Comments regarding Bluestone Perennials

My plants arrived healthy. I wish they didn't use peanuts in their packing. They are a little too high priced for me to order again.

This could easily have been a negative posting, but the excellent customer service at Bluestone changed that! This was my first order with Bluestone... for 9 plants of Silver Beauty ajuga. Unfortunately, when my plants were packed, the packer did not notice the slugs that were hitching a ride from Ohio to Louisiana. The slugs arrived fat and happy, but the plants did not! The slugs had managed to eat through the stems of every last one of the plants and slime trails covered the entire interior of the box. I am hopeful that the ajuga will come back fine, but I was certainly dismayed at my "free slugs with purchase"! I called to let Bluestone know what happened. When I've called other companies in the past about plants arriving damaged, the first response from many others has been "do this and that and stand on your head and pray for the plant and IF it doesn't improve by next season, give us another call and we'll see what we can do." That was definitely not the response from Bluestone. They were very apologetic and immediately offered to send replacement plants. I told them I thought these would spring back with time... that I was just calling to alert them to the slug problem. The rep then offered to send me different plants just for my trouble. Wow! And, just to doubly impress me, the rep added that if my ajuga didn't bounce back, I should call and get them replaced for free as well (in addition to the plants they are sending me now). Now THAT is customer service! I will definitely be a repeat customer. Thanks, Bluestone! A++++

I just received my plants that I ordered online last week. They are beautiful and extremely healthy. I have ordered from many mail order companies before and without a doubt these are the best plants I have ever gotten. The packaging ensured no damage would occur to the plants. I simply cannot say enough positive things about this company. I will certainly be ordering from this company again.

This is my first order placed with Bluestone Perennials and my plants arrived right on time. I had ordered 1 (group of 3) of the 'CATANANCHE Caerulea major' and they were all very healthy looking and packaged quite nice and secure. I also love that they have 'Specials' ~ (my CATANANCHE was on special at that time too). Anyway, I believe this is a highly reputable company with an outstanding guarantee. I will be ordering from them again in the near future. Thanks so much Bluestone! =)

My order consisted of (3) Trifolium purpurascens, (4) Tiarella 'Elizabeth Oliver', and (4) Aruncus kneiffii. The plants arrived undamaged and in fine condition.
Both the Tiarella and the clover were very impressive; quite literally overflowing from their pots.
The Aruncus, on the other hand, appeared rather scrawny, however, I have to consider this may be their normal appearance when grown in small pots, (I have never grown Aruncus before.)
I am especially pleased that Bluestone was able to ship the plants at the appropriate time for planting- prior to the onset of hot weather- something many other companies have been unnable to do. As a result, I have had whole orders succumb to the heat- something I do not anticipate will happen to my order from Bluestone.
I would definately recommend this company to a friend.

I received my plants last week. The plants were ok after sitting in the sun all day. It was my fault that I did not check my email but it was Bluestones fault for shipping with Fedex. Fedex never gets anything right down here.

This is probably about my fourth or fifth order placed with Bluestone and as always the plants arrived in excellent condition and just in time for planting. Thank you Bluestone!

I ordered from Bluestone based on the reports on this site. I've been ordering from various garden sites for over twenty years, so I've seen both good and bad. My first order with the company was a little over $400.00 in plants for a new bed. Their online catalog is excellent. Easy to use with good info on species. After ordering, I received a quick email reply and they shipped within a week. Outstanding for this time of year. The best part, the PLANTS. Packaging was excellent, everything arrived in great shape. Every plant is healthy and almost all were much larger than I expected. Bluestone is going to be my first stop for all future nursery orders.

Just ordered some more plants! I am sure they will be just as nice as my previous plants. Usually try to buy at least a few from them last year. I also bought gift certificates and my mother loves them.

Also noting last year the butterfly bush I ordered for my mother-in-law and they are sending her a new one just as their 100 satisfication states.

I love Bluestone they are a wonderful company. The plants are lush and beautiful, perfect size for planting. I only wish they would start selling Aconitums so I don't have to buy them from the inferior nurseries. I am so happy I found them. I order every year from them and they never let me down. The one time a plant did not survive the winter they prompted sent me a replacement. The plants are strong and ready to greet the world and put on a beautiful show. Their catalog is helpful and their website is easy to use. Thanks Bluestone!

Beautifully packed plants in great shape!

I placed a large order of perennials with Bluestone this spring. This was my first time ordering from them, but after reading the comments here, I was unconcerned about placing a large order. I had to call and email them to special order some sizes/quantities. They were very responsive to email and I had no problem getting people on the phone. The people are pleasant and knowledgeable. I ordered in February to get a discount and it was hard waiting until spring. The plants arrived on time (April) and with email notification and a tracking number. The plants were the correct varieties, were healthy, leafed out and even flowering. They were in perfect shape because of the great care Bluestone uses in it's packaging. I have used many of the highly rated online nurseries but I've never seen packaging this good. Bluestone is my source for perennials online .

I am so glad that Dave's garden has this feature. I ordered from Bluestone perennials because of their high rating, and I was not disappointed. The plants were healthy and well packed, just as I expected them to be. I will order from them again! Thank you!

I received the first enormous spring shipment this past week of plants and shrubs from this company. they all arrived alive, and healthy. The packaging was good except for the packing peanuts which get stuck in all the foliage and difficult to remove without damaging the leaves. But I managed to gently shake them all out. The size of the plants were as described on their website and the shrubs came with fertilizer pellets, so i don't understand how some of the other people here expected anything else. I planted everyone of them as directed and even after a cold snap last nite, all look wonderful. I used many of their coupon codes and feel I got my moneys worth. All in all very good experience. I have recommended Bluestone to others and wouldn't have done so if I felt they were not an excellent nursery. If people want full sized plants I do not suggest they use an online nursery and go to your local nursery so you can see the sizes you purchase. No one can make everyone happy.

This is a top-notch company second only to my local greenhouse/nursery. I've ordered from Bluestone several times now and have never ever been disappointed. Perfect packaging and healthy plants -- my last order was for several Agastache Cana and those little guys took off like wildfire. Looked like they'd been in the garden for years. Awesome. Bluestone will have my business for a long long time.

Ordered 65 plants this year, they all arrived yesterday in perfect condition. Thank you. I will be ordering again.

Received my order a day or so ago and now letting the plants recover from shipping in a shady spot. Not that they really needed it, they were wonderfully packed and all arrived in terrific condition. It was hard to believe that 50+ plants could be shipped so efficiently! Highly recommend this company.

I ordered plants for a butterfly/hummingbird garden - a community project - and ground cover for a slope on which nothing has ever grown except cast iron barn grass! The company emailed when they shipped and I was able to track the shipment. UPS actually delivered to the garden plot! The plants all arrived in beautiful condition! Healthy, in their little pots - not root bound and difficult to remove, Each marked with their names, projected height etc. They were planted as soon as received! We would certainly order from this company again! Now if we can just keep the critters out of the garden! Thanks from the community!

As far as quality products go, this company is now at the top of my list for mail order plants.

I was tickled to see how well developed my plants were, and how well they were packed. The information provided with the plants were great, and the color catalog is beautiful.

The only thing that I can say was a bit disappointing was that the majority of the coupons they enclosed were expired.

"On Apr 7, 2009 1:53 PM, Bluestone Perennials responded with:

Thanks for nice posting! The coupons that we are sending out in our boxes expire next spring (2010) - it's a common mistake. We like to reward our customers that have ordered from us with some coupons for their next order, so the coupons are usually good for a year (with some occasional exceptions). "

I received my polychroma euphorbias today, 3 small, but very healthy looking,
they are in the ground now, I placed my order over the phone, and did not
have the code for the discount with me when I made the order, but they
gave me the discount anyway, the customer service so far has been
what I would expect from a company who expects to stay in business.

Just got my first order from Bluestone and I'm very happy with it. I ordered two Guernsey Cream clematis plants and they arrived on time and are really nice healthy plants. They did a great job of packing them too. I will not hesitate to order from them again.

I placed my second order with Bluestone Perennials this spring. Yes, they are small plants but they don't hid that fact and the price is great. They also include coupons with every order and have lots of sales to reduce the cost even more. The plants arrive healthy and have thrived in my garden. They will continue to get my business.

I have had nothing but great service from Bluestone Perennials. This year they even sent my order the first day they shipped orders, March 23rd. Most companies make you wait until your "frost free date". They have my business every year!

I enjoy dealing with this company, they are very helpful. I have ordered from them 4 times and only once had to call them regarding a plant that was not making it. To my suprise they shipped out a replacement plant the very next day. I am extremely happy with this company and will continue to order from them. I always love looking at their beautiful catalog and when they run specials they are real bargins. Great Experience

I ordered during one of their end of spring sales, my plants arrived and I was happy. 3 of them didn't make it over the year so after reading a couple of comments that they actually guarantee their plants, I wrote to them (not thinking I'd even get a reply). To my amazement I received a quick reply apologizing and that the 3 plants that didn't make it would be replaced and sent out in the next spring shipment. Wow, now that is service. I also went online a month ago and saw some more plants on special which I went ahead and ordered and paid shipping, and they matched it up to my pending shipment and actually added them to that and refunded my shipping. Now that is going above and beyond for a customer, I didn't even have to ask. I will certainly be ordering from them in the future and recommending them. The plants that did survive that first shipment grew so fast and are huge. Could not be happier.

I love their company, the violets that I ordered from them are doing great! I also ordered an aronia from them and it's also doing wonderfully, as is the giant pussywillow. Even though we had a severe drought and I didn't get a chance to water them as much as I should have, they still grew big this fall. Their customer service is the best, and they have tons of specials and are constantly offering money off their plants. Even the strawberries I got are still going strong, and I never had good luck keeping strawberry plants in our soil we have.

I have ordered from Bluestone Perrenials for many years. I enjoy getting 3 small plants vs. 1 for the same amount of money on other websites. If I have a plant that does not survive the season it has been replaced by Bluestone. This satisfaction policy keeps me coming back to Bluestone when I order year after year.

I have used Bluestone as my main source for perennials for years, placing at least one order per year. I am happy with their selection, prices, and quality of plants. Their customer service has always been very helpful. I have ordered with many other companies as well, but this one remains my old standby for reliable quality and service.

I have heard others complain about the size of the plants they ship.....they are indeed small, however they are healthy, and they take off once planted. It's very unusual for me to lose plants that I get from Bluestone, but if it happens they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and will replace those that don't make it. I've just placed my spring order for 2009 and can hardly wait to get my shipment (unfortunately still another 2.5 months off.....).

Great Pernnials strong plants deliverd on time Thanks

I am writing this a bit late, but I ordered from their late summer clearance sale this summer and wanted to share my experience.

I placed two substantial orders, and BOTH times they were shipped so late in the week, they ended up spending the weekend in our local UPS office, where I couldn't pick them up, and they don't deliver in Saturday or Sunday. I am an easy 2-3 hour drive from them, and 2-3 days for delivery is just ridiculous, especially during the hottest part of the year.

The plants arrived very stressed, and were it not for their 100% replacement guarantee, I can assure you this would be a negative, not a neutral, as a fair number of the plants didn't make it after having spent a hot summer weekend in an non-climate-controlled warehouse.

When I called to report it, while replacing my order, I was told that they ship across the country, so the plants should have been fine. While that might be the case, I certainly don't expect plants coming from the same state to take as long nor look as bad (and actually worse) as ones coming from 1000 miles away.

"

We are so sorry to hear that your plants were stressed in shipping. Shipping plants is an inexact science and occasionally things don't go as anticipated - the weather, UPS load, most anything can happen. But since shipping to you has taken longer than expected twice, it would be worthwhile to let us know who you are, and we can mark your account (and your replacement order) for shipping earlier in the week just to make sure. We will be happy to oblige.
"

Excellent communication, both via e-mail and phone, on two separate orders. Items delivered when requested and in perfect condition. I'm very happy with the service I've received.

I ordered from this Company for the first time in the spring of 2008. The plants arrived in great condition. I planted them in quick order. It is now early November. All of the plants grew well over the summer. I am going to order from the Company again this spring. The Company needs to be congratulated for providing an easy-to-read sun/shade and flowering time indicator for each plant shown in its catalog which REALLY helped me to plan my garden. I have already given the catalogs to three other neighbors.

I am new to mail-order gardening because I usually buy plants at local retailers like Lowe's or local garden centers or plant nurseries. Read the reviews on DG and decided to buy 2 clematis plants. The plants arrived in excellent shape, very carefully packed with clear labels. Healthy looking plants, with good, developed roots for plants shipped at that size.
Will look forward to seeing them grow.

I just received my first order from Bluestone and I was impressed with the super fast shipping and the plant quality, even if they're on the small side. The plants were on sale for great prices and I was very impressed with price of shipping compared to other places. I purchased 7 ornamental grasses and the plants were packaged carefully and look very healthy. They were all neatly trimmed and I can't wait to get them in my gardens and watch their progress next spring and summer!

I needed some tulip and daffodil bulbs to fill out some beds I had prepared this summer. I usually order from another company, but it was late in the season and I didn't want to wait the inevitable 3-4 weeks for the order to ship.

I decided after reading all of the terrific feedback on this company that I would give them a try. The bulbs were shipped quite quickly and the quality was excellent. I had a customer service question and I was happy with the way that was handled, also. When I needed a few more bulbs I gave then another order which was again filled exceedingly quickly.

Their reputation is well-earned, and they will be the first company I check with in the future when I needed something else.

I ordered from Bluestone this past spring, and placed a larger order with them for this fall. While the prices may seem a little high for smaller plants, Bluestone makes up for this with coupons (I ended up saving $40 on my order between coupons and a catalog code), specials on their website, and plants that hit the ground running - I can't believe how well my delphiniums and potentillas are doing this late in the year!

I plan on continuing to order the majority of my perennials from this company.

Love these people. Everything you order arrives in a timely fashion, is well packed and the plants are in great shape when they arrive. I've ordered probably 100+ plants from them in the past year and am completely pleased with every order I've done. Would highly recommend them.

I placed an order with Bluestone at the start of the summer, and I've been pleased with the plants during their first year. All of them arrived healthy (though) small, and they've thrived since then. I lost one sambucus - it was a little mangled and wilted when it arrived, and it didn't do well in the summer heat. Bluestone was happy to offer a replacement. This fall, I placed another order, in preparation for next year. The plants arrived quickly and healthy, and I anticipate that they'll do well.

The drawbacks: plants are small, and the prices are a bit high. If you can find the same things at your local nursery, you're likely to get better value. (Of course, if you could find the same things at your nursery, you probably wouldn't be shopping online.) You shouldn't expect the plants to be ready to put on a display in their first year.

The advantages: excellent selection of perennials, healthy plants, no mistakes in the order, and great customer service.

My first time ordering from Bluestone, and I had a good experience. I ordered gaillardia and some delphiniums. Most of the plants come in a 3 pack, which is a good price for 3 plants. They were fairly good size with good foiliage. I also ordered my fall blooming bulbs which where of good quality and arrived in a timely manner for planting in time. I would not hesitate to order from them again.