Comments regarding Paradise Palm Co.

I had been looking for a larger standard size apple tree last year to replace my daughter's apple tree planted in her birth year, 1999. Paradise Palm advertised large (3"-4") diameter tress, and after much unsuccessful searching I went with them. I researched this toward the end of Winter 2007 (Mar 08), and was told that the trees were from up north in Pennsylvania. I had concern about that fact because the pictures sent to me of similar trees at their site in GA had leafed out. When I said that a leafed out tree wouldn't work in upstate NY in March I was told that they were from PA, and that now was the ideal time to get the tree in. When it arrived, the tree was fully leafed out. The snow was gone up here, and not being an arborist, I went ahead and planted the tree, and began taking care of it (water, protecting it from deer and rodents, etc.). We had an end of the season snowfall and it got cold again for several days. The leaves shriveled and fell off. Paradise Palm told me not to worry that it would sprout again. Jason also emailed me that if it died to just send it back for a replacement. The tree tried to make a weak comeback by the end of Summer. This year, some buds became active, but never truly opened. The tree is dead. I have sent emails and pictures via email to their address from which I've had communication with Jason in the past. No response. So much for getting a replacement tree. I'm in the process of continuing to seek satisfaction at this point - which to me is a replacement tree of the same variety & size, or a full refund. Poor customer service.

Last Fall I ordered some plam trees from Paradise Palm Co. in Georgia. The idea of growing palm trees in Northern Virginia intrigued me, so Windmill Palm Trees, Needle palms and Palmetto palms, recommended by them, were on my list. Their picture of a Pindo Palm, not recommended by them, looked interesting, but I ordered one of those too, to grow in my greenhouse out back. All the trees arrived well packaged in a small box shortly after shipping, and each tree was planted carefully outside, except the pindo palm, that was planted in a small container in my greenhouse. When the trees arrived I was well pleased and spoke to a lady there at Paradise Palm Co., thanked her and told her that I wanted to order some other plants that they offered. Shortly after ordering I received a second order from Paradise Palm Co, but the ups shipment was received from Willis Orchard Nursery, so I called the same lady again from Paradise Palm Co., and she assured me that there was no need to feel alarmed, that Willis Orchard was a sister company owned by the same man, Jason Willis, and he offered a much wider selection of fruit trees, nut trees, bamboo and blueberry plants than Paradise Palm Co. Willis orchards also offered instant orchard plants and trees, that also excited me, since I had received small banana trees, a tiny clump of Robert Young Bamboo and a somewhat immature Lucca olive tree, that was not guaranteed to live in my zone by Paradise Palm Co., but I meant to also grow the olive plant in my greenhouse, like the pindo palm tree. The idea that I could buy mature instant orchard trees from Willis Orchard Nursery fascinated me, so I told the lady on the phone, that I was going to rent a truck and drive down from Virginia to buy a truckload of instant orchard trees from Willis Orchards in March. By March the pindo palm tree that I had bought from Paradise Palm Co. was the only palm alive, and it was planted in my greenhouse. Meanwhile the windmill palm tree was a black dead stick, and the palmetto had shriveled up into a pile of smelly jelly. I drove down to Moultrie or Berlin, GA to buy my Instant Orchard trees last month, and I brought along my dead palm trees to get a free replacement, along with a mushy mass of banana phlegm and a withered brown carcass of bamboo – none of which showed any sign of green or life. Arriving on the scene of the two sister companies, Paradise Palm Company and Willis Orchard Nursery, I did get my free replacements, but I was absolutely astonished to see how tiny the Nursery operations was, when you consider the impressive websites and extensive advertising they do. There were very few trees on the nursery site and of poor quality and petite size. When I asked about the Instant Orchard trees I was told, “Oh, we can ship those to you from up North” Suppose I should have gone next door instead, rather than drive all the way from Virginia to this so called Nursery. On the way back home, I felt stupid and disgusted to have not investigated Willis and Paradise more. Stopping at Ison's Nursery in Brooks, Georgia, as an alternate stop, I found a nice selection of fruit trees of good size, but not the exaggerated Instant Orchards, as advertised by Willis Orchards, that were unavailable on their site, so I learned my painful lesson about buying large mail order nursery plants online without seeing them. See the trees first - before you believe it.