later the second shrub arrived.

I found Sabrina to be very pleasant and professional, and appreciate that Nature Hills corrected its error so quickly. Folks, understand you're dealing with a mail order company. I wanted these particular shrubs, and couldn't find them anywhere locally. I was willing to take a chance. We'll see if they survive the winter, but I am hopeful.

I would try Nature Hills again based upon good customer service so far.

Posted on November 7, 2012, updated November 7, 2012
I placed my order on September 28, 2012. My credit card was charged immediately. I ordered 3 trees all of which were supposed to be in stock. I thought I would get my trees within a couple of weeks. Today it is November 7th and my order is still "processing". I have e-mailed three times, each time I get a response saying that my order will ship out soon. Apparently, bare root trees need to become dormant to ship out and this apparently takes a long time. I am close to calling my credit card company and issuing a charge back. No where on their website does it say that it will take a month and a half to get my trees, and I read the terms and conditions. Nor does it say anywhere for me to expect a certain amount of time after my order for the trees to become dormant. Very disappointed. I wish I would have investigated this company before I ordered. It appears that others have had the same issue as well as other problems with this company. Suggestion for Nature Hills: Don't offer false expectations. Be upfront with people so they know what to expect. Include this information clearly, not in the fine print. Don't charge somebody for a product that you can't deliver on; you will loose repeat business. First impressions are everything. Last time I will buy from this company >> this is my Nature Hills guarantee.

"On Nov 7, 2012 4:17 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

Covey,

We are sorry if there was any miscommunication about your order. We do try and explain the shipping times of bareroot material on the product pages under the plant types and container sizes area. We also have information in our terms and conditions. Again, we are sorry if this was missed when you placed your order.

If the trees you ordered are bareroot, then they are field grown and harvested when they are dormant. Unfortunately, this is all dictated by the weather. Once the tree is dormant, or in a state of hibernation, then it is not disrupted when the tree is extracted from the ground. If we dig the trees when they still are in leaf, then there is a better than good chance that the tree will go into shock, and therefore will not survive the transplant. We try and take all precautions to send you the healthiest material in the safest way possible, to give you the best chance of success with your transplanting.

We apologize if you felt mislead. Our crews dig based on what species are ready (some species go dormant sooner than others). We do have a list of what is available now, and a recent update of what will be coming in over the next couple of days. If you would like, we can take a look at your order and try to give you more specific arrival date.

Please contact us so we can discuss this further, and try and come up with an acceptable resolution to the issue. If you can e-mail info@naturehills.com with your name / order number, we can certainly see what we can do.

Sincerely,

Nature Hills Nursery

"

Purchased 5 peach trees from Nature Hills. Planted them all in the same general location and put them all on the same watering schedule. 3 out of the 5 survived. When I contacted the company about getting a replacement for the 2, I was told I would be charged 50% of the retail value plus shipping. Every REPUTABLE nursery in the country offers a 1 year warranty on their plants with proof of purchase. This was the first and LAST time I will ship at Nature Hills!

"On Oct 23, 2012 10:25 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

dcmonda,

We are sorry that two of your trees didn't survive. We do guarantee that all orders for plant material arrive safely, and viable. Even so, when working with live material, there is a chance that a tree will not survive the transplant process. We try to offset that risk of loss by offering a no questions asked replacement policy. Any failed item can be replaced for half the current selling price, plus shipping and handling. We do explain this policy in our terms and conditions, listed on every page on our site and again in the checkout process.

Thanks,

Nature Hills Nursery"

I ordered a tree one month ago. They charged my visa immediately but I have yet to see the tree. When I asked for a refund they said the tree could not be shipped until the fall and that if I wanted to cancel my order they would charge a 10% cancellation fee. They also told me that I should have entered my zip code to get a delivery date. I did that and it still does not give a ship date. Be very careful when doing business with this company and read the "fine Print; I still can't find a reference to a cancellation fee!

"On Oct 15, 2012 7:29 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

kbuxtonok,

We apologize if there was any miscommunication with your order. We take care to ship all material at the appropriate time for planting. Some material that we send it shipped bareroot, and weather dictates when the material can be harvested and safely shipped. We like to try and make sure that all material has the best chance for a successful transplant when it is sent.

We do explain the time frame of shipping bareroot material, as well as the cancellation fee in our terms and conditions. These terms are linked to at the bottom of every page on our website, and in the checkout process. An order will not go through until the customer checks that they have read and agree to our terms and conditions for the sale. The shipping time is also listed on the confirmation page once the order is submitted online.

Nature Hills Nursery"

I received ALL ordered 4 peach trees dead without the root system at all. Customer service rep lied about her name (she is Sabrina), was very rude, all the time talked over me and even did not lesten the problems. I suspect there are many upset customers that she is just sending out... They rised prices more than twice this Fall; therefore, if you reordering half price replacement products, you are ending up paying 1.5 times more than originally was paid. Looks like a tipical scam to me. Upset customers, do you want to file class action lawsuit on this NatureHills? I am a lawyer, please contact me if you want to do that

"On Sep 11, 2012 1:44 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

allaA,

We are certainly sorry to hear that your trees did not survive. Every tree that we send out goes through rigorous inspection before it is shipped. Our nurserymen and women inspect each tree as it is dug, and when it is checked into our holding facilities. Trees are also inspected again when they are packaged. We check for height, weight, coloration, root structure, and pliability to ensure that every tree is viable when it is shipped.

We guarantee safe delivery of all material, and in the cases where a tree or plant was damaged during transit, we just ask to be notified of any issues within 48 hours. We apologize if you felt your case was mishandled, if we need to revisit the issues, we would be happy to look into the issues again.

If the issue was that the tree didn't survive a transplant, then we do offer a one year replacement for half the current selling price plus shipping and handling. Prices are determined by the type of material and the size of the tree. For many species of trees that we are carrying this fall, the sizes are significantly larger than the ones that we carried last spring. That could be the reason for the price increase. This is also something that we can look at again to be sure. Please e-mail us at info@naturehills.com is you would like us to review your order.

Thanks,

Nature Hills"

Simple. They sent me a dead plant. I reported it within the allotted 48 hours. They told me it was "dormant". I said "No, it is dead", but they would not listen. So, I planted it. Four months later..still dead. The "customer service" lady who always answers the phone is very rude and condescending. She actually told me that I did not report that I had scracthed the bark in April, so I had not reported it as dead. Of course I would have done that had she asked me to. I have ordered from them multiple times, but they refuse to do the right thing regarding this one plant. Unscrupulous.

"On Sep 11, 2012 1:53 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

gardener1124,

We are sorry to hear that you had an issue with your order, and that you felt your experience with our customer service representative was not up to our standards. We pride ourselves on offering excellent customer service.

Our trees are shipped dormant, but if there was an issue with your order when it arrived and you notified us, then we should have a record of that. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding on our end. We would like to review your order, and see if there was something that we missed. Please contact us at info@naturehills.com, and we will see if we can't satisfy the situation. You mentioned that you have ordered multiple times, and we would like to think that is due to our service and our quality plants. We would hate to loose a valued customer because of a shortcoming on our end in this one case. Please let us know.

Sincerely,

Nature Hills "

The tree I recieved was obviously dead upon arrival. I planted and cared for it anyway hoping for the best. After 2 months I gave up all hope. I called Nature Hills Nursery and they instructed me to scrape some of the trunk off to verify if it was dead and it was. They said they don't offer refunds but would send another tree at 50 percent off the going price. Guess what... the price for the same tree is now three times what it was when I bought this one. So in order to get the same tree I would now pay more than I did in the first place. Sounds like a big scam to me. I'm reporting this company to the Attorney General's office an the Better Business Bureau.

In April of 2012 I ordered a Pluot tree (Flavor Grenade) that I had read about - it sounds like a terrific cultivar. It arrived and when I opened the box I was immediately dismayed. I planted it right away as instructed but it appeared to my eyes (Master Gardener) to be dead. I immediately e-mailed the company and they opened a ticket. I was assured the tree was alive but could take up to 90 days to break into leaf. I waited a while and contacted them again. I received the same info and was told about their pathetic replacement policy. My bad! I should have made sure ahead of time that they stand behind their products. I finally gave up in early July when it was still 'dormant' and pulled the tree out of the ground. It was beginning to rot and had never formed a single root. We have beautiful soil, and I gave it lots of TLC. The plant was just dead from the start - I'm convinced of it. I would never order again from Nature Hills.

"On Jul 19, 2012 12:57 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

We are certainly sorry to hear that you had an issue with your order. In some cases, trees can take several weeks to break dormancy. We do guarantee the safe delivery of all of our plants and trees. If there was an issue with the tree upon arrival, and you notified us right away, then we would certainly want to review the case. If you are within the recommended planting zones for the tree, then there might be reason to review this order. There is a bit of concern, as it looks like you are signed in from Canada. Pluots are warm climate trees, and we don't ship internationally. Perhaps it was sent somewhere within the states? Please contact our customer service department and we can have another look.

Thanks,

Nature Hills"

Ordered a Scarlet Oak back in February (2012), which they said would ship within a week. After almost a month with no shipment or contact from them, I tried via e-mail and phone to finally get hold of someone, who said the tree was "scheduled" to ship in April, seven months after I bought it. They had already charged my card back in Feb, and were now giving me attitude over the phone as I was requesting the status of my merchandise that they had previously stated would be in my hands long ago.

Tree finally arrived, but was poorly packed and was ALREADY NEARLY DEAD! I planted it anyway to try to save it (about 25 feet away from an existing Scarlet Oak in my yard), but it promptly died and dried up no matter how much I watered and nurtured it.

Sabrina at Nursery Hills told me they didn't guarantee their plants (the first time I've ever encountered a nursery that operates under this policy), and said not only would they charge me for a new replacement tree, but I'd have to wait until July (now) before they could process the order. Well, now it's July, and they won't have any replacements until 2013! Huh??

This is easily in the top five worst online purchasing experiences I've ever had, from a company that operates with rude customer service on the phone and horrible product policy. I lost money dealing with them, and possibly an entire year in the planting spot in my yard since now I'll have to search out a new source for a Scarlet Oak.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! THEY WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY UP FRONT AND THEN LEAVE YOU BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

I ordered a Mandarin-Owari Satsuma Dwarf Orange tree from Nature Hills recently. I was astonished and delighted to receive the beautiful specimen that they sent. It was lush, full, and exactly what I wanted. Out of all the online plant orders I have made in the past few years, this one is the most desirable. After a week, it looks healthy and happy. I will definitely order from them again.

Anne Kern

I join the long list of individuals with serious complaints about this company. I received a near dead Mars grape this spring. It was very small for the price and the leaves had yellow veins. I was ignored by the company though I sent numerous emails and phoned them.

A disreputable nursery/company that does not stand behind its products. I recently ordered a white oak tree from Nature Hills. The tree was in-transit for 7 days. When opened, the box contained a "brittle to touch" tree, possessing shriveled brown leaves and bare, dry (to the extreme) roots. I immediately planted the tree, as instructed.and contacted Nature Hills about the condition of the tree - the company representative stated that the tree was shipped in elite, pristine condition and that it would respond favorably within 6 weeks, as it was dormant (are shriveled brown leaves, brittleness and dry roots indicative of a dormant state, I wondered).

Nine weeks later the tree remains completely inert and is obviously dead, just as when it arrived. When I again contacted Nature Hills, I was informed that their unbending replacement policy requires that the customer pay for a second tree, plus shipping and handling, in order to have the defective product replaced with another "guaranteed "shipment. Apparently, while the "shipment" is guaranteed, the purchased product isn't. Avoid doing business with Nature Hills unless you feel that a 50% negative rating (per the recent comments on this website) presents a good and viable service-oriented company.worthy of your trust and business.

After reading all the negative reviews I was very concerned about what I might find. Although the 4 honeysuckle bushes I received looked very sad when I opened the package, I got them started soaking and planted as soon as I got the locates done, a couple of days later. It's been less than a week and I already have strong new growth on all 4 bushes. Having been gardening and planting for most of 40 years, maybe I have an advantage when using bare plantings, but I am very happy with Nature Hills.

Recommended course of action for any potential customer of Nature Hills Nursery: Find a company with better than a B- BBB rating; one that has a reasonable and fair replacement guarantee and whose customer service can’t be defined as “thick as manure and about half as useful”.

I placed a late season order for seven roses totaling just over $300, including shipping. Unfortunately, they were dormant upon receipt with dried buds and branched falling off. I couldn’t judge if these were going to be healthy plants and of course two of the seven didn’t come back. I spoke w/ Bill in customer service who told me I could have two replacements at half price plus shipping. What a rip off. They wanted to charge me $50 to fix their inability to ship healthy plants. Oh, it is June and I was told they also wouldn’t ship until “mid-fall”.

I have to take some of the blame for the problem above. They have an awful replacement policy and I should have gone to one of the many competing operations that will make it right. Based on the poor plants I received, their lousy customer service and self stacked service policies, each order is a potential disaster and I can’t advise anyone wait around for the train to jump the tracks.

For the past 5 or 6 years, I have placed between 1-3 orders per year with Nature Hills. They are my 'go-to' site for shrubs, because they are one of the few places online to get BIG shrubs, and I LOVE shrubs, and I do not like to wait for 7 years or so for a tiny shrub to mature. I was quite dismayed to see these negative reviews when all of my experiences with Nature Hills have been great, including the order I received today. I got my Acer ginnala 'Flame,' 'Sem' sorbaria, and a gold physocarpus which were all as big or bigger than stated. Now, I suppose to many, these would appear to be dead sticks...when in fact, they are not!
This is called a BARE ROOT shrub, a shrubbery which is sleeping gently in a dormant state, as they do over a cold winter, which saves tremendously on shipping costs, and allows a company to send a large plant item through the mail at a reasonable cost. Which is why I can usually get a great deal on big shrubs and trees at Nature Hills. I wish I could post pictures of the shrubs I've rec'd over the years, they are gorgeous and huge! and to think that they arrived looking like dead sticks! I feel sorry for this nursery. They SO do not deserve these crappy reviews.

I ordered two trees from this company in April. They sent two 3-foot trees that had clearly been in cold storage since late in the fall. They had very little signs of life. When I opened the package, twigs actually snapped off they were that dry. I immediately contacted the company, something you have to do in order to get a refund, and began "sweating" the trees as they instructed. After a month with no sign of life they finally refunded by money. It appears that they keep their stock bare root in storage far too long. I will probably never order from them again, but if I were to order from them I would order only in winter or early spring.

MY order was placed on May 23 (W) for four Dante Gold's and processed immediately. My charge card reflected an immediate charge on Wednesday, yet, I had to contact the selling business on May 25th to even get a receipt-confirmation of my order, even though my charge card had been charged two-days earlier on the 23rd. Using the internet for years for purchases the standard practice is an immediate e-mail response-confirmation of the buyers order to their e-mail account and in a rare instance there's a delay of fifteen minutes. But this was not the case with Nature Hills and I had to mail a request for it two days later on the 25th.

Nowhere on the receipt-statement does it disclose any details of a 7-day wait on shipping or 10% penalty if the order is canceled. The information on the website indicates that the product was available on 5/23 (W) and there was absolutely no shipping of the product over a period of 6 business days: 5/24 (TH), 5/25 (F), 5/26 (SA), 5/29 (TU), 5/30 (W) or 5/31 (TH). The order was canceled the evening of 5/31 (TH) as it's evident that I was being strung along by a business that didn't have the product I ordered on 5/23 (W) as advertised on their website.

Now there comes a HIDDEN 10% charge for order cancellation from out of the woodwork, which is not disclosed on the company's receipt/statement or during the internet purchasing process that I went through. Nothing more than a 'Den of Thieves' and an inept business with no concept of business civility to customers.

I ordered a Salix Flamingo this spring. The plant arrived with upper leaves and stems that were blackened from some disease. I buy all of my plants mail order and this was not the usual minor distress in shipping. In 1-2 week's time, this blackening of the stems and leaves spread all the way down the plant and it was dead.

I brought this attention to the company and their only offer to resolve the problem was to suggest I buy another at 50% with full shipping cost. While that may be a fair policy if a plant arrives healthy and dies over the course of a year due to the gardener's fault or nature's, it is not fair when a diseased plant is received.

My experience has been that the company does NOT live up to their statement in response to a previous customer's complaint -- , "We do guarantee that our products arrive to you safely and in viable condition.... Other than that, we do offer a one year replacement for half price plus shipping and handling if the plant dies after it is transplanted." If I had seen the volume of complaints about diseased plant shipments from this company on this website, I would never have ordered from them.

I purchased a Lavender Twist Redbud tree last spring. It arrived and was nothing but a tall stick. I planted it and it bloomed and then got foliage. Very healthy until I got too close to it with the lawn mower and broke it off at the ground. I purchased a second one and, when it arrived, the box was damaged and the tree was broken in half. I contacted them and they immediately sent me a replacement and told me to keep the broken one.

The third one, like the other two was just a tall stick. I planted it and it did well. I suspected, however, that it was not a weeping redbud despite the tag 'lavender twist' that was on it. This spring it is growing like a weed - bloomed and developed beautiful, huge leaves but it was still growing upright. I took a picture of it and emailed Nature Hills and they immediately emailed me back and confirmed my suspicion that it was just a normal red bud. They then asked me if I wanted one sent now or did I want to wait until next spring.

I have had nothing but very positive experience with this company. Their service has been exceptional and I will always be a customer.

Stay away. Their products die in the short term, and they don't offer a fair resolution. You will be throwing your money away. Avoid at any cost. Buy local.

"On Apr 26, 2012 8:33 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

sooopr,

We are certainly sorry to hear that you experienced a loss with your order. We do guarantee that our products arrive to you safely and in viable condition. If there was an issue with the shipment, we would certainly be happy to look into the matter. Other than that, we do offer a one year replacement for half price plus shipping and handling if the plant dies after it is transplanted.

Thanks,

Nature Hills"

Posted on April 24, 2012, updated April 24, 2012
Long story short. DO NOT BUY from this company. If you still want, read their terms VERY carefully before placing even a 5$ order.

If you place an order then cancel it, they will charge you a 10% fee of the TOTAL ORDER PRICE which includes shipping and handling and handling oversized items (well ... if your order is less than 100.50$ you'll pay a 10$ fee ... calculate their profit if your order is 5$ ). Hmmm... the S&H + HOI is approx 35% of the order... They make a good profit from cancelled orders charging fees for shipping before shipment.

If you place an order at night (I did it at 7 PM ET), then cancel it 3 hours (well, in my case it was 3 hours 45 min - hahahaha) they will recommend you to read their terms and provide you with a statement similar to :

----------------------------------------
Bill:"All of the plant
material you ordered was removed from inventory when you submitted the order, and so it was no longer for sale on our site. When you submitted the order you had to agree to the terms and conditions to submit the order. Here is the cancellation part that you agreed to.
-----------------------------------------
It's hard to believe someone at Nature Hills was moving twelve 3# and 5# containers (I was that much stupid to order) from inventory last night.

Better Business Bureau B(-minus) is too high for them. I think if everyone submitted the BBB claim against Nature Hills the rating would be less than F

Additionally, they do not just refund your card ... like normal companies do if the order is cancelled ... they want you to give them the credit card details to complete the refund.

"On Apr 24, 2012 10:28 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

Dear nea2012,

We are sorry you had an issue with the order. Our system works in real time, and once the order is placed, it is live in our system. This time of year, we ship thousands of plants, and orders are sent to our warehouse's shipping queue almost immediately so we can ship orders as quickly as possible.

If we can catch an order before it is sent to the warehouse, we certainly can accommodate order changes and cancellation requests, but it isn't always possible when the order goes to shipping. The cancellation fee is charged when we have to pull an order from the shipping department. The fee is 10% of the order total (before shipping and handling), so we apologize if there was a miscommunication / miscalculation of the fee when you initially contacted us.

We were able to catch the order, and complete the cancellation request. Since you did contact us the same day as the order was placed, we issued the full refund. We appreciate you revising your post here, and we are glad that we were able to correct the situation to your satisfaction. We apologize for any inconvenience. We hope you consider us for future purchases.

Sincerely,

Nature Hills Nursery

"

Posted on March 13, 2012, updated April 9, 2012
Posted on March 4, 2012, updated March 13, 2012
I ordered a Northern Red Oak from this company, was sent a 4.5 foot twig with no branches. I read the return policy before ordering, but was really hoping I would get what was described. Considering I paid almost 40 bucks for this twig all told, I did not.
I did not contact this company, they know what they sent me. I just cut my losses, I didn't not want another tree at half price, I should never have been sent this stick to begin with.

"On Mar 6, 2012 2:49 PM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

We are certainly sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your tree. When planting bareroot trees, it is not uncommon to have a 4 to 5 foot tree that has minimal to no branching. In fact, branching is often pruned on younger trees in order to keep the branches higher on the trunk. This promotes a more upright tree at maturity, which is typically desired when planting what will become large shade trees like an oak. We do send out 4 to 5 foot Red Oak trees, and that is the measurement of the leader above the root system. Typically, it only takes a season or two for significant branching to take place.

Thanks,

Nature Hills Nursery

Nature Hills is overpriced and have poor quality products. You do not get what you pay for. You just pay more and get less.

I bought a peach tree in April. We had plenty of moisture in the spring and summer, but it never took off. The tree may have gotten 4 leaves. It never branched out or did anything. I was very disappointed, since I paid almost twice what I could have gotten the same tree from another company for. When I called the customer service, they said they needed a soil sample. I had one taken just that spring, so I had that. After looking it over, they determined the soil was fine. But I couldn't get a full replacement - they only offered me 50% off if I ordered another one and I had to pay the shipping. The problem I have is that I can get a tree for half their price and that company will give me a full replacement, no questions asked if the tree dies. So why would I pay twice the price to get nothing.

I will never buy anything from them again - even if it is 50% off.

"On Jan 12, 2012 11:28 AM, Nature Hills Nursery responded with:

Management is attempting to contact the customer, in order to try and resolve the issues with the order.

- Nature Hills Nursery"

Ordered 4 Hazelnut trees in #2 containers -- trees came well packaged but one of the trees was damaged. Called customer service and was treated very professionally and received more than I expected. Will use them for all my plants in the future. Will reccomend them strongly.

I ordered 250 Honeyo Strawberry plants from these folks the week before last and they came in last Thursday. They were planted in raised beds with shade cloth in this extremely hot weather. I think I have 100% taking. Maybe two per bundle of 25 were a little puny compared to the others and a few had about half of their roots sliced off about 1 1/2" from the crown. Some were still almost dormant upon arrival. They all looked tough, even the puny ones. I had Bill as a customer representative and he was fantastic about all my questions and quite resourceful. As these plants were on sale with free shipping and I had some low expectations, sure glad I took a chance. They look great!

Posted on May 21, 2010, updated June 7, 2011
First time ordering from this company. The live shrub Nature Hills sent me was large and in very good shape upon arrival.
So, I'm very happy with my purchase!

Posted on June 2, 2011, updated June 6, 2011
Don’t buy from Nature Hills catalog company. And don’t buy shrubs online.

I repeat, DO NOT BUY FROM NATURE HILLS CATALOG COMPANY. AND DON’T BUY SHRUBS ONLINE.

You still want to take a chance? Go ahead. Plunk down your hard-earned money for inferior products and abysmal customer service. Hey, it’s your dough.

But, if you want to listen to me, here’s why. It was April of 2010, you’ll find out later why I remember the date so well, and I ordered a double flowering plum and a flowering almond shrub from Nature Hills. I received a crabapple and a flowering almond. *sigh* So I emailed them. They told me to keep the crabapple – I later found out why – and sent me a double flowering plum. The plum was THE saddest shrub you have ever seen. I planted, and watered, and waited. Nothing. The spring waned, the summer faded, and nothing. I emailed them to tell them of my sad little do-nothing plum and it’s only a little better almond. They offered to send me a new plum at 50% of the cost – WOW, what a return policy! - but being a schmuck, I said I’d let it go until spring of this year. MIStake.

Spring comes and the crabapple – free, remember? – flowered and then promptly went into hibernation. The almond is only doing a little better. The plum? No flowers, no foliage, gone, in the trash. I emailed Nature Hills, IN MAY, to tell them.

OH, they said, your year of – get this – a 50% replacement on a new shrub has expired and now you’re out of luck.

So, I repeat. It’s your dough. But, my advice:

Don’t buy from Nature Hills catalog company. And don’t buy shrubs online.

I repeat, DO NOT BUY FROM NATURE HILLS CATALOG COMPANY. AND DON’T BUY SHRUBS ONLINE.

I live in the Mountains of NM classified as zone 6. At 7300 ft elevation we have a fickle growing season.
I worked with Jeff at Naturehills and bought 44 bare root fruit trees in many varieties that we researched together. We looked at what would pollinate the other and what would do well in the area.

Every single tree has great new growth. Even the tree the dog ate in half before I could get a cage around it.

If you know how to plant and care for bare root trees, Nature hills is a great place to buy them. Great selection, excellent communication and a fair price.

Thank you for such a great tree. I received my 6 ft. Crimson King Maple tree today and it looks absolutely great. The roots were packed nicely, and there are buds all over it. It is much taller than I anticipated too, after planting it I measured it at 6'4". I am very pleased with my purchase from you. I am so excited to watch it grow now.

This is where I should have ordered from all along! Thanks guys!!!

I received my Hosta's yesterday from Nature Hills Nursery, and was very pleased with them, so Thank You so much for sending the wonderful plants! The plants are nice large plants and the packaging was excellent. I had also ordered 2 hosta's from a different company and they did not compare to the ones that I had ordered from Nature Hills. I will definitely order from them again

a very satistied customer,
Drorchid

I ordered a Rugosa Rose. It was advertised as 18" tall.. I received a beautiful multi-branched robust plant 4 feet tall and very well packaged. I would definitely order from Nature Hills again.

Three years ago I ordered from Nature Hills. I just discovered this forum and decided to praise them for their service and quality. I botched my order when I placed it and they were very polite in changing it for me. Everything (small and large fruits) arrived in decent packaging and good condition. Their prices are kind of steep, but their quality is exceptional. Apples fruited last year and everything else is looking to fruit this year if their vigor is any indication, despite the crappy spring we've had. So I'll say that the folks at Nature Hills take some pride, as well they should. The next time I want a special specimen or two, I'll be ordering from them.

Ordered Salvia 'Black and Blue.' Plants arrived in good condition and when Nature Hills said they would.

I received my Weigela "Fine Wine" today. The plant arrived in excellent condition. It couldn't have been better if I'd have picked it up at a local nursery! Thank you, Nature Hills, for your outstanding service and products! I would recommend you to anyone!

I ordered a 6 foot Weeping Cherry. Inspection upon arrival revealed the tree was broken in half. This was no fault of Nature Hills. The tree was securely packaged, but the shipping company allowed the container to be bent in half. I contacted Nature Hills, and Bryan answered my email. He made sure another tree was sent out promptly. Imagine my surprise when I opened the new tree to find a larger tree enclosed to prevent breakage AND the tree has blossoms. This is my first time ordering from Nature Hills, and I am impressed. I would highly recommend this company to anyone wanting to order plants and trees! The most amzing thing is that I put the two halves of the first tree together with wound dressing and repair tape, and the tree is doing great. Thanks Nature Hills and Bryan!