Comments regarding Moonshine Designs Nursery

I placed an order for 1 Jossee Lilac. It didn't come so I contacted them, they said they needed the order number so when I located the number I left a message for Roger and the lilac was sent the next day. It is very nice quality and even had a bloom. I'm happy with my order and will place more. They get back with you right away and are nice to do business with.

I have ordered twice on EBAY, always good healthy plants, shipped quickly.

I ordered A Blue Satin Rose of Sharon and I got it today, I'm very pleased with it, it even has blooms on it :-)) I will order again from Moonshine Designs and Highly recommand them to anyone wishing to buy plants on line..A+++...Tammy K

Ordered a weeping pussy willow and was told to plant it immediately but it died because of the extreme weather that occurred. They answered my first email stating that it would come out of it, but it hasn't and I've emailed them 3 times asking them about their replacement policy and or refund and also faxed them. I see from their "generic" response to negative ratings they claim to never have heard from the customer. Well they don't answer their emails requesting refunds nor do they respond to faxes. Don't do business with this company.

"

We answered every email we received from this buyer and still kept getting repeat emails from them that we did not reply. Each time we requested the order number so we could issue a credit.. Following is a copy of the last response on May 29:

As you can see by the email title, your email ended up in the Spam filter. It was found by accident because I was looking for a specific email and stumbled across it. Normally, we do not look at it since it gets 2,000-3,000 per day. Emails titled "order inquiry" are set to go through regardless of where they come from. This is noted on the website as well as on shipment notification emails. Emails that originate from organizations where large numbers of emails are sent always get caught in the filter.

It is unfortunate that your tree did not do well. Please provide the order number or buyer ID number from the receipt and we will either send a refund or credit your credit card (depending on how the purchase was made)

Roger
Moonshine Designs
http://www.djroger.com or
http://www.moonshinedesigns.biz or http://www.moonshinedesignsnursery.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Joan M Ehlen [mailto:ehlen@uwplatt.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 9:41 AM
To: sales@djroger.com
Subject: Fw: Weeping Pussy Willow tree

You were really good at answering my first email when I told you my pussy willow wasn't looking so hot. But now when I've told you TWICE that it has died you are ignoring me! I see by your responses to negative reviews you claim you never get the emails from the customers. I will be writing a bad review if you do not answer and/or replace this tree. It was expensive for the size!


Joan M. Ehlen
Elton S. Karrmann Library
Administration Office
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
email: ehlen@uwplatt.edu
Phone: 608-342-1688




"

I had ordered two hibiscus shrubs and a butterfly bush shrub and could not be more than delighted. They were packaged well, shipped in a very timely manner, and are doing gloriously. I will continue to buy from this company again, as being a first time customer, I couldn't be more happier.

I ordered a weeping pussy willow and was very impressed.
It arrived packed well and very healthy.I just placed my
second order with this company.

LW
Nashville Tn

I found this company on Ebay and purchased a small white heirloom lilac. I was very impressed with their quick shipping and how well it came packaged along with a printed manual for taking care of my new lilac and many other plants also. The lilac is doing very well.

I found Moonshine Designs on eBay and bid on some items that were auctions ending that day. I purchased a few items and paid with PayPal. Next day I got a message that the order was shipped. I got it and planted the third day. Everything was in great shape! Vines and bushes were bare-root, heuchera was in potting soil but it was all as healthy as if I'd bought it at a local source. Their selection of "uncommon" things is very impressive and the prices and shipping costs are quite reasonable. Plants are shipped with tags including botanical names, which is nice. Catalog and planting instructions also included. I think that Moonshine will be one of my regular spots to buy plants. I highly recommend them!

I'm addicted to Moonshine Designs! Their website looks a little amateur, but don't let that scare you away. They have great stuff, and their customer service is wonderful.

I found them on eBay, and I bought some heucheras. They arrived in great shape, and were much larger than I had expected. Then I found their website. And I was hooked!

The prices are great, and they don't try to gouge you on the shipping costs. I've ordered many more heucheras and have been happy with all. I decided to give their viburnums a go, and I'm glad I did! I ordered 2 Blue Muffins, 3 Autumn Jazz, 1 Arrowwood, 1 American Cranberry, and 1 Mariessi. They all were larger than expected, well packaged, and very healthy.

I am SO VERY IMPRESSED and PLEASED with Moonshine Design Nursery, and this, being my first experience ordering live plants on the Internet, is proving to be one of the smartest things I have done! They arrived so well packed, and as quickly as they could since it was so terribly hot there, and here for awhile. I found the prices to be comparable, if not less, than my local nurseries (even with the very fair shipping charge). Spread the word! This is a TOP-NOTCH business and they have many HAPPY customers, including lucky me!

Good selection. Friendly service. The website looks a little amateurish, so I was a bit hesitant to order at first. But the company's trustworthy and very professional. Moonshine ships solely on Mondays or Tuesdays, which wisely avoids problems with plants sitting in a post office over the weekend.

When ordering from Moonshine be aware, though, that most of their stock is bare root. At least mine was, which confused me at first since the website description said "1 gallon." It probably was grown in a one gallon container, but the plants were shipped bare. I'm sure this fact was posted somewhere on the website and I just overlooked it. My planting site wasn't really ready for these shrubs, so I'm now trying to keep them healthy until I can plant a week from now. Don't get me wrong, the shrubs were packaged very well - roots wrapped in moist newspaper, wrapped in plastic. It was just a surprise. Also be aware that (according to my local cooperative agent) bare root shrubs/trees are best planted when dormant (= late fall through early spring).

I ordered 6 bushes on Saturday (while they were still on vacation) and on Monday I received an email saying that the order had been shipped.

I received the order on Thursday and upon opening the box was very impressed. The 3 dwarf flowering almonds are 1/2 again taller than 2 that I had gotten from another source - after those 2 have been in the ground a couple of months! They are obviously very healthy and show no signs of stress from the shipping. Oh yeah, I only paid $5 more for the 3 from Moonshine Designs than I paid for the 2 smaller ones from the other source.

The 3 Rose Glow barberries are also very healthy looking and don't seem stressed at all.

The packaging was great, the size of the plants is impressive, the turn around time on the order was faster than I thought would happen - I am really happy with Moonshine Designs!

I have ordered from a few other on line nurseries. This man sends out the biggest, and healthiest plants, and has the best prices I have seen. He just asks you to let him know if there is a problem and if anything is missing, so he will fix it. He went on vacation recently, and sent my order out before he left, due to the intense heat there....when he returned one was missing. He said since it was too hot he would just credit the entire order, since everyting is dying at this time of the year from this awful summer. His first order was in perfect weather, and they were gorgeous, and sent three for the price of some others.... one plant. Big and healthy and a good shipping charge. He just said it is too hot, to send out an order to replace the missing one. Understandable since the company was closing for the heat , and to take a break.He was honest enough to say, Just keep the ones I sent, and instead of sending plants Heucheras, that might die in this heat I will just credit you back. I did not even ask him to. He is the best I have seen on here, and would not hesitate to use him again. He is beyond reasonable, and generous to a fault. Unfortunatately this has not been a good summer for Huecheras. But what he sent me before it got too hot is absolutely doing the best of all of mine. MIne from someone else have all died but his. I would not hesitate to use him again and he is honest and stands by his word. Thanks and have a good (too hot) summer...

I placed an order for the first time this spring. Everything I recieved was good and green and now 4 weeks later are still nice and green and growing. There prices are very reasonable for their 1, 2 & 3 gallon sizes and they have a very good variety. I will not hesitate to place another order next spring. Remember to always give your plants a million dollar hole with good compost, dry peatmoss, manure and some triple phosphate so they are rarein to grow. Dont forget a good long drink too. :)

I ordered some Knockouts on ebay. I was pleased with the buying and shipping experience, but I was somewhat disappointed in the size of the plants. While I did get plants that had two or so branchings, they were *very* small, more like plugs, with very spindly branches. They are growing well, but it will be a season or two before they get to a decent size. Just this past week I purchased some more Knockouts from Lowe's and they were at least 4 times the size for double what I paid from here (not included my shipping fees).

I should have been more patient and waited until the bushes were around here locally. I would have gotten much larger bushes for my money.

Perhaps seller could take pictures of the exact size plants he is selling. This picture was about the size of the plants and rootball I got, and I paid twice as much for them:
//www.knockoutroses.com/starterplants.html

I did leave positive feedback on ebay, but I only stated that it was a good shipping experience and the plants were healthy. I do feel he should post pictures of the approximate size of the plants he is selling in the future.

The plants *are* healthy and growing, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth because they were so small.

I placed an order , I changed it twice by leaving messages over the phone . I recieved the order promptly, in good conditipon, he had gotton all the changes right and I got what I wanted. Very satisfied. I would definatly order again

I ordered a variety of plants (sedum, viburnum, barberry, heuchera) last week; the order arrived in a timely manner via UPS. Hat's off to the packing person...they really did a great job; I was amazed at how efficiently the plants were packed into one box! All the plants arrived intact & undamaged, very well-cushioned with shredded paper. The plants themselves were alive, a little larger than the average mail-order experience, had leaves, were not wilted, and grabbed ahold beautifully the next morning after planting. Shrubs were bareroot, but with generous root systems well-packed in moist paper & plastic outerwrap...they also had nice, healthy leaves on them. Overall, I am VERY SATISFIED with my order from Moonshine, and plan on ordering again from them in the near future! Thanks, Moonshine, for a good transaction!!

At Christmas-time, a local newspaper suggested Southern Gentleman Winterberry Holly and Berry Heavy Winterberry Holly for the grandest display of red berries at wintertime. A websearch landed me at Moonshine Designs Nursery in Illinois. I'd never done business with them before but they were the only nursery I could find that offered these shrubs so I took a chance and placed an order. I'd almost forgotten about it when I received an email from them personally telling me that my shipment was on its way and thanking me for my business,. I thought that was nice touch and I waited until the promised day for them to arrive. Not only did they arrive right on shedule but they were wrapped so well. The shrubs felt vibrant and healthy to the touch. I knew they hadn't suffered at all. Also, the shrubs I received are sturdy and very high quality. I was so excited I emailed them immediately thanking them for their service. I promised to rate them on Dave's Garden and I also will highly reccommend them to all my gardening friends. Most importantly, I will order from them myself.

I ordered 2 lilac trees, a daylily and verbascum about 2 weeks ago and received my shipment within a week. I was sent a confirmation of payment email immediately, as well as a shipping confirmation from Roger and Wanda. The plants were carefully packed (Jackson & Perkins should take a lesson from them), all arrived safely and healthy, and I was very impressed. Planting instructions were enclosed also. I have found a new favorite nursery.

I just received 2 'Summer Wine' ninebark shrubs in wonderful condition. The price, including shipping, was less than half of what I would have paid at a local nursery. A planting guide offered helpful tips and care instructions on all plants sold by this company. The package also included specific planting and fertilization directions on the ninebark shrubs. I am very satisfied with my buying experience.

Found this source last year on Google. Placed a couple of orders for a number of plants. I was not happy with the size of the plants I received - they were small, bare-root twigs, but I gave them a chance. Most did okay - I only lost one or two plants and did not bother to contact them.

I decided to give them another try this Spring. The plants I ordered were one Viburnum 'Winterthur', one white callicarpa, one set of three 'Wine & Roses' Weigela, four Itea 'Little Henry'. There was a separate order for a cell tray of sedum.

The plants arrived as usual - small, bare-root dormant twigs wrapped in wet shredded paper and plastic. I only received one Weigela, instead of the three. I planted all the plants and emailed them about the missing ones and stated that the viburnum arrived looking mushy. I did not hear back so I re-sent the email and called them two days later and spoke to them about the missing ones . They did ship the two missing ones.

Upon receiving those two, I emailed them to tell them I received them but the viburnum and callicarpa showed no signs of growth. At this point the itea also had not shown any growth but I knew they were late to leaf out - I had three others I bought from them last Fall which were only just starting. I received an email back saying it was still early so I gave it more time.

After three more weeks I emailed them again saying that there was still no foliage break on those two plants or in ANY of the four itea as well. The scratch test showed all six plants as DEAD. They did not respond to that email, as well as three more follow-up emails - the last two requesting replacement or refund.

So this is where it stands - they do not even acknowledge or return emails, let alone try to resolve problems. To boot, twice in the last year I alerted them to errors on their website and this is the thanks I get.

Bottom line - go elsewhere and avoid headaches. There are a number of sources that ship stocky, healthy plants and value customer service. Why take a chance on twigs and have to stand on your head to get what you pay for? Don't repeat my mistake.

I won 3 Rugosa Roses on eBay on 4/27. I paid right after the auction of all 3 were won. For some unknown reason, in Delaware, I can't find anyone who sells these roses. We are the perfect climate and soil for them, and I was very happy to find someone who had them to sell, even if I couldn't see the actual product. I did bring one with me when we moved here almost 13 yrs. ago, and it does fine (pink). I inquired on 5/9 to see what was going on, as I was getting a bit itchy to put them in, and got a nice reply to my email saying they had a rough spring and would be sending them out soon. On 5/15 I rec'd. another email saying they had shipped out and I would receive them on 5/19. I did, and they were packed with some soiless mix inside damp shredded newspaper, tightly wrapped inside of plastic wrap. The plants themselves above the bottom were yellow leaved with some brown spots, as well as some dead branches,and looked pretty wilted; also some brown leaves. I did cut some off, but didn't want to be too shocking to the plant. I planted them and used some transplant solution, and they still looked in shock a week later, so I gave them some water soluble plant food, still a week later, nothing. Being very careful, I trimmed them all off the plants today, and noticed that there are some new green leaves starting to come out. I did what they said in the booklet that came with them, but my husband and I were starting to get worried up until today, 6/5. I've never had plants that took so long to get used to the soil- usually it only takes a few days or so. We even watered them almost daily, if no rain. I don't know if it was UPS fault, or what. I'm not putting blame on the nursery, but felt very uneasy about them taking all this time until today to take. I didn't email them after I received and put them in, just figured that with time, hopefully they'd take. I wasn't crazy about the condition they arrived in, inside the long cardboard box- they looked like they got banged around a bit, and I guess I was hoping for green leaved plants, so that was a bit dissapointing. I am on the east coast, and they are in the mid west, so maybe the shipping should have been shorter to spare the stress to them, I don't know. I might buy from them again, but am not sure. Just glad that they are showing signs of life, for that I am blessed.

I also placed an order with them, and have since sent several e-mails, as well as having called and left 2 messages back in March and April--still NO Response from them. The blackberries they sent were small and didn't all grow, but there is no way to get them to respond. I didn't even ask for a replacement, but just wanted further info on my purchases. I won't be buying from them again; wouldn't have found them except for this site and the glorious reviews. Don't count me in on those--I'm not enamored by them or the merchandise.

"

We have not received any emails or phone calls from this party and have no record of any transactions with them."

I ordered 2 1 Gal Fireball Burning Bushes this year. I got them fast and was a little surprised that they were bare root twigs. I planted both and one is showing growth and the other isn't. I sent two emails asking if the one that is showing no growth is all right and have heard nothing back. They were fast to answer when i was asking about them when buying but now they aren't when it comes to a problem. If i need to replace the one l'll get it from another nursery and never do business with this place again.

My five willows (3 dappled willows and 2 Rubykins) arrived promptly and in excellent condition ... healthy and with very ample rootballs that were still moist thanks to Moonshine's careful packing. What a very pleasant surprise since the only other time I had ordered plants from a remote nursery I got a bunch of twigs with barely any roots at all, all "packed" in the same plastic bag and all dead in less than a month or so. Moonshine Designs is now my nursery of choice and I'm already planning my next order.

I just ordered 1 Blue Muffin viburnum and 2 Bloodtwig dogwoods from this company. While it did take a little while to get (about 3 1/2 weeks) because they were so busy and shipping with the weather, they are fantastic plants! They all are at least 2 feet tall with nice leaves and root systems. I can't wait to see these bloom next year!
I'll definitely order from them again!

Purchase a large number of different types of Junipers
SUPER DOOPER EXPERIENCE!
Great service, great products, great everything.
I only wish they carried blueberry plants. I feel so safe doing business with them, I don't want to purchase plants anywhere else.

In February, I ordered 5 red twig willows. I received a prompt email reply that they would be shipped April 11th. Since I'm one state over, it usually takes no more than 2 days to receive an order. On April 15th, I emailed them to ask about a shipping number. Roger immediately replied that they were running behind (understandable), and that my order would be shipped on/about April 18th. It's now May 2nd, and I don't have my order, and have heard nothing more.

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First shipment was lost. A replacement was sent as soon as we were notified that it did not arrive."

My transaction was 100% satisfactory! Super fast shipping of my plants. Prompt email returns and notifications. Wonderful healthy and hardy plants, very well packaged for shipping. I recommend this business to anyone! The website is very easy to use, too! It's saved under "my favorites" now!

As a first time buyer with a vendor, I am usually curious with regard to their service. MoonShine Designs shipped my order when they promised and I received the four Thornless Honey Locust trees in excellent condition. I will definitely do business with them in the future.

i ordered from them a month ago (i was too excited to wait, though i knew i had to wait for a little bit before they shipped, weather permitting, mid-april). they answered the email i sent promptly, too. i got my plants today, very well packaged, the soil in each pot still moist, and i was pleasantly surprised at the size of the plants in the 3" pots!! i will definitely order from these guys again...and will tell friends about them.

I have bought several shrubs from them. Roger and the gang do a great job of sending healthy , well rooted shrubs and they are packaged very well . They have a fantastic variety of different plants to choose from and they email you when they ship . Shipping is done on monday and tuesdays to keep the shrubs from being stuck over the weekend ... I love them ..

I have made three Ebay purchases and one direct and have been very pleased with the quality of the plants and with the promptness of the deliveries.
I will continue to do business with Moonshine Designs.

Large, beautiful shrubs, freshly dug. Well packed: roots wrapped together and still moist. Fast shipping. Best nursery I've dealt with.

I ordered a Kousa dogwood from this company, on ebay. What a beautiful plant; well packaged and shipped within days. I will definitely order again.

I ordered 100 low-growing Juniper ("Wiltonii") plants for our place in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. They were delivered promptly. When I opened them, I was very impressed by the care with which they had been packed and by the healthy character of the plants, especially the well-developed root systems. The price for these plants ws very reasonable, and I am goint to order more next spring.

Order for the first time from this company and found it to be a very positive experience. Plant prices and shipping were very reasonable.

They acknowledged my order immediately and sent me an e-mail when my plants were shipped. They arrived a couple of days later

I ordered 3 August Lilly Hosta and they arrived very well packaged, in excellant condition and larger then I expected.

Clear instructions were included in the package.

I will certainly order from this company again.

Best I have dealt with yet! Plants were very healthy, extremely well packaged and incredible prices for plants and shipping.
BUT BEST and most important,they are a real pleasure to do business with.

i just got my pink forsythia from moonshine and i have to say that i am very impressed! it's HUGE, healthy, and was packed very well -- it showed no signs of any wilting and it's been pretty hot here!

also, it was incredibly inexpensive for both the plant and the shipping -- i was shocked when it arrived so quickly!

well done, moonshine!
heidi