Comments regarding Van Bourgondien Dutch Bulbs (dutchbulbs.com)

One of the most frustrating aspects of ordering from VB is that they so often send things that are not true to name. Of the four tree peonies I ordered, three were not true to name, and of course, what they sent was not nearly so nice as the cultivars they were supposed to send. Don't count on anything being what they claim it to be! By the way, they did send a replacement on one of the peonies not true to name. Guess what? It too was not the cultivar advertised. I even got in an expert who showed me what the real cultivar looks like. What a waste of time and money!

I ordered bulbs on April 16th. I would consider 1 week time adequate time to process order and ship. When I inquired as to when my shipment would be made, I was informed that shipping would not be for another 10 - 14 business days. I was surprised as their website did not indicate a long waiting period BEFORE items for SPRING shipping would be shipped.
You then have to tack on the additional time in transit. Which could amount to almost 4 weeks from the time you order and pay to actually receiving it.

I ordered a set of periwinkle and a hardy fuchsia recently. The periwinkle was okay, basically stems with a few roots just starting. Definitely not as nice as the periwinkle I got from Peekskill nursery. It will probably do okay since it is so prolific. The fuchsia they sent to me was a 4 inch long root the size of a piece of yarn. I was disappointed to say the least. However, I planted it and I will see if it actually grows. I do not think I will be ordering perennials from them again.

I would not recommend doing business with this company. I have order from them many times in the past and all the Daylilies I ordered were not what they were labeled as.After doing research on the internet I did find out what the correct names of each flower was, but nobody wants to order something and then when it blooms it is not what you thought you were buying!!

Part of my order from this catalog was several plants of 4 types of Hardy Geranium. When they bloomed, all but 2 were "Orion" (ironically one of the cheaper types). I called, recieved some replacements - also "Orions"! I had also planted Anemone "Lord Lieutenant" bulbs which failed to grow the following spring. Looking this plant up on other sites, most stated zones 7- 10, while Van B. claimed 5-10. I called again, stating the info I'd read elsewhere, but the rep claimed their info was correct (therefore, everyone else was wrong). They sent more, and none grew again. Well well, their 2011 catalog now shows zones 6-10, and a totally different bloom time! I also don't like their high prices when what they send is a bag of roots. My other catalogs send actual plants at lower prices.

This is a neutral; as you will see, there's some good & some bad.
4 years ago, i ordered the whole shootin' match of Japanese Peonies from these guys. Something like10 to14 plants.
When i got them, they were fabulous!
VanB.'s sent them in early March, which turned out to be perfect.
I unpacked them, found all but 3 (dried roots) to have some healthy growth, potted them up & left them in the garage. (With those 3 exceptions), they developed strong foliage, and were easy transplants.
They were planted out in April/May & you may believe it or don't, over half of them bloomed (!) that 1st. year.
Un-heard-of !!
And they have been stronger and more beautiful each year.
VanB. sent replacements for the dead items, on request.

If you are new to Tree peonies, vanB.'s are, to my expierience, as good as you are likely get on mail-order.
This was the best expierience I have had to date, with bare-root items; usually avoiding b/r's like the plague.

Now for the bad news:
Last year, i ordered their Monkshood Collection.
Out of the 5 plants:
one was OK (I expect to see up it this Spring)
two I couldn't tell (I did not see them in Fall & won't look for them this Spring)
one was most definootely croaked (dry roots in the bag),
one was a DOA: road kill, mystery meat, blotto, a rotted mush.
How vanB.'s could have sent such a so-called "inspected" order, I don't know.
I complained, received 3 replacements, and they were just as bad as the first shipment.
But: being as fair as I can: I suspect, that eeef, I say eeef, Dr.McCoy, these were shipped Trans-Atlantic, we should remember it would have coincided with the volcanic eruption in Iceland; which could very well have ruined their shipping schedules, etc...
Anyway: I placed a new order for the same Collection a couple weeks ago, but from the confirmation info; it looks like one of the 5 plants in the offer is either n/a or b/o... how a $$ change is handled when one member of a "Collection" is missing...?
Let's see what happens with the price,this year's shipping, and if they try to slide in a piece of junk plant, as
"compensation" for the other Monkshood?

I ordered bulbs in november and received them promptly. i purchased hyacinths grape feather, muscari, daffodils- mixed halo and pink butterfly and paperwhites ziva. The tulips are coming up and I have already been rewarded with hyacinths and paperwhites. Out of 225 bulbs, only 7 had to be discarded. I just placed my second order with them and hope to have as good an experience.

Just want to comment on the multiple catalogs they send w/ the 50% off coupons. I've noticed the prices appear competitive w/ other sources; however, upon closer examination see that their sizes are usually half of what other vendors offer. So, you are not really getting 50% off at all.

This past spring (2010) I ordered $200 worth of plants with the 50% off coupon. I did get the discount and I did get all the plants. All lived except the bare root clematis florida Sieboldii, which never came up even though it was potted and placed in the house because it was so tiny, and the Iron Cross Oxalis which never came up. My main problem was that several of the plants that I ordered were not the correct varieties. The variegated canna Stuttgart was a plain orange flowered canna that could be purchased at any big box store. The Blushing Bride tradescantia grew well but was not varigated, just a plain green variety. The Stereo and Zizane glads grew nice size plants but had tiny flowers not anything like the catalog illustrations. The Upright Black Elephant Ear grew well, to about three feet this first year, and had black/purple leaves, but they were not upright at all. A couple of other plants, Crinum Alfa and Bicolor butterfly bush, didn't bloom the first year so I don't know what to expect from those next year. I did call about the clematis and they said they would replace it in the spring of 2011. We'll see. I didn't bother with calling back and complaining about the rest. I just know I'll throw away catalogs from this company from now on.

I really wanted to give this company a chance in hopes that there was some good in them. I placed an order for bulbs in early fall. The items I did receive seemd to be in good condition. After asking about the items that were not shipped, I finally received an email stating that those items were sold out and I had not been charged so the issue was closed.

I WAS charged, however, and I have been trying to get a refund from them for over a month. I have sent them 2 emails total over the last 5 weeks and had been told to "be patient" and someone from the refund department would follow up with me. When I wrote again to inform them that the refund department still has not contacted me, this was the response I got (literally - not altered AT ALL). - "I have sent you 2 other emails regarding your refund. There is nothing more we can do at this point. We are waiting for the refund to be processed, this takes time. i am sorry that it is taking too long for you."

Their customer service is very poor and I question whether or not I will ever get that refund at all. Most companies charge you when items are actually shipped, however, this company charges you for your entire order when the order is PLACED- regardless of what is actually sent to you. BEWARE WHEN ORDERING FROM THIS COMPANY

Over the course of a couple of days in September, I developed an extensive bulb order (over $200), because of their 50% discount offer. Every time I logged on, the 50% offer was active and showed up in my order total. However, when I finalized the order to send it, the 50% off disappeared. Thinking it was a glitch in the software, because I had confirmed the effective dates of the offer, I clicked on the only offer that showed up---free shipping. Because it was a weekend and there was no customer service available, I sent an immediate follow-up email explaining the software problem and saying that if they could not honor the 50% off discount to cancel the entire order.

Emails and phone calls from and to Customer Service the following day and the rest of the week said (a) they had shipped part of the order (no mention of my email to cancel without the 50% discount); (b) it was my fault the computer did not register the 50% discount because I had put in free shipping INSTEAD of the discount; (c) some of the items were not eligible for either free shipping OR the 50% discount; (d) I could either have free shipping OR the 50% discount, so I chose the 50% discount and restated that I wanted to cancel the order if the 50% discount was not honored; (e) I would receive the 50% discount but the mix-up was all my fault and I should be ashamed of myself for not writing down the alphanumeric “code” for the 50% discount; (f) the owners had disallowed the 50% discount but I could still have free shipping. I responded to each and every email and phone call that I wanted either the 50% discount or to cancel the order. I asked what I should do about the partial order already shipped. I specifically asked if I would have to pay the shipping if I returned the order. I was told to refuse the shipment, and, that since the order was sent “free shipping,” there would be no shipping to pay. I did as told and refused the shipment at the post office. Subsequently (this had now been going on for over a month), I was refunded for the canceled order and for the refused partial order. However, I was charged shipping for the refused order. Again, I called Customer Service to request a refund of the shipping charges, which I was told I would not pay. I was soundly lectured that I should have read the website (this was a recurring theme) and understood that I would be charged shipping. I explained what Customer Service had told me and was told that was not what the notes about the phone call said, implying I was lying. I asked whether they did or did not stand behind what their Customer Service reps said and was again lectured about the fine print of the website. I finally spoke with the individual responsible for refunds who said she would ask the owners and call me back in a couple of days. A week later I called to learn that I was not given the refund nor obviously was there any intention of calling me back as I had been promised.

This company either has misleading offers or pretty inadequate software, or both. Their Customer Service people give conflicting information. They do not stand behind what Customer Service or management promises, referring any difficult questions to the “owners,” who appear to have little concern for their reputation or for customer relations. All this has taken almost two months. All this confusion was over a simple request---honor the 50% discount or cancel the order. Needless to say, I will never order from this company again. Given the preponderance of negative vs. positive comments on Van Bourgondien, I would seem to be voting with the majority. Having ordered online for years, this is my only negative experience with a company. Their goal seems to be to misrepresent and confuse, and when confronted, to blame everything on the customer.

I ordered the dwarf reblooming daylilies, and overall they are nice plants for the price. These were not Oakes size daylilies and they were not as fresh, but they were less expensive.

I ordered one item, tree peony "Kamata-nishiki" for fall 2009 delivery, with some trepidation as the reviews here for this company are not great. They told me the delivery date would be pushed back to November, but then there it was in the mail in late October, several weeks early. It was bare root, just a small stick but with some healthy-looking buds. We had a terrible wind storm in early December that knocked off the top of the stick, and I thought that's it, it won't make it. Well, it came up this spring and has grown just fine. It will probably take at least a few years to grow to blooming size, but I am excited to see if the blooms are a "double wisteria blue", as advertised!

Posted on June 4, 2010, updated June 16, 2010
Check your credit cards carefully after ordering from this company, especially if you order multiple items that ship at different times. I placed an order at the end of March for 6 varieties, using a 50% off coupon code provided on their catalog. The 6 items shipped to me at different times over the next few weeks. After reviewing my credit card, I see that they charged me full price! I cannot reach anyone at this company, and have had no response to my repeated emails. I even sent them a copy of the original order receipt and a screenshot of the final page at time of order, clearly showing the 50% discounted prices. I ended up paying twice the amount of the original order!

This is my first and possibly last time using this company, after reading posts I am very worried. The front page of the the wholesale website states "Free Shipping on ANY order" was charged shipping (even gave a promo code) I called customer service this morning after ten minutes of trying to explain to customer service of what ANY really meant. I was shut down, oh she apologized but what good does that do? I really wanted to cancel the whole deal but have not been able to find white feather hosta anywhere else (now I am wondering if any will survive the trip to MO) was wanting them for fathers day my father in law is a hosta lover and thought these would really impress him. I wonder if the Virginia Attorney General would know what ANY really means? I pray they are strong and healthy stock and it was worth the frustration and added expense. I apologize for being Windy, I am just so mad!

My biggest problem with Van Bourgondien is their poor communication. "This is our busy season" really doesn't cut it. This is my busy season, too. I'm supposed to be out in the garden, planting the items I haven't yet received!

Poor communication enters into misunderstood pricing, as well. A recent order on which I was supposed to receive free shipping didn't qualify. I found this out in response to my email, when they stated that, because I ordered some Clearance items (and they consider those to be a 'discount' or 'promotion'), I couldn't combine the promotional pricing.

Both the quality and survivability of plants from Van Bourgondien have been variable; daylilies, in particular, have thrived. Other items haven't, or the size and quality have been dubious.

My experience with this company over the years was best when they were located on Long Island (NY) and I could drive out to their location and pick up my order myself.

I am extremely disappointed in this company. In the early Spring I placed two orders with them. The first order totaled $46.83. It consisted of 4 hollyhocks, 2 Rose Duchess De Brabant, 2 Service berry trees, and 6 Sweet Williams. The hollyhocks and the Sweet Williams had nice root systems and were definitely alive. The 2 Service berry trees were smaller than the lead in a pencil and were DOA. I planted them hoping they were just dormant, but they were dead. The rose Duchess De Brabant were also DOA. The were of course bare root, but they were also dead.
The second order was for 3 Black Mondo Grass, a Clematis collection- consisting of 3 clematis, and a Giant Pretoria Canna-consisting of 3 tubers. The Black Mondo grass was canceled. Of the 3 clematis, only one was alive on arrival. And the canna pretoria, only one was viable. I placed it in a pot and babied it, and have hopes for its survival.
When I emailed about the items which arrived dead, I heard nothing for over a month. Then finally I got a reply that said their email had been down for over a month and nobody had checked it. When I called their toll free number, I was told, in effect, too bad, don't hold your breath until you get a replacement.
The one good thing I can say about them is that they do a good job of packaging--even if the stuff is dead.
I have learned my lesson. I will never order from them again.

NO RESPONSE TO EMAILS!!!!! I have emailed this company twice about an order I placed. I ordered 18 Double Pink Delight coneflowers and only recieved 11 and got 7 Sundown coneflowers (which are really ugly). I didn't tell this company I wanted substitutions They just send you whatever they feel like and charge you for it. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!!

Ok, I'm supposed to be getting the following in the next two days:

burgundy shamrock
fragrant sumac
double asiatic lily mixed
hybridizers dahlia mix
purple ranunculus
giant hybrid lily trebianno
anemone lord leutenant

this is my first transaction with this company. did it because of the 50% off sale and because the catalog was so goshdarn purrrty :). THEN I read their rating... It's a little worrysome but it doesn't seem all that bad so I'm hoping for the better ^_^. So I'm going to give them a chance- if they screw up (or not) I will be updating my rating to either red or green :) [the way i look at it, i'd only be out 50% of the original price so it would hurt 50% less! ^_^]

I have ordered form this company more than once. I will not order again. Some of the bulbs I received from them in the fall were not what I ordered.

The little foxglove plants I received were tiny. Only one of the three survived. The loxglove plants I ordered from two other companies and planted at the same time all survived and are thriving.

Despite negative reviews, ordered 6 Asiatic Lily "Monte Negro" bulbs, as the price was very good. They arrived on time. I then forgot about them for a week, but despite this all have begun growing nicely.

We have placed several orders with Van Bourgondien and have always gotten very good service, and awesome plants! We have ordered daylilies and especially hostas. The last order we recieved was just a few days ago, a box full of several types of hosta and some ferns. The packaging was far better than some other suppliers we have used and the plants, (mostly bare root) looked fresh and ready for planting. Only one out of about a hundred hostas looked a bit weak. The pricing here is great and we will most definitly be ordering more! The customer service department is always friendly and accomodating.

Posted on May 28, 2009, updated April 14, 2010
We've ordered from this company on and off for quite some time, and have always been pleased. I usually wait until they're having their 50% off sales, and then make a fairly substantial order. I had to utilize their customer service department for the first time on my most recent purchase due to an issue with the website not processing my order; their IT department promptly found my order, and the rep I'd spoken with even called me to make sure I'd received the confirmation e-mail. My entire order arrived yesterday, and everything is very healthy, especially the hemerocallis; the bulbs are medium-large sized stock and have no signs of problems. Though I see they've had very mixed reviews, we have never had one bad thing to say about them!

Posted on October 16, 2009, updated April 5, 2010
My mother ordered me some bulbs from VB as a birthday present -- when I came and saw the reviews, I was terrified! But so far, the experience has not been a total disaster. The bulbs arrived this week, at an appropriate time for planting. Everything she ordered was in there, and the bulbs are firm and healthy looking. They're definitely on the small side (especially the daffodils, which are half the size of bulbs I've received from John Scheepers before), but they do fit the measurements promised in the catalog descriptions.

My only quibble is the daylily: it's a single, anemic, trimmed-down fan, although with a healthy clump of roots. If it were earlier in the season, I would feel confident that it would pull through with no problem. But this late in the year, I don't know whether to risk it out in the garden, or plant it in a pot and keep it in the garage for the winter.

Given the pervasive problems they seem to have with plants not coming up true to name, I'm starting this review out at Neutral, but if everything blooms as labeled next spring, I will come back and change this to Positive.

I ordered many tulips from the company, which I received in September. They are all coming up and look beautiful. I will continue to order from them in the future.

I read some time ago, in Fine Gardening Magazine, that there were three quality bulb companies, John Scheepers, Brent and Becky’s, and Van Bourgondien Dutch Bulbs. I met Joseph Van Bourgondien at BWI one time, waiting for a flight to Norfolk VA. We talked about how their family was from Long Island and relocated to Virginia; and how they must have found me by purchasing mailing lists of on-line garden catalog customers. And I had started ordering a few things from them.

When I read the negative comments about this company, I think there is a misunderstanding. They do have a good guarantee policy. They have replaced anything I have told them has not survived, whether I have emailed or called. I used to order something from them every year, and never have I had to ask more than once to get a replacement or credit.

Their prices are fairly low, especially their Best Buys, and you know you will get about average sized bulbs and seedlings. The quality is certainly much better than the dried out prepackaged plants at the discount stores.

I have to admit that some of what I receive just did not prosper the first year; I should say too much. Sometimes I did not get the colors I ordered. Sometimes the description and photo in the catalog was too heavily filtered to show the real color. I have just found this difficult, digging up what does not fit my palette, and giving away to neighbors who want them. So in the end I have given up trying their bulbs and plants. It is just that I have gotten to know the Ohms family at John Scheepers, which offers no guarantee but over 90% grows and survives. The extra digging of bulbs that fail is too much work no matter how good the guarantee.

But I would still recommend Van Bourgondien Dutch Bulbs to those seeking the plants they carry to try their luck.

I have placed 5 orders since November 2009, and to date, I have been very pleased with the size and health of the stock. Of course I can't comment on the accuracy of the stock until the growing season begins, but all the bulbs were very plump and large in size for their variety. After reading some of the other folks who have done business with them, perhaps I am blessed and have had an exceptional expreince with them, but with 3 order filled and very pleased with the stock I have received, and the 4th and 5th orders scheduled for delivery in March, I am not expecting any trouble. If I had been "Lucky" with a single order, then I would be a little nervous about giving VB a positive rating, but after 3 order filled successfully and the stock in great condition, I am hoping whatever problems these other folks have had, has been corrected, and my 4th and 5th orders will be like the first 3. I'll try to post updates as the growing season progresses as to the accuracy of the bulbs I have ordered.

I ordered over $350 last July and overall was pleased with the products. Initially I have to admit, I was pretty frustrated due to the fact that my shipment date continued to get pushed back. I sent them e-mails and received "I'm sorry this is our busy time of the season. We will get you your products as soon as we can". Finally, three months later, the bulbs had arrived! Big relief to me as often times, October means frozen ground for us so no more planting, AND I was ordering for myself, friends, family, and a landscaping job as well! As far as the product goes, I was overall happy with the bulbs - looked larger than expected and healthy. Will have to wait and see what comes up this year... Crossing my fingers.

WARNING! Please SAVE YOUR MONEY! I have order from many different companies and have had great success; THIS WAS NOT ONE OF THEM! Not much grew, bulbs were dry, tiny and shriveled. They did replace my order when I let them know. I did give them a fair chance to do right by me; they didn't get it right the second time either. Their products are inferior to say the least. They lure you in with cheap prices, well, you get what you pay for - cheap plants. Actually they weren't that cheap. Try your local garden center for the best deals. If you can afford the biggest and best then wait for a sale. Stay away from this company! You will be sorry!

I was a bit trepidatious about ordering after reading all of the reviews, but the sale prices were so good that I thought I'd risk it. I was pleasantly surprised. They shipped my spring bulbs out immediately and I had them within a week of ordering. I'll have to store them in my garage until the ground thaws...no biggie. The bulbs were a little on the small side, but seem to be firm and healthy. Now I just need to wait 4 long months to plant them! Based on my experience thus far, I would recommend this company...will update once the plants actually start to grow.

I placed a large fall planting order in late August and contacted them via email to tell them that I needed the items in early Oct as I live in Zone 3/4. They offered to cancel part of the order as the tree peony wouldn't be available until after Oct 31. I accepted their offer - kept part of the order coming but canceled the tree peony. The rest of the order came in with no issues. In early Nov, I received the tree peony and was charged $30! I sent them an email and explained that it had been cancelled. I called them. I sent another email and threatened to give them negative feedback here if they didn't respond. They finally responded and basically said, "tough luck", even tho I sent them a copy of their email in August saying they had cancelled the peony order. If I sent it back, I would have to pay shipping both ways.

I have planted it and will use their refund policy if (when!) it doesn't grow in the spring and I will NEVER order from them again!

I ordered lilies and daffodils from their year end sale. I didn't check here until after I ordered so I was very concerned about what I might get.

Shipping was lightening fast - I placed my order on the 15th and had it on the 19th.

Everything looks good, bulbs are firm and a good size.

I have ordered many times over the years from this company, and have always received nice, healthy plants. The orders have included perennials and bulbs of all sorts. I have never had any problem with shipping or with them substituting another item for what I requested. My last order was for several double Asiatic lilies, and the bulbs were in excellent condition.....plump and of good size. Any time I called or emailed Customer Service, they were courteous and knowledgeable as well. I will continue to order from them.

Bought end of season fall-planting bulbs on clearance. Of 50 daffodils, 48 arrived (2 bags were short 1 bulb) and 3 bulbs were mush. The remainder were healthy and large. 2 roots for daylilies looked good. 2 packages of jacqueline asiatic lilies bulbs were firm but tiny - not the 12-14cm size posted on the website.

Called customer service which was very responsive, and offered store credit for the 5 daffodils and all the asiatic lilies. They wouldn't refund money because they were purchased on clearance, although that's not specifically stated in their written policy. I guess I'll see what grows and keep you updated. Neutral for now. I'm hopeful despite all the reviews I've read here.

We placed several orders with Van Bourgondiens this summer and were not happy with anything received. One order for Canna was for 10 dwarf pink canna. We received 10 stubby roots, one died, six produced tiny leaf sets, and three blossomed. Two of the three blossoming plants were small flowered bright orange-red. They issued a credit for the order but when trying to redeem it, I find I have to ADD to the order to make their minimum. Since they also sent eryngium which were clearly advertised both in the photo and the description as Eryngium alpinum but were clearly Eryngium plamum I dug them up and tossed them in the compost when they flowered. I also ordered and received, six Sidalcea "Party Girl" only half grew and flowered, and three Gunnera - all died.

Never again.

I have tried for 3 years to deal with this company and I have recieved dried up or total mush for plants. I once even recieved a small bag of peat moss. Couldn't find a thing in the sack. My last order had 4 out of 9 plants that were dead. The rest were very small bare root and doubt they will make it When I called I was told that two replacements would be sent now but the other two were sold out and would be replaced next fall. They refused to refund my money. I could only substitute something else of equal or lesser value.

Posted on November 11, 2007, updated October 15, 2009
I ordered 6 Destined to See daylily fans and 6 Green Envy coneflower roots from them in the Spring '07. The daylily fans were smallish, but caught up in size by the end of the season. They even bloomed which is great for a 1st year daylily. The Green Envy coneflowers were also small, but grew well over the summer and bloomed.

I ordered three hundred daffodils and fifty hyacinths through their wholesale branch last fall, and (without stopping to count them all) most or all of them were true to form and bloomed very nicely this spring. I also ordered six echinacea which were DOA.

It has frequently been my experience with bulb companies that one can get great bulbs but only dead perennials; so VBW may be a very good place to get bulbs, but a terrible place to get perennials. Recommended for bulbs, not for perennials.

WHAT A JOKE!!!
I purchased over 36 pieces from the local Wal Mart.
NOT ONE...I REPEAT...NOT ONE grew.
They came in the biodegradeable pots and I was assured by the garden centre boy they had just arrived. This happened back in February and I haven't calmed down enough until now to respond.
DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY UNLESS YOU WANT TO TOSS YOUR MONEY AWAY.
plantgirl333