Comments regarding Gossler Farms Nursery

I’ve ordered and attempted to order from this company for a few years now. First time I tried to order a tree they listed only to to be told months later they didn’t have it available. Tried to order the same tree the following year which they had on their website. I did order some other stuff that I did receive but, again, no tree two years in a row. Well, that tree is listed available 3 years later but I ordered it somewhere else. I placed an order in January this year for spring shipping. Hadn’t heard anything so I attempted to contact them about it. It’s been a week, three emails later and not a peep from them. As much as I liked the plants I actually got that one order, this company is a huge hassle to deal with. The ordering process is a mess. They list stuff as available but you never know what actually is available until they decide ( or not) to ship something out. This company just doesn’t respect it’s customers. It’s incredibly frustrating to plan for certain plants and then just not get them. Other nurseries I’ve dealt with always let me know if a certain plant had a problem. Most give me some options of substitutions, credit or refunds. No problem. No communication and just a surprise with no plants, big problem. This company is just awful at communicating which makes it very difficult to do business with them. I don’t trust them and cannot count on them which is a bummer. I really wanted to like and recommend this place but I’ve been burned too many times now. Their selling process is to complex and frustrating to bother with. I’ve learned my lesson, and won’t be attempting to purchase from them again because they are unreliable.

Posted on May 27, 2015, updated April 1, 2016
The Magnolia sieboldii 'Colossus' (10 gal) was more than I had hoped for. I looked all over the internet for a plant with some size to it and this was the only one I could find. It was probably 4' tall and multi-branched which can be uncommon for young magnolias. It came out of the box without a leaf out of place. It bloomed shortly after planting and it has a couple of repeat blooms right now. It has also grown almost a foot in a month. Positive.

However..the Disanthus 'Ena Nishiki' shipped in the same box was a disappointment. The root ball felt completely dried out and all of the leaves had shriveled up and began to turn brown. It must have shipped without being checked to see if it needed watering. With some TLC I think I can see some new leaves starting to come out. I am hoping it will survive without much dieback. Time will tell. Negative.

I have dealt with Gossler Farms for at least 35 years, and until this year my experiences have been quite positive. In mid-November 2014 I placed an order by phone for 1 Daphne 'Carol Mackie,' 1 Acer saccharum 'Monumentale and 1 Dipelta floribunda, to pay for which I gave my credit card #. By January 2015 I had received neither plants nor confirmation of my order. So I phoned again asking about my order, only to find that it had never been recorded by the Gossler Farms representative I had originally spoken to. So I placed my order again. As I have not heard back since then, yesterday I phoned for the 3rd time and could not get through (there was no one in the office). This is a good way to lose my business.

I ordered one disanthus cercidifolius plant and decided the next day that I wanted two instead. Since I wasn't sure how quick they'd ship, I sent an email asking the company if I could still add an additional plant to my order. I received no response, so I decided to call. The lady who answered seemed to be familiar with the email I'd sent, and she agreed to send an additional plant. I was a little irked that they had apparently read my email and hadn't taken the time to reply, but I didn't say anything.

Anyway, about 3 weeks went by and I hadn't received any shipment notification, so I sent another email asking when I could expect to receive my plants. Once again, I received no reply. I even resent the email - still no reply. So I decided to call once again, even leaving messages on voicemail (which is all I was getting - voicemail), but still no reply. In one of the messages I left I made sure to point out that I'd given them my credit card number and that I (therefore) deserved an answer - not that being a human being shouldn't already warrant me the respect of an answer. I did eventually get through, spoke with the same lady I'd spoken with the first time, who once again seemed to be familiar with my woes. I bit my tongue realizing that I'd (once again) been ignored. In a bothered tone of voice she told me the plants had shipped.

Okay, so the box arrives maybe 5 days later. The plants were much larger than expected (I'll give them that), but they were in pretty bad shape.

Both plants were loaded with woody nubs from branches that had snapped long ago, and the branch structure on both of these plants was similar to what you might find if you were to place a plant in a forest and allow it to grow amongst brush and fallen trees for several years - twisted branches snapped off at 90 degree angles.

The roots were dry, and one of the root balls had crumbled in the plastic bag in transit, so many of the leaves on both plants were wilting on arrival. I planted them in pots immediately, watered them, and though initially a few of the branches perked up, by the next morning they were already wilting again. As branches continue to wilt, more and more branches are having to be removed.

I would call or email the company, and still may, but I am not very hopeful that this company would ever respond. Bottom line - customers are not a priority, and neglected plants are apparently deemed suitable to sell.

Gossler advertised Red Majestic Corylus. and I quote "This is one of the first offerings of C. 'Red Majectic' and these plants are layers so there will not be any understock to prune." So I ordered two as I don't want to fight suckers. when the plant arrived they were clearly grafted as well as very small, which I have come to expect from Gossler.

I called them and all they would offer is a 4 dollar per plant refund. I could have gotten the same larger grafted plant down the road at the nursery for cheaper. It is now two months later and they still haven't corrected their web ad for the same plant. So buyers beware this company knowingly misrepresents their nursery stock. I will certainly avoid them in the future as small plants plus false advertising plus poor customer service = 3 strikes you are out.

I sent these folks a simple email question about shipping for an order I intended to submit. I sent the email twice and they never bothered to answer either time. I figured if they don't think I'm important enough to answer an email they don't need my order and I never sent it.

My experience has been somewhat different than other folks...

I ordered plants late in the shipping season last Spring and without telling me they placed the order for Fall delivery and I quite forgot about it. The plants were shipped one Monday and arived nine days later. The Davidia was not dessicated and had fat buds but all the leaves were off and the Cornus alternifolia argentea, though of good size, had a dead leader that had been dead for some time so now I am forced to train a new leader. They did not respond to three emails and have yet to do so.