Comments regarding Sooner Plant Farm (Shop Smarter Shop Sooner)

At the suggestion of a member of this forum (thanks!) who read my very negative review of recent experience with White Flower Farm, I ordered several tiki torch echinaceas and french lingerie daylilies from Sooner. I exchanged some email with Brian, who promptly answered my questions before I placed the order. The plants arrived yesterday and are quite hearty looking and well developed. I will definitely order from Sooner again. Great company.

I was thrilled to be able to find the Ajuga repans 'Burgundy Glow' that I had searched for. The plants were shipped quickly and were packed exceptionally well. They are now all planted and are thriving. Thanks for the wonderful mail-order experience. I will be back!

Two days before my order was to be shipped, I received an e-mail notification AND a voicemail at home from Brian with the news that one of the groundcovers I ordered was not available. I called Brian back, and he recommended a hardier substitute groundcover, which turns out I really like. The order shipped out when Brian told me it would, and both groundcovers were nice-sized, beautiful, healthy, and well-packaged when they arrived. Many kudos to Sooner's for their wonderful customer service and terrific plants. They make me wish I had an acre to design and plant! These people really care about their products and their customers.

Quick order acknowledgment and ship notice. Box came packed with two heucheras packaged nicely. Will order again.

This is the first order I have placed with Sooner Plant Farm. Their customer service is exceptional. They even called me at home, to be sure of my orders placed from the internet. I appreciate this as internet orders could be fradulant. I recieved the 3 plants and all were in wonderful condition... they were large! Other than a stick in the dirt. Beautiful healthy plants. I have found my nursery and give them an A++++++++ Excellent --- Polite---- Fast---- and they really enjoy doing what they do. It shows! Thank you!
Sheree Gardner

I ordered 4 Tiki Torch Coneflowers from Sooner's Plant Farm in March 2008 via the web. Since this was my first experience with Sooner's, I wasn't sure what size plants I would receive, and in what condition. I had requested mid-May shipment, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from Brian Chojnacki, who explained the Tiki Torch's needed to grow a little more before he was comfortable with shipping them, and asked if he could delay shipment for 2 more weeks so the plants could develop a stronger root system

Most nurseries would have just shoved the plants in a box and shipped them without another thought. It is rare that someone would take the take and care to make a phone call and let me know what was happening with my small $77 order; and he also cared about the well-being of the plants themselves.

When the plants arrived, they were absolutely huge! Each coneflower was budded and ready to bloom and was well-packed in 2 qt. containers in moist soil. I have never received such large perennials before and I have been gardening for 20 years.

Sooner Plant Farm will be my first choice for perennial shopping and I highly recommend Brian's personal customer service, high quality plants, and expert shipping methods.

This is one of the few companies that really does care for the customer! The plants I ordered arrived very fast, very well packed, in great condition, with excellent instructions on caring for them. I am pleased and will order from them again.

I was reluctant to mail order plants again after a negative experience last summer with a different online nursery. But I wanted an Aesculus pavia tree which is hard to find and went ahead and ordered it from Sooner Plant Farm. They sent a beautiful 2 ft tree, carefully packed, not one leaf or twig bent or damaged. Also a healthy root ball, not pot bound or with roots growing in a circle (like plants from the local nurseries). I will definitely order more trees from them. Thanks to the people at Sooner! Patricia Murtagh

First time ordering and I ordered two Heucheras. They were packed very well. One of them looked good and the other didn't but I went ahead and planted them. I did e-mail and let them know that one plant was "iffy".
They acknowledged my e-mail and they said to wait a day or two and let them know how it was doing. Next day it looked totally wilted so I took a picture and e-mailed them. They did not ask for the picture, it was my idea. Brian got back to me right away and said sometimes that particular one doesn't ship well. He said he would be happy to replace it with another one of a different type. This was all on Sunday and yesterday I received an e-mail that the new plant was shipping this morning. I would say that is very good service and I will be their customer again!

I ordered and received 2 Dicentra Formosa 'Adrian Bloom' from Sooner Plant Farm. ..The plants were in 6 inch tall by 5 inch wide pots and had (that being the operative word) approx. 10 inches of healthy green growth. ..They probably were beautiful when they were selected for shipping. Whoever packed them for Sooner took these two lovely plants.. threw in some gel capsules to keep them moist for the trip.. wrapped them in one layer of some sort of plastic which was then taped to fit around the tops of the pots.. then placed them 'on their sides'.. green plant top to green plant top.. in an 18 inch box! ..You do the math. ..Box -18 inches long.. 2 Plants – 6 inch pots + 10 inches of growth each. …They 'smashed' them together to fit them in that flimsy, tight little box ..and that was it. They weren’t even placed inside of another box ..no peanuts or bubble wrap or anything. ..My plants arrived in pretty good health with most of the tops broken or ..breaking.. off. ..It was one of the most irresponsible things I’ve ever seen done to plants. ..I was very saddened by this situation. With a little loving care, I have every confidence that these plants could have arrived to me looking very much as they did when they were selected. ..An experience I’ve had with two other mail order nurseries. Sooner should make absolutely sure that all of their staff is properly trained to pack plants for shipping. ..I cannot believe that this is the best that they can do.

…There was no response to my voicemail message to them which also makes me rate them as uncaring. I am not going order from them again. It is too heartbreaking to open a flimsy box and see perfectly healthy plants which were damaged …by the nursery.

"

It is and has always been our number 1 priority to only have positive feedback. I dropped the ball on this one. The customer did leave us a message regarding the packaging of her plants. I understood the phone message as only a packaging dissapointment, but that the plants had some damage but they would be fine. I did not respond as she was not asking for a response or replacements, only to voice her dissapointment. I now wished I would have called her back, as that may have turned this into a positive experience. We always replace any damaged plants without questions. We are a small company with only selected packers, that understand the importance of a satisfied customer.
I did call the customer, and are sending two replacement plants, along with 2 free plants for her troubles out today.

Again I'm sorry for her dissapointment, and I hope she has a different opinion about our company.

Brian

"

Great shrubs shipped in excellent condition and are thriving.

OK- my first order from Sooner Plant Farm.
In completing a recent project (and apparently unable to count to five) I found myself in desperate need of just three plants- my regular sources were sold out and I was beginning to panic a bit.
I found the plants at Sooner and in the comments section added a little snippet about not wanting the order if it could not be shipped immediately.

As this was my first order, these guys did not know me from Adam. I fully expected a return email about their being unable to drop everything and tend to my demands, other people were in front of me, their system can't do that, and an acknowledgement that my credit card had not been charged, see ya bye.

MUCH to my surprise and delight my order arrived in time and in perfect condition- no raggedy plants for the crabby lady at all. Further, the plants are huge- inordinately so. I mean gargantuan!

So my review is five stars, two thumbs up, 10+, and every other kudo imaginable. Not only have I received wonderful plants, I have found a great new plant source that I will undoubtedly use again and again.

Thank you Brian & company, and I apologize for demanding service above and beyond what is convenient for you. I shall endeavor to plan ahead much better in the future!

Good job!

I just received my prairiefire crabapple tree and I am amazed at what excellent condition it came in. Sooner stated it would be 4-5 feet tall, and it is about 4 feet, but it is not just one skinny tall twig with a few leaves on it like I expected. It has a full top already and you can tell the time they put into this small tree from the beginning to make sure it had a beautiful shape, not just height. I will definitely buy from Sooner again! I highly recommend this company!!!

Fort Mill, SC

The trees and shrubs arrived in beautiful condition! They were willing to let me change my order, originally made in December, right up until my requested shipping date in June. Thanks!

Very robust plants arrived in perfect condition, precisely at time requested -- can't ask for better than that. Look forward to dealing with Sooner again.

The Sooner Plant people worked with me over the phone for about 1/2 hour to solve a problem with my credit card being approved. They then took my order and I had my tree in 5 days. It arrived in great shape. I am very pleased with their willingness to give me the personal service I needed. Their price for the tree was also unbeatable.

I ordered a Green Envy Echinacea from Sooner and it was shipped within a few days of the order as stated. However they sent it UPS so it sat around 4 days in transit and was pretty dried out and tossed about from its days in transit. They would have been better served to send it priority mail to cut down a day or two it transit. The plant was a decent size ad described and has since started to come around and seems to have survived its ordeal.

My hibiscus shipped promptly, and arrived in great shape. It came with planting/care instructions, fertilizer, and is doing great! I'm very happy with the company.

VERY HAPPY with this company - ordered Betula BIRCH 'ROYAL FROST': 1ft - 2ft tall multi stem and was pleased to see a healthy, dare say robust little tree arrive at my door...beautiful. Was small, as advertised, but glorious, apparently just coming out of dormancy.
Packaged with care to avoid damage and then temporarily potted, this tree is now thriving in my front yard after I held off planting till the last late frost passed, following special soil preparation for Birch - free from blight, no creatures or disease...demanding a LOT of water, but I knew that already.

VERY HAPPY.

Thank you.

I was so happy and excited when I opened my box from Sooner Plant Farm. I had ordered 2 beautyberry bushes and they far exceded my expectations! These were not 4" seedlings or the 12 inch "sticks" sold at other places I've shopped but green, leafy, 2 1/2' tall and 2' wide bushes! Nicely packed, both were in lovely condition. I will be shopping with this company again.

Based on responses from this board, I ordered my first tree (Prairiefire Crabapple) from Sooner Farms on 5/1/08. It arrived on time on 5/9/08 in a tall shipping box and in excellent condition, and it even had fertilizer and very clear planting and care instructions. Can't wait to get it planted (raining now for 3 days).

Am now planning my next tree purchase from them, and highly recommend others to try their plants.

Sooner Plant Farm will get my return business as everything is handled professionally as well as being friendly. I ordered trees which arrived as promised. Responses to e-mails are prompt and helpful. They have a good business going and wish them continued success.

This was the first time I had ordered from Sooner Plant Farm. My order arrived exactly when scheduled. The shrubs were a very nice size. They were full and healthy. I was a little concerned with the 2 Echinacea Raspberry Tarts I had ordered. The were small and little anemic looking. I planted them anyway and as I expected, one died after a week and the other is still doing okay. I called Sooner, albeit after the 48 hours, and explained the situation. They said that those had been the last two they had and they refunded me the amount of the plant that had died. The other 2 Echinacea Merlots are doing great and were alot healthier looking. Overall, they were very responsive and their plants were very robust. I will order from them again.

Received my order yesterday, 4 shasta "Becky". They arrived the exact day they said they would. The plants were huge and healthy. I couldn't be happier. Awesome place to order plants, will definately order from them again.

Sooner Plant Farm is fantastic! I ordered 12 gallon pots of perennials for planting this spring, and 10 of them arrived looking great. (A month later and they are thriving.). Two of my plants didn't look so great, but I planted them anyway and waited to see what would happen. Today I called the company because both of the plants (an echinacea and a coreopsis) had died. The incredibly helpful operator cheerfully processed a replacement for me, even suggesting a great alternative to a variety they had sold out of. They are great!

Several months ago, I ordered 2 apple trees and 2 cherry trees (types not readily available at local nurseries) from Sooner Plant Farms, online. When they had some issues with their suppliers, they were sure to call me until they’d talked to me IN PERSON to let me know the current situation. Although I wasn’t able to get the cherry trees this year, I was very impressed by how the situation was handled. Not only did they put an extra free tree and flower that would grow in our climate, THEY noticed that I’d signed up for and paid for a bigger “membership” for a discount on the 4 trees. . . and that it would save me money to drop that membership! I counted that basically as a “loss” due to circumstances, but they called me AGAIN, and after pointing out what I’d already noticed—that it was actually going to cost me more money now, they made sure that I was done ordering for this year, and took those charges completely off.

In a world where so many companies, especially those where we might not have as much human-contact, and it’s easier to take advantage of people online, are just out to make-a-buck, Sooner Plant farms has earned a return customer by treating me the way they have! The apple trees arrived healthy, have bloomed and are full of beautiful leaves, seeming to thrive in our yard thanks (at least in part) to the easy-to-follow instructions sent with the trees. I’m even more impressed because I don’t exactly have a “green thumb”! I should have written this sooner, but it took a very bad recent experience with another (completely unrelated products) company to help me remember to put in a good word for a company who did (in my eyes) such good business.

I recently found Sooner Plant Farm on Dave's Garden Watchdog 30 list and also found that they had the "White Profusion Butterfly Bush" that I have been looking all over for.

I am always leary about what I order from online Nurseries, but since Watchdog left me feeling confident in doing business with this Company, I called and spoke to Brian at Sooner and then felt even better about them. He was very helpful.

I went online and ordered the 3 gal. plant and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived, well packed, in very good condition, and better yet it was a VERY full plant, all leaved out and about 2 1/2 to 3 ft. tall. My plant was also shipped exactly when I was told it would be. Now, I just can't wait to see it flowering.

I would highly recommend Sooner Plant Farm to anyone who has been disappointed by online catalog nurseries and wants great plants. MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS ONE WAS GREAT. Donna

I just unpacked my Sooner Plant Farm order. Boy was I amazed at the packaging. Nothing was going to move in that box. Tools necessary to open box include box knife and screwdriver to pry off the staples. The plants were all in good condition and looked very healthy. They even gave a package of fertilizer for planting. They include a planting instructions sheet and give you 48 hours to report any dammage.

The roses I ordered were a great price, were delivered quickly, and are very healthy looking and full, with lots of roots and buds. I'm impressed and ready to order more. Thanks, Sooner!

We highly recommend Sooner Plant Farm!!! It truly lived up to all the feedbacks I had read before ordering.
Last February 2008, we ordered for 02 pistacia chinensis and the service provided was very impressive!! It arrived immediately and Brian was very helpful and accommodating to all the questions I asked.
And it might be of interest for others to know that the the 2 trees are now starting to show new shoots which means it is liking our backyard. Exciting and amazing!!!!

FAB-U-LOUS!! I received my first order from Sooners Plant Farm today. The amazing quality of the plants and the care taken in packing surprised me, and I am a seasoned mail order plant junkie! The plants are MASSIVE and healthy, well tagged, and the amount of time and care taken to ensure safe travel was evident (the packers must have the patience of saints---there were 4 small trees in one of the boxes---and they came out without a scratch because of the efforts made to wrap, stabilize, etc.!)

Sooners has a wonderful selection of Japanese maples, and other trees, shrubs and perennials. This has to be one of THE best places to buy in mailorder in terms of selection, and the quality of the product delivered! What a great buy! Their plants are just fantastic and their prices are very reasonable.

Great work, Sooners! (and hey...in the off season....will your packers wrap my holiday presents? MAN you folks are GOOD! *smile*)

After some bad experiences with other mail order nurseries, my husband and I read about Sooner Plant Farm on Dave's Garden website. We thought we would try a purchase. We recently ordered a rose bush - a sale bush I might add- and what a delightful surprise when we received the bush approximately 2 wks later. It was a healthy and mature bush. Packed well to prevent any shifting or damage to the plant. It began leafing in about 3-4 days and is ready to sprout flowers after one week. We look forward to future purchases from Sooner. Thanks Sooner, your satisfied, happy new customer.

This is the first time ordering from this company, and even though I have not received the plants that I have ordered, I am already pleased with this company. I have had several questions about changing shipping dates and joining their garden club, in which they where quick with getting back with me. I asked Brian to change my shipping date from the middle of March until the end of April, due to the threat of frost, Brian had no problem with doing this. They also make it easy to add items to your orders. I can't wait until my plants are shipped and planted in my yard, I know they will add a lot of curb appeal to the front of my house.

I have ordered from this company and was very pleased with their plants!I ordered echinaceas from them last summer and they sent big gallon sized healthy looking plants and free plant food awsome company!I will order from them again!

Wonderful! Prompt shipping, excellent packaging, and GREAT LOOKING plants! Fair prices, too!!! I was shocked and happy. Will order from them again and again!!!!

I just recently bought several trees of different sizes and they arrived quickly and were just beautiful. I've ordered from other companies and although their trees were ok, the trees from Sooner Plant Farm were magnificent. I've paid less for trees at other places, but those trees were smaller and the quality definitely was not as good. I think Sooner's prices are great for the size tree and the quality. I will definitely order more trees from Sooner Plant Farm. I also had a couple of questions after I received my orders and they responded very quickly and were very helpful.

I've never been motivated to make a comment about any nursery before, but the quality and condition of the trees that I ordered were so unexpectedly great that I just had to tell everyone. I'll definitely be going back for more in the Spring.

Just receiced my 3 Crepe Mrylte Nanchez , 2 white rose of Sharon and 3Viburnum. The plants are wonderfull and in super condition. Shipping was fast and the packaging was the best I have ever seen. I even received a free Japanese Red Maple, I can see ,that it will grow up to be a beautiful tree. I had a question and e-mailed the company and with in one hour they e-mailed me back with the answer. Thank you Sooner Plant Farm for a great service and will order more plants from your company as soon as spring comes.GO SOONERS

I ordered 2 trees “Oxydendrum Arboreum” from Sooner Plant Farm. They sent them right away. I live in California. It took longer to receive the trees (train delay), but I received healthy, properly packed tress. I was so happy to get properly grown and shipped trees. If I will plant more trees I will ordered them only from Sooner Plant Farm by large quantity. Those people know what they are doing, trust me. If the plants are send healthy’ they come good looking, regardless if they are traveling longer than they should. They were packed with care & knowledge of the people in order to survive the trip of 1500 miles in a week. Brian informed me when they will ship. Quick contact, they responded on my e-mails right away. I will tell all my friends about Sooner Plant Farm as the best choice. They are not dormant, they have leafs, turning red as they should in the fall. Thanks to Sooner Plant Farm I have the trees which I wanted, they are beautiful.