Comments regarding Horizon Herbs, LLC

I have 8 gardens on my property and I've been growing plants for 22 years. I bought 2 anchusa plants from Horizon Herbs (name change:Medicinal Plants?). That's right, TWO plants which cost over $30. including shipping. Both were planted next to each other. One limped along and decided to live. The other turned slimy and black and died. This company refuses to supply me with just one replacement.after spending a small fortune to get two plants. Let's get with it folks. The big plant dealers in Tipp City Ohio have been CUSTOMER FRIENDLY for decades. But this company has this Holier Than Thou smug attitude:"Sorry, you paid, you got two plants and we're all done with you" NEVER shop there!

This company will treat you fine (not great, just fine), until something goes wrong.... and then it's your fault and they are UNWILLING to work with you to correct the situation.

I ordered 3 witch hazel trees in honor of a family member that passed away from Horizon Herbs. I got them and they were like little sticks, I followed the instructions and replanted them and waited for the Spring /Summer hoping the leaves would grow in and they would thrive, especially in the absence of our loved one. Come Spring, then Summer and the plants didn't change AT ALL, eventually I realized they had died... all three.
I'm a green thumb, I am the person people bring their dying plants to, to bring back to life. I don't kill plants, never have.
I contacted Horizon Herbs with my story and they were COLD. They said that it was my fault and that they shipped me a living plant that I killed and they would not replace it.
Most places will replace your trees if they don't live for a year. This was crazy. I was so willing to work with them and told them that it was leaving SUCH a bad taste in my mouth.
I will go out of my way to never support them again. I can't believe how cold and uncaring they are. I offered to pay shipping on new cuttings, but they said no. I'm not a story teller, I just wanted to honor a lost loved one.
Fortunately, I live in an area where witch hazel grows wild and a friend had a plant that I took my own cuttings from and rooted them and they are fine and growing.
This situation didn't have to go this way though.
Learn to apologize and stop blaming your customers when things go wrong.

"On Jan 16, 2016 12:47 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

We are sorry for the loss of your loved one. Our response is one of policy--we guarantee receipt of a live plant and trust that the gardener will care for it and keep it that way. Fall delivered woody perennials often need to be potted up for a year before setting to the landscape and the paperwork that we sent with the trees suggested that the stock be potted up for a year and not set directly to landscape."

Like many bad and neutral reviewers for Horizon, I want to like them. But thus far I haven't had a great experience.

I had ordered some varieties of herb seeds, some of the packets ended up short of the stated count of seeds. Considering the high cost of the seeds, and some already having a low stated count, coupled with the quite high shipping rates for tiny seeds, I was a little put off.
I contacted them -- asking how we can rectify it -- almost two weeks with no response, other than an auto-generated response that they have received my customer service message:

"Submitted: 7/31/2015 3:07:00 PM
.....
We value your questions/comments and will be responding shortly.
--Horizon Herbs, LLC //www.horizonherbs.com/"

but I never heard anything further than this.

At least I received my package quickly, unlike many of the bad reviews here state having had to wait weeks or more for it to even ship.

"On Aug 12, 2015 1:47 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

I'm sorry you found it necessary to post negativity in this venue. My personal e-mail is herbseed@horizonherbs.com and if you'd like extra seeds please let me know, I'll be glad to oblige. I've checked the e-mail functionality off of our website and found it to work fine from this end, but it is indeed a common thread that people say they didn't get an answer back, so maybe there is some kind of a glitch that escapes my ability to detect and fix. You could simply call us at (541) 846-6704. 1) high cost of seeds. not. we sell packets of certified organic veggie seeds for $2.45 each which is low. 2) high cost of shipping. not. A few packets of seeds cost $2.95 to ship which is low. "

I bought 20 comfrey "live root cuttings". Their website showed beautiful lush comfrey roots but what I received was quite different.

Typical bait and switch. The cuttings were pathetic pieces of roots and had been in the plastic shipping bag for some time and had sprouted - with the shoots winding all over the place. The "crown" was nowhere to be seen. It was difficult to decide which end was up.

I Emailed them but received no response. They probably (correctly) figured that I'd never come back to them so why bother.

The nice thing about comfrey is that it's so weedy that it'll come up no matter which way you plant it. But, I could have done just as well going on Ebay and buying the same junk for much less money.

Go to yelp to see all the negative reviews.

"On Aug 7, 2015 10:18 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

I didn't see your e-mail but I am the one who sent the crown cuttings, which were sprouted pieces of the crown of the plant, certified organic, and were quite large!. If they are growing in the bag that is a good sign! "

Posted on May 9, 2015, updated May 9, 2015
It's like watching Anne Rice arguing with negative reviewers on Amazon...

The owner seems to spend a lot of time on here rebuking and giving condescending "fauxpologies" to customers who have the nerve to express dismay that their orders took three weeks to process.

If that level of energy and concern were actually channelled into addressing the issue instead of defending it as company policy (and decrying all those who disagree as "poor misguided negative souls who just don't 'get' the ~*magic!*~ of gardening", or whatever) maybe those complaints wouldn't end up getting posted here at all.

After I parted ways from this company, a friend who stocks his farm through Rolling River Nursery advised me to try them instead. We'll see if their order is still malingering in "pending" status ten days after they charge my card.

"On May 9, 2015 7:46 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Well, we work with real goods, not faux goods. However, this lady never got a chance to get her goods (2 hawthorn trees) because she read a negative review on "yelp" and asked for a refund. We gave her the refund, but would have rather given her the trees. If she needed them at a particular time, all she had to do was ask.

Posted on April 1, 2014, updated April 1, 2014
Posted on March 28, 2014, updated April 1, 2014
I placed an order for seeds on March 19. I got a confirmation of my order through e-mail, but nothing else since then. So, I just called them to find the status of my order. It *still* hasn't shipped. The woman said it should ship at the beginning of next week. She said that it's already at the "shipping house," and is just waiting to go out. That sounds a bit strange to me.

So, if the seeds finally go out next week, that will be nearly *2 weeks* after I placed the order. As for the "we're just really busy in spring excuse," most *other* companies do not take this long to ship in spring! Maybe Horizon Herbs needs to hire more people. If I don't get my seeds by the middle of next week, I will be changing this rating to a negative.

Either way, I don't think I will be ordering from Horizon Herbs again.

"On Mar 29, 2014 9:42 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

I looked through 97 orders that came in on March 19th and was unable to find any from Atlanta, GA. If you'd like to make sure that your order goes out on Monday please e-mail me at herbseed (at) horizonherbs.com with your full name or order number. It will be my pleasure to make sure you get your seeds, and I do apologise for the wait. This is a reminder that anybody who wants next day service can pay the $10.00 rush fee. Otherwise order early. The response times are well enumerated on our website and we can get behind at this season--other times of year a 3-day turnaround is typical. Maybe other companies are shipping faster--my personal experience with this is mixed--but do other companies offer over 1,000 species of medicinals? no. I know it is hard to wait during the spring. I was just in the greenhouse weeding seedling flats and FINALLY saw the seedlings for the red celery coming up. I wanted to update the website in view of the EXTREMELY LONG germination period for these seeds, which took so much longer than everything else that got planted before last full moon. But when I did the math, it was 13 days, not nearly as long as I had thought. Its funny how patience is such a necessary part of being a good gardener and yet I get impatient in the spring. I wonder at myself, sometimes. "

Like other, I like the idea of the company. I have ordered numerous seeds and plants from them. The problem I had was with a large (and expensive) order for yacon plants. All the plants promptly died. I contacted them to ask for a least a partial refund/replacement. I got back a blunt "there is no guarantee on live plants" response. I noticed last time I was on their site that they no longer sell these plants.

"On Feb 16, 2014 9:05 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

To clarify, we do indeed guarantee receipt of live plants. The remainder is up to the gardener, to nourish them and keep them healthy. We do sell yacon, it is currently listed, it is a great plant, and frankly it is very easy to ship in live state and keep alive.
"

Posted on January 15, 2014, updated January 19, 2014
I ordered on Jan 2, 2014 and received a confirmation of the order. The funds were also electronically transferred that day.
On the morning of Jan 13th, I sent an inquiry since I had still not rec'd my order. No response. On the afternoon of the 14th, I sent another inquiry. I got the following response: "this order has shipped out to you and you should have it within this next week. Please let me know if you do not get it."
Today I got a message that it just shipped. In other words, they sat on their hind end and weren't going to do anything until I pestered them. It looks like they didn't even try to send it until after I started bugging them.
And just another note why this made me mad. On their site, they claim speedy shipping once your order is confirmed. From the site: "Please note: Once your order is confirmed, it is up for shipment--no additions, changes or cancellations are possible."
I have ordered from these guys more than once, but this has left a very sour taste in my mouth.

"On Jan 16, 2014 9:54 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

All of the above seems to be in the normal flow of seed shipping. Orders are received and paid for, paperwork goes from office to shippers, shippers ship orders in the same order as received. When the order ships, the shipping confirmation is sent to the customer. My hope is that Likalee will plant the seeds with love and patience. Richo

Ordered a packet of seeds from this company over two weeks ago and have not received anything. Got email "confirmation" day of order but all the links in the email for customer support, company contact or order tracking are broken and no good. Fear this company is not legitimate and while I would prefer my money refunded, I fear that I will neither see it or my seeds. Here is the email:
Thank you for your order. We are proud to be at your service!
We pride ourselves on delivering the best possible shopping experience on the Internet. That means that from the moment you enter //horizon.scarabmedia.com/ to the moment your order is delivered to you - we are dedicated to your satisfaction.
In order to better serve you, you may access this order and view its status at any time here:
//horizon.scarabmedia.com/receipt.asp?Deleted (link was broken)
Please feel free to contact us at anytime if you have any questions regarding this or any other order by visiting customer support located at:
//horizon.scarabmedia.com/support/
If you have selected a manual payment method, your order status will be set to "Awaiting Payment" until payment has been processed. Please remember the following:
-We respect your privacy! We will not share any information about you with any other organization at any time. Ever. See our Privacy Policy and Refunds/Returns page here:
//horizon.scarabmedia.com/privacy/
For your convenience, you may track your order, edit your account, or view any of your past orders through our Customer Gateway here:
//horizon.scarabmedia.com/gateway/
Once again, thank you for placing your order with us. We value your business and will continue to offer the best experience we can.
Sincerely,
Horizon Herbs, LLC
//horizon.scarabmedia.com/
All the links were broken or pointed to a non-related site. This was my first order with this company, based on my experience I would strongly caution anyone from doing business with them. I have not received my product, they took my money and I have not been successful contacting them or tracking my order.

"On Aug 30, 2013 6:42 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

This fellow managed to get into our old website which is not functional. Many happy customers use our real website at horizonherbs.com. this person should simply e-mail me at herbseed@budget.net and I'll get them their goods right away.
"

I wish I'd seen some of the other reviews here before ordering from Horizon!

They do have a great catalog but my experience with them has been terrible! I ordered 5 or 6 seed packets (so, a very simple order - no live plants or anything). I didn't receive any communication after the initial order confirmation.

Almost two weeks went by and the 'order status' link they send you is a joke. It's just a receipt for your order and tells you it's been processed/completed. Anyway, I waited and finally wrote them a friendly but concerned e-mail after almost two weeks just asking the status and stating that I was worried because I'd never received any further communications and my seeds hadn't arrived yet.

I got back a one-line response (literally one line) saying : 'This order shipped today'. No salutation, no sign-off. No apology for the delay. No explanation. It was the rudest e-mail I've ever received from a company!

Then, to add insult to injury, this unnamed horizon rep (that's right - they didn't even sign their name, no signature line either), lied about the shipping date. My order actually only shipped two business days later!

You'd think, after they obviously misplaced or forgot about my order, that they could at least send it priority mail or something. Oh no. USPS first class. Took another week to get to me so total time from order to arrival? Almost a month!

I've written to them with a description of the above and haven't heard back. No doubt the rude, lying person who responded to me the first time (sort of) opened my second e-mail and threw it away!

It's a shame, but I'll only order from them in the future if I absolutely cannot find what I want elsewhere. HORRIBLE service. So disappointing. Not surprising though, considering many of the other comments on here.

ps: I'm going to laugh so hard if the response to my experience is that Richo is going to 'pray for me'- ahahaha! Please. Save it.

"On May 21, 2013 8:03 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hello there Dbai,
I'm sorry that you perceive our service as per the above. Spring is always a busy time for gardeners and seed shippers, so early ordering and a little patience in receiving your goods really helps. I will keep you in my prayers and hope that your seeds work out well for you.
Best regards,
Richo"

Posted on May 2, 2013, updated May 3, 2013
I really want to like Horizon Herbs. I love the IDEA of the company. I have been happy with their selection and quality of most of their seeds. But the people behind the company sure seem like jerks. I will probably continue to order seeds from them, but I will never again order plants, and here is why..

I placed an order for six plants recently and received them today. One of the plants that I ordered was completely dislodged from it's pot during transit, which I understand does happen, but it is clearly not a plant that should have been sold, at least not for the price I paid, IMO. They obviously tucked a tiny plug into a deep pot just before shipment. Two more of the six are also unbelievably small for the price. They look like barely rooted seedlings! Horizon Herbs may be all about treating nature ethically, but they are not at all interested in treating their customers with the same respect. On their website they state that they do not want to be contacted or sent a photo if plants are damaged in transit. And in the note included with the plants (but not included in the catalog or on the website so far as I can tell) they freely admit that these plants will need to be further nursed in their pots to develop a good root system before being transplanted!!! What is the point?!! Don't most people order plants because they don't want to go to the trouble of nursing seedlings? Arrgh. So I haven't contacted them. I am simply leaving appropriate feedback here. Horizon Herbs is guilty of deceptive business practices. Don't order plants from them and expect to receive actual plants that can be transplanted to your garden this season!

I will accept and nurse these "plants" along because I happen to have the time and facilities to do so. But I feel like a sucker. I wish I'd not been impatient and just started these from seed on my own or purchased them from another, albeit non-organic, plant retailer. What a disappointment.

"On May 2, 2013 8:09 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Many rare plants are hard to start from seed and/or grow slowly--those are a couple of the reasons they are rare. Ashitaba is hard to start from seed, as is Wasabi--we are charging what we think is a fair price for species that are hard to find elsewhere. Try growing 370 species organically and keeping them all in stock with strong demand coming in from every direction--not easy! A Gentiana lutea may look like a seedling and yet its 3 years old. Can't really give any more useful feedback without knowing what the customer ordered.

Posted on March 13, 2013, updated March 18, 2013
Posted on March 6, 2013, updated March 13, 2013
Not happy about communication.

I placed an order on the weekend of 2/23-24 for 2 packets of ephedra seeds. I received an email thanking me for the order, and that was it. I decided to wait a week at least to receive the shipment, but after a week had passed, I have nothing.

I checked my order and it says status is "Complete". There is no tracking information or carrier information shown, so I have no idea how to expect it, or even if it has shipped.

I contacted Horizon via their contact form to inquire about the order, but received no response. I followed up again by email earlier today, and still have received no response.

Based on the statement by Richo in another negative review, it would appear that my order has not shipped yet. That's fine - but it would have been nice to have gotten a response when I asked what was up, instead of having to come here.

I can understand a small operation getting really busy, but I feel that failing to respond to a customer's inquiries about their order is unacceptable under any circumstances. This is not a good experience for a new customer.

"On Mar 6, 2013 7:53 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Hi there,
We're currently sold out of Ma-huang seed and all orders are on backorder and will be shipped as soon as we have the seed. If for some reason an e-mail doesn't work, a phone call is a great option and our number is (541) 846-6704. Ma-huang grows best after the spring equinox in very warm soils and there will still be plenty of time to plant the seeds and get good results. We also have Ma-huang plants available for anyone who wants to go that route. I would like to thank this person for pointing out our faults and will try my best to keep the good seeds flowing to good gardeners. I would also like to say that keeping a positive attitude really helps seeds come up and helps gardens and gardeners be beautiful.
Richo

Posted on March 8, 2013, updated March 8, 2013
First, let me preface this response by acknowledging the fact that I signed up just now to Dave's Garden to inform and help other buyers and present my experience and hopefully help plant lovers and enthusiasts to make more informed decisions based upon the information I am presenting. I have read most of the responses from Richo of Horizon Herbs and noticed a fairly disturbing passive aggressive trend and the last thing someone wants to hear when helping other fellow gardeners is excuse after excuse and an inability to take ownership and responsibility of the shortcomings of their company. You can only grow if you are open to criticism. Shutting your customers off does not help improve business standards. Nevertheless, here is my experience: I have yet to plant these seeds so this review will not include the viability...yet. I placed a substantial order online (over $350) and called to ensure that the shipping cost of just seeds was correct as the algorithm they use to calculate shipping is not based on weight but on cost of items ordered. I was assured that the $26 for shipping was correct and that if when they went the ship the item and weighed it out, it came up under the weight, they would refund the amount. I called again a few days later to check on my order and they said that they did indeed weigh the package and the cost was $26. After waiting two weeks for the seeds to arrive (you would think $26 would have bought me overnight shipping with white glove assistance planting them) I inspected and weighed the package. It was sent USPS Flat rate box and cost them $5.25 to send to our zipcode. I immediately called and was told that someone would call me back in a few minutes. No one called so I called back and was told that a manager would have to evaluate the situation as there may have been a handling charge imposed. I asked where in their website does it say shipping AND handling. There is no such wording. Further, I received a COUPON for an out of stock item instead of a refund to my CC. I was not notified that the item was out of stock, simply forced to shop again and most likely pay an inflated shipping fee. I waited for the call back from a manager and here we are a week later, $20 disparity/overcharge and no response, thus the review. I realize that charging an extra $20 isn't that much when you are spending $350 on seeds but this is clearly deceptive and fraudulent. Even if its a dollar or two your company slips onto the total, at least be honest and upfront with the people that are supporting your company. 4 emails and 4 calls and no resolution or response? Ignoring paying customers and refusing to answer emails or call back says alot about the integrity of this company. I guess my next step is my credit card company. Richo, if you have as much love for the plant-world as your proclaim in your responses to others, don't you think that that same attitude should transfer to the human kingdom as well? After all, humans are paying you to do what you love. Further, after speaking to several of their employees I noticed a smug attitude that was not welcoming to a customer. It felt as if we should be grateful to them for supplying seeds, instead of a mutual gratefulness for the customer as well. If you are looking for reliability, honesty or gratitude in your seed company, my experience would suggest to look elsewhere.

"On Mar 8, 2013 5:58 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

I do not understand why this person is so irritated. The shipping charge is clearly given before the online order is finalized, and if someone doesn't like the shipping charge then they are free to opt out at that time. Credit cards are automatically charged by Authorize.net for exactly the amount that is given on the order. We do not see the order before charges go through, and we never see the credit card number at all. Sometimes shipping charges do end up costing the customer more than the actual cost of sending the package, and sometimes they end up costing the customer less. We have set up the shipping cost module as fairly as possible under the constraints of the software (and talk to any online seller, this part is hard to do fairly, especially when a great diversity of things is being shipped domestically and internationally via several different shipping methods). We are focusing on seed quality, and we offer some of the best prices (base price $2.45 for an organically certified vegetable seed packet, $2.95 base price for perennials and trees, etc.) that you can find anywhere. I'd like to advise everyone to review the shipping charge before making the order and if it seems unacceptable, then they should not order online, but instead call us up with the order and negotiate at that time. This is Richo. About the "passive aggressive" claims and other angry language, let me just say that us gardeners really need to stick together better then that and I am holding this person in my prayers and hoping that they settle down and get on with good work. Jeesh!"

Posted on June 13, 2010, updated June 11, 2012
I am a professional grower of medicinal plants. Horizon Herbs has been my seed provider for more years than I recall. The variety, availablity, quality, and customer service is, and always has been top shelf. I order unusual plants and Maishe (one of the owners), has saved me a lot of money by combining orders, shipping as cheaply as possible. I have had questions and emails answered promptly and have been very pleased with the seeds, plants, books, and myriad gardening products. I recommend this company highly and often to friends, and other herbalists. Go Horizon, Richo and Maishe and all the kids. Thank you for your wonderful seeds, which I have never had a problem germinating. Maybe those folks who complained should read the directions. Some seeds are hard to propigate and take a very long time to germinate. Some seeds need extensive care to germinate. If you read and follow Horizon's directions, you will be as successful as I am. My plants and seeds from Horizon are flourishing.

"On Jun 27, 2012 2:02 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

I send my prayers out to this person. May she be healed in the garden. Richo"

Posted on June 6, 2010, updated July 19, 2010
I won't buy from Horizon again due to extremely poor germination rates. Seeds from difficult to grow herbs I'll cut some slack on, but Burdock? Sorry, It should be better than 30%. And this year was the worst, Winter Squash? I was surprised to see they had the variety I wanted so I bought some. Horrible germination! On the same propagation table next to Melons from Johnnys, in the same mix, all the melons came up extremely well and hardly any winter squash. Please don't try to tell me that squash is difficult to germinate inside. The seed pack said 96% germ rate. My thought is that their seed storage must be poor.
I'm done with them. Plenty of other sources out there. Sorry.

"On Jul 1, 2010 9:43 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

We store seeds at 60 degrees F and 40% humidity in a dedicated seed storage room that is super insulated and very well organized and clean. If our packet says 96% germ that means that the seed was tested within the past 6 months to 96% germ. We do have a no questions asked replacement policy for zero germ, but perhaps a negative vote here was more satisfying. Richo

I came here (Garden Watchdog) to look for a new place to order herb seeds because horizon herb seeds don't grow. They promise everything in the catalog but if nothing comes up? I ordered over a $100 worth of seeds and getting a good crop of spinach and a couple others just does not cover it. I have called and emailed the company and never got any response from them.

"On Jul 1, 2010 9:39 AM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

That's pretty shocking that anyone would e-mail and call us and not get a response--we have a dedicated group of customer service folks who are on the phone and computer all day answering questions, taking orders, etc. Good results with easy germinators and poor results with complex germinators means more effort needs to be put into finding the exact requirements of difficult germinators. Like my teacher always told me when I failed, "keep going." Richo"

I have ordered from Horizon Herbs for about two years. The products I receive are very good quality, sealed, and there are very few problems with the goods themselves as far as I can tell.

However, I am no longer ever going to order from them again due to a horrific customer service experience that is not a unique event.

Upon receiving my package the USPS postage clearly said "$1" on it, and that is how much USPS charges if that is what is listed on the postage. Upon checking I realized that I had paid over 9 dollars for shipping and politely contacted horizon for an explanation, and was open to this being an error on the part of USPS, myself, or horizon.

I did not get a response.

I queried again 2 weeks later.

I got a one lined response telling me that they are sending a coupon in the mail.

At this point I was irate and asked for a manager.

No manager was provided. They then proceeded to try to explain why the cost was what it was, and to inform me that they don't care if they keep me as a customer because they have other "honest" customers.

I know lots of people embelish stories to make themselves sound more righteous than they are, but in truth this is exactly what happened. I will never order from them again - they were completely unapologetic for ignoring my first email, not answering my question, and then being rude to top if off, as if I am trying to steal from them. My focus is and always is clarity and honesty - I don't care about the shipping cost, I paid it without thinking twice. It's this completely unapologetic and insulting customer service. Even if they offered me a full refund on the whole product I wouldn't take it at this point. It's not about money.

Horrible, horrible customer service. I never heard from a manager and only dealt with one person who deals with online orders. Switching to a new company for my herbs.

"On Aug 14, 2009 1:05 PM, Horizon Herbs, LLC responded with:

Decius claimed that a package that weighed 2 lbs sent airmail from the US to Canada only cost a dollar to ship. Actually, anyone who is familiar with airmail costs to Canada knows that this is impossible. However, Decius was upset, so upon hearing his complaint, we sent him a $5.00 coupon. After further complaint, we refunded his card for the shipping cost minus the $1.00 that he felt was a fair charge. Decius, I personally apologise for any rudeness you received from us, and I hope you will find it in your heart to nullify this negative vote on Dave's.
Best regards,
Richo (founder)

I ordered some books and seeds from this company last year. I was impressed by the selection of products that they had and that they were a family company. I wanted to have my own herb garden and wanted to grow several of the plants from seeds, even though I knew this to be difficult at times. I ordered several different seeds and was meticulous in planting them to the careful specifications to assure the most optimal plants that I could grow. Unfortunately only one of the seed packets that I purchased ever grew. I was quite disappointed in this. I thought that perhaps I had done something wrong, but even in contacting my local county agent, it didn't sound like I had, but I knew that sometimes seeds won't germintate for whatever reason, however so many varieties, and none of them to even germinate? That seemed odd to me. I contacted the company about my experience but never heard back from them, so I don't believe I will order any seeds from them again. I still believe they have excellent products as others have said, but I was very disappointed in the lack of help as I had requested for my poor luck with the seeds I purchased. The books I got from them were excellent. I received my products in good time and the transaction was good. Perhaps mine is a rare case, but they do happen. I have since purchased seeds from another company and they did germinate and I had a good variety that grew. I would hope that in the future if I order from them again I'll have a better experience.

"

Hello everybody,
In my work with seeds, I always find that, even with my best efforts, some things that I expect to do well simply fizzle. This the reality of starting plants from seed, especially wild-derived medicinal herbs that can be naturally loaded with germination inhibitors and often require extended periods of time before germination is even remotely possible--there are so many variables--from moss in the pots, to drainage aspects of the potting soil to hungry little birds--I've seen it all. Since Natural 001 has not specifically identified the seeds that he/she had trouble with, I can't give any specific advice right here in this venue. What I do know is, I treat people as I would like to be treated, and I'm dedicated to distributing LIVE seeds. Once those live seeds arrive at the customer's door, then its up to THEM to make it work! I do sometimes send people free seeds so they can try again. Bottom line, my best advice for how and when to plant the seeds is all in one or the other of my seasonal catalogues (fall planted seeds in the fall catalog, spring planted seeds in the spring catalog). And, if the seeds don't do the job, I often have the plants available. Sometimes self-described "beginning medicinal herb gardeners" go through the catalog and choose, from among the 800 or so species offered, the most challenging germinators, things like Gentian, Rhodiola, Goldenseal--even relatively robust plants like Black Cohosh can be quite challenging to start from seed. When I see orders like this, I really wonder if they will result in much success at all, and knowing humans as I do, I realize that some of these gardeners at least will blame me specifically for their failure, instead of using the failure as a learning experience, and trying again, with modifications. Try planting some in outdoor conditions, and some in indoor conditions, some well-watered, some with watering on the shy side--this kind of thing--to gain more information--little garden-derived experiments--fine tuning the skill of gardening. Sometimes I get orders for poppy seeds in June, and I think, wow, this person is planting poppies just about when my poppies are in full bloom--how can they possibly expect to get results? So, sorry to Natural 001, you can e-mail me at herbseed@horizonherbs.com and we can try to work together in a positive way to make sure you get those plants in your garden. This is an open invitation.
Best regards,
Richo"