Comments regarding Gossler Farms Nursery

Came across Gossler Farms by finding and reading Mr Gossler's book "The Gossler guide to the best hardy shrubs", which I highly recommend. The author is very knowledgeable. Went on their website and downloaded their catalog, which is large, and full of very nice, sometimes hard to find species and varieties. I also liked the author's style of describing varieties a lot (botanical description + personal views of the plant). Next step, contacted Mr Gossler (he takes phone calls), and, unsurprisingly, I liked him too. Made my selection, indicated shipping date preference and they delivered as promised. Price + shipping absolutely decent. Quality of plants outstanding. The Daphne is in bloom, the Philadelphus is huge and the Viburnum is healthy, all packed professionally. Couldn't have asked for better service. Already thinking of my next selection from them. Highly recommend!

Roger ships beautifully grown plants, he's a world class plantsman. Great communicator, excellent shipping and always sells choice plants. You won't do better!

Wonderful well sized plants well packaged. Actually received them before I was invoiced.
Ordered:
Helleborus Sunflare
Helleborus Golden Lotus
Hosta Sum and Substance

Ordered Bletilla striata. Very healthy plants. Very well packaged. I'm delighted and will definitely be ordering from them again.

Wow! I placed an internet order and received the super healthy plant the the same day as I had paid for it. Extremely well packaged. Healthy as a clam. Lots and lots of roots. Faster shipping than I had thought possible. Bravo!

I just received a four foot tall viburnum opulus from this clearly amazing nursery. Perfect, branched - it's almost as tall as one I have had in for several years, although not as wide. When they said it would be a one gallon root ball I did not expect this.

Bravo!!

My first order of Hartledge Wine calycanthus and Magnolia Sieboldi came from Oregon to Maine in perfect condition and beautifully grown with 2 charming blooms on the calycanthus. The tall box with upright arrow marking kept the plants in perfect shape. The plants had moist roots with soil, encased in a plastic bag. Holding them cleverly in place from the bags was string strategically attached to the box and around the plants, securing them firmly, but gently. Only the box, plastic bag and string needed recycling.The plants didn't sulk a tiny bit since planting. I wish I lived close enough to visit Gossler Farm and fill my car with their reasonably priced and unusual selections. I recommend their book: The Gossler Guide to the BEST HARDY SHRUBS which I found at my library.

The plant I ordered from this nursery is by far the best I've ever received using mail order. I ordered and expected to receive a stick of a Corylus avellana 'Red Dragon'. However, when I opened the package, the tree was almost 4ft, tall! It is beautiful now that it has leafed out. I will be ordering from them again.

I ordered a Daphne Odora Aureomarginata and it arrives a couple of days ago. It was packed very well. The plant looks very good up to now.
If I have to make a complain, it is that their shipping was quiet. I had to call them to be updated. The lady who answered the phone is very nice, though.

I ordered three Magnolias from Gossler Farms...a Jane, a Betty, and an Elizabeth. They arrived in a big flat box that was very light. I didn't expect to see something good when I opened it. Thankfully, I was wrong. The root balls were moist, the trees crisp and green. They are a good size (3-4'). I would happily order from them again.
The only thing I would have liked them to do different would be to include pots. The bagged ball required some creative thinking on where to store them until I get to plant them.

Discovered Gossler and their amazing selection of hard-to-find, unique plants this past year. Ordered a number of rosa pteracantha sericeas and a Quercus pinatifida-couldn't find those ANYWHERE! The roses all arrived in fine shape-one a tad worse for wear due to lengthy shipping-wish I lived closer to the Pacific Northwest!-but it recovered quickly-and the oak arrived dormant-no problem. We get alot of plants dormant. Well, you know where this is going....poor little Quercus stayed in its sad coma-while everything else leafed out in the spring, it remained a dead twig. So we emailed Gossler and didn't get a response-I suggest calling them and speaking to them personally-they don't seem great with emailing. We expect instant responses nowadays and I'm not sure they are up for that. They do seem to GET the emails, and they definitely work towards fixing any problems-they just seem to have an issue with responding. I noticed someone else who left a review had an issue with that as well. But don't let that stop you from ordering from them! When I spoke to them on the phone, they said they had already sent out a replacement!-they seemed very concerned with making things right. With the tremendous amount of plants we purchase each year, customer service is a big deal to us, because, invariably, if you order fifty or sixty plants a year, you know you're bound to get a couple of clunkers. So, despite the issues they have with emailing, if you email and then contact them the old-fashioned way-which is more personable anyway!-I think you will be very satisfied. Our new oak is doing VERY well! We were just admiring its new growth this morning! We are most DEFINITELY ordering from Gossler again, either in the fall or next spring-we already have a substantial list of what we want! Highly recommend them-they have some pretty cool stuff! :)

Very pleased, hard to find plants and nice sizes. Everything had great rootballs and the big rodgersias (Bronze Peacock) were well worth it. Big roots and lots of sprouts. This company was new to me, but I'll definitely be adding more! I always want to patronize and help companies that sell interesting varieties, otherwise there will be nothing but Blue Wave petunias in the marketplace and budget gardeners whining. Diversity is key, look what's happened now that so many darned impatiens are grown - now we have downy mildew!

Posted on February 23, 2012, updated November 5, 2013
I really like Gossler Farms Nursery. They cater to plant collectors and offer a wide variety of unique & rarely offered plants for fair & affordable prices. I ordered a golden leaved Catalpa tree and three unusual mock oranges: one variegated, one with gold foliage plus a 'Bell Etoile'. All arrived in excellent condition, the mock oranges were larger than expected, bloomed soon after planting and performed well in the garden. Gossler's catalog & website have few photographs so I do Google image searches while looking at their catalog which is helpful. Some things are so rare, not much information or photos is available even online. I submitted another order this season and although I did receive an e-mail confirmation, an itemized list of what I ordered was not included ; I may have inadvertently selected that preference during check-out however. All said: highly recommended!

Absolutely superb and very large plants, perfectly packed to prevent damage during shipping! Also excellent prices and wonderful selection of unusual plants. I ordered about 6 plants a month ago, and when they arrived, I was so impressed that I immediately sent off for more plants, which just arrived today. The plants are way way larger than most mail order companies send, and these have the most scrumptious fall colors on the leaves right now. It has started raining today so is perfect for planting.

I ordered a peony lutea ludlowii from Gossler Farms, after I saw one growing south of Tacoma. I had expected an 8-12 inch plant for the very reasonable price. Instead I received a VERY HEALTHY nicely branched 2 1/2 foot plant well packaged, and without even a shipping bruise. I am very impressed! I will definitely order from them again.

I ordered two Michael Dodge Viburnums during late summer 2009, and they arrived in a fall shipment. They were in good condition and good size. Gossler Farm is in Oregon and I am in Illinois.
Spring 2010 my Michael Dodge Viburnums leafed out and bloomed at the same time as my Cardinal Candy Viburnums. May 31, 2010 there is evidence of a good fruit set on both varieties of Viburnum. Thank You Gossler Farms for carrying this hard to find variety of Viburnum.

I received my plants a few days ago. I was very impressed with their large size, and health. Keep up the good work!!

I just got my spring order from Gossler's last night, and was very pleased. Plants were well packed, healthy, and very nice sizes for mail-order This is the third order I have made from them in as many years, and I have never been disapointed.

This was my first experience with Gosslers and it was first class all the way. The plants received are extraordinary. I am so very pleased. The packaging was meticulous too !!!! Great job.

Gossler Farms is one of those nurseries that always does everything right. I've ordered many times from them and have always been completely satisfied. This fall I ordered Helleboris "Neon yellow', C. Kousa "Akatsuki & Hamamelis " Allgold". All were healthy, robust plants of generous size & very well packed. One of my favorite nurseries!

Placed my first order with Gossler this season. Despite the slow ground shipping from the West, the plant matter all arrived fresh and intact. Their packing was excellent. They are slow to respond to email - perhaps checking it only 1 or 2 times a week which I found out when I contacted them due to the following issue: 2 of the plants they sent would easily fit into a quart containers and just because they came from a gallon pots, doesn't make them gallon sized plant,s which is what I paid for. They acknowledged the issue and agreed to refund me for 1 of the 2 plants.

I just placed my first order with Gossler Farms and I was very pleased. They accidentally sent me the wrong plant at first, but I contacted them and they emailed me back right away saying they would fix it, and 3 days later the correct plant was waiting for me on my doorstep. The plant was also larger than I expected for the price, and was very healthy. I'll definitely add them to my list of places to shop for plants!

I ordered 2 shrubs and a tree from Gossler this spring. The shrubs were large for 1 gal plants and arrived in perfect shape. The tree was disappointing, but a phone call to Gossler's got a replacement shipped very quickly. The replacement was very satisfactory. Excellent customer service and plants, I would highly recommend this nursery.

I ordered two 1 gal trees from them and they arrived in perfect shape. Trees were a very nice size and the root balls were large and in great shape, especially considering that these were slower growing trees. I would not hesitate to order from them again. Great company.

Gossler Farms is a good source of unusual plants. I ordered from them back in the 1990's. Their quality was excellent then and it continues to be excellent. In a recent order I received very strong-looking plants that were packed with the utmost of care-some of the best packaging technique I have seen. I highly recommend them.

I ordered the package #1 from Gossler Farms. It was advertised as 17 plants for $250 and there were a couple of my favorites in there, like Magnolia denudata, a great Acer and a Stewartia. I expected small plants given their relative rarity and slow rate of growth. Wrong. All 17 plants were huge and healthy and well-packed.

In 15 years scouring and buying from U.S. suppliers, Gossler Farms is BY FAR the best mail order nursery I have ever used. Their plants are beautiful, they have very strong root systems, they are impeccably shipped and the place is run by really nice and honorable people.

Letter sent to Gossler Farms-Waiting for response**
email sent June 8 2006


Dear Marj,
I received my tree(ACER CAMPESTRE CARNIVAL) 2 days ago and planted it immediately upon receiving it.
80 percent of the tree had wilted leaves with the exception of two small leaves at the bottom which seemed to be ok. The roots seemed to be moist but am concerned about the tree as a whole. I've ordered maple trees from Greer Gardens on the west coast and the leaves were quite perky and lively. What are you best tips for me to revitalize this tree: Heavy watering, special fertilizer, etc. ????

Yours truly,
Kriss Schrandt

We live in New York State and Gossler is in Oregon. The tree and shrub we received from them two days ago and planted yesterday and today were as fresh as if we had purchased them from a local nursery, as opposed to having them shipped across the country. Their packaging system is excellent, and I firmly believe that these items are going to grow beautifully. We will order from them again next year.

Just got in my order, and I had to add a comment to GW-dawg! I was very pleasant surprised to see the size of the box; I thought it was my order from another company. The box was 3.5 feet high and contained a very green and thriving shrub. The packing was good. The plant was an usual species, so I was expecting a small mailorder plant. The tree was 2.5 feet high, well-rooted, and thriving...
I will order from these guys again.

I recently received this year's order from Gossler Farms and WOW !! I was really impressed! The trees and shrubs were huge - much larger than you would expect to receive from mail order - packed well and they were growing beautifully. Unique trees I have ordered in the past continue to do well in my garden. If you are looking for unusual, healthy plants, check out their listing.

I ordered a small tree and shrub from this company the first summer we were hit with a bad drought. Both plants were much larger than I expected, were very carefully packed for shipping and were the only things I planted that year that survived. Despite two additional years of drought, they have thrived.

They have an unbelievable selection of magnolias, but also many other plants you won't find anywhere else and the prices for the size are very reasonable.

I just wish they had a website.

The premier nursery for magnolias. Service is exceptional. Large catalog is a wealth of horticulutral "gems."

I have ordered from them twice now. Found them to be very responsive, the plants were well packed, and of good quality.

Being a magnolia enthusiast, Gossler Farms is my continuous fall back catalog. Each Fall I'm delighted to receive their catalog. Prices are moderate and "deals" abound within their pages. Packaging is professional (and the one time UPS did a number on a box, the Gossslers immediately replaced the plants no questions asked). I have ordered from Gosslers for nine years and have been very pleased with the plants, exceptional root development, and accurate plant descriptions in the catalog. Mrs. Marj Gossler even called me once when she questioned me on an ordered plant that she thought would be too tender for my planting area. She was most right after I had done a bit more investigation about the said plant. An exceptionally nice site to work with.

My wife and I have been dealing with mail order nurseries for 35 years. We have ordered dozens of fruit trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals from companies all over the country. We have had generally positive experiences with the companies, except for a few. Gossler deals with trees and shrubs mainly, plus a few perennials. They lean toward the exotic or rare plants. Their list emphasizes magnolias, dogwoods, hydrangeas, and other "sophisticated" varieties. Prices are moderate. I have ordered from them for six years, and have always received outstanding plants (large, healthy, not destroyed in shipping).