Comments regarding Swan Island Dahlias

3/29/09.....Received my shipment on time from this
company...tubers were well packaged and in healthy
condition....paid extra $3 to have them shipped early
so I can start them early and take cuttings off the plants
prior to planting them....this is my third year to order from
this company....have not been disappointed in the tubers
I ordered....Maryanne, zone 5

I have been buying my tubers from Swan Island for years and always have great success. I also am fortunate enough to live near enough to attend their festival so I can see what I want in the fields as well as done up in bouquets.

Every year I bring flowers to work and I convert at least one new person to dahlias just by the beauty of the display.

I find the customer service at Swan Island to be great--they are pro active and listen to what I have to say. On the rare occasion when I have asked for a replacement they take care of me with no fuss. Regarding the negative comments--I think it's unfair to rate a company negatively but not give them a chance to try to resolve the issue. I suppose the unreasonableness of that speaks for itself.

I have only ever gotten quality tubers from Swan Island dahlias and I feel very lucky to have found you After years of frustration from other companies, so keep up the great work.You'll keep me for years.

The dahlias that I ordered from Swan Island were true to name and grew vigorously. I contacted them about one tuber whose eye had been lost during shipping and received a replacement very promptly, which is excellent customer service in my book.

I have ordered bulbs from Swan Island Dahlia for the past three years and in each instance the bulbs arrived in prized condition, with the variety stamped on each bulb. The packaging is primo and the booklet of instructions could not be easier to follow............that is, if you take the time to read them. I always do and follow the instructions to the letter. My plants are strong and healthy bloomers. This year spring was so late in Oregon and it was June before I planted my new bulbs. They are each 18" tall already and have bloomed.
Their website is extraordinary and each picture is exactly the way your dahlia will look and the descriptions are exceptionally accurate. This generation has thought of everything the customer needs.
I live close enough to be able to attend their dahlia festival every year. Wouldn't miss it. Their display of every variety is beautifully presented and the names they give each one is full of imagination.
Best dahlia bulbs and the best value. Shop their website and you will not be disappointed!!!!!

I ordered dahlias three times from this company. All bulbs came on time, spurted and grow beautifully.

Ordered late in the season but response was swift. Healthy tubers, individually stamped with variety's name. Catalog and internet site put together well.

Purchased a gift certificate for my sister-in-law and was impressed by their site and their helpfulness (the place I tried before Swan Island didn't even bother to answer my enquiries), so I ordered a few dahlias for myself. They arrived yesterday - beautifully and securely packaged. Can't wait to get them in the ground!

My order arrived today. Each of the 7 tubers came in one bag and were stamped with the name of the variety on the tuber -- and each appeared solid and in good condition. All but one had a visble growth point and 3 even had an active new root. The one without a visible growth point was a rectangular strange shaped tuber; I had trouble telling which side was up so I planted it on its side. Will see how they do in the next month or two. This company takes dahlia growing seriously and their web site is a feast for the eyes with plenty of information for the mind.

Just ordered from this company, my foirst time and was pleased as punch with the service and the product. Will definately order more from them.

This is my 3ed year of buying bulbs fron Swan Island. I purchased 20, my neighbor 45 bulbs. As usual all arrived plump and solid. All grew into beauitful plants, our combined gardens are just wonderful. Each fall we divide and share the huge clumps with friends and family. Over the 3 years I have had only one bulb that did not sprout. It was replaced immediatly after calling . A GREAT COMPANY!!!!

I placed a large order with Swan Island after reading the reports at Dave's Garden and I wasn't disappointed. The bulbs were the largest I've seen, well labeled and are vigorously growing. A couple varieties were a little slower to sprout, but I'm sure there are variations from type to type. The important thing is that they are are all growing and very healthy! Several friends were impressed with my plants and are placing orders now. I would highly recommend this company!

I ordered many dahlias and most of them didnt sprout. Didnt even bother to contact them again for new ones they grow there I think so I rather get them straight from the store or holland. The few that did sprout were poor performers... Sorry had a bad experience wont be repeat customer

My second year ordering from SWI, tubers, wonderful, clean, fat and happy..no shrivles...excellent.

Great company! All tubers are healthy and eyed up, if not sprouting. Always a great catalog! I like the packing method and name stamps. Also, no subs.
P. S. When people complain about a tuber not sprouting/growing, it is not usually the fault of the grower. The tuber could be a "dud" that looked healthy, or it was mishandled.

I have ordered tubers from this company since 2001. I again for 2007 ordered alot of tubers. Customer service was great, they are concise and have a great catalog with alot of variety. Only once did I have a tuber not sprout, and they quickly replaced it. Wonderful company.

I ordered 6 dahlias and received them all the very next day. They even threw in an extra one! I really like their on-line catalogue.

I received my order a few days ago and was very pleased. The tubers were fresh and had multiple eyes. The names were stamped on each tuber, so there was no chance for a mixup. Their customer service, selection and prices are all excellent.

I get to visit Swan Island Dahlias every year because it's not very far from me. The sight of all of their dahlias blooming at once is incredible! If you ever get a chance, be sure to stop by in late summer.

I highly recommend purchasing from this fine company. You won't be sorry.

A few days ago I got my order of over 200.00 of tubers. They look in great shape and each package is clearly marked with each variety. This company has a wonderful selection and their customer service is outstanding. I had to contact them twice to make changes on my order and they were amazingly patient, helpful and understanding. I will update this site in the summer with an update on how successful were these tubers.

I placed my order online and contacted them via email to let them know I had a list of substitutes for each plant I wanted. They asked me to email it and I did. They had all the varieties I wanted. I also wanted delivery on a specific date so I could start them indoors. They complied. I wrote last week about one that has begun to "eye up" but lags far behind the others. They emailed me that very day and said some are slower than others.

All of their tubers are stamped with the name so there's no mixups. A real A1 company.

This was my first order for myself. Dahlias ordered last year as a gift have been doing fine too, I hear. I'm most impressed by their selection and prices. The dahlias were well packed and marked. I'm looking forward to seeing how my dahlias perform this year.

Good outfit. They have an amazing selection of all types of dahlias and they publish a first-rate catalog with pictures of all selections. They happen to be located less than a mile from my house so I always go to their "open house" in late August, and would advise anyone else to do the same, even if you have to drive a stretch. If you're into dahlias, you won't be disappointed. I've ordered about 100 tubers over the years and not one has failed to sprout and grow. You do have to be careful not to get them very wet. They need very little water to get started and overwatering will cause rot, no matter where you get the tubers from.

ordered around 10 plants from this company, all are growing beautifully and as shown in the catalog photo. Very pleased with my order!

These are the right folks to order dahlias from. Excellent selection, well described, and the tubers are always large and perfectly labeled (stamped on the tuber so you can't lose the label, too). I have ordered probably 40 or 50 dahlias from them over the years, and have never had a shriveled or unhealthy one arrive. Good, solid company. They give good cultural advice, too. (My part of the world is just a little tricky for dahlias, and I have found their advice very sound.)

Last spring I received 9 tubers. 5 sprouted, 4 didn't. I notified them, and they sent replacements this spring. I always start my tubers in pots, successfully. Well, these 4 didn't sprout at all, after being in pots for 2 months. One was in a pot for 3 months, because I reeeaaallly wanted this one more than anything. All tubers were still firm when I finally gave up on all of them. No growth whatsoever. I'm not even going to waste my time telling them; I'll never order from them again.

Biggest tubers I've ever gotten for Dahlia's. All my Dahlia purchases will be from these guys from now on. All at a very reasonable prices too.

We have ordered hundreds of dahlias from S.I.D. and have been very pleased with the results. We have received good quality tubers and they have accomodated our special shipping date unlike some larger companies like Parks. We pot the tubers up in a greenhouse in late March and transplant in-bloom plants into the garden in June for four months of color.

I ordered 8 dahlia tubers last spring. They arrived clearly marked; actually the names are stamped right on the tubers!
They were clean and well packaged. Because it was too cold and wet to plant in the border, I potted them and set them in my greenhouse. Each tuber sprouted right away and grew vigorously. I planted them out in late May and followed the cultural requirements in the care book that I ordered with the tubers ( a steal at $5.00). In the late summer and fall I was rewarded by the most beautiful flowers at a time when other perennials and annuals are spent from the hot weather. The catalog and the website are great. The colors in the catalog are not exaggerated. The flowers are true to the photos. I have ordered dahlias from other mail order sources and they were adequate, but Swan Island is far superior and they know their product well. The prices are very reasonable as well. I'll be ordering from them again this spring.

I have not yet ordered, but the website is a pleasure to browse. The varieties come up five at a time, and each includes a decent-size photo without your having to do another click to view it.

To do this, I clicked on "main," then on "place your order from the 2003 catalog," then on "submit search."

Ordered 5 tubers in jan 2002, they arrived in good shape and were clearly labelled. They all have grown very well and the flowers were as described in catalog. Both web site and catalog are easy to use. I will order again this year.

I placed my first order with them in October 2000 for delivery in early March 2001. They arrived the first week of the month in excellent condition. Due to a wet spring, I did not get to plant them until about the last week of the month. It is now the first week of July and they have bloomed several times already. Beautiful blooms and absolutely HUGE! Also, they are easy to contact if you have any questions -- no sitting on HOLD for an eternity! I highly recommend them.

I have purchased dahlias from this company two years running as birthday gifts for my sister. They were amazing! Looked just like the pictures in the catalog. Catalog is fabulous - more varieties than any other dahlia grower I have heard of and very good descriptions of all varieties with excellent and quite realistic photos for most. I highly recommend this catalog to anyone who likes dahlias. No matter what size, shape or color you are looking for, Swann Island Dahlias is certain to have what you want. I ordered both from the catalog and from the website and both ways worked very smoothly.

I received a mailer pack with free catalog cards. They say buy direct from the grower.