Comments regarding Variegated Foliage Nursery

Sent a check for payment in April 2012..contacted owner in May 2012. I was assured the plants were in process. No thank you for order.

I contacted the company again in late June 2012 to find that there a new message on the machine. No returned call...no plants. The check had been cashed in late June...no plants even 60 days later.

Since that time, I have mailed 2 letters and attempted to contact the nursery multiple times...no answer on the phone and no email of record functions....and no plants.

After 18 months of efforts, I would sincerely like other buyers to know how distrustful this company has become over the past year or so.

In November 2002 I place a fairly large order with this company because I was fascinated by their variety of unusual plants and the 30% discount they had going for end of year. Eight plants in all. I was warned that many of my items, such as the ferns, would be dormant but not to worry. I was not prepared, however, for the tiny plastic bags of dirt lumps tightly wrapped with rubber bands (no circulation - can't be good for roots), most of which were completely topless. Those that did have any stems or leaves were sickly or covered with aphids in one case. Of the eight plants received, I've nursed/ coaxed five of them to show some signs of life, although two are just limping along and I'm hoping they'll make it to spring, so I can plant them outside to revive. The aphid covered one struggled for a bit, and I tried spraying, but it finally keeled over, and the others never made it. My next step with this company is to try to get a refund/ replacement on those items that haven't made it because, we are talking about plants that I've spent a minimum of $8/ item, and, in some cases, more than that. I'll never order from them again.

Ordered two hostas in March 2000 and paid via credit card. Payment was applied right away. Called compnay in early June to find out where my order was. Had trouble contacting anyone and left message. Someone finally returned my call - said hosta Kathryn Lewis now unavailable and suggested subsitution. I accepted. Called back in early July when order still not rec'd. Now Kathryn Lewis available. Order finally shipped with small bonus hosta for the inconvenience. Much disturbed by this runaround, but attempted 2001 order. Same outcome except no bonus plant this time. Customer rep said owner 'really shouldn't be running a business anymore'. Never again :-(

I placed a fairly large order with this nursery this spring, primarily because they had a lot of interesting plants in what I thought were decent sizes at a decent price. However, I am very disappointed with the sizes of plants - a quart size pulmonaria was no more than a plug, 2-gallon Cryptomeria was more like a quart size, the quart size boxwood were little more than rooted cuttings. In retrospect, I paid too much for these tiny plants compared to plants from [elsewhere] where the quart size plants were the same size as the 2-gallon plants from Variegated Foliage, and cheaper, even with the shipping to the east coast. I will stay away from this nursery in the future.