Comments regarding Thompson and Morgan (US)

I have had similar bad results with Thompson & Morgan seed. I have a heated propagator, a grow light set-up and sufficient experience with difficult seeds to know better. Their asarina, and hosta seed both had 0% germination. Four impatiens germinated out of 40 seeds and 1 Tacca out of 12.

An appalling company - I have used them for some years and all is well until a customer has a problem. In 1999 I had the wrong seeds in a packet. Obviously I did not know until they germinated. When I realised I wrote a polite letter pointing out the problem and asking for my money back. Three weeks later, no reply. I telephoned and was promised a return phone call. Nothing happened. Phoned again and was promised a return call within "5 minutes" No return call! I phoned yet again and asked for the Managing Director. He was "busy" but I was promised he would call. A week later and he had still not called. Still no reply to my letter. I had to involve my local Trading Standards Officer to obtain any response at all. I advise everybody to steer well clear of this dreadful company.

I have grown many plants from seed and consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable and experienced even with rare or difficult seed. Of all the companies I've ordered from over the years I consider Thompson and Morgan's seeds to be consistently the worst. I don't know how they can stay in business unless it's the gorgeous and tempting catalogue that that overcomes all self-restraint.

I have tried for the last two years to get a catalog from Thompson & Morgan with no success. I twice mailed in their catalog request cards included in gardening magazines. No catalog. I telephoned them twice and left messages asking for a catalog. No catalog. I mailed a notecard asking for a catalog. No catalog. I emailed their customer service three times. No catalog. I filled out the catalog request form on their internet site three times. No catalog. I have given up and will take my money elsewhere. My feeling is that if it's this hard just to get a catalog from this company, getting an actual order filled from them must be a nightmare.

I have telephoned this company twice to receive their catalog, and I have not received it yet. (Two years) The ironic part is that I reside in the same town (Jackson, NJ) as does Thompson and Morgan. I will purchase seeds elsewhere.

I am dissatisfied with the germination rates of their perennial seeds, particularly the rarer seeds. While I realize that many perennials are erratic germinators by nature, too many of T&M's seeds appear to be DOA. I have purchased T&M seeds that only rotted, even though identical varieties from J.L. Hudson germinated successfully. From comments elsewhere, it seems that many others have found T&M's quality to be lacking. The one person who liked T&M referred only to purchases of popular annuals.