Comments regarding Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Yesterday I went to the Fall Garden Party at Annie's Annuals and had a fantastic time. I learned a lot from the 1 hour talk that Annie gave on her favorite plants to plant in the Fall. I ended up buying several new 'finds', and am looking forward to having beautiful flowers in my garden. I have been to this nursery several times and have had great success with the plants.

I placed an order last week with Annie's. It arrived today. I received an email confirmation of my order and I also received notification when my order shipped. I ended up with 6 plants for about 60 dollars (including s&h), and I'm not in the least unhappy with that. I got 6 healthy, large really unusual plants I couldn't find anywhere else. The packaging was excellent, if a bit difficult to remove. It seems the best packaging for plants is always hard to remove.

I recently had the opportunity to order some plants from Annie's. I had come across their website when looking for plants on the internet. I have never done online ordering before, and it was extremely easy with their system. My plants arrived at my door just when they said they would, all healthy, looking great, and very well packed. I planted all 5 plants and they appearingly were doing alright. Within one day, one of the plants started to look very bad. I e-mailed Kelly, Annies propogator and asked what I could do to save this little guy. He/she wrote back within the same day explaining that they sometimes have trouble with their annuals and shipping. I expected some advice on what to do to try to save the plant, and what I got was a letter telling me they were going to send a replacement, and that it was already in the works. I don't even get this kind of service from my local nursery, let alone expecting this kind of service from a nursery out of state.Shocked was the least I could say about the fact that they were going to replace the plant, no questions asked. I am very pleased with the way they do business. Their packing and shipping of plants is wonderful, and their customer service as far as I am concerned is top notch. I will most certainly be doing business in the future with them, and would gladly reccomend them to anyone else. Thanks Kelly and Annie's for making it a joy to buy from your company.
Katherine GoldenEagle

Annie's is a gem! The website is very easy to use and full of great information that I find myself continually going back to reference. I love the "plant list" search options and they have a fantastic selection of California natives which is what I have primarily been planting in my garden. My experience with them was nothing less than great - the entire ordering process went quickly and smoothly and my plants arrived in excellent condition (ordered on Friday, received on Tuesday). The plants were packed very well and were healthy and undamaged. I live close enough to drive to their nursery (45mins away) but chose to order online for convenience - no matter where I choose to buy my plants (other than online) it costs time and money to go (gas, bridge toll, etc etc) so I didn't mind the handling fee. Besides, you can't find anywhere near the selection or quality of Annie's at Lowes or Home Depot, etc (so ignore those negative comments!). And as far as the 4" pot vs gallon size pot debate - I personally prefer buying my plants in the 4" size. Sure they might be a bit smaller than the gallon size to start, but I think they take better and in the long run the plants grow more vigorously and are healthier. After all, just how long has that gallon size plant been in that pot?? My Annie's plants are taking off and have already surpassed the size of some gallon sizers I planted about the same time... At any rate, I highly recommend Annie's and know I'll be purchasing again. Thanks Annie - A+!

re: Annie's Annuals. When I discovered this web site, after having read about it in an issue of Sunset magazine, I felt as though I had struck gold. While there are wonderful local nurseries and while I am a catalogue maven, this was an unexpected surprise. The abundance of annuals I had never seen was a joy! The poppies filled my spring garden with glorious colors. While I am still waiting for the datura to bloom, most of the plants arrived vigorous and roaring to get into soil and bloomed shortly thereafter. After the initial sticker shock for handling and shipping, I tried to be careful and budget my orders over several weeks. Every plant has lived and thrived and each arrived perky and ready to go, just as though I had been to the local nursery.

Recently I emailed Annie's and asked a question about the suitability of plants they have for the Houston, Texas area. I really was amazed when their propagator Kelly responded with a large list only three days later!!! After ordering from another mail order company where I had to guess about the proper plant for my area, I was very pleased to get some information that would maximize my chance at success. All gardenders KNOW how much work goes into caring for plants. I see the poor care by the garden centers that results in dead and dying plants soon after their arrival. I will gladly pay to have plants sent to me that I cannot get here. Besides, I get to look at the gorgeous garden pictures on the website for free!! Thanks Kelly and Annie's for creating a place that I hope to visit if I am ever in the area. My order will be forthcoming!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Pam in Pearland, TX

While I was doing an internship at The Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in 2003 I was lucky enough to be given the task to be buyer for our Annie's Annuals orders. It was so exciting getting the fax of available plants each week and placing my order for the garden.

I was also lucky enough to visit the nursery itself on several occasions (where I was overwhelmed by the exciting choices) and I met Annie as well. If you live in or are visiting the area this is one nursery you must make a trip to see. And if you are lucky you might meet Annie as well because she is just as wonderful as you can imagine if you have read the articles in her newsletter or visited her website.

I was sad to move back to the east coast and not have access to this great nursery anymore but Annie assured me they would soon be doing mail order.

Well I finally placed my first order and I am as pleased with the quality of the plants as I would be if I had picked them out myself. I chose a few old favorites from my time in California and a few new things as well.

Annie is a treasure for horticulturists who are plant fanatics who are excited about learning about and growing new plants.

My wife and I love Annie's! In fact, we always seem to end up stopping whenever we visit that area (from Sacramento). They have the best California native plant selection that I've found in Northern California. A word of warning - if you love flowers and stop at Annie's, make sure you have plenty of spare time.

A remarkable place! After years, scavenging through the megastores or boutique nurseries of Berkeley, Annie's arrived. All I can say, is that you owe yourself the pleasure to prowl the staggering rows of plants they have available. My greatest dilemma is which plants I need to move to the compost to make room from something from Annie's.

I am a novice gardener but have done extensive research on gardening and plants in the last year. A trip to Annie's is the ultimate experience. I love their website and I LOVE their gardens. I live near Annie's and can't stay away! It's an addictive and habit-forming experience!

In my search for unusual plants, discovering Annie's Annuals has been a dream come true. I order from her at least once a month. There is a vendor on E-Bay that sells her plants, they will bring over $20 at auction, sometimes as much as $60.

Annie's plants arrive fresh and green, always with extra containers (large 4 1/2 inch), making it easy to remove the wrapped root ball. Most of her plants are drought tolerant and have low water requirements, needing fast draining soil, which she supplies in the large root ball of her plants.

Then there is the packing, when it comes to packing plants.. most companies you learn what not to do.

Annie showed me how to pack a box of plants in a word...

PERFECT

Thanks Annie

Please don't be dissuaded by the negative comments on this page. If you read them, you'll see that the reasons are irrelevant. Annie's Annuals is a treasure. They carry many plants that no one else offers. They ship once a week, the packing is great, and the plants are fully established. Some of the plants in my order this week were already blooming.

They also have a wish list on the Website. You can put the currently unavailable plants you love on the list, and they'll notify you when they're available. It's a really nice extra service.

I recently had trouble with my computer but had seen some wonderful plants on Annie's Annuals website. Because I wanted to order I called them. I had exceptional service by phone and the plants were shipped the very next Monday (they only ship on Mondays and Tuesdays). They arrived in excellent condition and are thriving in my garden. I am looking forward to ordering more plants from Annies because of the wide variety they grow and the excellent service I received. I highly recommend them.

I have mail ordered twice from Annie's Annuals and have received both orders in fine form and in a timely manner. I have found that Annie's Annuals offers many "hard to find" items for those of us who search for the unusual and "something different" for our gardens. I had ordered (and forgotten) a Campanula primulifolia in my first order and planted it in my garden. What a delight when it bloomed this summer! Tall spikes with bluish-purple flowers all over. Quite a sight in the garden. I liked it so much that I ordered a few more on the second order. I find the 4" plants do very well when planted. I also find the website to be very informative, giving information on the requirements of each plant. That is very useful to me. I haven't been to the nursery yet as I live in San Diego, but I have planned a trip in September just to go there and shop in person. I can hardly wait.

I love Annie's Annuals! They carry an amazing range of annuals and perennials, and I have been buying their plants through my local nursery for years.
I finally made it to Annie's nursery/growing grounds in Richmond a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. The nursery is much larger than I had realized, and even after spending 1 1/2 hours there, I didn't manage to see everything they had to offer! A lot of the plants were smaller than you see in your local nursery, but they were all very healthy, and none of the two dozen plants I bought were root-bound, unlike other growers plants found at my local nurseries.
I have yet to order online or over the phone, but their website is beautiful, easy to navigate, and provides info on every single one of their plants.
I'll be back!

I have been buying Annie's Plants at various Bay Area nurseries for a couple years now. They specialize in California Natives, Drought Tolerant Plants, Deer Proof PLants, and unusual varieties. The plants are always well started and healthy. They also sell directly at their nursery and have recently started an internet and mail order business.

I have yet to try the mail or internet order business; but, love the variety of plants they pick to supply. Many of the most successful plants in my garden are from Annie's.