Comments regarding Fast Growing Trees (formerly Empress Tree Nurseries, Paulownia Supply & fastgrowingtree.com)

I had to make a change to my order and didn't even have to run through hoops to get it done. I received great quick assistance! Thank you CRYSTAL ALEXANDER!

Fast shipping via FED EX. Not the company's fault but Fed Ex just left the 6 huge boxes sitting on our sidewalk. This company was a pleasure to work with and we will order from them again if we need to.

Posted on February 19, 2013, updated February 19, 2013
I have ordered various trees and other plants from this company for the past 2 years. My experience with them, from beginning to end, has been outstanding. The plants are vibrant and well packed; delivery is fast, and their products are guaranteed. Customer Service is attentive, responsive, knowledgeable, and I find them very accommodating and sincere in resolving my inquiries. I have nothing but very high praise for this company--I now order my trees, bushes and shrubs exclusively from them! Simply the best!

I have ordered twice from you now and both times have gotten GREAT service! The first order arrived on time and in great shape! I decided to make my garden bigger and ordered more after receiving a 10% discount email for my next order. Well I hit the link in the email thinking that would give me my discount but I was wrong! I needed the code that was in the email. Well I contacted the company and Jordan got in touch with me and told me that everything was taken care of! Jordan was so helpful and very courteous! I would recommend this company to anyone and WILL! Thank you guys soooo much for all your help!!! And... Thank You Jordan for helping me out so much. You helped us keep our faith in your company! We will be ordering from you again and sending friends your way! Thank you!!!

I worked with Josh at Fast Growing Trees. I ordered the wrong Evergreen Trees by finding out that the canopy of the trees would be too broad. Long story short, I had to return these trees and order the Thuja Evergreens. It was my mistep and Josh handled the issue fairly and honestly.
In my book, this is an organization of integrity and I will use them again for any future orders. Thanks Josh...

I had a very good experience with these people. I ordered 3 fruit cocktail trees, and an olive tree, which I will be thrilled to get!!
The phone service was great, even when I had a problem with the order.
I can't wait till the trees are at my door!

I ordered an Autumn Blooming Cherry, and the tree wasn't all I had hoped it would be when it arrived. I e-mailed the company and also talked to a customer service representative, Dawn Norris, who exemplfies what a customer service representative should be. She was professional, courteous and considerate, and she had my "bump in the road" smoothed out in no time. She followed up the next day via e-mail to make certain I was satisfied. I seriously doubt I will buy anything online in the gardening area without checking out Fast Growing Trees. I feel I can trust them to do the right thing, and be there after the deal is done.

Posted on October 31, 2012, updated November 1, 2012
I ordered a Berry Dazzle Crepe Myrtle Bush from them on Sept. 15th which they said they had in stock. Tomorrow is Nov. 1st and I still have not received it. I emailed them to cancel my order because I couldn't comminicate with them over the phone because I'm deaf. They will not respond to my email. Don't order from this company cause they are a big ripoff. Order# 588861 under Fast-growing-trees company. David Tucker.

Posted on August 15, 2012, updated October 25, 2012
Extremely over priced compared to some of their competitors online.

Their website is very nice, very inviting and even very deceptive. We purchased 50 Nellie-Stevens hollies for well over $2,000 and they've actually done very well.

Decided to go back to buy some blueberry bushes, apple trees, an apricot tree and several others for gifts for my brother. These were described so wonderfully and how they would be producing large amounts of fruit in no time at all. I believe they even stated that some of the trees will be shipped with small fruits already growing. My fruit trees are now 4 years old and produce very little blueberries, zero apples and the apricot tree was so small and such a twig, after all my nurturing and care taking, it died.

When I first bought the hollies they were very helpful. Well, Judy was very helpful, very friendly and very knowledgeable. She isn't there anymore and I'm beginning to wonder why??

Anyway, perhaps it was for the larger purchase that I had such good service but have had zero luck and trying to get a refund or exchange for the apricot was like getting something passed by Congress. It simply wasn't worth it.

Steer away and do a little research. Let my (and apparently a lot of others) mistake be your lesson.

"On Aug 22, 2012 2:20 PM, Empress Tree Nurseries (aka Fast Growing Trees, Paulownia Supply & fastgrowingtree.com) responded with:

Glad you're hollies are doing well, but sorry to hear about your fruit trees.

There may be some confusion over our web pages. They do not state that our plants have fruit on them when shipped. This would cause us to make continual changes to a wide variety of pages in order to time the short fruiting seasons of each plant.

The 5-7 ft. foot Apple trees, like the ones you purchased, are great performers for a large number of commercial and private orchards around the country. These were 3 to 4 years old when you purchased them, and later in the fall, the remainder of this crop produced apples in our nursery.

Now that your trees are seven years old, you should be seeing a respectable harvest each season. Unfortunately, there are factors affecting your tree that are beyond our control… like soil conditions, watering, feeding, animals, chemical overspray, planting depth, soil contaminants and dozens of other causes that have nothing to do with your plants. Please call me, I would like to have you just speak to one of our Horticulturalist so they can figure out how to correct the issues you are seeing.

The Apricot tree you ordered was advertised as 2-3 feet tall. This is a small tree, especially when compared to the 5-7 footers. These grow quickly, but are too young to develop a branching structure yet, so they naturally look thin. If we pruned a tree this short, to make it look fuller, it would slow its growth and ruin its form.

I’m sorry that your customer service rep was not more helpful. If you first called within your warranty period, I would like to help you with your dead apricot tree. I can assure you that we try to make our warranty process as easy as possible. We don't ask you to return your dead tree like many other companies do. All we ask is that customers email or send us a picture showing that their tree has died.

Please call me at 1-888-504-2001

Chris"

Wonderful company with beautiful, quality trees. They stand behind their merchandise!! I just ordered my 3rd tree from them & have reccomended to many friends who have admired my new trees.

They have great customer service and are very personable.

I had a problem with one order & they bent over backwards to make it right.

Very rare in todays world.

David Johnson
Irving, TX

I would like to leave a positive feedback, because I was very pleased by the service provided by an excellent employee of yours (Jason)which I think took great care of me and answer all my questions and guided me through some problems that I was experiencing with my autum blaze maple trees that unfortunatly did not make it , he was very kind in helping replace the trees that were under warranty and shipped the first one in a very rapidly manner and the tree arrived and looks real healthy , the second one is about to be sent out, i want to thank Jason again for his effort and great customer service , it's always a pleasure to do business with companies that take customer service seriously , thank you fast-growing trees.

I was very pleased with the tree I received and even more impressed by the wonderful customer service. They were quick responders to my email and gave me great satisfaction. Super customer service!

Posted on June 15, 2012, updated September 7, 2012
Posted on June 5, 2012, updated June 15, 2012
Posted on May 20, 2012, updated June 5, 2012
My fiance ordered a 4-6 ft. Meyer Lemon Tree for Mother's Day. I was a little disappointed with the sparseness of the branches/foliage, but after studying it, it looks like it has been pruned to hopefully fill out and have a nice shape. I will say that when I received it, I immediately repotted it and put it in the sunlight. It began wilting about 12 hours later. I immediately called them and they were very helpful in telling me what the problem probably was. They said that the plant was in shock from shipping and that I should have put it in the shade for at least 3 days and not repotted it so quickly. I took it out of the sun and it seems to be doing better. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and have placed a subsequent order of a key lime tree and 4 windmill palms. I will repost once I receive that order too.

Posted on August 27, 2012, updated August 27, 2012
I spent $129 for an avocado tree that the company claimed grows fast and all the other hype they list on their web page.
I am an experienced horticulturist with over 30 years experience as I have nearly 80 trees in my orchard.
The "cold-hardy" avocado tree was not "heat hardy" with the Texas heat so all my money was wasted! I was ripped off as their website boasts about a guarantee.....They were right....you are guaranteed to be ripped off because they do not guarantee trees after 5 days....anyone knows they can go to their favorite discount supermarket or favorite home improvement store and get a one-year guarantee on any tree that is purchased....so buyers beware.....don't waste your money or your time reading all the promises....It is all a big scam to get your money!

We initially ordered and received an Arbequina olive tree a month ago.

This tree took a while to ship after purchasing, but the resulting plant is 5' and beautiful! It arrived on the day indicated via their email and was in fine shape. The trunk and branches were all green, and there was a great deal of healthy foliage.

Right now, the tree occupies a large container outside, on our deck (Zone 6). There's a lot of new growth and absolutely no sign of disease or pests. We'll winter it indoors and hope to see olives next summer!

Yesterday, I received our next order (placed 8/5), which was a Meyer Lemon tree.

It, too, has arrived in fine shape (almost 5')....no broken branches, very healthy-looking, including the large amount of foliage. We'll follow a suggestion from the site and not pot or expose it to outdoor sunlight for a few days. The trees often are in some shock from shipping.

We'll definitely patronize fast-growing-trees.com again!

I first made contact with this Fast Growing Trees in March, 2012 & asked for a delay shipment scheduled to arrive in June. Because of unforeseen circumstances, I had to request another delay for August during the extreme summer heat. Customer service was great. I received 4 different Japanese Maple Trees, & several Other plants: Fragrant Tree Olives, Camellias, Azaleas, Citrus Trees, Crape Myrtle, & Raspberries. My large shipment took several days traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was packed on Sunday and arrived on Friday. The packing was exceptional and beyond belief. After reading the "Arrival Instruction" I had expected a lot of branch breakage and leaf discoloration. I also expected to find the soil very dry since they were being shipped in a non-air conditioned Fed-Ex truck. They arrived in good condition and appeared to be very healthy. I watered them immediately and already see new growth. I will order from Fast Growing Trees again. Thank you for the fabulous improvement in my landscaping.

Posted on June 26, 2012, updated June 26, 2012
Posted on June 21, 2012, updated June 26, 2012
I never post negative feedback, however, I ordered an Osmanthus from Fast Growing Trees which arrived in a timely manner and was well packaged. The plant, although large, had yellow leaves, leaves with brown spots, and leaves with worm holes and lots of them. I would not purchase a plant like that locally. I contacted Fast Growing Trees and they did not respond, therefore, the negative feedback. I did not see Fast Growing Trees listed on the Garden Watchdog before I ordered from them. Later, too late, I found them listed under another name.

I ordered a Windmill Palm from fastgrowingtrees.com & I am very happy with my purchase. The palm arrived in excellent shape & packaged very well. I ordered it in the 3' to 5' foot size range. It is at least 5 feet tall & looks very healthy. I was a little apprehensive about ordering with an online nursery because I was very disappointed with a few other nurseries I ordered from online in the past. I decided to give them a try & I'm glad I did. I had a question about my purchase & Gena answered me in one day. I would highly recommend this company to others & I will definitely order from them again.

Posted on August 3, 2011, updated August 5, 2011
Hi everyone, I have placed my first order with them and thought I'd document the process here. All the negative reviews have made me really worry so I hope this helps potential clients make a decision.

On a Saturday I placed two orders. I received immediate order confirmations by email. Order 1 was for three 3-gallon azaleas, and Order 2 for a 2-4' autumn cherry tree, a 3-gallon hydrangea, a 3 gallon butterfly bush, and a 2-4' witchhazel.

The following Wednesday (4 days later) I received FedEx tracking information for all of my orders, just as promised.

So far, I have had no problems with this company. Prompt response to my online orders, and timely shipping information. I will update this as my plants arrive.

I ordered 5 fragrant tea olives, 1 royal empress tree, and 2 sunset glow bamboo from Fastgrowingtrees.com, and am so happy with everything they sent. ALL of these plants are alive and thriving, and have grown so much in the past month as late spring weather comes around.

I received the tea olives and empress tree first. I think that they were packed carefully and well but the trip was rough on them, and so they looked a bit tired when they arrived. I was a bit doubtful that the empress would grow as it was clearly dormant, and as it was my first time dealing with a dormant plant from mail order it really looked dead. No matter though - I repotted everything and kept an eye on them and once spring hit everything was shooting. The royal empress is especially impressive, with two branches 6+ inches high and big fuzzy green leaves.

A while later the two bamboo arrived, in similar condition due to the travel west. However, it has only been a month, and a larger pot and water has turned them into lush bushes with lots of shoots and new leaves and so far about 4 inches of growth.

Thank you! I will order from these sellers again.

Posted on August 20, 2010, updated August 24, 2010
I ordered an August Beauty gardenia from Brighter Blooms, aka Fast Growing Trees, which was infested by whiteflies and clearly sick upon receipt. The company was quite reasonable and after sending photos of what they had sent to me, they sent a replacement Dwarf Radicans gardenia free of charge. Unfortunately, the replacement specimen which was sent appeared to be infected with a virus which caused spots on the leaves and yellow leaf drop, and eventually death within a few weeks. I requested a refund from the company for the price of the plant, since the replacement which was sent was unsatisfactory. I am still waiting to hear back from the company. Probably just an unlucky experience, and I cannot say if this is typical for this company or not, but I will update further as events warrant and would change my review to positive if they issue a refund.

They shipped my order and answered my questions quickly. All of the trees arrived in excellent condition. Packed well.

I ordered an Empress Tree from Fast-Growing-Trees.com. To be honest, I thought it was VERY pricey ($29.95 for a 2 year root stock), but I researched these trees and found they can be invasive. This was the only company I could find that mentions having sterile seeds, so I decided to go with them. My shipment arrived yesterday as a potted tiny little tree-- and honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect. The tree was a little bit wilted but recovered quickly once it was watered and they had gone through a lot of trouble to try to keep the little thing safe within the box, going as far as to staple the pot down and wrap around the pot in cellophane.

The tree came within 2 weeks which is quite timely, and had an instruction booklet with it that even had some organic garden remedies inside--nice little bonus! The ONLY thing I have a complaint about is that the order confirmation was not sent to my e-mail address after I purchased the tree-- though it did appear in my inbox once I had received a shipment verification. I would prefer an instant confirmation, though, like most websites give.

Otherwise, very pleasant experience and I can't wait to watch this sucker grow!

We ordered 10 Azaleas, 1 butterfly bush, 1 crepe myrtle
We received them in great condition 2 days after being packed in NC, we are in FL packaging was great and plants were still moist.
They shipped via Fedex Ground
We planted all the plants almost at once we were ready
I wish I could say the same about plants from another nursery with catalogs, call centers in India and locations reported in MI, OH , IN or wherever they are part of a large rip off operation as reported on Daves
We will use fastgrowing trees in the future

In January, 2009 I ordered 2 apple trees and 2 rabbiteye blueberries from fast-growing-trees.com. I followed up with a phone call after my order was placed, because I did not see the varieties of blueberries on the order receipt. The staff was very helpful in getting the order corrected and ensuring I got the varieties I wanted.

The plants arrived promptly, packed extremely well, and in excellent condition. No complaints on the quality of the stock or the packaging at all. My only wish is that their prices weren't quite so high, but you get what you pay for I suppose.

Overall I recommend, however, since finding this site I have learned that there are other nurseries of equal quality that have better pricing.

I ordered a tonto crape myrtle from fast-growing-trees.com, which appears to be the same nursery as Empress Tree / Paulownia Supply / fastgrowingtree.com.

After ordering, I did some online research about the company and realized I should have done the research before ordering.

However, I was very pleasantly surprised by both the speed of delivery (from NC to CA) and the quality of the tree. It was packaged and sent within a week, and I received it about a week after that (within 2 weeks from order date, well within their estimate of 1-3 weeks). It still had most of its leaves and there were four separate trunks. It was packaged very well with cardboard supports inside to keep the container from moving during transit. There were a couple of broken twigs (to be expected) but the main stems were all intact. Here is a picture of it immediately after I unpacked it:
//www.vegetablesofthemind.com/images/misc/homeImprovement/crapeMyrtle/crape_myrtle_potted_3_sized.JPG
(couldn't figure out how to link to the picture, so copy/paste to your browser to view)

I suspect that the online criticism I found were part of a defamatory smear campaign by competitors. The people who complained all seemed like they didn't do much to resolve their issues before blasting the nursery on the internet.

Ordered an empress tree and multiple green giant/ leyland cypress from fastgrowingtree.com for a privacy hedge. Online ordering was simple. Trees arrived quickly and in great shape. Next spring I plan to order a few flowering trees.

In early June I wanted peach trees for dh for Father's Day. Local nurseries were out of stock. I went online and chose Fast Growing Trees because (1) they had dwarf peach trees for my zone and (2) they advertised "as seen in Martha Stewart Living". So, I figured if it's good enough for Martha, it's good enough for me!

They were very courteous with their email explaining a three week delay due to their busy season - that was much appreciated!

When they arrived, they were wonderfully healthy looking and full. Now, weeks after dh planted them in hot, humid summer weather, they are still looking good. I can't wait to see how they look next year!

I own and operate a small animal rescue sanctuary in northern Arizona just south of Las Vegas. I ordered some fast growing trees (Empress/Palowinia) from Diane M. and not only am I pleased as punch with the care, followup and courtesy provided by Diane, the animals are all going to benefit from the shade in this horrible summertime heat. The prices were very good, the company and Diane did everything they promised and then some. I could not be happier with Palowinia Supply and Diane M.

Even with a very limited budget, we plan to place another order next fall. Our biggest problem here is securing the water since everyone drives to get their daily water needs. Ours is 17 miles away.

THANKS TO DIANE AND PALOWINIA SUPPLY!!!!!

Randy N. Warner
President
http://www.21stcenturycares.org/

The two Paulownia trees arrived in good condition last June. I planted one in full sun and one in partial shade. The one planted in full sun grew rapidly to about five feet, then stopped. A drought had crept up on us in this area (SE PA) and I had not been watering it frequently enough. New leaves became brown and deformed and then were attacked by caterpillars and earwigs. I treated it with insect oil spray and the insects were gone and I am watering both trees almost daily, as the drought is persisting. This tree looks much better now and the large leaves are not as droopy. All in all, I am happy with my purchase so far and will do my best to keep up with watering and insect treatment, as needed. The one in partial shade looks healthy, but is only about 18" high, as expected.

I ordered one empress tree and recieved it in less than a week. It was delivered on July 1st but I was out of town so I could not pick it up from the post office until after the July 4th weekend. It was wrapped in damp newspaper and plastic and was very pleased at what I saw. Now hopefully it will grow gracefully but I don't have either green thumbs. I am moving and if this tree does well I will try them again in my next yard.

Warning Stay away! I purchased two Paulownia Trees on 6/8/05 for $52.64 I was given an ID # 8216682 . As of this date nothing has arrived. Numerous E-mails have all gone unanswered. Two toll calls placed and if you are lucky to get someone they ask for your name/telephone # and tell you someone will call you...I am still waiting. BBB of Charlotte, NC has listed numerous complaints about this company. Currently, I have been assigned someone from thier office to help me get some response from them about my order.. If no help I will contact Attorney General for false and deceptive practice...