Comments regarding Hirt's Gardens (formerly Hirt's Greenhouse & Flowers)

I ordered 4 tomato plants from Hirt's Gardens via Amazon on June 26, 2013. They were supposed to be mailed immediately; however, I did not get them until July. The plants were totally dry, in fact the medium they were planted in felt like cardboard. They were wilted, yellow. and half dead. They were covered in packing peanuts and this was the only packing material. I emailed them and told them I had been ordering from companies online for many years and these were the worst looking plants I had ever received. After contacting Amazon they emailed back telling me to send a picture. I thought about it and emailed them back to just forget it and I would just give them bad reviews instead. They did issue a refund but told me I would have to mail the plants back to them next time or send pictures. I just want everyone to know about this company . There will never be a next time for me!

Just received 7 plants, delivery was prompt. Not the most secure packaging I have ever seen, but in this case it sufficed. The plants look robust and no parts were broken. The day the order shipped, I received a credit for two plants I had ordered but were not available.

Have ordered twice in 2013, with excellent results each time.

I purchased a Michelia Alba,on Amazon,from 9GreenBox who I believe is a part of Hirt's Garden. The plant arrived in 6 days in really great condition. Loaded with branches and leaves. I would purchase from this vendor again.

Bought three fargesia rufa bamboo plants from Hirt's on Amazon last June, and to my amazement, they arrived looking very healthy. After extricating them from the accursed styrofoam peanuts that seems to be the company's signature, I planted them in a semi-sunny spot after amending the soil with compost and watering them in. I had also purchased a larger specimen locally, so I planted it a few feet away from the other three. So far so good.

And then the Hirt's bamboo began to die. I watered some more, put some extra mulch around them, but nothing did any good. By winter they were dead, but the larger one just a few feet away sailed through winter with no problems and is thriving now. They obviously were shipped with some kind of disease. I ordered them because they were cheap, just asking for yet another lesson in "you get what you pay for." And I got it. That'll be the last time I order from Hirt's, and I will spread the word among my gardening friends to stay away.

Posted on February 28, 2013, updated May 25, 2013
I have purchased many herb & perennial plants from Hirt's over the years and have been very pleased each time. The plants are always healthy and reasonably priced. This is one of my favorite online nurseries.

I've ordered many times from Hirt's over the years and have never had a bad experience, either with plants or seeds. The variation in reviews is puzzling.

I have ordered over 100 plants from various etailers. Hirt's Gardens has to be the worst. I ordered an unusual butterfly bush from Hirt's and when I received it I was amazed. It was a single twig with some scraggly root hairs hanging from it in about 2 ounces of dirt as poorly packaged as I have ever seen. I immediately contacted Hirt's via EBay email and reported the condition of the plant and the packaging. I told them I would try to make it grow. I created a "safe" environment for it to no avail. I'm now trying to get a refund. Hirt's is giving me the runaround. If you can buy your plant somewhere else, DO IT! I should have heeded all the "negatives". ALAS!

I ordered four epazote "plants" from Hirt's Gardens off Amazon. I was sent four pots of germinated seeds. The tops of the pots were sealed with masking tape. During shipping, the germinated seeds stuck to the tape. Hirt's Gardens misrepresented his product with a photo of a plant on Amazon. I requested a credit. Hirt's replied that I would receive the credit if I removed the negative comment regarding the seller off Amazon. After the credit was issued, Hirt's sent me three e-mails in one day demanding that I remove the comment. I am not going to bullied or harassed by a company. This man needs to learn to conduct his business honestly and ethically. He has changed his name on Amazon from "Hirt's Gardens" to "Hirt's Herbs." I wish I had seen this site prior to my purchase and read the other 104 other negative experiences with Hirt's Gardens!

Very quick shipping, and my plants came in great condition. I only ordered a pineapple plant and a plumeria for my sunroom, but both are already doing well.

Glad I didn't read all the negative reviews first--they would have scared me away! I don't mind the packing peanuts; I'm actually recycling them by giving them to a friend who is moving. If you have your doubts, place a small order and try them out!

I ordered 1 female and 1 male of Ken's Hardy Kiwi. The small leafed-out plants arrived promptly and in good condition.

Posted on March 21, 2013, updated April 24, 2013
I ordered a new variety of winterberry by Proven Winners, "Berry Poppins" and "Mr Poppins" in 4" pots. Hirt's had the best price and availability though Amazon. They were in their dormant state. In one shipment the box was to small and the stems were broken in half. These are small plants already so it didn't leave much left. I contacted Hirt's with pictures and requested replacement plants. Mr. Hirt chose to refund and said I could reorder. As time progressed the remaining plants started to put out leaves except for three. Contacted Hirt's and requested replacement plants. Again, he chose to refund with no explanation. In both boxes there were no planting instructions although the invoice mentioned "follow enclosed planting instructions". I will say Mr. Hirt was very prompt in responding to my email, in most cases same day. Also, each time issued a refund right away through Amazon. He even sent me the Proven Winners tags when they came in. The quantity I ordered was for a landscape design. With the plants being a new variety they are hard to find. So, I am left short plants for the design but do not feel comfortable ordering from Hirt's again. I wish I knew why they didn't want to send replacement plants in both cases.

Didn't see an E-mail link to the company, so...
Cheers for the speedy delivery of two kiwi vines and a banana plant: Ordered on Wednesday; received on Saturday.
Jeers for using plastic popcorn and overstuffing three plants into a USPS shipping box. The kiwis are fine; the banana has two broken leaves/stems and looks less than stellar. Will not order from them again as long as they use popcorn. There are a multitude of shipping options other than Styrofoam which are far friendlier to the environment and kinder to the plants.

I had an experience like the posting dated Apr 4th, 2013 on this web page. I had received my shipment the first week in March. The poor wrapping was the same. The calls were unanswered. I my case there were a few additional items that I had to deal with. One being aphids. I opened my box of plants from Hirts and a swarm of aphids flew out of the box and unfortunately all over my other plants that had just been delivered from other responsible companies. Further, after calling Hirts and speaking with two different people (who were not friendly and did not sound concerned about my new bug problem which their company had caused) and calling and emailing with pictures 5 times. I gave up. I do not recommend this company at all. Anita L.

I ordered several plants from Hirt's and they arrived in tatters. The packaging was so bad, I do not even know what to say. They were stuffed into USPS boxes with packaging peanuts and masking tape to keep some of the soil in the planters. Of the two dozen plants that I ordered, half were damaged or dead.

Silly me, I called Hirt's to try and work out a solution and I was met by ummm.. not a friendly or helpful person. The conversation continued in e-mails with customer service where eventually instead of being offered a refund or replacement, the company just decided to stop responding.

Don't bother wasting your money.. their prices are very cheap relative to burpee or gurneys or the other big guys. There is a reason why... the product is inferior and customer service is a joke.

I was looking for two buddleia bushes. I wanted a Bicolor and a Blueberry Cobbler. Hirts was the only place I could find that ships and had both. I was hesitant to order based on their spotty feedback. I did however and I am very pleased with the plants I received.

I would not hesitate to recommend this company to my family and friends. Shipping was quick,plants are nice sized and healthy. What more could anyone ask for?

Excellent-Excellent-Excellent. I ordered a plant for my Aunt's birthday and it arrived in pristine condition. I have ordered several times myself and I live quite a distance from Hirt's...They were packaged very well and were extremely healthy plants! I will be ordering again from them.

I ordered a few of their sale items, and received them quickly. The plants arrived in great shape, with a heat pack to protect them in shipping. Hirt's has many interesting seeds and plants, and I will definitely order from them again soon.

I discovered a few days ago that Hirt's Gardens web site was displaying one of my copyright-protected photos on their web site, without my permission, to promote the sale of a specific variety of rose. Upon further investigation, the same photo was being displayed on their eBay store and their Amazon store al well. I sent them an email (no answer when I phoned) to request payment for the usage of my photo. I got an email back stating that the photo had been removed (although it is still on eBay's servers) and there wasn't a hint of an apology in the message I got, nor any sense that they cared at all, let alone an offer to pay me for having used my photo for who knows how long.

It is worth noting that they had manipulated the photo by flipping it horizontally (mirror image, flipped left to right) and cropped off my embedded copyright statement, in order to disguise the fact that they had stolen copyright protected work! Unscrupulous, to say the least. I wonder if this is a reflection of their overall customer service?

Posted on June 21, 2012, updated December 6, 2012
Posted on May 24, 2012, updated June 21, 2012
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Posted on July 25, 2007, updated November 15, 2010
Beautiful variegated Mother of thousand..vibrant colors and large in size. Shipping was super fast, and plant well-packaged. Considering this is the first time I've seen the variegated version, I consider it hard-to-find..Even though it's rare, the price was exceptional..Thanks, Hirt's...Toni

I ordered two Mt Laurels. They arrived in short order and are doing well nearly 6 months later. Mizzou55

I ordered a live plant from Hirt's Gardens on ebay. After the shipping date and estimated arrival date, via tracking # provided by Hirt's, had passed, I emailed them several times to request an update, as I was going to be away from home and was concerned for a live plant to be left in a box. All Hirt's had to do was contact me and advise that they were out of the plant, or to postpopne shipping and there would have been no problem.
No response from Hirt's.
Finally, I contacted Paypal, who requested info from Hirt's. Hirt's provided them the same tracking #, which indicated that the plant had not shipped!
After more than a month, Paypal did refund my money. To date, I have never received any replies or been contacted by Hirt's. I will not do business with them again.

Prompt shipping. Plastic peanuts kept vine from breaking.
Size of Hawaii sunset vine surprised me. Not one leaf broken off.
I would definitely buy from them again.
Bonnie Davis
Clermont, Fl.

I've done business with Hirt's twice now. When I received the packages in the mail, I was amazed by their packaging method. It really protected my plants. Everything was in great condition. My first order from over a year ago, a Jasmine plant, is growing beautifully.

I also bought other shrubs from them this year. They are small, but they were in beautiful condition. The rose, in fact, is doing great in the hot, humid conditions of mid-summer.

A+

I don't order plants online. It's too risky and I have no control over what I get. I much prefer shopping in person and browsing the store myself. That said, I have nothing but good things to say about Hirt's. I'm a bit of a fig fool and no one in the area has anything close to the number and varieties of figs that Hirt's does. This alone makes them a favorite of mine. They have all of the usual plants for sale but additionally they have the most unusual selections. We found today a number of fruits and landscape plants no one else in the area carries. It's a bit small compared to a few other local places, but it's a great shop to wander and browse in. I found something of interest in every greenhouse I entered.

Their prices on some things, like flats of veggies, are quite a bit higher than other nurseries. Their herbs are also pricey. On the other hand, if you're looking for some vegetables now for a late planting you're not going to find anything like the selection they have at Hirt's. I was dumbstruck at how many tomatoes and how many varieties, for example, they have yet and in good shape, too; while every other joint in the area is out of stock or has nothing but yellowed and bedraggled plants left. As for everything else, their prices seemed to me to be pretty much in line with most other local nurseries. I probably won't start my spring vegetable garden with plants from Hirt's--I can get better prices closer to home. But for everything else, for surprising options and for veggies for a later planting season, you bet, this will be my place.

Everyone I've met there, and I mean everyone without exception, has been friendly, helpful, informative. If you live in the area and walk into the joint without a chip on your shoulder, engage them in a friendly conversation you just might get your questions answered, you'll probably find someone who will take you right to the plants you're looking for, and you just might enjoy your visit. I have, so far.

I have nothing but good to say about the most unusual garden center in the area with the most surprising selection of plants. It's a good place.

My first order from Hirt's Gardens was a very satisfactory experience. My plants arrived in good condition and very promptly. A little soil in the bottom of the box, but after seeing the way packages are handled by UPS and USPS I wasn't surprised. They are in the ground and seem to be very happy here.

I placed a rather varied order (three live plants, assorted seeds, and small (but heavy) planters). Everything was well wrapped and, in spite of the fact that they spent more time in the mail than would've been ideal due to Memorial Day weekend, everything arrived in good condition! I was actually surprised at how well the live plants fared considering how long they'd been in transit.

There was a slight mix up with the seeds so I called the customer service number and they assured me they would send me what I needed. I just received everything today and am very pleased.

I ordered 4 tansy plants from Hirts. (Yes, I know tansy can be invasive, but if it will protect my squash this year, I don't care, lol. I have them in pots near my squash.) Anyway, the plants arrived quickly but they were so bedraggled. They had sealed the soil off so it wouldn't spill out which was good, but they had used packing peanuts to "protect" the plants. The moisture from the plants caused the peanuts to fuse together into these big globs, and those globs beat those poor plants nearly to death. All of them had most of their leaves beaten/broken off. I managed to salvage them with a lot of TLC, and they are doing fine now, but it was touch and go for awhile. Thankfully tansy is pretty hardy. A more delicate plant would have never survived such an ordeal. I sent them an email suggesting they not use the peanuts and why, and telling them about what a pitiful state they arrived in. I got an email response from Matt Hirt saying:

"Thanks for the email.
We will take your suggestions into consideration.

Thanks"

That is the entire email. I thought he could have at least apologized for the plants arriving in poor shape, or apologize for having to put out such an effort to get them to survive, but no. I have certainly learned my lesson. I will NEVER order from these folks again.

Ordered two Dragon Fruit plants from them awhile ago, they are growing like a weed and still extremely healthy! Will order from them again!

Posted on May 15, 2012, updated May 21, 2012
Last year I ordered 25 strawberry plants and 10 thornless blackberry plants-they were ok.
In Feb. I ordered seeds for my garden-beans, corn, etc. and then in March I again ordered more seeds. They all came ok.
BUT.....when it was time in Wa State to plant the garden, we had high hopes for a good return - NOT!!!!!
The seeds have turned out to be TERRIBLE - poor germination or no-germination at all - and it's not because it's been too cold, etc.
Planted the whole big pkg of blue lake pole beans - 2 came up, the whole pkg of yellow wax beans-NONE came up, 2 pkgs of peaches and cream corn - that has to be at least 100 seeds- only 31 came up, no rutabagas, parsnips, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and the list goes on. This is very irritating and maddening, it puts our gardens way behind, and besides we had to go out and rebuy them locally and take potluck, not much choice of seeds now that it's so late in planting season.
Today, I have sent them an email with these complaints - we shall see what transpires. I'll keep you posted.
Hirt's has just lost a good customer by this poor showing of their supposedly "so-good or better" seeds.

I ordered Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper) seedlings from them 2 years ago. All 4 plants turned out to be some sort of red habanero. When I contacted them they insisted that what I had were Bhut Jolokia instead of admitting their mistake. They are still doing the same bait and switch today. I'm a member of several gardening forums, and NOBODY has anything good to say about Hirt's Gardens.

I ordered 48 Jalapeno Lite Pepper Plants this year.
Order was placed using their Amazon Site.
Plants arrived in 6 days.
Plants were very healthy and well packaged.
I planted them 3 days ago and all are looking healthy and growing fast.
Ordered my Tomato and Sweet Pepper Plants from them Yesterday.

I ordered the butterfly bush 'miss molly' from Hirt's over the weekend. I was a bit surprised to see the plant at my door in 3 days. I actually didn't expect to see the plant till much later in the week. It was obvious the plant was packaged rather carefully---soil was covered so as not to spill out, and "paper bag" material covered whole plant and box was filled with styrofoam filler. I watered the plant as soon as i released it from the box and the plant perked right up. All in all, a very positive experience. By the way, first time i have ordered a plant by mail.

I placed an order Monday night April 23, 2012. Recieved email that order was shipped Tuesday April 24, 2012. I said that was tooooo quick, must be a scam...oooooh no. I should have researched before ordering. Well to my SURPRISE!!!! My plants arrived Thursday April 26, 2012. Packed well. Only issue ,... the leaves on the lily of the valley were broken. I will contact Hirts for replacement, and post the response. Because of the QUICK transaction, I'm hoping for a positive response. I was really impressed with the packing, plants(minus the lily of the valley) and absolutley timely shipping. Total of six plants,,,keeping fingers crossed that all live a long and happy life with me. This was the second online nursery that I have ordered from, and based on this transaction I would order again.

I had two transactions with them this yr. Both ended badly. First I ordered 12 Lavender plants. They arrived looking nice but within a few days they started to die off. By the end of the week they were all dead. I tried calling them about 100 times in one week...not an exaggeration. They NEVER answer their phone. Finally after trying to email and call them repeatedly I had to file a complaint with Paypal. As soon as I filed that complaint I got a response through email regarding my dead plants. I had to send them a picture of the dead items and my money was refunded. While my initial order of the lavender was in transit before that transaction went bad I made the mistake of ordering a second order from Hirts. I bought 25 hibiscus plants from them and they shipped 17. I was given a refund of 11.00 however I was charged 20.55 when I bought 25 plants. I was sent 17 plants and was still charged 20.55. The hibiscus are spindly with 1 or 2 leaves per plant. Not worth the money I paid. Once again I tried contacting Hirt's to ask them why I was sent a partial order of hibiscus when they are still selling sets of 25 on ebay and to discuss why I was charged the full price for shipping when I was sent a partial order but guess what....THEY NEVER ANSWER THEIR DAMN PHONE!! I would never ever consider buying another item from this company. I have purchased many items from online nurseries and dealing with Hirts Gardens has been the worst experience I have ever had and I would never buy from them again

I have to admit that I ordered from Hirt's before reading up on the company. Immediately after ordering I came here and wasn't feeling very good about my purchase because of all the bad reviews.

Luckily my order arrived within 48 hours so my worries were cut short! All of my plants arrived in beautiful condition- the best of any mail order plants I have ever purchased. They were larger than expected! I would expect to pay double for plants this size. Great selection of items, too! I originally went there for bunny tail grass seed and ended up purchasing many other items.

I will definitely be ordering from them again.

Posted on April 3, 2012, updated April 3, 2012
I have placed one order with them. Shipping was very reasonably priced and fast. I had a problem with my order that Matt immediately rectified. So two thumbs up for willingness to make sure the customer was satisfied.

I absolutely love Hirt's Gardens. I have had no problems with any of the plants or seeds I have purchased from them. They are prompt with shipping and plants are securely packaged and shipped as perishables.

I will continue to order from Hirt's and highly recommend them to other gardeners.

I just received 3 hardy hibiscus plants (and a packet of seeds) from this company. The plants were well packed and larger caliper than I had anticipated.

All 3 also have a nice compact head of healthy deep green leaves! Nothing remotely small or sickly about the bunch :)

Overall I am very happy with the new additions to my garden!