Comments regarding Horizon Herbs, LLC

What a great selection! I ordered so much on my first order that it took me a few weekends to start all the seed... I just have to order more! I'm just afraid I'll run out of room. The catalog is outstanding, but I think the web site may have more up to date listings on what is in stock. I will be coming back for more.

I placed my first order from Horizon Herbs this year. I had heard a bit about them from an associate. I placed a large order and eagerly awaited my seeds. Since I'm from Canada I expected problems with shipping, but had none. Parcel arrived quickly and complete. Due to late spring and severe drought last year I was unable to save any of my own seed so was desperate for good seed. Horizon Herb seeds came up quickly, strongly and with a good %. Very impressed! When I had a question on a Sunday I emailed them, not expecting a response for a few days. Very surprised when Rico himself emailed back within 2 hours. You can't get any better than that! Strongly recommend to others.

I recently ordered from Horizon Herbs for the first time after reading the great feedback the company received on this site and browsing their amazing selection of herbs in their online catalog. After ordering, I received a cordial email from Richo Cech explaining that they were swamped with orders so I would receive my seeds in two weeks time - however I actually received my seeds in less than a week! Plus, he threw in a free packet of pepper seeds that he recommended. I am thrilled with this company so far! The wide selection of herbs alone got me hooked to begin with, but the fact that the quality of their service is outstanding only makes me love the company even more. I highly recommend Horizon Herbs.

Horizon Herbs is a fantastic company I wish I'd found earlier, ordered from them this winter. Some of their medicinal herbs are extremely hard to find elsewhere. They send more seeds than is listed on the package, often way more, they are reliable, packets are professional looking, and so far the seed germination on the ones I've planted are good!

I have ordered from Horizon Herbs for many years. They have always sent me Quality Plants and Seeds. Every time I have ordered from them the plants are beautiful and very healthy. I don't go anywhere else for my quality medicinal plants or seed stock. I recently just ordered some cactus grandiflorous and anemone pulsatilla plants and again just beautiful and quick to answer any of my questions.......I will be ordering again soon. Thanks to them we will be able to save our medicinal herbs and grow them ourselves. Horizon Herbs thanks for all that you do.

Posted on September 10, 2008, updated January 25, 2010
Been a Horizon fanatic for 5+ years now...

I am utterly EXTATIC about Horizon Herbs! They are a family-run, American small business that uphold all the morals and virtues of organic gardening, bio-ethics, and ethical business practice.

I have had the pleasure of speaking to Richo on occasion. Once I wrote an email with questions about two plants. I expected an email reply, but instead, I received an email AND a phone call! In this passing week Richo made accomodations to fill an order of two live plants, even though they were technically unavailable/out-of-season.

My seeds come viable and result in success, my plants come healthy, and my inquiries are ALWAYS sufficiently addressed.
They promote organics, bio-diversity, recycling/composting, and natural healing. The girls in the office are cool peeps who dont mind bs-ing with you on the phone. These are real people, folks! The catalog itself is a textbook for beginners and experienced growers. Horizon Herbs is a model for small American business.

Im sure they are good at problem resolution, but I wouldn't know! :]

Thank you, Horizon for serving me and my family so well! Thank you Daves Garden for providing this priceless forum.

Horizon Herbs is a worldly plant lover's first checked and oft browsed website. The company is the real deal when it comes to ethnobotanical medicinal plants- Richo, the head honcho of the company, makes trips to many different countries to learn their people's wisdom when it comes to traditional plant medicine. He does this work himself, and not only knows the tradition behind the plants, but also of the important task of how to go about growing them. Sometimes the seeds need special care, or growing conditions, so reading up on the plants before you place your order is a must. I don't know about you, but I do enjoy a challenge sometimes. Instructions are often included on each "product description" page, and if a person still is not clear on what to do with a seed, an email to the company will be returned with further instruction.
This is a company that responds to their emails. If you ask, you will get an answer in a reasonable amount of time. I also look forward to the newsletters Richo and Co send out, many times it's about his travels and what goes on when he's on his missions, and sometimes it's great writing on love for plants, family and life in general, something I think everyone who gardens greatly appreciates reading. Definitely sign up for the mailing list! If you find you enjoy his writing, he's written books on both making and growing medicinal plants which are really the best books I've found on making plant medicine, RIFYL James Green :D He's also involved with United Plant Savers which is pretty spiffy.
Even if you're not a person who's interested in "straaaaange" and unusual things, (My husband, however loves weird things and is SO STOKED we will have Mandrake Men in the near future) they've still got the staples, organically grown with love. There's a lifeline collection of food seeds with all the things you'd want to eat out of your garden at a very reasonable price, as well as several other sets with the intention of use for an herb garden, as a kids garden, and many other sorts of themed seed packet sets. Goooood stuff Maynard!

I really cannot say enough good things about this company.
Kirsten Spitzner
:D

A great company: kind and reliable people, always very attentive to providing high quality seeds. Their catalogue is one of the largest I've seen on the Internet. And, last but not least, they are really very patient :-))) Shipping seeds to Italy is not the easiest thing to do, so moving parcels back and forth is not that unusual...
It's my preferred seeds provider since the last 5-6 years.

Superb selection of herb seeds with reasonable prices. Website works well, shipping is fast and reasonably priced. Catalog and website include lots of interesting information about many plants.

I have been using Horizon Herbs for many years. I recently have been trying to find Asitaba sees. And guess who had them....Rico at horizon. I am so very excited to find and get them. And I know with the help of Horizon I will be successful even considering where I live. Atta Boy to them for having and testing the seeds.

Storm8650

I've ordered from Richo at Horizon Herbs for several years, and have always gotten excellent seeds and excellent customer service.

Horizon carries several varieties of seeds for plants that chickens also love, such as chickweed and sheep sorrel.

I have been doing business with Horizon Herbs for many years now. I have always found the service to be extremely good. The orders are processed promptly and the items received are of the highest of quality. One of the other reasons I continue to shop with Horizon Herbs is the vast selection of herb seeds available. Some of the seeds are extremely hard to find on the market. For anyone wanting to start an herb garden I would highly recommend that they start by paying a visit to the Horizon Herb website.

I've ordered seeds and books from Horizon Herbs, LLC. So far the quality of information and the cutting edge, up-to-date nature of their product descriptions, the exceptionally wide line of herbs available with very reasonable prices and responsive & competent customer service set them apart from run-of-the-mill seed & plant companies I've done business with over the years. Highly recommended.

Completely professional and personable business.
The plants are obviously well loved and respected, beautifully photographed and catalogued, and the website is formidable - it's a great learning & shopping adventure!
I definitely will re-order from Horizon Herbs and I have recommended this gem of a company to a number of friends already.
Plants are shipped with extreme care.
Wonderful company!

I've ordered numerous times from Horizon Herbs, and have always been thoroughly happy with the quality of product I received. Their selection of seeds, plants, and literature is incredibly impressive, and I was hard-pressed to find a similar company elsewhere (thus my joy when I DID discover the wonder that is Horizon Herbs!). My husband and I visited the nursery one week day to pick up some seeds and take a tour, and the employees were all very friendly. I have heard people complain about their HH seeds not germinating, but I have to say that I have never had this experience. I have experienced LOW germination on one or two occasions, but at least some plants always came up (and generally I find HH seeds to be almost explosive in their germination within the first few days of planting!). I think many people don't understand that patience and a knowledge of a particular seed's quirks are necessary for successful germination. Most times, the germination hints are in the seed catalog, so you simply need to refer to that before planting!

All in all, I have to say that I am pretty much a life time customer of Horizon Herbs.

i've ordered seeds from horizon several times now, and have purchased reading and resource materials from them as well. every interaction has been positive: i have enjoyed prompt receipt of seeds and books, kind & attentive customer service, a fantastic selection of extremely high quality seeds, excellent written material, and great plants sprouting all over my little home & garden, thanks to their top-notch growing & seed saving practices. this is the first place i go for medicinal and culinary herbs, and i look forward to ordering plants from them once i get some new beds made. i am deeply appreciative of horizon's socially & ecologically responsible practices, and know that i can trust them to provide me & my family with high quality, organic, responsibly sourced plant friends.

Though I have ordered seeds and books from Horizon Herbs the last couple of years, I had never ordered live plants from them partially because of the distance the plants would have to travel to Georgia. Due to the difficulty in locating some plants locally or even in my region, I placed an order for 24 live plants with Horizon last month.

I was extremely pleased with how smoothly the entire process went. Horizon's customer service is one of the best I've ever encountered. When my plants arrived, I was doubly pleased at not only the care that had been taken in packaging them for shipping, but also at how strong and sturdy these little plants were. Having worked in the nursery business, I could tell how much love and care went into growing them.

I will order plants again!!!

Every time I receive a shipment from Horizon herbs I feel I am receiving a beloved member of their family. The live plants I ordered were obviously packed with the utmost care and arrived in great shape and with very specific planting instructions for each.
The seeds I ordered have proven to be quite viable and my herb garden is thriving. The amount of detailed information on their website was quite helpful and easy to use-there is a story for almost every plant and the stories come from their own relationship with those plants-not just as a reseller.
As an organic farmer and herbalist, I have purchased seeds and plants for years from many companies around the world and I feel that Horizon offers the best plant materials and seeds that I have found. They also offer rare and endangered plants that many companies do not offer. I recommend Horizon Herbs to anyone that is looking for high quality plants and fabulous customer service.

Horizon Herbs is an excellent company! Each time I buy anything from them, I'm so excited. The seeds come really quickly and the prices are very very reasonable. I love that they propagate everything themselves and organically! I only use seeds from them, because I know exactly where everything is coming from and that everything is grown with loving and careful energy, which really makes a difference in how the plant grows. The website is really easy to use, too. They have so many different plants, it's impossible to just buy a few things. I love Horizon Herbs and I recommend it to every herb lover and gardener I know.

I ordered a single pack of comfrey seeds on 9/17/09 and rec'd them on the east coast on 9/21/09. The seeds were packed well, sealed in a standard paper envelope which was sealed in a small plastic bag. The website stated 10 seeds per packet but there was at least double that in the pack. Also included was their catalog. I'll report later on germination rate. These seeds are being started indoors under grow lights.

"On Sep 23, 2009 7:09 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Borged,
Thank you very much for the positive vote which we appreciate more than you can know. A couple of small things--we are really trying to reduce our plastic footprint so the little bag that we heat-seal around our paper packet is actually cellophane (made from cellulose) not plastic. Also its fine if you start the comfrey under grow lights--it will be likely to give reasonalble germination in 10 to 30 days--but for best results put the seeds in moist (not wet) medium in the fridge for 30 days before planting. This makes them jump!
Richo"

I have ordered seeds from Horizon herbs for a couple of years and always had more than my expectations filled. In fact it was not unusual to have a free pack sent with your order with a thank you and smiley face. I wanted some plants they had available that I wanted. Being from the bootheel of New Mexico and shipping plants in September, I was a bit worried. But to no surprise I received my order in three days in perfect condition. I planted my plants and the root ball was firm, but not growing out the bottom. Thanks Horizon herbs.

I'm absolutely thrilled with the customer service offered by Horizon Herbs. Richo Cech graciously answered a couple of emails before I purchased a packet of Western Skunk Cabbage seeds. After I mailed my request, the packet arrived quickly. I was surprised (and pleased) to discover that Mr. Cech had also included two (free) seedlings with my order.

"On Sep 10, 2009 9:58 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Thanks. More info on germination of the slow and otherwise recalcitrant seeds of marsh, meadow, forest and plain is given in my new book "The Medicinal Herb Grower." Richo"

I have been dealing with Horizon Herbs now for many years. My experience with everyone on staff has been exceptional year after year. I grow many hard to find herbs and prepare my own tinctures. The support and assistance that I have received from Richo, Becca and Mayche demonstrates the true passion that we all share for our love of the land. I have spoken directly with Richo, and he has also answered detailed e-mails through the years, always supportive and passionate to share his insight.
I consider Horizon Herbs to be the best source for information, hard to find exceptional seed, and glorious plants, year after year. I give them my highest recommendation, and a huge Thank You! for all of the information and support through the years.
Thank You all at Horizon Herbs!
SambucusNigra

"On Aug 23, 2009 3:52 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hello SambucusNigra,
Anyone with that name is close to our hearts. What a glorious plant!
Richo"

I've always been interested in rare and unusual herbs, and always had a difficult time finding seed until I found Horizon Herbs a few years ago. What a fantastic selection! All of the orders I,ve placed were sent quickly, and the folks who took my phone orders were both pleasant and helpful. I couldn't ask for better service. My copy of the Horizon Herb catalog gets to looking pretty ragged by the end of the season, because I carry it with me as a constant reference. Horizon Herbs has helped me become a better herb grower, and I thank you for that. Richo,keep up all the good work you do, and many blessings to the Cech family. Pinki

"On Aug 22, 2009 5:07 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hi Pinki,
Thanks for the feedback! We have a policy of changing out our seed as soon as the new seed is germ tested and approved. We also have a policy of sending our best plant first, but like your horizon herbs catalog, some of the plants can start looking like that catalog you described (or they can get even bigger and better, you never know!) Anyhow we happen to know you're an excellent grower, and bottom line what you need is a good root, and you can grow it up from there! Richo"

I know Horizon Herbs offers the highest quality medicinal herb seeds on the market, and their customer service is both efficient and friendly. I highly recommend their new book "The Medicinal Herb Grower" which the famous herbalist Christopher Hobbs has called "The best gardening book on the planet!"

"On Aug 19, 2009 7:18 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Thanks e-violin we are very excited about this book, also, which has been a decade-long labor of love. Richo"

I have had too many good experiences with Horizon Herbs that I would quickly run out of room to write them. But I will just share that the level of integrity and quality of plant and seed material you get from them is the best around. I think i first found out about horizon herbs from there seed rack at the Arcata, ca food -coop. Then i read making plant medicine and starting learning the art of growing your own. I module my small farm after many of the clever gardening techniques Richo creates.
I have sent many customers over to there farm and inspired them to plant more diversity too. Everyday i walk outside and see many favorite flowering herbs from this great propagation/preservation Mecca. Go visit the farm if you can its well worth it. And if you get to pick Richo's wise brain while your at it, consider yourself blessed.
Im not sure why i waited so long to write a comment, sometimes you just forget to say thank you publicly.
Long live Horizon Herbs, and our access to these great healing medicinal plants.
All the best,
Kalesh

"On Aug 19, 2009 7:16 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Dear EcoHerbs,
Thanks for the kind words and may your gardens prosper.
Richo"

I have purchased several times from Horizon Herbs in the last couple of years. This year I was late ordering do to the terrible weather we had here and I only ordered some books and some American comfrey seeds. When I opened the package, which I received in a timely manner, the printed matter that I had ordered was there along with my seeds but there was an extra package of seeds. In a letter Mr. Cech said he was sending me my seeds that I had ordered and was also sending seeds from a different batch of American Comfrey as customers had mentioned having germination problems with the comfrey seeds and he asked me if I would plant both batches of seed and report back to him.
He explained how they planted the seeds at Horizon and then said if I found it to be too complicated to just plant them in the garden as I normally would.and then he said if I found that to be too much hassle and too complicated to just plant my seeds and enjoy them and not to worry about a report.
I couldn't let such generosity go like that so I planted the seeds in pots, monitored the germination rate and time and did make a report back to the company with my results. He did find that conditions in the field were different than those in his greenhouse and was happy to find out why some customers were having problems with germination. I was happy to have helped out in his experiment and I got extra plants out of the deal. A real win-win situation to my mind. Great company to do business with.

John Carver
A happy customer.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:38 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

John,
Yes, that was a fun experiment that worked even better than I thought it would. Thanks for your help on that. Your experiment showed that germination on the Symphytum officinalis took three times longer on the porch than in the greenhouse. The eventual germination percent was about the same, though, at 85% in your experiments and 90% in mine. My guess is that ungerminated seed could still come up the next year, as this is a plant that exhibits some wild characteristics. Just as an aside, later, I also found out that 30 days of cold, moist conditions prior to planting in a warm place can increase the speed of germination and the germination percentage. May your comfrey grow and thrive!
Richo"

Hi All,
I have been completely satisfied with anything I have ever purchased from Horizon Herbs.All of Richo's books have been a wealth of information,as well as constant "go to" reference books for any herbal concocting I am involved with. And their catalog! A whole page could be written about how full of information it is.
The seed purchases have been wonderful as well,the germination rate have all been right on the money, the plants have thrived,even here in hot and humid South Florida. And what an awesome selection!
It is just wonderful to deal with such a knowledgeable family run company.These folks really care about the earth and it shows in everything they do.
I had the pleasure of meeting the Cech family at an Herbal gathering this summer,and all I can say is WOW! They are as awesome as you could imagine,such great herbal experience,friendly and caring folks.No question asked was too small or simple for them.They were totally accessible and down to earth.
I hope they continue their work at Horizon Herbs for a long time to come so we can continue to plant their seeds and share in their wisdom.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:42 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Fl Herb Lady,
Yes, that was a great gathering of crazy herbal folks and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. I saw Lobelia growing in the wild along a forested path, and then a few hundred feet further on (up, actually!) came across a nice cushy mound of Partridge Berry. What a treat! It was a long trip but totally worth it! May your gardens crisp up in uncharacteristically cool and moist mornings.
Richo"

Hi,
My company, Osmosis International in Vancouver, Canada is very pleased to work with Horizon Herbs. Our experience with their Customer Service is very positive. Our orders have been timely processed and our questions promptly answered. On many occasions I e-mailed them asking their expert opinion on herbal extracts, for example, and I had my questions answered within the hour. Mr. Richo, thank you for being there anytime I needed your expertise. Horizon Herbs cares for its customers.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:33 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hello Osmosis,
People in the healing professions have a kinship because they keep one thing in mind--they are all dedicated to alleviating suffering. Careful atttention to detail lessens the potential to cause harm and increases the power of the good. We're glad to answer short questions about extraction, and I want to personally thank you for keeping positive!
Richo"

I love Horizon Herbs! They have a beautiful selection of wonderful herbs and seeds and their customer service is excellent.

"On Aug 17, 2009 3:30 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Dear ESMITH,
Thank you for your kind words and we are happy to serve.
Richo"

Horizon is one of my favorite sources for fun and unusual seeds. I have been ordering from them for several years, and with every order I have enjoyed fast, accurate service, and good germination as well.

I have recommended this company to many of my friends, and all have had similar experiences.

I have ordered from Horizon Herbs for several years now and have been happy with every transaction. They are always willing to help with any problem or question you may have. Because of them I have gone more into native plants and into growing more medicinal herbs. I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in growing herbs and who is interested in preserving plants that once flourished here in N. America. I look forward to many years of ordering from them.

I'm a long-time culinary herb gardener new to medicinals (at least, medicinals that aren't also tasty...). I got a copy of R's book as well.

The book is fantastic.

Every seed I've started, germinated. I'm just biding time until it's warm enough to set them out!

Fast turnaround from order to shipping as well, what's not to like? Now I'm eying that $700 hydraulic press... :)

"On Feb 6, 2009 7:05 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Thanks very much for the positive review and the kind words. These kinds of things help more than you can know. I encourage you to reserve a pre-publication copy of my new book "the medicinal herb grower." As for every seed germinating, that is an unusually good result. As for culinary herbs, my favorite is Summer Savory. I use it daily, and cannot grow tired of it. Thanks again for your kind words and I bet you'll have a great garden this year. Best regards, Richo"

I am about to order seeds from this company again for only the second time and I wanted to rate them as "great" because every single thing I ordered last year had an amazing germination rate. (I ordered a lot.) In addition, they have a great selection of less common plants that should be planted in gardens by virtue of not only being great herbs, but because they are amazing plants. Cannot wait to grow their seeds again.

I placed an order last weekend and already received the seeds. They had more in the packet than what was printed on the label and the seeds look fresh and viable. I'll keep looking for more to order from this place.

I purchased a few different varieties of seed from them last year, even including some which are supposed to have a low germination rate (specifically, a few varieties of sage, including white sage.) And I found the germination rate was actually much higher than they said, I dont know if I was just lucky and got some really good seeds,lol... or If it had to do with my particular skills or the advice from them... but I had an average 90% germination rate, easily...I was very happy with the results and their prices where very fair as well... the only issue I had with them was that it took nearly a month for me to receive my order, but that couldnt be helped, they where having some issues with a ton of backorders I think if I remember right it was because of a sickness or something in the family...so the long shipping was perfectly understandable under the circumstances.^_^

"

Luckily nobody in the family has been sick, at least not in the kind of way that it would be a good excuse for not sending seeds very rapidly. We generally do a 2-day turnaround on seed orders although we've certainly done our share of same-day shipping and also gotten behind from time to time. Certainly, if anybody needs their seeds by a certain date they should LET US KNOW! You know how it is--we try to do things on time but there are unforeseen circumstances like--somebody calls in sick (or their grandmother dies for the third time since last June) and somebody else "has to give a massage" instead of coming to work as expected. Meanwhile, we have to scramble because a customer in New Jersey is going to Nigeria on Tuesday (its Friday afternoon) and needs their seeds before the plane takes off. Also, the dog got its leg caught in the door and had to go to the vet to have it set, and the well mysteriously quit working, so we had to haul water up from the creek to flush the toilet. There are so many great excuses for delaying orders, like the credit card didn't work, the customer didn't answer their phone or their e-mail when we tried to contact, the address was wrong (the customer was speaking Russian so we sent the seeds to Siberia when actually he said Liberia--you get the idea). We're real people. When we get an order for roots, we go out and dig. When we get an order for seeds, half the time we go out and shake the plant (well, not half the time, but SOMEtimes...). Anyhow, thanks to you and others like you that have patience, we keep the hands on and the quality in. We wouldn't have it any other way. And we wouldn't sell to Monsanto, either. Not seeds, not the company, nothin. Richo"

Whether you want seeds or plants of herbs , Horizon Herbs is the place to go. Not only do they have a most interesting and complete selection, the quality cannot be surpassed. Seed packs are generous and viable. Plants are very healthy and of good size. They are a knowledgeable, friendly, family company. Packaging is the best I have seen anywhere and not a molecule of dirt was disturbed in my orders - even to the opposite side of the country. Email answers to questions are quick and courteous. Thanks!

Highly recommended.
Most of my dealings with Horizon Herbs have been seed purchase for medicinal use or aesthetic value as woodland perennials. Their selection is broad - many hard to find and unusual plants. Germination rate has always been well above average.
They are accessible if questions arise. Only one mishap in dealing with them. Received an incorrect cultivar seed pack. On notification, the seed pack was replaced with seedlings at no charge.

I have purchased seeds, cuttings,live plants and books from this company over the past ten years and have found their quality of material and service to be consistantly excellent. As a Pacific Northwest gardener who grows herbal and medicinal plants in addition to traditional vegetables and ornamentals, having a regional supplier, with real regional experience and information is a huge benefit. I am constantly delighted by the unusual and hard to find seeds and plants that Horizon offers. They are a small, family owned and operated business that I believe deserves the continued support of the gardening community, especially in a day and age when small independent growers and nurseries are being absorbed by the big guys, often with negative results ( I live not far from what used to be Heronswood Nursery, a sad story in my opinion). I am pleased to be a customer and would recommend them highly.