Comments regarding Nurseries Caroliniana

In Sept. 2020 I ordered a variety of perennials, 14 plants altogether. UPS delivered a one-ply corrugation carton that was bent and bulging because its size called for either internal bracing or sturdier board in order to withstand shipping. Inside, all the plants were all piled atop each other in the bottom half of the carton. Their rootballs were tightly sealed in plastic bags and were sopping wet— there was no paper around them to diffuse and absorb excess moisture. 13 plants also had their foliage wrapped in plastic, without a paper buffer. Whether the yellowed and brown-spotted foliage existed prior to their packing, I don’t know. 7 were rootbound to a degree that was unforgivable: I spent literally days trying to unwind the roots enough so that slicing down the root balls would leave some intact roots. It would have been more sensible to have put them all in the compost pile and purchased other plants.
This was my first order from Nurseries Caroliniana. The website’s write-ups about various plants suggests that the company is run by knowledgeable plantspeople; but after years of purchasing from both mail-order and local nurseries, I was shocked by this shipment.

After looking forward to visiting for years, we went at the end of May. I understand low inventory at that time, given the weather. But every plant had weeds in the pot; sometimes the weeds were bigger than the plant. If I got anything here, I'd completely rinse and soak to the bare root.

The only help offered me was by someone who didn't know the plant stock by Latin name. Plants were unmarked, unpriced. All those special plants on my list were no where to be seen, despite being shown in stock.

A profoundly sad experience.

ordered 2 plants, Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu', i'm in zone 7, but have read on multiple sites that it can be grown in a pot and brought inside in winter during cold snaps. so i went ahead and ordered 2 plants. the amount of my order was $54.55. they lasted 3 months, then winter came. i brought it inside the garage during cold snaps, and then in spring brought it out with all the rest of my 30 or so nursery plants i had ordered from lazy s's and forest farm, left them all on the porch so they could come out and acclimate, and then i noticed that all the plants had leafed out except the fudingzhu. i contacted them and asked for a replacement. they basically said "too bad so sad", offered no replacement, no refunds, and said i shouldnt have ordered the plants since they were not in my zone.
since i saw that people in my zone were growing them, and i have a very green thumb and am experienced with keeping plants thriving, i felt that i could do this. multiple sites say it will do fine in my zone as long as brought inside during cold snaps. either way, even if that is not the case, it would have been a great business practice to say sorry it didn't work out, i'll send some replacements, or sorry but i dont think you should grow it where you live, i'll refund you the plants, or here's a thought, even better. dont sell to people outside your zone. the majority of their plants are osmanthus so if they know it doesnt grow in tennessee they shouldnt honor those orders. or it should say this can not be kept in a pot, which is what he said to me in his response, but i see that people are keeping them in pots.. anyhow, that's $54.55 down the drain. and i will not recommend this company to anyone, nor will i order anything from them ever again. very poor business practice. even a one time courtesy to me would have been fine, like, i'll refund you this once for the plants, but if you place any further orders i wont guarantee the plants, but honestly most plant companies allow for the possibility that the plants may not make it and lets face it, they are propagating them, so while it does take time and effort to raise the plants, they are raising them in bulk and therefore it's not that big of a deal to them if 2 plants die, that's the cost of doing business, and further, they can just propagate 2 more to replace them, i can't do that. i think its a bad practice to take my money and then say well you shouldnt have bought them.
further, their response to me was "We guarantee our plants to be alive and well when you receive them. After that, it is up to you."
so order at your own risk from this company. they don't guarantee anything, and won't refund if it dies. i can't believe i paid $54.55 to have 2 plants for 3 months. and i am near poverty level. i make 8.50 an hour, so 55 bucks is a big deal to me. it may have been my stupidity to order them, but when you read that other peoples are doing fine in zone 7 i felt i would be ok. i also felt leaving it in the pot was ok because i see that is done by many people as well. anyway, what goes around comes around. the companies' lack of compassion will come around and bite them in the end eventually anyway.