Comments regarding Annie's Annuals and Perennials

I am so happy with a Hummingbird Sage/Canary Island Sage (Salvia canariensis var. candidissima) seedling from Annie's Annuals, planted July 2018. Two years later - and even after one year - it's huge. It's roughly 12' x 12'. It is perfect to anchor our steep Oakland hills slope. Foliage is silvery/white. The spikes of roses/purple blooms are spectacular. This shrub comes from the Canary Islands, which have a Mediterranean climate. One advantage of Annie's Annuals (besides high plant quality) is the informative plant tags, often containing growing tips. It was happy when I followed these directions. After the first year, I cut back this salvia to 2' in winter. The salvia liked the quite drastic pruning and right now, the shrub is huge.

I ordered six perennial plants from Annie’s Annuals and Perennials. They were shipped as quoted and arrived on time, beautifully packed and in perfect condition after traveling almost 3000 miles. I will purchase from them again.

I received a catalog from this company, never heard of them, but they had an amazing selection. So checked Garden Watchdog, where they are well reviewed. And in the middle of COVID 19 spring, they shipped the most beautiful well packaged mail order plants! It was as if the plants didn't even know they were shipped. And when two were back ordered, they called to check if I still wanted them before charging and shipping them when they came in stock. I will be ordering lots again. Highly recommend the selection, quality, and packaging.

Amazing plants. I've visited the nursery when in Cali and regularly had plants shipped to home in Vermont. Great people, old-fashioned treatment and values. Thanks for the great service, Rosa!

I've been ordering from Annie's Annals for quite a few years. My plants are typically very healthy and happy, and arrive well-packaged (in compostable boxes.) The new delivery agency Annie's has chosen makes the experience even better! I highly recommend Annie's Annuals.

Love Annies!! Plant selection is wonderful and interesting, Plant size& health excellent. And the packaging is perfect; I order a lot from vendors all over the USA, and without question they should all package as well as Annies does.Because I know the plants will come to me whole and happy, I can order more! Thank you Annies. Ayse gilbert

This was my first time ordering from Annie’s Annuals and I was was so pleased with how nicely everything was packaged. The plants arrived in excellent condition!

What an incredible Annie's Annuals did, packing and sending live plants through the mail. Each plant was tenderly wrapped and secured in a cardboard rack such that it looked like I had just lifted each one off the potting bench. None of them were even thirsty! Not a speck of dirt was out of place! I am so thrilled and delighted. I had to immediately write a note of thanks.

I've been ordering from Annie's for several years now, both when I lived in Florida and now that I'm in New Hampshire. The plants arrive in consistently great condition due to excellent packing and are just gorgeous once established in the garden. They are always clean, healthy, no sign of pests, and have no wilt.

Wow, I was shocked when I opened the box. The plants looked like they'd just left the nursery- no sign of stress or shipping damage, no broken leaves, no soil out of place, nothing. They were perfect! And they didn't miss a beat after planting, they already have new leaves coming up.

I live in Alaska and I've been buying via plants mail order for almost 30 years. I've never had plants arrive looking THAT good. I'll definitely be back!

I was amazed to get such healthy and well traveled plants from clear across the USA. Well packaged and ready to plant, they are now thriving in my garden. I will use Annie's again next Spring.

Callawassie Island, SC

Hello! I purchased flowers 2 years ago from you. They were just tiny 4" plants. Fast forward to today, 2 years later. We have full and vibrant flowers. I will continuously recommend and support the high quality flowers one purchases from you.
I have included a couple of photos to show how well my flowers are doing today.
I've included the pots of Emerald Carpet I received today to show perspective.
You have my permission to use these photos and my email.

I placed an order and could see it was sent out, but it didn't get to me. I contacted Annie's and they said they would replace the order with no cost to me. Three weeks after I placed my first order, I got both boxes on the same day! Due to the great way they were packed, 3 of the 6 plants in the box mailed three weeks before were still looking pretty good, and are doing well in my garden. I was just amazed, and have to thank Annie's for the fantastic job that they do. Wonderful customer service!

Plants arrived in flawless condition. Even delicate little ferny fronds are in impeccable shape. Exterior of box has bold, colorful text/illustrations showing that it contains live plants & making it goofproof to tell which side goes up. Interior packaging has effective structure/dividers to separate, protect, and hold plants upright. Plant foliage is uncovered within these compartments so not only can they breathe and remain unsmushed, but the minute I opened the box I could see which plant was which. All of this protection without any plastic, or annoying peanuts. Exciting to receive my order of little treasures in such good shape!

I received the shipment on the promised date; all 8 plants were large, healthy specimens; packaging is expertly constructed to hold plants from being damaged during shipping - I am a very satisfied 1st time customer.

Annie's Annuals has the best selection of annuals and perennials. I am all about feeding the pollinators. Here in Florida I have learned that the Salvia Majestic Blue Spires is their favorite. Unlike any other vendor I have purchased from, Annie's always has this perennial available. Their packaging is superb. Every plant is individually wrapped and separated by cardboard dividers so upon arrival they are in pristine condition. They're the best!

I wanted to send a quick shout out to let say how happy I was with my plant order I received last week. All the plants were in terrific condition. This is the first time I’ve ordered from Annie's Annuals. I was impressed with the packaging and care that obviously went into putting my order together. I was so happy with the size and health of my plants and how well they are already doing that I placed another order! Thank you so much!

Not being familiar with appropriate plants, I needed some assistance to make my choice. I had an idea in mind and discovered it would be more expensive than my budget allowed. Rosa was a big help in finding a plant that would be a good choice...and I ordered it. Thank you.

I’m never disappointed with the offerings from Annie’s. This year my spring order was a bit challenging due to the crazy weather patterns nationwide. We were able to coordinate what turned out to be the ideal shipping/ delivery date and arrival was on time without a leaf being disgruntled! My summer plantings have an early start thanks to the careful packing and concerned shipping shown by caring Annie’s associates. Bless you all!

My order from Annie's arrived safe and sound on a chilly first day of spring. All of my plants were in perfect condition due to the great packing and the quality of the plants to begin with. I have ordered from Annie's several times and have always been pleased with everything.

I was so delighted to receive my order from Annie’s today. All the (12!) plants were healthy, beautiful and very well packed! I can’t wait to get them in the ground!

This was my first-time planting anything, but I had a visual Idea of what I wanted in my front yard. I spent several weeks researching, in my mind, the perfect tree that would complement the other landscape. Well the more I searched through websites, all over the nation, the narrower the nursery search became and that was a selection of plants for Zone 10a. That's how I found Annies. After locating their site, I happened to speak, by phone, with a person in the nursery that understood my desires and directed me to a plant that she had experience with that I might like, along with many other alternatives.
The “Kool Aid” Tree was my choice and I bought the little 4.5 inch plant and excitedly followed Rosa’s planting Instructions to a tee. I watched that little thing, in its cage, grow every day. That little thing is thriving and seems to be starting to take command of its cage area. I am so thrilled with Annies, that I am speaking with them now about another area of my front lawn.

I called Annie’s Annuals & Perennials mail order department to inquire about my recent order. There was perhaps a 1/2 minute wait time before a cheery voice greeted me. I explained that I didn’t think that I had received a confirmation of my order or had misplaced it. Within minutes she had my information and let me know that my plants were being shipped today. I received the requested information via email immediately. I am looking forward to adding more pollinator-friendly plants to my garden. It is a pleasure to support a company that continues to provide excellent customer service!

I recently placed an order with Annie's Annuals the order process is quite easy. The shipping is quick I received my plants 2 days later from California to Pennsylvania. The packing of the plants is the best I've seen (and I've ordered quite a few plants) the plants are kept in place but not difficult to get out. The plants are healthy and well rooted. I've ordered from them before and will order from them again
Plus the selection is great.

I can't say enough about Annie's Annuals! I have been ordering from them for years and if there ever was a problem, a question or special help I needed, they were there. One particular employee Rosa, who has helped me several times is unbelievable! She took the time to walk blocks to the actual nursery for me to help me make a decision on my order. Friendly, happy to help and gets the answers to my questions. The quality of the plants is wonderful. the packing is like no other method I have seen. My plants have always arrived, on time and in great condition. Thank you ROSA again and hats off to Annie's annuals. Marcine

I've been using Annie's Annuals for years to send gifts to friends. Rosa in the customer service department at Annie's was fabulous when I recently called to order plants for a friend. She was able to immediately email me a receipt and ensure all the plants I wanted were available and ready to ship. Made my shopping experience a breeze! Thank you Rosa!

Wow, Annie's Annuals, you and your cohorts are amazing ! My order did indeed arrive today on Feb. 12th as promised, the plants were in fine, flawless condition, and the packaging was beautifully designed and totally effective in protecting the columbine plants-it was by itself a thing to admire. I imagine I'll be thanking you Annually for future orders which I plan to make often.

Many Thanks,

Frank Stowell

I have been a repeat customer for many, many years. This place continues to be the very best for plants that I want whether annuals or perennials. They always are very healthy and arrive in perfect condition and ready to plant. Their catalog is beautiful, timely, and chock full of the information you need. The website has even more information for ideal conditions, zones, water, light. It makes it quick to select plants for wildlife, color, zone, bloom season, and more. I can not recommend anywhere better than Annie's. The love and full hearts that propagate and tend these plants come through for a great experience.

In short: ADDICTIVE. :D
I order from them at least a couple times a year. I love their selection, and their packaging is top notch. Once or twice they've accidentally sent the wrong plant, and they've always been super responsive and pleasant to work with. I sometimes just browse their "new this week" list, because it's them!

Posted on May 10, 2019, updated November 20, 2019
This is my first year ordering live plants through the mail, though I’ve been gardening for decades. My first experience with Annie’s is overwhelmingly positive. I received live plants this week from Annie’s, Bluestone perennials, and Burpee. Annie’s plants were in FAR better shape than either of the other orders. The Annie’s plants showed no stress, were moist, well packaged, and with flower blossoms. Plants I received from the other two companies were partially alive and terribly dry (it has been in the 70s, so pretty warm for May in our neck-of-the-woods - and to their credit, Bluestone is shipping replacement plants at no extra fee, but I’d rather have healthy plants from the get-go). I don’t understand why Bluestone and Burpee ship their plants so slowly. Most of the Bluestone and Burpee plants that survived the shipping look terrible and who wants terrible looking plants in a perennial garden, even if they will recover in a few weeks? But Annie’s shipped our plants 2-day shipping. The Annie’s plants look fabulous. What great care Annies takes with wrapping each plant individually in wax paper, secured with rubber bands. I am super impressed. Next time I want live plants I will only order from Annie’s. If I want dead plants, well I guess I know where to order those too...

No, to be serious, Annie’s has my business for sure. I will recommend them to all my gardening friends too. Great company. THANK YOU Annie’s, for giving us such beautiful live plants for our garden.

My plants arrived and I was super impressed with the packing job- each individual plant was packed to hold in the soil and also to no be damaged... they were in perfect condition. I love that so much care went into my order. You can tell they love their plants!

The catalog features many interesting and unusual plants, and my overall experience has been good, generally receiving well-grown specimens. Two things to look out for:

1) Catalog hype doesn't always coincide with reality. Check out plant descriptions and zone ratings on dependable gardening sites before placing orders.

2) On a recent order the plants arrived in good condition, but one developed severe wilt after a day despite being adequately watered. When I e-mailed Annie's to report this and the possibility I might need a replacement, their response was that it wasn't their responsibility, blaming heat stress. Their website page on shipping only mentions "extreme heat" as something that might "damage" plants. I don't consider June temps in the low 80s in my area as "extreme", and if it's much hotter at their nursery at that time of year they shouldn't ship plants or at least give ample warning before fulfilling orders that customers should expect the chance of dead or dying plants. As it happened, the wilting plant recovered after being heavily cut back and covered with a plastic bag, but customer service was still lacking in this instance.

Sent this email to Annie's today (08/14/19):
Hello,

Just HAD to tell you that you deserve an Above and Beyond Award.

My order came today to Texas, current temperature 103º. Yes. One Hundred Three Degrees. I opened that box with fear and trembling, but knowing if anyone could successfully ship plants live to Texas in August it would be Annie's!

ALL 12 plants arrived in perfect condition, generous pots full, soil still moist.

Not sure how you did it - with a great packing method, care and skilled people, obviously. (And your shipper is due credit, too.)

Thanks so much for serving gardeners in the State with a Death Star for the Sun.

I'd like to add that I have never, ever lost a plant from Annie's. All have not only lived, but thrived, even the ones borderline hardy for my zone. (I love to experiment outside the horticultural box!)

Thanks so much. Group hug to everyone involved in your expert mail order system!

Cheers!

Sandy Lawrence
New Braunfels, Texas 78130

First, Annie's has one of the most delightful, tempting, and helpful catalogs I've seen, and the online catalog is searchable in multiple ways--one can combine filters to get some very specific niches filled.

Second, the variety is astounding.

Third, the plants, when they arrive, are abundantly healthy.

Finally, the packing is extraordinary. Those plants aren't going *anywhere* in that box. They are staying put, the soil is staying put, the whole setup is staying healthy.

Annie's is my new go-to for flowering plants. I really like the shipping date estimation feature. So far it's been absolutely accurate. I also appreciate the notification when something has shipped.
What really impresses me is the way the plants are packaged. They place tissue on top of the containers to keep soil from falling out and package each plant in a way as to avoid damage. I have been so frustrated by other big name stores in the past because when I open the box, there's dirt everywhere, broken stems, and on occasion, a nearly dead plant. I have not experienced this with any of Annie's plants. They arrive carefully packaged and perfectly healthy. Everything I've ordered is thriving in my garden!

In years past when in the Bay Area I've often purchased Annie's plants at their Richmond location. Shopping in person at this incomparable, unique nursery is an experience not to be missed by any true gardening enthusiast but this however was my first time placing an order thru their website for delivery to my home in Southern California. Now after receiving my purchases, I just can't say enough about how impressed I am with the condition everything arrived in. Their specialized boxes are made expressly for packing and transport of nursery pots. Plants aren't removed from their containers nor are the needlessly pruned back or tied up and crushed since their boxes allow each pot to be held securely in place. Everything arrives in the exact same perfect condition as if I had just selected them myself at their nursery. I'll definitely be a returning mail order Annie's customer!

We love Annie’s Annuals and Perennials. They care about their plants and customers very much. Their customer service is excellent. They answer questions very well too.

When I purchase plants online from them, they ship the plants with extra care. They know how to ship plants. They send plants in a clearly labeled box with inner box(es) that you can lift very easily out of the outer shipping box. Each plant is protected so that the soil will not spill, the plant will stand upright, and they will not move in the box.

We ordered twice in the past, and all the plants arrived in very good shape. When you open the box, you can feel how much they care.

We have ordered plants from other places and they were not very good. We decided we will only order live plants from Annie’s from now on. Highly recommended!

Just received my first ever order of 16 plants from Annie's Annuals - and I was so impressed by the good, secure packaging and the condition that the plants were in. All the plants were healthy and green and the soil was damp.I can't wait to plant them tonight. I also love the catalog and website. Keep up the great work! I will be a customer for a long time. Thank you!

Recently I placed my first order with Annie’s. Wow, was I impressed with the condition of the perennials I had ordered! They were shipped across the country to me and arrived in pristine condition. I must commend the growers and shippers at Annie’s. The shipping container is brilliantly designed to hold each pot upright, with soil intact and plants fresh and perky. I have been gardening for 50 years, have had thousands of plants shipped to me, and have never had 4” pots arrive in such good condition. Kudos to Annie’s!