Comments regarding Van Bourgondien Dutch Bulbs (dutchbulbs.com)

I ordered some daylilies, lilies, and daffodils last fall. Planted them in my garden near similar plants from prior years but other vendors. Some of the daylilies did not grow, neither did any of the daffodils. This spring I dug up the remainder of the plant material (dead bulbs and daylily roots) and sent them back.

They offered me only a credit that I could use for more of the same. Said I had only had 30 days to get a refund. How would you know in 30 days, in the fall, whether your daffodils were going to grow?

Wish I had known about this site BEFORE I ordered.

I discovered this site 2 years ago, just AFTER I'd placed a bulb order from VanB's wholesale catalog, and my heart sank. The following summer - before my "year" was up - I mailed a written complaint, from which I quote:

"On my initial order, I was sent only half the Asiatic lilies I ordered. When I called for them, I was promised they would be shipped out at once, but instead they arrived so much later that it was almost too late to plant. Fortunately, the weather was apparently accommodating enough to allow all of them to do well, and the net result is that I am pleased with those, despite my initial concern at the tremendous disparities in bulb sizes.

The Colchicums I ordered were never sent at all.

Other bulbs proved disappointing, but I was waiting for the daylilies to bloom, as their season is the last of anything I ordered. I was unimpressed with their puny size, and anxious for results. However, now that the new catalog has arrived, I must tally up the results regardless, as it is clear that those daylilies will not be flowering this year, which is NOT what I bargained for. Does "No.1 field grown divisions" actually mean "seedling size"? If so, you would do well to define it!

First, snowdrops. I ordered Galanthus nivalis. I received a substitution without notice, of Galanthus elwesii. I did not remark upon it, as I've grown that species before and am familiar with it.. However, given that only 13 of 25 bulbs grew at all, I am no longer pleased.

Guinea Hen Flowers / Mixed Checkered Lilies. I ordered 25 bulbs. Only 4 grew, and only 3 bloomed, in a site that previously grew them very well until someone mistakenly pulled up the foliage as weeds because they were unmarked. This site was very clearly marked this year!

Cyclamen. I ordered 10, but only 3 grew, and none of them flowered.

Feather Hyacinths. I ordered 25, and they all grew, BUT only 7 bloomed and 4 of them were Tassel Hyacinths! I have grown these before also, and I know what they are supposed to look like."

I received a phone call in reply, approximately 3 months later, in which I was informed that no refunds could be given, but they would send replacements that fall. I dared to think the company might redeem itself, so I held off on the negative commentary. But I just got more of the same.

They substituted for the 'Electric' lilies without asking, sending their most expensive variety, which would have impressed had that been what actually grew! But instead of 'Creme Brulee' I got what looks like 'Grand Cru'. The 'Vermeer' lilies look true, but 'Jacqueline' did not even come up Asiatic - they sent me orange tiger lilies, which was NOT part of my plan!

The replacement daylilies were miniscule again, supposedly because they are of a type propagated by tissue culture rather than division. Only 3 of 10 survived our mild winter, and none bloomed this summer. Of the 5 surviving from the initial order, only 3 bloomed at all, and one died, hardly "filling out their second year" as the CS rep promised.

Snowdrops had a 50% failure rate, and the ones that bloomed were the smallest I've EVER seen. NONE of the replacement checkered lilies grew, nor the cyclamen. Feather hyacinths grew foliage only, NO flowers, so I don't even know if they are the right type or not. But since I plant bulbs expecting a good show the first spring, and "whatever" in subsequent years, this is hardly satisfying!

I am not a novice gardener. When I think of all the digging I did for nothing, all the pretty blossoms I should have had if I'd gotten what I paid for, it makes me more than a little disgruntled! What a WASTE of TIME and MONEY.

I am prompted to share my experience, though it may run a little longer than preferred here, as I finalize a fresh bulb order for this fall - from John Scheeper's - so anyone who reads it will know NOT to be taken in by the pretty pictures in the Van Bourgondien catalog, which continues to show up in my mail even after I was told I would be removed from their mailing list when I requested it . (Though it does give the kids something to practice on with their scissors ...)

I ordered
4 daylily varieties - looked terrible with very little green with the base of the plants soft which I gave very littlle chance of survial when they arrived
1 Japanese Iris - mushy - pitiful
1 Japanese Iris mix (Bag of 3) also mushy

Gladiolus bulbs in the order looked small but have sprouted.

My total order was 43.42 plus shipping 8.95

I notified them when the plants arrived that the daylilies and iris probably would not make it.

I have attempted to contact them by phone - no answer.
I have emailed this company several times requesting refund which has been ignored.

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY.

This company has bad customer service and even worse products!!! They somehow manage to make the catalog pictures look gorgeous, but the actual plants that come out of the ground look nothing like them - height, size and especially COLOR of flower is way off. In 2004 I ordered some Queen of Night tulips and some daffodils (can't remember the name), which were advertised as "pink cup" (& the picture was a bright pink). Only about half of the tulips grew at all, and the flowers were very small & they were about 4 inches shorter than advertised. One-third of the daffodils came up completely yellow! and the rest weren't what I would consider "pink." I sent Van B's an email last July (of '05) saying that I wanted my money back for the tulips (I wasn't going to quibble about the daffodils). I never heard from them. Now I suppose I could have hounded them til I got some semblance of response, but, life happened - & I didn't get around to contacting them again until last week. Their response was that they could not do anything because they guarantee their stuff for one growing season only. Well, HELLO, I CONTACTED you people last year, which was still within the growing season when you plant bulbs in 2004! They say they have no record of my bulb order but will do some "investigating." They said that they probably can't do anything for me because the order is "so old." 2004 to 2006 is only 2 years. I will warn everyone I know about this company - don't be fooled by the pictures!!!

This place has customer service that seriously sucks the big one. I ordered 20 packages (10 bulbs each) of Crocosmia 'Lucifer' that was delivered in April. Absolutely none of these bulbs grew. It had to be some problem at the grower that they buy from. After sending 2 emails that were unanswered, I finally decided to call. The customer service representative gave me the impression that she might lapse into a coma at any moment. She took the information, put me on hold for 10 mins and then disconnected me. I called back and the second representative was just plain rude. She said my name was in their computer, but not the order. Since I could not supply the order number, I was told that I was just out of luck. I asked to talk to a supervisor and she refused. All she was willing to do was take my number and the supervisor would call me back at their convenience. If they return phone calls like they answer emails, I don't suspect that I will ever receive a call. The company may be ok as long as nothing goes wrong. If there is any problem with your order, good luck. I will never order from them again.

I have placed two orders with this company. I was very pleased with the communication, quick shipping with good packing and the quality of the plants and bulbs I ordered. I feel that I received good products at a fastastic price. I would recommend them.

Nana3

I just got my first order from this company and I am absolutely disappointed. I have ordered 4 plants: CLEMATIS JACKMANII , TREE PEONY RENKAKU and 2 DOUBLE ORIENTAL LILY MISS LUCY . The package arrived promptly and the plants were packed well. But the quality of the plants is completely unsatisfactory. The tree peony is dry, its roots are also dry and brittle, and I doubt it is alive. The clematis is container planted, but it does not have any active growth. Lilies' bulbs are WAY TOO SMALL! They were advertised as 16-18 cm, the actual size is about 10 cm! In terms of volume it means they are 4 times smaller. These bulbs are pretty expensive for the lily bulbs and the size of them was one of the main reasons I decided to buy them.
I called to their customer service today and did not get any satisfactory solution of the problem. The person I talked to only asked me how I measured the size of the bulbs. Apparently he was satisfied with my answer (well, I really do know how to measure bulbs). After that he just said that they stopped shipping and he does not know what to do to resolve my problem! I guess that I am too naive to think that customer service should know what to do with customers' complaints.
I really want to have these plants, and because replacement is not available now I decided to give them a try. Will try to claim refund or replacement later if they will fail.
So far it was my worst mail order experience.

I ordered 6 egret flowers form this company and after 3 weeks there was no sign of them coming up. I sent an email to them figuring that I would either not get a response or they would tell me that I hadn't allowed enough time and to wait at least a year as had happened with some of the other companies I have ordered through. I heard from them in approximately a week and was told that a replacement order had been authorized. In less than a week I had my replacement order. Also, when they sent the email, they included tips for getting these difficult flowers to grow. I will certainly order from them again and I will tell anyone that is considering ordering from this company to feel free. They sure stand behind their products.

I wish I had known about the Watchdog before I ever ordered from these people. Most of the items I ordered for planting last fall did not come up and Van Bourgondien is not responding to my e-mails. All I can say is this:

//www.oag.state.va.us/CONSUMER/CONSUMER_FRAUD/Consumer_complaints.html#Complaints%20about%20Virginia%20Business

I ordered numerous lily bulbs from VB this spring and received them as expected. They looked a bit less firm than desired, but I'm not an experienced gardener, and I planted them anyway. My Mt. Duckling lilies are in full bloom on my deck right now, and the oriental lilies are gearing up with lots of flower buds.

I was surprised to see such low marks for this company because it had the best service/merchandise of the three companies I ordered from this past spring. My Springhill order a year ago was very good, but their alstromeria and toad lilies were half dead when they arrived this spring. They're all recovering, but I didn't pay to nurse plants back to health.

I'm finding that my local stores have a lot of decent merchandise at a lot lower risk, so I'm not planning to order perennials online again. I'd order bulbs from VB again.

I ordered from the wholesale side of this company. 2 of my 3 blushing bride spiderworts arrived dead & moldy(they were plants not bareroot), one of my sundown coneflowers died a week after planting, and I ordered a bag of 5 dahlias and it only had 3 tubers in it.

Called the company a month after I recieved my order to get replacements (was busy with the end of the school year). Was told I would have to wait 8 weeks before they would send me replacements as they may still come to life. Like moldy plants and non-existant plants are going to suddenly come to life. The person was very rude and treated me like I had no clue about gardening. My guess is they are hoping I will forget about calling. I also emailed them after this and have NEVER received a response. This is the worst experience I have had with any mail order company. Next year I am only ordering from Bluestone (whom I adore) and driving an hour to Jung's Garden Center to get what I can't from Bluestone.

Last Year, I received Glad Bulbs from Van Dyke's.
I ordered 1 variety, and received 6 stupid varieties. Not one of the one I ordered.
I called them and they gave me a credit. But I wasted my garden space And time growing them.
Then Last year, I ordered "Wide Brim: Hosta from Van B.
They came up some yellow & green leaf. Not Wide Brim.
So I complained, and they gave me credit, But another
year and labor wasted.
I talked to them this year and re-ordered Wide Brim, But the same old yellow & green.
Also Pretoria Cannas, I ordered 6 bulbs for around $20.00
I received 1 bag of roots with 3 roots, and l bag with 1 root. I called them, and they said they were sorry, and would send me 24 roots.
Out of the 28 roots I had - only 5 sprouted. The rest were just chunks of roots - with no eyes!!!!
Also I ordered some Oriential Lilies, and it looks like they are going to be asiatatic lilies. And not the variety I ordered. Another 25 spaces taken up, and another year wasted on garbage.
I want to report them to the DUTCH BULB COUNCIL,
for the crap they are sending out.
They put out a great catalog, But you don't get the varieties or quality you would expect.
I've been spending between $200.00/$500.00 a year with them, but always ended up getting a credit for something.
This year was arould $500.00 But NEVER AGAIN!!!!
They are right up there in my eyes like MICHIGAN BULB CO!!!!

One of the worst mail orders I have encountered!
Coneflowers arrived dead and included empty pots... replacements were also dead ... ordered replacement of callas that were ALL rotten... no resolution and customer service doesn't respond to numerous e-mails.
I wish I had read your garden watch before ordering... this was money down the drain

I wish I would have checked this site before getting sucked in by the pretty pictures in the glossy catalog.

I purchase about half my plants/seeds online/catalog and half locally. I have never had a`problem with any of the plants/seeds that I have purchased before (from other online/catalog vendors). I saw the Delft Blue Delphinium in the VonB catalog and just had to have it. The order arrived promptly. For the price ($12.99) I made the naive assumption I was purchasing a plant, so I was`surprised when I opened the box and saw a small mass of dead-looking roots. (The catalog did state that they were sending roots, I just missed that when ordering.) There was a note included that the roots were not dead, simply dormant, so I assumed they would be ok.

The roots did not include any planting instructions, however I am fairly experienced with gardening, and felt I could handle the task. I promptly planted the roots and gave it the proper TLC for growth. Four weeks passed with no results so I emailed customer service. A week passed and I had not received a response, so I emailed them again. No response after two days so I called today (which is what I should have done in the first place.)

Cassandra helped me today, and she was very polite and did all I believe she could do for me. When she saw that it was the Delft Blue Delphinium that I had ordered she was not surprised that it had not made it and stated there were a lot of calls on that particular plant. She then stated that it was out of stock for this year, but I could receive it next year or I could receive a credit. Well after reading a couple pages of previous posts on this site, I really wanted neither. I took the credit, because who knows if this plant would grow next year, assuming I ever received it.

Fortunately I only spent $13.00 (I had free shipping). I have too many good companies that I already work with to ever bother to use this company again (after I use my credit).

Last year I ordered from Van Bourgondien for the first time. I ordered ten types of plants all of which arrived promptly in their bareroot bags.

The toad lilies, two varieties of bleeding hearts, four columbines and two astilbe’s quickly came up and this year have far more than doubled in size from what they were last year. They are beautiful plants, which I’m extraordinarily pleased with.

The other plant in the order, however did not fair so well. On initial inspection the Dutch irises were notably molded. I went ahead and cleaned them off and planted them. They of course all promptly rotted and sadly none of the ten bulbs were viable. It was the same story for the Virginia Blue Bells for which both too soon rotted with no sign of life.

The Brunnera ‘Hadspen Cream’ quickly produced a beautiful plant, however it was not by any means the Hadspen Cream I was expecting. It was a Brunnera but with large solid green leaves, and as beautiful as it continues to be, certainly not a plant that monetarily equates to a Hadspen Cream.

I was not terribly bothered by the state of the order until I tried to ask for it to be fixed. Two polite emails requesting help from the company went wholly ignored. I did finally get a response via phone, but it was not one that was nearly as helpful as I had been hoping for.

They did agree to replace the Brunnera with an actual Hadspen Cream, though I must say that I am far more impressed with the vigor of the initial mistaken plant. The Blue Bell replacements were no different from the first and never came up either. The bulbs they said to be out of stock on though they said that they would send them when new ones arrived in the next year as long as I called and reminded them to send them, which in itself seemed quite odd to me. I own an internet business myself and I can’t imagine telling my customers who have paid for their products that it’s their responsibility as to whether or not they get the product when it becomes again available.

Without question the varieties offered in their catalog are gorgeous ones and like many would absolutely love one of each and if I had received replies to my concerns and successful replacements, certainly I would not have hesitated to order from them again. However, it’s hardly as if Van Bourgondien has a monopoly on these plants and rather the same plants can be found for the same price or in many cases less from companies that take far more care with both their plants and certainly with their customers.

Given their delightful offerings, I do believe that depending on what items were ordered, one could have a wonderful experience with this company, but I seriously question their ability to correct issues when they occur. It’s simply too abhorrent a thought that this company would be taking the time to boost its own ratings here apparently rather than replying to customer emails. Despite some of the beauties I have received from Van Bourgondien and as disappointing as it is, I unfortunately would not feel comfortable ordering from this company again.

I ordered over $100 worth of plants from this company the first week of May 2005. I was told the plants would be shipped at the appropriate shipping time for my area. I received my order with the exception of a Siberian Iris Bridal Jig which was part of a collection (it had a backorder date of 3/25/05 which didn't make sense to me). The bulbs/dry roots looked to be dead but I planted them anyway because there was a note that indicated this appearance was normal and they would grow (should have been my first warning). Nothing grew with the exception of a few Ranunculus (which sprouted and then died). I sent an email in July asking for some guidance as to how long I should wait to see the other plants come up and got no response. I followed up with another e-mail and got a call from "Ron" who indicated that the plants probably didn't grow because they were shipped so late in the season. He offered to reship the order in April of 2006. I asked for a written confirmation, he agreed but I never received it.

In January of this year, I received a letter from Van Bourgondien concerning my back order of the Bridal Jig Siberian Iris. They said it was out of stock. They said my order was closed because I had not been charged for the flower. However, this was incorrect as I had been charged the previous May when I placed my order. Additionally, there was no mention of my reshipment of the rest of the order. I was furious. I sent them an email and asked for a complete refund and I gave them a date by which I wanted it. They responded that they were sorry I was disappointed with the company and that I was a "valued" customer. I was told that my order was going to be reshipped in April as "Ron" had promised - they never addressed refunding my money.

This month I sent another email asking for a status of my order since I hadn't received it in April like I was supposed to. They responded that they "made it so my order would ship out in the next day or two". It did ship on the 9th with the exception of the Bridal Jig Siberian Iris which again was sold out for the season. I also did not receive my Ranunculus. I questioned why I did not receive the Bridal Jig again since the reshipment order was placed last July. They responded that by April they're sold out of a lot of stuff and I should place my order earlier in the season. Unbelievable! I asked how much earlier in the season I needed to place the order... I'm waiting on a response. In the meantime, of the replacement items I received, one Brunnera was rotten. The other 2 look dead again. The iris look slightly better but they're still nothing to write home about.

I will never, ever deal with this company again. I cannot believe how many complaints there are. I wish I had known about this website before I ordered....

The Japanese lilies I received look like dog doo and 45 days after planting i'm convinced it was. Nothing came up. Most of my order was of poor quality and some were not tulips as ordered, what I planted in my tulip bed came up as daffodils. After 4 different service reps with four different excuses and no return of e-mails, i'm shopping locally. At least you'll have it in hand and only yourself to blame if it fails to grow. And if I call home to camplain i'll get my lovely wife to chit-chat with. GROW AND BUT LOCALLY... Most mail order companies are scam outfits running under different names... Visit this site and see 'complaints.com' one of many watch dog sites with pathetic stories of shafted gardeners.

My order came five weeks after they said it would, well into the local growing season.

I checked over the invoice before signing for it from UPS, and noticed one large item was not shipped, but the invoice had check marks next to everything that was in the box, so I received delivery assuming that the missing item would be shipped separately.

However, VB support staff told me that they did ship the missing item in the original box. I went back and forth with them to no avail. They said I should have gone by the 'shipped' column on the invoice instead of the checkmarks.

Ordering from them was a $100 and 10 hours of my time mistake.

I ordered from this company several times. All the products I received were in excellent condition and everything has grown well. Most of my purchases were lily bulbs. They arrived in good condition, very good size, well packaged and on time.

I have purchased several times and my experience with Van Bourgondien has been nothing but excellent. I will continue using them as one of my main suppliers.

Last fall I placed 3 seperate orders from van bourgondien's and have to say that I was very impressed with the quality of the bulbs I have received. They were large in size, healthy, and each order I placed was promptly received in a timely manner. It's spring, and all the bulbs that I have planted have all started to come up. Im very excited ! I was so impressed with this company that I placed another order for perenials and plan on buying more bulbs this fall! Im really suprised to have read some of the negative comments and can only wonder if the proper planting steps were not taken causing certain bulbs/plants not to grow?? I would highly recommend this company !

Sue Santin
Flemington, NJ

When the order came in the fall I was very disappointed at the condition of the bulbs. These were not quality bulbs by any means. No directions for planting. The pink daffodil collection were a bright yellow when they blossomed.The customer service girl told me that they would turn pink, which did not happen. The Foxtail Lillies have never come up. They did say that they would give me a credit. I will try to use the credit but will not pay out of pocket to them again.

I ordered several items from one of their catalogs that had a $25 discount coupon. Nice photos, glowing descriptions, and following the order, frequent e-mails from "The Bulb Lady." The order, to be shipped "at your proper planting time," arrived this week. What was labeled a fuchsia plant was a desiccated twig that I'd bet money is dead and will never grow (shades of Interstate Nursery!). Ditto for a Russian sage. Dahlia tubers were sub-standard; they may actually live, though I'm not optimistic I'll see any blooms. I could have bought better dahlia plants, potted and already growing at the Wal-Mart Garden Center. Two daylilies were pathetic, little more than seedlings. They'll never bloom this year, if they even live. For the same money I could've got huge, vigorous plants from Oakes or another reputable daylily provider. Needless to say, I won't be making any more purchases from this outfit, discount coupons or no. Though their invoice says plants can be returned, cost for return shipping would be throwing good money after bad.

I am so surprised by the comments I've read. I have been buying from Van Bourgondien's for almost twenty-five years and I would never order from anyone else. Yes, sometimes the perennials are small but the value for the money is incredible and almost everything I've planted has thrived and grown. In fact, ,many of their perennnials are now in my children's gardens because I've divided and shared. Their daffodils and tulips have made my neighbors envious. I could never have the gardens I have with the budget I've had without them. I even got to talk to the bulblady in person and she told me to come visit her garden. I do like this company...

In the winter of '04 I hunkered down with the Van Bourgondien catalog to order all those plants I just had to have. While I waited through late winter, early spring, other items, ordered from different growers started to arrive. By mid April I called VB to see when my order would arrive, and I was told it would be send around late April. I waited. By mid May I was still waiting. At this time I received their e-mail catalog, showing that just about everything I had order early, was now on sale. I called to see if I would qualify for the lower prices, after all, I had ordered 4 months earlier, but was still waiting for the goods to show up, while they were pushing lower prices on customer enticing them to order. However, I had to pay the regular price, even if my order still hadn't arrived. By late May I called to see where my order was, and I was told it would be shipped shortly. Finally I received my order on June 8th, and I was surprised with the lack of quality. Extremely small plants, and the three fuchsia plants I had ordered arrived "dormant" as three little sticks with dried up roots. I planted them in the hope to coax some growth out of them, but they were, as I had already thought, deader than a doornail. Other items failed to thrive, but I hope in subsequent years they will take off. I asked for a refund on the fuchsias, but was sent a credit instead. Now I look at their catalog to use up this refund and will probably buy some bulbs, hopefully something they can't screw up too much. Nevertheless, after this refund has been used up I will never buy from this company again, and I have made a point of warning my friends away as well.

I placed an order with van Bourgondien last summer and waited patiently for my bulbs to come in the fall. They never did.

I called, and the person with whom I spoke said my order had been cancelled. This was news to me; I had not cancelled the order.

After some discussion with others, she/they decided that what must have happened is that a VB employee ran the summary of the day's orders during that 10-second window after I hit "submit payment" but before the credit card company authorized the transaction. So my order got stuck somewhere in limbo--it appeared on the order summary for the day but WITHOUT payment, so someone at VB later cancelled the order, since according to the summary it wasn't paid for.

They were sorry, but this had never happened before (hard to believe, since they figured out the "problem" fairly quickly), and of course since it was now late October, they were sold out of everything I'd ordered, so sorry, but I was out of luck.

My credit card was never billed, so I have no financial complaint against them, but my gardens have lots of empty space in them right now where I should have bulbs emerging. A company that offers online ordering ought to have the technological know-how to prevent this sort of thing.

This incident would have earned them a neutral rating had they made any attempt to compensate me for THEIR mistake, but they get a negative b/c I was offered no discount on future orders, no "try us again next season and we'll throw in some free X", nothing except "huh. sucks to be you, I guess."

this is a portion of an email I sent to Debbie, the company's president:

1. In 2003 I ordered some anemone (bulbs) & some garden phlox. I planted everything according to the directions given. In the spring I waited & waited for the phlox to sprout and discovered that the plants that were assured to be “only sleeping” were instead dead.
Many of the anemones sprouted but only a few bloomed (and they were bright pink instead of the blue that was advertised!)
2. I requested a replacement for the phlox and chose a different type of plant (Malva) hoping to have better results.
The malva was dead as well. (I was issued credit for the anemones but haven’t applied it, fearing the same results).
3. Then I decided to give phlox another try & ordered some to replace the dead malva.It never showed as much as a tiny sprout.
I’ve spent the last two years:
Pleading w/customer service reps to please just refund my money (they refused)
Staring at empty spots in my flower beds and hoping something I bought would sprout
paying shipping for each replacement

I sent this to Debbie twice w/no response. I was instructed to use a email different address, which I did...no response. I called asking to speak to Debbie & was told a supervisor was trying to contact me. Finally, "Ron" left a message to call him about my "refund".....when I did there was only a message indicating Van B. was closed for the holidays!
I called after they opened & talked w/Ron.....we agreed on an amount for my refund. He said :
1. it was almost a sure thing & just needed to clear it w/a supervisor
2. he'd would call me "in 20 minutes"
3. he'd send some paperwhites as an apology for all my trouble

He didn't until over a week later-after I'd called numerous times!! Meanwhile I'd found even more charges on my bank statement from my past transactions & emailed this info to Ron. When he called he said he couldn't find this additional info....I said I'd email it again & could he call me right back?
He didn't, & after a few days of leaving more messages for him Debbie herself called. She wanted to replace everything & I said Ron offered me a refund. She said he wasn't authorized to do that & began questioning me about my experience as a gardener because she couldn't imagine why these plants weren't growing for me.
She wanted me to
- send her pictures of my flowerbeds to make sure the exposure was correct
- email her all the info I had just given "Ron"
-.and she claimed I had BOUGHT the paperwhites! (It seemed to me she had not even bothered to research the nature of my complaint before she called).

I have order forms & bank records to prove VanB owes me $92, which I've offered to share w/her.

For over four years I have been responsible for ordering paperwhite bulbs (over 3000) for many residents in my small Southern California neighborhood.
I used VanB. for the first time this past season. The service and shipping was perfect and the bulbs were by far the best we have ever used. I will order from them again this season without hesitation. Additionally I am in the process of ordering dahlias from them for late spring planting. I will let you know how that order was shipped and in what condition - I expect the best!

I am saddened to see so many negative comments about this company. I have spent well over $2000 dollars with them (mostly wholesale) over the last 5 years and had an overall excellent experience. I am planning to order from them in the next few weeks and i expect to get the same.

Of the plants purchased from them the dahlias were by far the biggest most outrageously sized tubers i've ever bought. They were HUGE and performed very well. The lady who i planted them for says they are magnificent to this day. I also bought many tree peonies from them, unfortunately left behind in a move, but the new owner reports they are doing well.

I did buy a very large quantity of oriental poppies that just didn't do well at all. I was really disappointed, but the company offered me a replacement or refund with no trouble when i contacted them. The poppies were the only thing i've really had trouble with as a whole.

In the years i've dealt with them, i've certainly had many things that didn't make it, or never came up, and once i received a dahlia that was not what i had ordered, but with the quantity of product i've ordered from them, i've had few problems. They have always been great with replacements / credits.

So, from my experience i would rate this as an excellent company. If the quality or service has diminished i will certainly edit this, but i have high hopes for my impending order.

Melissa Lewis
Dayton, NV

Wow! This company is trying to slide under the radar.

Just look at the way they have tried to boost their ratings here versus what real customers have had to say about doing business with them!!! IT IS SHOCKING!

And they have now taken VanDyke's down with them!

Yesterday I received a catalog from VanDyke's, which I eagerly opened...

Only to find a paper cover with a note inside from VanDyke's...

Covering a VanBourgwhatever catalog!!!!? What tha heck?

VanB and VanD can "affiliate" with each other all they want, but I am now done with BOTH of them. BAH HUMBUG!!!!

Van B's has good bulbs but are rather pricey. Their plants are small and not really worth the cost. I have bought plants from them and many have died. I would rather buy the varieties at a reputable garden center.

I hope their customer service has improved. I dealt with a very rude customer service rep a few years back,

I hate to complain, but to save a few dollars I bought 4 varieties totalling 1500 tulip bulbs last year at the "end-of-season-sale". Three quarters of the bulbs were rotten and moldy and of course neither grew nor bloomed. I should have known better than to buy these bulbs, but I can at least now urge others not to buy at end-of-season.

Everything I ordered was in excellent condition !!.....
I had many Questions, which were promptly answered via email
I did have some dead plants, told them and received good once later.
Never had to wait long for my orders !
I truly enjoy this Company and there staff(customer care), besides they had plants which I could not find around here(Wisconsin)

Margrit

Firstly, I think it highly ironic that the response to VanB employee's rating-inflating has been that previously happy customers have rethought their experiences and changed the overall rating from slightly questionable to perfectly horrid!

Here's to shady businesses! Cheers!

I've had a mixed bag experience with them, moldy bags as well. Rotten bulbs are a norm that gets immediately replaced (and again, perhaps) until they send a good one or don't get a complaint back.

I won't stink the air with a thorough list of their mishaps, but I must say that Van Burgonsomething has broken my heart when I had it set on Arum maculatum and Helleborus argutifolius in my garden. They didn't break dormancy and promptly rotted. I still haven't filled those voids in my heart like so much good-quality swiss cheese. I'll find them offered by a better company one day.

Until then, Down with Van Buggerbollicks
And Up with the Watchdog top 30!

RIP OFF!!! they have a nice catalog but that is about it. thier customer service never gets back to you. they never ship on time. their prices are twice as much as other companies that sell the same quality bulbs.

To: Van Bourgondien's
Cc:
Subject: what a pleasure


Hi,
I have been gardening in Boston for the last four years in which I bought plants and bulbs from seven different nurseries.

I have decided to let you know how pleased I am with your service, your plants and all.

Two years ago I had the pleasure to talk to Debbiie on the phone, when at the time I was not happy with the Madona lilies. They were replaced .
Learning the other nurseries- I think you score the highest!!!

Daniella Salomon- Axelrod
241 perkins st. #D405
Boston Ma 02130

Last year in 2004, I bought some bulbs and a peony lactiflora 'Raspberry Sundae.' Both purchases were no good,
but company was happy to replace and give credit. I just recieved an invoice in my email announcing shipment of the peony. VERY good communication and customer service.
I just orders some new tulip bulbs" candy fire" & daffodils.Awesome quality and very well packed & shipped.
Will buy again from them. Thank you Bulb Lady! ~CB~

I placed a very small order of 8 daffodil bulbs from this company this fall. They shipped in a timely matter and the bulbs looked healthy. My only complaint is that they were extremely tiny bulbs for the money they charge. As I recall they were listed as being 14 cm. on the package and they were maybe 10 if they were lucky. As long as these bloom true next spring I'll probably order from this company again but only for really unique varieties due to the small size of the bulbs.

I had always thought of them as high quality but...........
that was when I was naive. For our first wedding anniversary I received the "paper" gift of a very handsome gift certificate to Van B's. That was 1991: nothing is alive now. Some lived, some never made it but I have nothing left.

I imagined I'd receive the best of plants and bulbs since we live four houses away from a Van B who is retired. No way.

The specials were all horrid and no matter how often I gave them another chance and another order, I have had no luck with this company.

If anyone orders and needs help just call and ask for Debbie. She's even featured in their catalog as "The Bulb Lady", so it's not like this is some big secret. Don't scream and yell and you may get better results. She was very nice to me.