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

I ordered a gunnera mannicata from them on Ebay spring 2005. Received it in record time & it was well-packed & in great shape. All communications were smooth.

I ordered some hard-to-find saffron crocuses from Hirt's. I was pleased that they carried them at all. They shipped them from Ohio to Oregon and I still got them within 4 days of ordering them. I ordered directly from their website. The bulbs are in bloom now and look fantastic.

Purchased from this seller on e-bay. Bulbs arrived within a week. Bulbs were nicely packaged and were of nice quality and health. Will buy from again.

I just purchased a small cryptomeria japonica 'koshyi', and it arrived in great shape.

Last year I purchased some spider lily bulbs from them. Even though I'm zone stretching slightly, the bulbs survived the winter and put up foliage this spring.

I bought from Hirt on eBay several times this summer. I bought live flower perennials, not bulbs and not seeds. And not tomatoes. BUT my autumn-flowering Hirt clematis is scrambling up its stump with about a million buds on it. The other one (spring flowering) is a little slower but still growing. The blue geranium I got to cover their roots is doing just that and blooming non-stop. My only problem is that one set of plants arrived and my husband planted them on his own without telling me they'd arrived. I wrote (e-mailed) to Hirt and he wrote back that according to his records, the plants had been shipped. Then I checked with my husband. He'd already planted everything in the wrong place!

I wish you had an "extremely positive" rating. I would give it to these guys. I ordered plant material from them last year through Ebay. The ordered contained lavender, evening primrose, irish moss, feverfew and various other bulb plants. EVERYTHING arrived in great condition. They were a little pricey, but it was well worth every penny spent.

Several months ago I bought several hundred dollars worth of plants from Hirt's on eBay. It was several auctions. Their instructions said that I could combine auctions and pay half the shipping on the total. I guess I could have figured it myself, but I emailed them for a total to be sure that I sent the correct amount. And hoping I could possibly get another discount since it was so many plants. No response. I emailed again. No response. Only the automated invoice at the end of each of the auctions. Again I requested a total. No response. I called them. "We're awfully busy. I'll get a total off to you in a few days". A "few days" pass and No response. By now I'm leary of sending my money off to someone that won't communicate with me so I don't. No additional requests for payment are sent to me. No "non-paying bidder reports", nothing. It's just like the auctions never happened. I personally have no experience with their plants. I never received them. Thank goodness I never paid for them either.

I bought 4 types of honeysuckle, and 8 types of sweet pea. They arrived incredibly well packaged, and in excellent shape. I was shocked at how huge the plants were. The honeysuckle were to be about 10" and they were easily double that. All of the plants were bright and healthy and are now in the ground and doing quite well. I'm very pleased. I've ordered more plants from them and I'll let you know how that batch turn out. I agree with one of the other posters on this thread... live plants do get some pretty extreme conditions during shipping. They may sit in a delivery truck without air conditioning while driver is on a break or whatever. Those vehicles can reach some pretty high temps in a very short period of time. Cooked plants tend to take a real fast nose dive. Receiving funky plants isn't always the seller's fault.

I purchased a couples sets of Japanese Maple seeds via eBay. On May 17 I received a notice that they would ship "within 6 days".
It's June 10 and nothing. I sent $10 for a $7.xx total order and instead of adding insurance or upgrading shipping I guess they thought it was a tip. I went back and realized they got my address slightly wrong in their confirmation e-mail (checked all my sent messages and it was not my error)-- sent a note this evening and waiting for a reply. The wrong address would still be on this route so I don't think that explains the missing seeds. I look forward to upgrading this report to a positive.

I saw that Hirt's had a 56% positive rating here at Garden Watchdog, but I decided to take a chance on some of their clearance merchandise on E-Bay because the price was so good. I've bought plants through the mail, the Internet, and in nurseries for twenty years, and I know that "clearance" often means "on its last legs", so I wasn't expecting anything wonderful.

The plants were shipped on the next working day after my order was placed, and arrived in three days. When I opened the box, I was delighted. The plants had been packed very, very carefully. Each of the 8 plants had extremely large and well developed roots (and yes, I am a bit obsessive and I checked each plant.) Some soil had spilled during shipment, but the roots did not suffer at all, and the soil remaining around the roots was still very damp. Every little leaf was perfect and green, and none had been broken off or even folded during packing or shipping.

I was thrilled with the quality of the experience I had with Hirt's, and I am going to go to their website right now and order more plants from them.

Bought off of eBay last year, 48 buddleia (butterfly bushes) and some delphiniums. The plants came larger than even pictured and the buddleia topped 5 feet by the end of the summer. Both bloomed well their first year in my garden. No complaints here at all.

I did receive the plants that I won on EBAY, but the poor plants were not in good shape. There is a red "clearance" sticker on the one geranium-from another store. The other geranium is beyond help. It is just plain dead. The packaging was just the plant in a pot with dirt and masking tape wrapped around it. It arrived dried out & missing most of the dirt. This was disappointing..won't buy from them again.

I've ordered japanese maples and other shrubs three times now off their Ebay listings. The first time I ordered 5 various japanese maples - and only 3 were delivered. The box contained a packing list with the missing two crossed out in black with a note that they were not good enough for shipping. I wrote to them asking why they listed them if they knew they were not good enough to ship. The next day they ended their Ebay auctions. They also refunded my money for those two items before they shipped the trees. I questioned them as to why they did not email me because they had other plants I would have liked to have as substitutes - no response on that email. Oh - the one's that were shipped were packed very well and arrived quickly and healthy.

The second order for more Japanese Maples arrived without any problems at all.

The third order for two Japanese Maples - more expensive ones included an order for a few Bayberry shrubs and four Bunny tail grass. When I received the order the maples were not packed as well as my prior two orders - too much tape and they taped the longer stems to the box! So when I took them out one had a couple of broken branches. They were also still saturated with water - too much water, and I worried about root rot. I complained to the company about their poor packing this time and received a reply that he spoke to the employee responsible for packing my order about the proper way of packing.

The bayberry plants were not included in the box. They were crossed off on the packing list and being non-acceptable. However they were still listed on Ebay. I wrote and they told me that two days after my items were shipped they received a new shipment. I don't know if that is true or not because they seem to list items on Ebay that they knowingly don't have in stock. Then when they refund you money you lose because of Paypal fees. So far this has happened twice. Too much of a coincidence for me.

Still - their Japanese Maples are quality items. I would recommend buying them. From reading everyone's posts, I don't think I'll be ordering anything else from them - no bulbs or seeds - I don't want to have to deal with rotten bulbs or outdated seeds.

Ken

i received 4 bulbs from Hirt's Bulbmart which 3 were rotten
they require rotten merchandise to be returned at my expense for a refund ???
what kind of customer service is this ?

I'm new to gardening, have no idea what to expect.
I placed 3 orders with 3 different companies.
I placed my order with Hirt's on 04-27. And I got my goods on 05-01. The Passiflora I ordered were small (3" pot) for how much it costed. But it was the best deal I found on the internet.
I'm really pleased with Hirt.

I haven't heard from other 2 nurseries yet.

I placed my order with bloomingbulb on 04-23, after I finished my order, the invoice said my bulbs would be shipped until 05-07 to 05-21(which is fine). However, bloomingbulb has charged my credit card 2-4 weeks before the scheduled ship date. And meanwhile (only after 2 days I placed the order), the bulbs I have order are on sale and Dennis said there would be no credit or so.

So I would stick with Hirt's....Hirt's offers good customer service.

Thanks

I strongly urge my fellow gardeners to avoid this Website. They say they process orders within a day. I placed my order on March 10th and did not receive it until April 12th. By that time, I had sent three e-mails asking what had happened, but I did not receive a response to any of them.

Four of the 13 items were not included. A line was drawn through the names on the packing list. No explanation was offered for their absence, and the missing items are still being offered for sale on the Website.

Common varieties were sent instead of the fairly exotic ones listed on the Website. A Saxifraga oppositifolia, for example, turned out to be a common arendsii.

The perennials I received were tiny, withered, and yellow. The bulbs had been growing for a long time in stapled brown paper bags without any airholes. The new growth was dead or dying.

I e-mailed the company with my complaints the day I received the order. No one ever responded to my message. Their policy requires the dissatisfied customer to repack and return the plants. The customer also has to pay the return postage and cover the cost of tracking and insurance. Why should a dissatisfied customer have to insure a box of worthless plants?

This company always sends out top quality items. I have ordered plenty of flowers from these guys and have never been disappointed. Great quality at excellent prices.

I have read all the negatives here but still decided to give it a try. Because a seller with 24K of transactions on eBay and 99.2% positive feedback could not be all that bad. Well, my plants - four dicentras - arrived a couple days after I ordered them, well packaged and in a great shape. So at least before the spring rush (my order was on Mar-6), they are pretty good. So to be fair, I am leaving a positive feedback here as well.

I have ordered from this company several times and overall would recommend them. The plants are small but usually make it here fine.
One complaint I do have is last year I placed a small bulb order and they left out 3 of the hyacinths (I paid around 1.50 apiece for them but never got them) I purchased, but otherwise I've been overall pleased with my orders from them.

I won a black ginger off ebay. Communication was quick, shipping was also quick. Product was very well packaged. I thought I was getting just a rhizome, but a plant was shipped complete with pot and several leaves. I have not complaints at all.

I ordered several tomato plants in the spring of 2004, and I never received them. However, I was never charged for them, either. They lost my order, despite e-mail confirmations I received.

I ordered Irish Mist Oxalis bulbs thru Hirt's ebay ID bulbmart. They were shipped promptly, but I didn't open and plant them promptly (they arrived over Thanksgiving, when I was out of town, and I forgot about them for several days after my return) By the time I did get around to opening the box, they had sprouted. The bulbs were whole, plump and obviously ready for action, and after only 5 days, they are already turning into a nice pot full of growth. I was so pleased with the results, now I'm waiting on a shipment from their seedmart ebay ID.

I only by house plants hoyas and succulents. I am very happy with plants. I have also called and found every one helpfull. will order again

Received exactly what i ordered. It arrived with in 7 days of ordering it and arrived in excellent condition. It seems to me a lot of the problems I see regarding Hirts are from customers ordering live plants or bulbs. Most problems with live plants and bulbs are related to the shipping carrier. Live plants and bulbs do not handle extreme enviroments very well. Believe me, the unpressurized cargo hold of a jet aircraft is about as extreme as you can get. If you want live plants or bulbs, go to your local nursery!! I have had problems with live plants and bulbs I ordered on line from every major plant company on the net! Its hit or miss at best.

I got old lilies for a high price. They had pale green growth about eight inches long and of three bulbs only one bloomed. Three more were puny and three were fine. When I wrote to them about the puny dried up bulbs they ignored me. MY girlfriend wrote many many letters to them and finally got a refund but she put a lot of effort into it.

I have bought from this company a few times. The shipping time is moderate but although I followed the provided directions, I have never had much success w/ their seed. It's my guess that their seeds aren't quite a fresh as they should be.

I ordered two sets of 3 lily bulbs. None have come up. I have contacted them and was told that I had to dig up the bulbs and mail them back at my expense to get a refund. . If the bulbs didn't come up chances are they rotted! I have never had another gardening company to make this request. I think that they must be selling old bulbs. I also ordered a peony, it arrived almost completely rotted. It tried to sprout but didn't make it. I was told to wait until the end of the season and get back with them about it. The customer service for this company is really poor, sales are the priority here, not customer satisfaction!

i ordered several items (3 varieties of canna and a multipack of tigridia) from hirt's ebay auctions in april. due to miscommunication, hirt's had thought that i wanted delayed shipment. when i contacted them via telephone a month later to inquire about the delay, they shipped immediately: i received all but one of the lots ONE DAY after i communicated with them in may. one of the three canna lots had rotted out during the april-may interim...however, matthew hirt not only disclosed that fact, but also offered me a refund for that bulb lot AND the shipping costs attributable to that lot. i received the refund via paypal on the same day. the bulbs that were delivered are lovely and healthy, and i think that the integrity of the company pretty much outweighs the slow delivery :)

My order for tomato plants was handled on-line and the plants arrived quickly, in great shape and packaged very well. I have placed another order by phone and rec'd equally superior service.

I purchased a tree peony,from this company, via e-bay. He specifically offered delayed shipping, which I requested, when sending payment, as instructed.He totally ignored the request, and mailed immediately. When I arrived home, after a 10 day trip, the plant was a dried twig, that did not make a come back, no matter how I pampered it. I e-mail him immediately upon my return and was very nice, explaining how heartsick I was (it was to be my first tree peony, and an anniversery gift) and asking if he would replace, if it didn't make it. I have never received a response from him.I am no longer being nice about this. I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THIS COMPANY AGAIN!!

I order quite a few items (seeds, plants, trees, tools) from a variety of excellent sources (Pinetree, Fork & Spade, Raintree, Dutch Gardens) and was looking for artichoke plants.

Interestingly, the only source appeared to be Hirt's Greenhouse & Flowers so I ordered several plants despite mixed reactions from other customers.

Matthew Hirt sent me an email afterwards explaining when he would send the plants and charge my credit card -- which was a nice touch.

I just received the plants and they are in good shape. I always give people the benefit of the doubt and Mr. Hirt delivered something I couldn't get anywhere else at a fair price and in good condition.

If the negative comments from other customers are true, I have to conclude that Mr. Hirt has turned over a new leaf. (pardon the pun)

I purchased some seeds and plants from Hirt's a month ago and almost all of the seeds germinated and the plants are doing well in my garden.
Plus their prices are fantastic
garden expert

I defiantely would NOT recommend this company. I purchased a large flower/seed order and received old outdated seed. Someone in the company blacked out (with a marker) the original printed "packed for" date on the seed packets and placed a Hirt's 2004 sticker over that date to conceal the true 2002/2003 dates on all the packets. You can peel off the Hirt's sticker and hold the packet to a light to seed the true "packed for" date.
A very low percentage of seed germinated; some packets didn't have one seed germinate.
When I confronted them twice via e-mail, I recieved NO response.
Bottom line - they sell over-priced seed packets and ship old outdated seed which they probaly buy at closeout the year before.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

i have had different luck with this company . one time plant will be nice and next time not so nice . last thing i ordered was a staghorn fern. it had mealy bugs all over it. i know the difference between spores and mealy bugs. i just cleaned the plant up and kept it away from the others i have. i was really shocked at this because i have never received a plant from anyone with bugs already on it.

I attempted to correct this seller about what they were advertising as "true" bamboo. I got back a rude response. I'm surprised that they would be so unprofessional. I hope they will be more kind to other suggestions.

//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2362396368&category=20524
Hardy Variegated Dwarf Bamboo Bonsai
Pogonatherum crinitum variegatum
"This true bamboo forms a tight thicket ..."

I wrote:
> Pogonatherum crinitum. "German grass". Lovely, delicate grass of tiny, bamboo-like stalks. A miniature bamboo, though it's not.
>
> see //www.americanbamboo.com

Hirtsgreen@cs.com>
Please check all of my auctions for inaccuracies. I cannot afford an expert like you so I appreciate you working for free. By the way, Bamboo is a common name with no meaning or value. The proper genus and species is listed.
Also, get a life!

Extremely fast shipping and excellent packaging. Amaryllis and garlic bulbs were large and healthly and perennials adequate. Free bonus included. So far I am very satisfied, and I will upgrade this company to a positive if the amaryllis blooms are the species stated in the web site (I ordered from the company site, not ebay.)

This was my first order with them and I was impressed with the root structure and health of the plants. I only ordered four Dianthus' this time and they came in sets of two. Nice size, packed securely and shipped in a timely manner. I am very pleased and will order from them again. I hope I continue to have such good luck with my purchases from them as I find the prices quite reasonable.

I've ordered twice from Hirt's, both orders were very large and both times I was very pleased. The Delphiniums and columbines I ordered this spring were large and healthy. I was a little disappointed that a couple turned out to be white instead of the blue I had ordered, but they were very large orders. I was very impressed with the size of the roots and the way the plants thrived. They really had nice perennials. Both times they shipped quickly and took great care in packaging my items. I've never ordered tomatoes from them, which seems to be one of their downfalls, but as far as the flowers, they were great!! I was so disappointed that so many customers were unhappy with them...

Bought a Seemanii Passifloria for them via e-bay. I have been somewhat satisfied with the product they sent me....The plant was very small for the price paid. But at least it is begining to grow, unlike some of the other experiences.
However, since I see all the negative responses of the way others were treated. I think I will count myself lucky and not buy from them again. There are just to many other places to buy good plants and seeds, and not have to pay out your money and put up with such nonsense...