Comments regarding Bluestone Perennials

Posted on May 12, 2011, updated May 9, 2017
This is the first time I've ordered from Bluestone but it won't be the last. My plants were well packed and healthy and I appreciated the planting & gardening info & the coupons for future purchases. The plants have been in the ground for 2-3 weeks now & are doing well. The rudbeckia are small but doing nicely, the clematis has at least doubled in size & has new side shoots, the coreopsis is budding. I had thrown out the peanuts BEFORE I read the recycling info but appreciate the effort on their part & glad to read they're going "greener" this fall. Great service.

Just received my order of Yucca filamentosa "Bright Edge," and I couldn't be happier. I've placed several orders with Bluestone Perennials over the years and they have consistently met or exceeded my expectations. A fantastic company to deal with. Highly recommended.

Bluestone Perennials is a reliable, high quality nursery. I ordered a wide variety of plants from them and they sent the plants when I requested, and every single plant was in excellent health and much larger than I expected. It is a pleasure purchasing from them.

Have been ordering from Bluestone for many years and am consistently happy with their plants. Customer service is great; the few problems I have had with orders have been quickly and fairly resolved. I particularly appreciate the ease with which additional plants can be added to an existing order. I also prefer the smaller size of their shrubs, as it makes them easier to add to existing beds. I do remove plants from the coir pots before planting. I like to loosen the roots and make sure they are in contact with my native soil, which seems to work well.

Because I live close to their greenhouse, I drove up there and was extremely impressed. They had hugh selection of very healthy and reasonably priced perennials
I did not see one unhealthy plant in their large, alphabetized greenhouse

I easily found what I was looking for and planted them today. They look healthy and I am very pleased

A big order of perennial flowers came today. All perfectly packed and healthy. I am once again very pleased with the whole process and this a go-to vendor for my gardening needs.

Love Bluestone. Always got their magazine and a couple years ago opened up a whole new section where I could plant flowers. We took a ride one day to the nursery. It was 4 hours away, but worth the drive! There were so many plants I didn't know which way to go first! Ordered several hundred dollars of plants. Did lose a few, but never bothered to call and tell them because I know they would have replaced them. They told me their plants are guaranteed. There are some nurseries that will give you 30 days and if you lose the plant, they'll replace it, sometimes. Bluestone stands by their word. They told me if any plant I purchased from them does not come back the next year and is a perennial, they will replace it, just call them! I was quite impressed with this alone! I am quite happy with Bluestone and have continued to order from them and will do so in the future. The selection is great, the catalog is alphabetical so things are easy to find. Wish it was closer to home because if it was, I know I'd be ordering even more than I currently do. It's all the shipping costs that hold me back. They are not out of reason by any means, but I love flowers and could order away which can get quite expensive with shipping costs. Cant speak highly enough about this company! All plants come in great shape ready to plant.

I ordered multiple plants - hollies, viburnums, sedums and daylilies. When it came time to ship, they were out of the variety of holly that I had ordered and contacted me to offer options, which included a refund or substitution with a different variety. I chose substitution, the variety they suggested was actually a couple of dollars more per plant. The plants arrived packaged wonderfully and in good shape. I am very happy with the order and will order more from this company.

We moved to Oregon recently, and I am into the process of rehabilitating the somewhat neglected, depleted garden. I took a chance on Bluestone because I love mums. They feature many varieties I am unable to obtain locally. I also ordered hollyhocks and monarda.
I was absolutely delighted when my order arrived. The plants looked vigorous, and I like the coir "pots" which go straight into the ground. They all produced blooms the first year, and the second year was spectacular. I'm truly impressed.
I had an issue that involved Customer Service. The woman who took my call was exceptionally gracious and helpful. I'm pretty sure she was "local."
I'm planning a new Summer rock garden, and will be ordering from Bluestone again.

Have ordered from this company several times and am always pleased with the products and the service. I've been especially happy with their clematis and mums. Will buy from them again.

My Golden lotus Hellebore arrived secured so well in a box defending it from damage even if it were thrown off the delivery truck. I am grateful for their care in packaging. The roots were all over the little 'pot' and look enthusiastic. There were very clear instructions included in the shipment, describing the stresses and why giving it water immediately is a good idea, etc., even to the detail of allowing the plant to 'rest' a couple days in some shade just to get acclimated. They show some care for their plants - a good sign!

Last year, I ordered plants a couple of times from Bluestone. One plant, a clematis, started to grow, then died. I informed Bluestone, and they refunded my money. This year, I noticed that 4 plants from one of those orders did not come up. I notified Bluestone this week (Monday), and within a day, got an email that they were replacing the order. I received 3 of the plants (4th is scheduled to be shipped in the fall) on Thursday. The plants are always packaged well, and these plants seem pretty healthy. I do agree with some of the comments I've seen about those pots they use, though - I don't think they should be left on the plant when planting. I did cut off the pots on some of the plants I got last year, and those seem to be the ones that came up this year. Those that came up (i.e., from previous orders) look good. Although I've had some problems with plants, Bluestone has been very good about standing behind their claim of guaranteeing their plants.

Posted on June 14, 2016, updated June 14, 2016
Last year I bought a hollyhock, among other plants, from BP. This plant is a biennial, so I expected a flower stalk. Nothing but a few leaves on the ground. This year it has so far produced a few leaves on the ground and doesn't seem to want to produce a flower stalk.

I first tried to email them, but the message didn't get through. Today, I called them and spoke to someone who didn't seem to know anything about flowers. When I asked why it didn't seem to want to flower, I was told twice it needed to seed to get more flowers. What?

Finally I was told they would replace it, but I told them I didn't want their products anymore.

I cannot recommend this place at all. The other plants I bought from them didn't come back despite being perennials.

I have ordered from Bluestone many times over the years and have always been impressed with the packaging and healthy condition of the plants on arrival. They arrive 2 days after being shipped and an e-mail notifies they have been sent.Before Memorial Day this year, I called to ask that an order be sent after the weekend, as I would not have been here when it arrived to tend to it. Although the plants had been packaged for shipping that AM, the rep said she would halt it and that the plants would be unpacked and taken care of until the following Tuesday. When ordering, I have never had to wait for a representative to take my order or answer my questions. All representatives have been helpful, patient , friendly and good natured. Bluestone stands by their guarantee absolutely and cheerfully.This is such a fun place to buy plants with their winter Friday 50% off specials and other random sales to give us incentives to continue filling out our gardens , I love that you can continue adding to your order all winter and early spring and be charged once for shipping, depending on the total order. Customer service is important to continue sales. That coupled with growing vigorous healthy plants is the key to customer's goodwill and satisfaction and to Bluestone's success.

I ordered 3 clematis plants from the sale. They arrived with a good bit of soil spilled from the pots, but otherwise fine. Two of the plants looked wonderful, larger than expected, very healthy. The third one was a bit small and a couple of the leaves were turning dark but plant overall looked healthy. I will pot these up and let them grow a bit more before putting them in the ground.

I have ordered many perennials from this company and they always ship vigorous, healthy plants that root well and take off. I only order perennials from other places when I can't find them on Bluestone's site or they are out of stock. They have never disappointed me.

Posted on May 7, 2003, updated May 28, 2016
I received my order today and everything was very well packed.By far the best specimens for the money that I have ever seen by mailorder.The only problem I have is that they backordered part of my order and told me that they will ship it out in the fall.As far as I'm concerned this is unacceptable for an order placed on 2/25,I think they could have let me know earlier so I could have picked something else.

I wish there was a choice for Extra supremely positive. My experiences with Bluestone Perrenials have exceeded my expectations several times over every single time. My first order I was apprehensive about what quality plants I would get. So glad there was no need to worry. All the plants were healthy and thrived after planting. I have since placed four other orders and have always been delighted with their products and service. I did have one plant arrive in somewhat poor shape but it was immediately replaced when I called. The woman I spoke to couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. I wasn't even sure if I even needed a replacement since I hadn't even planted the plant but she assured me she would send a replacement immediately. This is a fabulous company with high quality and affordable perrenials. I'll be ordering from them regularly.

I spent a good amount of money on some perennials. I followed the instructions but most of the plants died. Such a waste.

"On May 16, 2016 3:43 PM, Bluestone Perennials responded with:

We are sorry to hear about the plants you lost. Please be in touch so that we can reship or refund. Your plants are guaranteed. We also have a Help Desk that could answer any questions you might have about replanting. 800-852-5243"

I like that Bluestone offers various specials throughout the season and that they will combine orders that have not shipped yet to help save the customer on shipping costs. I ordered a Clematis Sapphire Indigo plant and three Tricyrtis formosana Gilt Edge plants - all of which arrived in excellent condition. They were unable to fulfill my order for Dicentra Burning Heart, which understandably, sometimes happens with live goods, but provided excellent customer service in notifying me and offering to switch that item out with a similar plant or provide a refund. I am very satisfied with the plants I received from this company and would highly recommend them to other gardeners.

Posted on May 8, 2009, updated April 27, 2016
Have ordered many times from this wonderful nursery. Whether you are a novice or master gardener, looking for staples or the very unusual, you will find it here. Everything is healthy and ready to grow, grow, grow! A very positive and worthwhile experience.

I purchased several perennials this year for urban container gardening from Bluestone Perennials, including a hosta, some hydrangeas, a heuchera, and some Lysimachia Aurea. I placed the order in March; they shipped in April when the danger of frost was mostly past, and they emailed me when the order had shipped. The package arrived promptly; the plants were excellently packed and in great condition. Other than the heuchera (which is looking much less healthy than when it arrived), they are all thriving. Will order again.

"On Apr 19, 2016 3:39 PM, Bluestone Perennials responded with:

Thanks camicalm! Let us know if the Heuchera continues to decline - your plants are guaranteed."

I've ordered from a lot of catalogs and I must admit that Bluestone tops them all. The plants were in wonderful condition; they were exactly what I ordered; they came with good instructions; and the pots they arrived in are really ideal. I just had to share this information with others who, like me, have had many less than satisfactory experiences with mail-order plants!

Posted on January 13, 2016, updated February 21, 2016
Posted on May 25, 2003, updated January 13, 2016
I'm adding to the positive comments already listed. Great service, good quality(but small plants) and reasonable prices. And they take care in shipping so plants arrive in good shape. Good company to deal with.

"On Jan 18, 2016 12:14 PM, Bluestone Perennials responded with:

Hello, Illinigardener! I am sorry to hear you were disappointed in your latest shipment. Last spring's extended periods of rain and lack of sun presented some unexpected challenges for all mid-west gardeners, but especially for us on a commercial scale. From your description, the Daphne never should have been shipped, and we apologize that it was. It does not sound from your post that you allowed us to reship (at no charge to you, of course) so I will contact you via Dmail to offer to replace from our new crop or refund. I would like to clarify that all of our material is now in a 3 1/2" square x 4" deep pot, where 5 years ago, we were in a 2 1/2" square x 3" deep. The results are a plant 2-3 times the size of our older material. I hope you will give us the chance to prove that to you this spring!"

My review is actually Very Positive, I've been purchasing from Bluestone Perennials for many years. On a couple of occasions I've lost plants via they hadn't come up the following year.

This company totally stands behind their product, I just asked for a discount to replace a couple of plants ordered two years prior. They ordered me replacements for both...happily. I could feel the smiling face through the phone.

Yes I consider the plants on the small side and would rather that than a large root bound specimen I'd have to pay more for shipping. I really appreciate ordering from a company that grows things I like and my garden benefits from much diversity I couldn't find anywhere else.

Look for their coupons and deals and incentives, they usually have something going on.

Thanks Bluestone Perennials for being an awesome Company!

I have ordered from Bluestone Perennials for quite a few years. Last year I ordered 9 Creeping Phlox that have all done very well. This year I have ordered 3 Clematis. I have never had a problem with Bluestone Perennials. The only issue I have is with their use of Fiber Pots. These pots are not biodegradeable, and do not disintegrate. I end up cutting the plants out of these pots prior to planting. I really wish they would not use these pots. They are unattractive in the garden.

I ordered about $800 worth of perennials, annuals, and bulbs from Bluestone this season. We were landscaping a half-acre garden and I decided to mail-order hard-to-find plants and cultivars. I am an experienced gardener who's mail-ordered plants many times before, sometimes with mixed or negative results.

My experience with all five orders from Bluestone was extremely positive. Plants were in good health, well-packaged and as ordered in all cases. I'm not crazy about the coco coir pots they ship in - I strip them off rather than plant them in directly - but I have found other uses for the coco matting, which works particularly well as a pot-liner for container perennials and for orchids.

All of the shipped plants arrived in good condition and transplanted well, with the exception of Nepeta "little trudy," which failed, probably because we had a very humid and wet summer here in Z6b. My three cats demanded a replacement since they were practically chewing the dead bits to pieces. I notified Bluestone and they shipped replacements promptly, no questions asked. Communication with them via email was prompt and reassuring.

I believe Bluestone shipped using USPS second-day mail, which meant that my plants arrived very quickly. That was very satisfying, as sometimes it's hard to wait around for weeks until your plants arrive. YMMV; I live in Rochester, NY.

They have a great selection of hard to find cultivars. They also have good sales where you can pick up desirable plants and bulbs pretty inexpensively. I will shop with them again, next time I need plants I can't source locally.

I placed an order for about 10 shade perennials and they were at my front door 3 days later. Most of the plants were on sale and the prices were competitive with what I saw on other online retailers. They were packaged very well and all the plants look very healthy. Would recommend Bluestone 100%

plants arrived well packaged and the daylilies I ordered were in good order. The blue grass samples were small, although, because of their pots, I could see that they had not just been re-potted into a larger pot, as some nurseries do. Each time I order from them, about every year or so, I find that the plants I order are smaller than I expected.

Posted on May 26, 2015, updated July 28, 2015
Posted on May 14, 2010, updated May 26, 2015
A plant I ordered this year was shipped via UPS on a Friday, so it sat in a hot UPS truck over the weekend and took 4 days to arrive instead of the normal 2. Needless to say, it did not survive. To their credit, they sent a replacement plant and said they would issue a refund (which I haven't seen yet). Also, their idea of packing is to stick the pot (soil uncovered and unwrapped) in a box and then fill the box with plastic peanuts (not environmentally friendly)--not the best way to insure healthy arrival.

I ordered 3 pink agastache plants ("Raspberry Summer"). Plants arrived in great condition, except they were not what I ordered. They had the correct tags in the pots, but they were purple--not even close to pink! I called right away and Bluestone Customer Service took great care of me. I got replacements within 2 days and the plants are doing great! I would definitely order from them again.

I ordered several plants from Bluestone Perennials this spring. All arrived quickly and were in great shape except for one. It was in its last death throes. I contacted customer service and explained the situation. They offered me credit or a replacement plant. The plant I had ordered was out of stock so I chose a different type of plant. Bluestone sent it Priority Mail and I received it in two days! Very nice, healthy plant, at no charge! You can't ask for more than that. I think they try very hard to live up to expectations but mistakes are always going to happen. I am very pleased with their service.

My past orders from Bluestone have included many perennials and more recently shrubs - abelia, variegated boxwood and false cypress. The shrubs arrived small and I kept in pots for a while, burying the pots in the ground over the winter. All the plants are now in the ground and thriving. This is a good company that I enjoy doing business with. I also like the fact that they keep past orders online in your account info. Helps me every time I forget whether that hydrangea I ordered is a pink diamond or quick fire hydrangea or what.

FedEx lost my package and I contacted Bluestone Perennials for some info FedEx wanted for the claim. Bluestone, without being asked (since it was not their fault) reshipped the order, and the plants arrived healthy and lovely looking. I was surprised by how proactive they were with customer service. I will definitely be looking at Bluestone when making future gardening plans.

Huge pat on the back for this company; order was shipped when promised but I was unable to get the package open until 7 days later. One plant was a little wilted (it is resting in my shaded nursery area and already doing better), everything else is fine, root balls are still hydrated. Great job. I'm not crazy about their pots; I've found that the rim needs to be cut off, otherwise, the pots wick the water away from the plant after it is in the ground. Small price to pay for excellent plants and service.

I ordered two Clematis Rebecca, and Rosemoor. Plants arrived in excellent condition and delivery was on schedule. I will most likely order from Bluestone again.

Posted on February 1, 2014, updated June 5, 2015
I've ordered from Bluestone at least three times over the years. Communication was excellent, I received exactly what I ordered when I expected it, and the plants were well packed.
Customer service was excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this nursery to anyone.

My only quibble with this nursery is their use of coir pots. I've long found that the only way to get a plant in a coir pot to survive in the ground is to rip it out of the pot before planting, not an easy task.

We used to order all the time when they sold the 3-pack of small plants for a very reasonable price. Then we stopped for a few years and meanwhile they changed to the coir and the higher prices, so we didn't use them although they do have nice stuff. This year we sent in 2 orders and both were great with nice plants arriving quickly and in good health. But we do cut away the coir, which seems like kind of a waste. The plants are too expensive, however, to take a chance with it.

I recently put in an order with Bluestone Perennials and was emailed written confirmation for "Spring" shipment of all plants. When received I was very disappointed to find two of the plants missing, "back-ordered" until fall. And yet more unhappy to find that my credit card had been charged for the entire order.

So I immediately contacted Bluestone Perennials, telling them of my dissatisfaction about how my order was handled. Pat in Customer Service was very responsive to my communication about this.

Bluestone graciously offered a generous replacement of plants to "make things right." These plants just arrived and look healthy. Because of this good customer service I look forward to future purchases from Bluestone Perennials.