Comments regarding Classy Groundcovers

Purchased 108 Liriope spicata plants in c. 2.5" containers: all but 3 were severely rootbound. The remaining 3 were only moderately rootbound. A humorist would say that I received much more than what I ordered; a gardener would say that significant additional time was required in order to plant. (Cutting the roots to open them seemed as if it would have destroyed almost all the roots since they wound around the planting medium numerous times.)

Posted on May 4, 2010, updated May 4, 2010
Posted on April 29, 2010, updated May 4, 2010
I ordered some "Sundancer" Hostas and some Vinca Minor (I believe it was Ralph Shugert) from here 2 years ago.

The Sundancer Hostas are supposed to "thrive in moderate sun" which was a selling point for me as I was using them as a border in an area that did get some sun.

I have been very disappointed with these Hostas, even to the point of now questioning whether I even got the ones I ordered. They look nothing like the photo on their site.

After two years where most didn't grow more than 6 inches wide, I finally got fed up with them and a couple weeks ago I moved some to a very shady area and they already look better than they ever have before. And soil was not the difference. Either I didn't get what I ordered, or these are just not as advertised.

For the Ralph Shugert, same thing. I bought them to fill in some areas between some others (different variety) that were already planted (and flourishing) by the previous home owner. The ones that I planted two years ago that survived have barely grown any larger and this is supposed to be a rapid spreading groundcover.

I've given them a neutral as most of the plants have survived, and I never did contact them to complain, and to my recollection, the plants arrived in good condition and in a timely fashion. But I very well could have gone with negative on plant performance.

"On Apr 29, 2010 2:59 PM, Classy Groundcovers responded with:

I wish we had control over the environment our plants get planted in, but we don't. Any number of factors could cause plants to perform poorly, did you test the soil? Perhaps it's as simple as adjusting the pH. We have not had any other complaints about performance of these plants. All we can do is deliver healthy, thriving plants - which you said we did. The performance of those plants is common knowledge, we did not make it up. If they did not perform as they should, it is because of environmental conditions, not because we mis-advertised them. I invite you to send photos and we will confirm that you were sent the correct plants.

I ordered 25 3/12 inch pots of liriope variegata. I am sorry to say that most of the plants vere root bound, some so badly, iI had to use a razor blade to cut the roots. Also, a lot of old growth, yellow and brown. From the ratings I expected a better product. I am happy to say, however, that the grasses are doing well, and should be o.k. So I remain neutral about more ordering from this company.

"On May 27, 2009 10:56 PM, Classy Groundcovers responded with:

Hi Barbara, I'm sorry that you were unhappy that the plants you received were root bound. They were from the end of a crop and by that point had foliage equivalent to a gallon. Most people would appreciate getting a plant with foliage and root structure that was substantially more mature than what they paid for.

As indicated on our unpacking instructions, any yellow or brown leaves should be removed at unpacking - the plants will quickly bounce back from the trauma of shipping and you will have full size plants much sooner than you would normally."

Shipping was rapid but the plants were too small. I ordered pachysandra and astilbe. The pachysandra were barely rooted cuttings, some with only one small root attached. The astilbes were divisions, again, very small divisions. All were leggy. For the prices charged, I expected more.

"

Regarding the pachysandra that you paid $0.87 each for, why didn't you contact us with your complaint and give us a chance to correct the problem? We certainly would have either reshipped you better plants or refunded your money.

We explain in detail at http://classygroundcovers.com/page----faq#BareRoot what to expect when you order bare root plants from us. As explained, the astilbes are single divisions. Perhaps you are not familiar with astibles, as they are thinner than most other plants. You were sent mature bare roots."

I just wanted to let people in the west (AZ, CA, NV, OR or WA) know they shouldn't waste expend valuable time and effort selecting and filling their cart with plants like I did, only to discover at checkout that THEY DO NOT SHIP TO THESE STATES.

Again, if you live in AZ, CA, NV, OR, or WA (and AK and HI), do not bother with this company.

"

Why do the restrictions imposed by the departments of agriculture for those states warrant a neutral rating for us? We state this on the main page of our site with a link to a page explaining why.

We updated the statement to be "we cannot ship to AZ, CA, NV, OR and WA", sorry if you perceived it as misleading. It's not reasonable to expect us to explain the reason on the main page of our website.

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective!

To make this situation more obvious to those visitors who do not enter through the main page, we now display this comment when an item is added to a cart... " Please note: we cannot ship to AK, AZ, CA, HI, NV, OR or WA.""

Large excellent plants - wonderful dealler! Great plants love the free shipping and shipped really really well to boot!!! I will order again for any and all my groundcover needs!

"

Hi Mike,
I understand that you are disappointed that we cannot afford to continue to sell small quantities of plants at our low prices, but I hope you understand that we cannot continue to lose substantial money on small orders and keep our prices so low. The cost of handling and shipping small orders was higher than we anticipated, plus we had an unexpected increase of the residential delivery surcharge from $0.50 to $2.00 per shipment. We had to choose between raising prices for everyone and changing the pricing structure - we chose to keep prices low by eliminating small orders and requiring purchases in full "packs" (flats of 24 pots, bundles of 50 bare root plants, etc.).

WaltD knew what he was talking about when he wrote in his review for us (see his post above - Jun 15, 2005) that he did not understand how we could afford to price as we do.

Yes, we will unfortunately lose some of our customers - such as yourself - who sought to order a few plants, this is regrettable but unavoidable. More of the visitors of Dave's Garden will benefit from the avoidance of cost increases than will suffer from the new pricing policy.

Does our change in shipping policy truly deserve a reduction in the rating you give us for your previous order from us? You were delighted with the plants and order fulfillment, please reconsider your rating change. "