Comments regarding Wayside Gardens

My chief complaint relates to a patio-sized dwarf magnolia called Vulcan that I ordered 10 years ago. I planted it and it grew but never bloomed. Eventually, it began growing somewhat over the height it suggested it would top off at. A horticulturalist at our local University told us this was not odd if the plant was trying to get more light in order to bloom because its light was somewhat obstructed.

That was plausible despite all of our other part shade installations doing okay. It crept a bit up the next year but still didn’t flower. For years it stopped growing but still appeared healthy. Then, there was a huge jump in growth that indicated the tree could not be what we’d bought.

We contacted the company. I described or sent a photo of the lone *white* not purple flower of a different shape than Vulcan and asked what they had sold me. They said I was never a customer. I had to find records of them writing to me about their invoices from their email address before they would even listen.

Then the gardener told me it was probably big leaf magnolia. Which was impossible given the leaves were very small. And the flowers weren’t situated in a cluster of them. They said they’re just farmers and had no insurance Dept. for claims. Last year we couldn’t do any excavation in the area around the tree because we had work done on the side of the house—it’s too close. Besides, it hadn’t grown.

This year it finally bloomed. Indeed it is a variety that needed to clear the first floor roof line to get enough light.
I wrote them with photos and asked them to send somebody out to ID it and determine it needs to be moved or can stay.

They told me that my insurer would be seeking damages from me because they had proof of my negligence. In fact, the insurance company knew, from two years ago, about the issue and told me to call if it either grew or bloomed. It bloomed I called. They said: send Wayside a friendly note to send a professional to ID the tree and make recommendation.

So: their error may blow up as I would root prune the tree away from my foundation while waiting on this, but I will not cut the tree I grew. It needs to be moved and the area it’s growing in then needs to be reconstructed.

This is from my first purchase from Wayfair: some of my other things from that order worked and I made a huge investment in their end of season sale. 100% loss. They didn’t cover the loss. Gave me a partial coupon. I lost hundreds. The place is hateful.

I ordered three Miss Saori hydrangeas from Wayside, they shipped within two days of my order. The plants arrived looking great, they were healthy and very securely packaged with no damage. I was a bit apprehensive ordering from an online retailer, due to the fact that I couldn't inspect the plants myself, but no local retailer had this variety. I couldn't be happier with my experience.

Add me to the list of people who have had a negative experience with Wayside Gardens. I tried 3 new Camellia growers this year. Thankfully 2 of them were a positive experience. Wayside Gardens however was not. Two of my three plants were very sickly looking. I followed their instructions and sent pictures of the plants that were substandard. Two emails and even a phone call(no answer) and zero response. What a disappointment. I would not recommend Wayside Gardens to anyone. Terrible experience.

It was easy to order and the plants arrived promptly. Communication was good: an email confirming the order and then one with a tracking number when the plants were shipped. I bought Fothergilla gardenii (Witch Alder) 'Mt Airy'. The packaging was only ok - not super structured and the tops of the plants were bent half over to fit. They perked up though after water and a few days out of the box, though.

I've purchased plants from Wayside Gardens, and they've sometimes arrived in less that perfect condition. They have, however, been salvageable. This fall I ordered a number of plants, and the ones at the bottom of the box were a mushy mess. The leaves were soaked and came off as green mush on a paper towel when I tried to pat them dry. I emailed the company's customer service link, and I asked for advice. I included pictures, and I wanted to know if they thought that the plants would survive or should be be replaced. I included photos. I never got a response, so I emailed them again about a week later. After another wait, I heard back asking if I had a problem. They wanted pictures again, and I sent them photos of the problem plants, Gaillardia, again. After 4 more days of no response, I emailed them and told them to forget the claim because of the lack of service. My shipping notice was sent to me on September 11, and my final email was sent to them on October 12. That is Wayside's customer service, and you can't blame Covid for that kind of delay.

Posted on May 30, 2020, updated May 30, 2020
Posted on May 27, 2020, updated May 30, 2020
I realize this is unprecedented times with Covid-19 and all, but I am a bit frustrated with how my situation was handled. I had an order, parts of which came in two different shippings. Then, I was left waiting on the last part of my order, two wisteria plants. (We just moved into this house last fall, and I have been wanting to have an appropriate venue to plant wisteria for years...) I waited and waited, and when I finally called, they said that their supplier had not been able to fulfill the request. Nothing more. I had to continue to question the representative to determine if I was going to get them at all or if I was going to be billed later for them and receive them after I had found them somewhere else. Finally she said no, I was not going to get them. I then asked if I needed to officially cancel the order... and after seeming very confused about what I was asking, she finally said no, I was not going to get them at all and that I did not need to cancel my order because it had been cancelled by them. NO email, no comment on my order statement; I had just been left in the dark, and would have continued to be if I had not called to ask.
Granted, the hellebores have done well and I was not charged for the wisteria plants, but to be completely honest, the wisterias were the only reason I had ordered anything through them in the first place. And the real "dig" is that part of my order was the tree diapers and stress mixture that I had bought specifically for the wisteria plants. They arrived back in April...
Again, I acknowledge that Covid-19 is playing a part in this, but as other people have commented, when they screw up, it is usually because of poor communication. Gardening is something that people get excited about, have visions of what they want to accomplish, and disappointment is exacerbated when left confused and not informed. This was my first order with Wayside; most likely my last.

"On May 27, 2020 3:03 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for your negative experience with our company. We are committed to working closely with our customers to resolve any service issues and will continue to focus our efforts on creating a positive experience.

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference this Dave's Garden post and all the issues you have referenced. I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Do not order from Wayside! I rarely leave negative feedback, but I must warn you that customer service, if you end up needing it, is nonexistent. I ordered 4 plants and they arrived in a single, undamaged box. 3 were in good condition, but the fourth was in horrible shape practically falling apart as I removed it. I emailed Wayside 3 times waiting 8 days each time and seeking a replacement or refund for the single plant. I even made the final email “ATTN Eric” based on one of Wayside’s replies to a TrustPilot complaint. Not once did they respond except for the auto respond email saying “We have received your email and will respond.” Something is seriously wrong with this company, and if you give them your money, you’re rolling the dice. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 7074169703

"On May 24, 2020 9:27 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for your negative experience with our company. We are committed to working closely with our customers to resolve any service issues and will continue to focus our efforts on creating a positive experience. During this Pandemic we are working with a reduced staff and are receiving and astronomical amount of calls and emails daily, which is causing our response time to be much longer than desired.

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and all the issues you have referenced. I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I have contacted Wayside 5 times--via emails and their on line portal--regarding a bad order but have not received a response. Calling doesn't work either.

I'm very surprised by the lack of basic customer service.

I ordered 10 Japanese Anemone. They were diseased when they arrived and have died or are dying. Fortunately the fungus has not spread to other plants in my garden--I've isolated the anemone. I have contacted Wayside Gardens (4 emails), sent photos, received an auto-confirmation that my message was received on their portal, but have not heard anything back for months.

What is going on with Wayside Gardens? I would like to resolve this issue with them but will probably need to seek another way to resolve this issue.

"On Apr 29, 2020 2:09 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for your negative experience with our company. We are committed to working closely with our customers to resolve any service issues and will continue to focus our efforts on creating a positive experience. During this Pandemic we are working with a reduced staff and are receiving and astronomical amount of calls and emails daily, which is causing our response time to be much longer than desired.

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and all the issues you have referenced. I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I hadn't ordered from Wayside for many years because I was disappointed in the size/quality of some hydrangeas I received. However this year Wayside had a variegated Pieris I couldn't find anywhere else, and they were on sale, so I decided to take a chance. I'm quite happy with the plants I received - a nice size for the price, healthy and well rooted. I must also admit that after several years in my garden with no special attention whatsoever, the hydrangeas have finally grown in to quite lovely specimens as well.

Purchased quite a number of plants from Wayside. Shipping was timely however I do object to the large amount of styrofoam used in their shipping process..not "green" at all.

I ordered a pack of 3 iris. All have died though planted in the same location as an iris from a different mail order supplier which is doing fine. They have refunded me for 2 of the 3 that I have called about. Have not yet called about the third dead one.

Ordered 2 dayliles which arrived dried up and spindly. I planted them anyhow hoping for the best. 1 did come up, weakly, and the other not at all.

Ordered 2 bee balm, both arrived damaged, one worse than the other, they did replace it when I called them.

I also ordered 5 other plants, 3 amsonia, one hardy hibiscus and 1 hosta which have survived. The hibiscus has only put out 1 new set of leaves since planting in early June.

Although they have refunded me for the dead plant, I do not recommend this supplier. There plants are definitely sub-par.

"On Jul 29, 2019 8:30 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

We never want to disappoint our customers with our choice of packing materials. We use Styrofoam packing peanuts when shipping some of our products, because they are efficient, clean, lightweight, and economical. They protect items well and keep them securely in place during transit. The company has tried other alternatives, but they did not perform as well. Our company is always open to new ways to efficiently and safely pack and ship our products and will continue to consider other options in the future.

We understand people seeking an outlet to voice their opinions and we do try our best to resolve all the complaints and concerns brought to our attention from all online garden forms.

We ship thousands of orders each year, and our goal is to offer only the best in both products and service. Unfortunately, because of the volume of orders we receive yearly, there are instances when it is simply impossible to avoid a mistake or prevent an error from occurring. When that happens, we will make every effort to correct the problem. Our way of assuring this is our willingness to make the appropriate adjustment whenever a customer expresses dissatisfaction with any product purchased.

Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and all this issue you have referenced. I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a better resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I ordered from Wayside years ago and no issues. I actually liked using them. New house, new gardens so I ordered from them again. Ordered 2 bare root roses. One arrived in great condition, one looked dead not dormant but I planted anyway. A month later no new growth and black and brown. Called for a replacement and they put me threw the ringer before they would agree to replace. Unfortunately, they were out of stock. Sent me a credit. I placed another order for lavender with the credit. Both plants arrived dead. Completely dried, shriveled and crispy. Again, put me through the ringer and plants now out of stock. Insisted they also credit me for the shipping I paid on the second shipment this time too. I ordered a mason bee house why bother with plants when they arrive dead. I will never order from them again.

"On Jun 17, 2019 9:21 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and all the issues you have referenced. I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a better resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I have ordered from Wayside Gardens in the past, but always Perennials. This year I ordered 3 of their basket combos and 3 paks of specific plants. The entire experience was a nightmare. They sent 1 combo- in pretty bad shape, and other 2 along with one of the 3 paks that were some of the worst I've ever seem. If I worked at nursery I would have been embarrassed to sell them. When I contacted Wayside the service was atrocious. About 10 days later they sent the rest- on a Thurs. over Memorial Day weekend. I contacted them with a "why on earth would you ship them now". This time I was lucky enough to get an"old pro" on the line and she was wonderful. Sent me new plants, refunded for the ones that couldn't be replaced and the customer service was what I expected from them.
I have 2 suggestions- and I did pass these on- Stay away from annuals. They excel with perennials. And teach next years telephone reps how to deal with customers in a knowledgeable and courteous manner.
I kept this Neutral because when I was able to contact a person with a few years experience I was treated like a valued customer and she put right what she could.

"On Jun 10, 2019 9:24 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden, I would like to look into whom you spoke with on your first call. We are so very sorry for the condition of the Annual plants and I am happy to see you did get a resolution. I look forward to hearing from you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Posted on July 22, 2018, updated May 30, 2019
Posted on June 3, 2017, updated July 22, 2018
Posted on October 19, 2016, updated June 3, 2017
Posted on June 6, 2016, updated October 19, 2016
Posted on May 20, 2016, updated June 6, 2016
Posted on May 12, 2016, updated May 20, 2016
Posted on May 5, 2016, updated May 12, 2016
Posted on November 2, 2015, updated May 5, 2016
Posted on October 22, 2015, updated November 2, 2015
Just received first shipment of my order. Very nice starter plant of Illicium 'Florida Sunshine' packed with great care.j

"On May 20, 2016 5:46 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how pleased you are with your order/product. Thank you! Your opinion is valued and we, of course, welcome feedback. It's customers like you who act as a reminder of why we do what we do and the importance of supplying only top quality products as well as to offer the best service possible. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Last spring, I ordered dozens of perennials and shrubs from Wayside. They were all planted and cared for as directed. Unfortunately, this spring quite a few were dead. I took photos and emailed the company immediately to explain and seek replacement or credit. I was told (after numerous emails and waiting over a week) that the warranty was only good for 90 days from purchase date, and they were not willing to address the problem. I believe even Lowes and Walmart offer a one year warranty. I-thought this was pretty outrageous and will go out of my way to let others know that this is a large corporation that does not care about individual customers nor ensuring a good product.

"On May 7, 2019 2:06 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

We are sorry to learn that you disagree with our guarantee policy. Our very generous guarantee of the past was replaced at the beginning of the 2016 Spring season with a policy that more accurately reflects a realistic horticultural expectation of our live plant material.There are many factors beyond the initial guarantee period that can cause an otherwise vigorous and healthy plant to fail, most of which are beyond our control. They include severe weather, drought, disease, insect damage, marauding animals, etc. While proper care and protection will go a long way toward ensuring your plants will have a long and healthy life, even this can not unconditionally guarantee that environmental conditions will not impact the survival of your plants. Because of this, we are unable to extend our guarantee beyond the initial growing season, prompting our 90 day Guarantee timeframe. We apologize for any inconvenience.

However, if you will send me your order number, I will look into finding a better resolution for you. Please reference this post when you email me.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I have purchased many plants through Wayside gardens over the past 10-15 years. I have spent LOTS of money with them. A couple plants have died by due to my care. Last year I bought a very expensive rose bush from them, "The Poet's Wife." It did ok for a first year rose that arrived bare-root. I got a couple of blooms from it. It never really thrived. I almost asked for a return but I thought I'd give it one more year. I took precautions and covered it in the fall. I recently uncovered and the plant is dead. Not dormant, dead. I contacted them and was told it was no longer under warranty. Heck, Lowes and my local nurseries give me a year on my plants and Wayside won't. I emailed them back my disappointment and let them know my local nurseries will now be receiving all of my business.

"On May 2, 2019 4:27 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our Guarantee guidelines. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation. Please reference this Dave's Garden post in your email.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Posted on April 18, 2019, updated April 26, 2019
I bought two quart size plants (Nepeta 'Cat's Pajamas') in early March 2019. The ship date was changed once from the end of March until April 12, no big deal as it's still plenty early enough in the planting season but I was never notified. I only knew because I checked on the status through the website. Their communication is not at all good for an online company.
My issue comes with the plants themselves. Both plants were TINY, approx. 3 inches in height and containing only one growing stem from the soil. For $15/plant, I was expecting something that looked like it a young healthy plant, these were not it.
They were both shipped together, on their sides with the plant ends facing each other, packing peanuts filled the dead space in the box. Once I opened the box I was immediately disappointed in the quality. One plant had two semi-healthy shoots growing from the main, the other portions of this plant had blackened, shriveled leaves. The other plant looked like it was slightly better until I cleared away the packing material and found that most of the stems were broken off the plant entirely. Again, two to three young, healthy-ish shoots.
I potted them within an hour of opening the box, in hopes of being able to nurse them along to healthy plants but it's not looking good as of this morning.
I contacted Wayside immediately by email, with pictures of the plants and here we are, 3 days later, I've yet to hear even an acknowledgment from Wayside. I would not recommend buying from Wayside at this time, use a local nursery where you can see the quality of plant you're buying.

"On Apr 18, 2019 1:44 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and all this issue you have referenced. I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a better resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I made a fairly large order at the end of the growing season as I was creating a new garden and looking to get things in the ground so they had time to settle in before spring. Everything arrived ina timely manner and was fairly well packed. I had nursery bed ready to go and got things into the ground within a day. Some of the plants looked healthy, with good root systems. Others not so great, but my beds were well established and the weather was good so I decided to give them a chance rather than give up on them and/or make a complaint back to the company. A few days later it was clear that some were not going to thrive. I contacted the company and at their request sent pictures to show their condition. I had almost given up on hearing from them, but they did follow-through and gave me a credit for the plants that immediately failed. I've purchased from them in the past with no problems and will again, although I am a bit deterred by the number of complaints I see here. Perhaps the issues that arose for me were more related to buying starter plants at the end of the growing season, something I won't do again. We'll see what looks like it made it through the winter--a moderate one with a fair amount of rain so far. I'll add further comments in the late spring if they are merited.

"On Jan 2, 2019 11:26 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

We understand people seeking an outlet to voice their opinions and we do try our best to resolve all the complaints and concerns brought to our attention from all online garden forms.

We ship thousands of orders each year, and our goal is to offer only the best in both products and service. Unfortunately, because of the volume of orders we receive yearly, there are instances when it is simply impossible to avoid a mistake or prevent an error from occurring. When that happens, we will make every effort to correct the problem. Our way of assuring this is our willingness to make the appropriate adjustment whenever a customer expresses dissatisfaction with any product purchased.

We have been operating for many years and are known in the industry for offering only the best products and service possible. Our continued success is due to the many satisfied customers who return year after year. They know that we will honor our promise to them of offering only the best.

Please let us know if any of your items fail this Spring and we will be happy to take care of this for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I've gardened for 50 years. I'm a master gardener. I have purchased online for probably 20+ years.Most of my plants have flourished with few returns. This year, unknown to me, several of the online plant sales, that I have used before, decided to required proof of dead plants or damage. The first problem was my petunias arrived with evidence of Bud Worm damage (person I talked to had never heard of Bud Worms) and the strange smell they get with Bud Worm damage. They told me to send them pictures. When they received them the horticulturist said they saw no worm!! Duh, the worms are small and hard to find. However, the photos showed chewed flowers and buds. One of my concerns about planting them was the Bud Worms would get to my Geraniums too. Which of course they have and the Petunias have suffered all season until I finally through them out.
I have had other plant problems too. One problem was they notified me by email they were mailing them, early March, I called them and told them that I had added a note not to send until May and not to send them yet as the ground was still frozen with snow on it, he said "can't change it just store them in a cool place where they won't freeze." The ground still could not be worked until the middle of May! Guess what those plants looked like when I went to plant! Some of them were bulbs so they were okay, but several (six)of the plants were already shriveled up and dead, I planted them anyway but to know avail.
Tell me one good reason I should have to dig up bulbs, or plants, that are dead and take photos of them, just to hear some person say I must have planted them wrong or didn't water them or any thing else they can think of to refuse to replace or refund the plants. I am never going to do business with those companies. I will just buy locally, I can see the condition they are in before buying. No one saves money buying online anymore. A disappointment, as the advantage is they have unusual plants I can't get locally. Definitely not worth the hassle!

"On Aug 30, 2018 1:40 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and I'll be more than happy to look into your order and see if I can get a better resolution for you. Please list for me the plants you have lost from Wayside Gardens.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

My first effort was going to be a negative for poor product quality, misleading statement of container size and unresponsive customer service, despite emails and snail mail.

This page gave me Angela Davenport @ Wayside as a direct contact. I did that.

She addressed the company's failures quickly and to my satisfaction with a full refund, including shipping, credited to my bank card the next day. That would have gotten a positive comment.

Averaging the negative about the product and service with the stellar service Angela provided balances out.

I placed a large order with Wayside in August last year. Some of the plants were back ordered, although they did not communicate this to me until I reached out to them, wondering where they were. I finally received the final shipment in late October, some of them either dormant or dead. In the spring, I waited in anticipation for them to come up. Several of them did not. Three packages of starflowers, two of which I'd given as gifts never came up, three primulas never came up and were quite costly for the size and state of the plants that arrived, and two hydrangeas never came up. When I contacted Wayside Gardens to let them know, they said that the guarantee period had passed and that they could not refund or replace the plants. Of the plants that did come up this year, only one of them bloomed. I'm hopeful that the rest will next year.

"On Jul 23, 2018 7:54 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and I'll be more than happy to look into your order and get a resolution for you. Please list for me the plants you have lost.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Posted on May 26, 2003, updated May 23, 2018
I ordered a number of roses from Wayside and many of them grew well. One (Gold Badge) arrived dead (black shriveled canes) and I phoned customer service to let them know. I spoke to a kindly but incompetent woman who just kept repeating "dat plant be dowmant". Apparently, they had trained their staff to counsel early season callers about dormant stock. However, 'dis rose be dead', and I had a hard time connecting with someone who was capable of understanding what I was saying, and crediting my account.

"On May 23, 2018 4:11 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner. Customer service is very important to us and we are always willing to help. Please email me your order number and mention Dave's Garden and I'll be more than happy to look into your order. We apologize for the long hold time as we are approaching the end of our Spring shipping season we have experienced an large influx of calls creating long hold times. We are so sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

Ordered a Magnolia, Foxglove and lavender. Spent over $160.

Delivery arrived and the ups guy apologized saying he had not idea which side was supposed to be 'up'.

Magnolia was trashed inside box. Lavender was dried out, near dead and died within a day after arrival. Foxglove recovered... so I spent $159.50 for 6 foxglove and a stick that shows no sign of bloom.

At the same time I had a delivery from another nursery and the magnolia I got from them was in bloom!

Contacted wayside twice over 2 weeks.... no response except for the automated response saying they would get back to me...... sent a 3rd email but still waiting.

I WILL NEVER ORDER ANYTHING FROM WAYSIDE GARDEN AGAIN!

"On Apr 27, 2018 1:38 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you . Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers or give them bad service. This is unacceptable and we will be looking into this matter. I will be more than happy to get this issued resolved for you today. My information is listed at the bottom please email me directly .


Thanks,
Ahsya M.
Customer Care Specialist
JPPA, Inc.
ahsya.myers@parkseed.com"

Have Ordered Plants from Wayside Gardens for many years. Last order placed March 2018. Ordered 12 annual plants as of 4/19/18 have recieived 9 of 12 plants. Expect the last shipment the week of 4/23/18. Plants received were in good condition. They have a excellent selection of perineals and a good selection of annuals. We have never had any problems with plants ordered from Wayside.

This was my first time ordering from Wayside Gardens ... and while the plants arrived within an acceptable time, they were very small and moderately healthy. That said, they are growing, so I'm planting them.

Posted on July 5, 2016, updated December 6, 2017
Foam nuggets are being used for packing, I have to be very careful to remove them without damaging the plants inside. The foam nuggets are flying everywhere when I do this, so annoying.

I contacted the customer service this morning that my Caramel Coral Bell is dead that I received on 5/27/2016 in bad shape. I gave it a try to see whether it will grow back as Wayside claims that they ship quality plants. Also, some plants from the previous order received in bad shape but are re-growing well now.

The customer representative refused to send me a replacement by saying that I grow plants not for my zone (i.e. zone 10) which is not under the grantee. I said that the other coral bell is growing well right next to the Caramel Coral Bell. That's not her concern. She told me that I should have called them when I received the shipment if the plant was not in good shape. She was kind of rough.

The price of plants in WS are expensive. The quality doesn't justify for that markup. No more business with WS.

"On Jul 6, 2016 8:06 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our service. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

Our Guarantee statement:

Plant Products:
We guarantee all Wayside Gardens plant products to be high quality, true to type, shipped properly, and to perform as advertised. If your plant has received our recommended care and doesn't perform to your satisfaction, notify us and we will replace it free of charge or provide the cost of the product as credit toward a future purchase.

If any product was damaged in shipping or dead on arrival, please notify us within 48 hours from receipt and save all contents and packaging.

To ensure that each living product has adequate opportunity to perform, we've established the following guidelines for reporting other problems:

Spring-Blooming Bulbs Sold in FALL:
- Contact us by May 30th the following year of receipt.

Roses, Perennials, Trees, Shrubs, and Bulbs Sold in
SPRING:
- 90 days from the date of receipt.

Please understand that we cannot accept responsibility for the results of extreme weather, neglect, unforeseeable acts of nature, or ignoring our hardiness zone recommendation.

Hard Good Guarantee. Your complete satisfaction is guaranteed with every product. If your non-plant product fails to function as advertised, please follow the guidelines below and we will furnish a replacement or merchandise credit:

Defective Tools and Gardening Accessories: within 60 days, please contact Wayside Gardens Returns Department toll free at 1-800-845-1124 (or for local calls use 1-864-330-2004) for RMA.

Non-Defective Tools and Gardening Accessories: will incur a 20% restocking fee plus freight.

**All returns must include order number, customer's name and address. Photos may be required on a situational basis.**

Sale items will only be issued a merchandise credit for purchase price. By placing an order you are accepting these terms and conditions. Photos may be required on a situational basis.

Substitutions. If the item of your choice is unavailable or does not meet our high standard of quality, we may need to substitute an item of equal or greater value.

I have placed a few orders with this company and it looks like with each order the quality of product and customer service diminishes. This most recent order was unacceptable. I ordered over 10 different plants. Almost a week later I looked for my tracking number online and noticed my order status was "closed". I called to look into it and was told that it wasn't and my order would leave the dock that day. The next day I checked again and found no tracking number still. I called and was told for a second time that my order would go out that day. When it finally arrived (as a birthday gift to my mother) she explained how they arrived and sent me photos. I was furious. They literally threw all the plants into a box with packing peanuts! They rolled around all during transit. Half were basically dead and the ones that weren't were extremely damaged in transit. I wrote the company regarding my experience and to date have not received a response. Apparently my business is not wanted or valued.

"On Nov 27, 2017 2:39 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and reference Dave's Garden and I'll be more than happy to look into your order and get a resolution for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I placed the order in summer.
I got a confirmation.
I got no other communication.
I went to their site to check the status.
It was to have been shipped in September.
That kept being stated.
Nothing came.
I finally sent a note.
I got a reply that one of the plants was backordered so they were not shipping yet. Weeks after the ideal planting time.
ONLY BECAUSE I CONTACTED THEM did they even tell me that.
I told them to send those plants NOW.
They were shipped on 17 October. Today is 21st. I looked at the UPS shipping information and found that the delivery was made today to the POST OFFICE at the sender's request. It is a Saturday. The plants now will be stuck at the post office drying out.
Long ago, Wayside Gardens used to do a good job. That was then. This is now. Do not order from them unless you want frustration.

"On Oct 23, 2017 3:20 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and I'll be more than happy to look into this and review why this occurred.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I was afraid to order from Wayside because of the negative feedback. However, they had a rose bush that I had been searching for. The rose came two days early. It was packed well, labeled and in beautiful condition. I am very pleased.

I placed an order online in August 2016. I generally stay away from online plant suppliers, as I've received tiny plants from other suppliers in the past that never survived. I took a chance with Wayside, since they had several shade plants I liked, and they touted their guarantee quite heavily. They indicated my order would ship in early to mid September, but by October 6th, I still had not received it. By then, we had already experienced several nights of hard frost and it had even snowed. I emailed the company, expecting that they would apologize for having lost my order in the system and issue a refund. The same day I emailed, miraculously the plants suddenly shipped. When I received the 8 plants, they were much smaller than I envisioned, based upon the description, and several of them already looked dead. I emailed Wayside again asking if they would even survive being planted in already cold conditions, but never got a reply. I finally called their customer service line and was reassured that the plants could still be planted in October, and that they were guaranteed. I was assured that if the plants did not grow in the next growing season, I would be covered by their guarantee. Since several of the plants were late summer bloomers, I waited to see if they would appear. Two of the other items in the order had not survived the winter already, so in June I emailed the company asking for a refund or a reshipment. I was told the guarantee was only good until May 30, 2017. On May 30, 2017, I had very little growing in my garden to indicate if anything was going to come back. It was still quite cold in our area! I have since emailed them 3 times asking for a refund or replacement and have been stonewalled each time. Their last correspondence asked me to send them the email I had sent last October indicating my skepticism that these plants would grow. They said they had no record of any correspondence. Luckily for me, I had saved the email and forwarded it to them. I am truly upset that they would ship these plants knowing they wouldn't survive, and then refuse to honor their guarantee.

"On Jul 18, 2017 10:44 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

I am sorry to hear you are dissatisfied with our Guarantee guidelines. I would like to help with your situation. Would you please provide me with your name, address, order # , and I will gladly work with you toward some sort of resolution in this situation.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I ordered several plants from Wayside during their spring clearance sale. Wayside does have a nice selection of plants that are not run-of-the-mill but their regular prices and shipping costs are pretty high.

Six of the seven plants have grown nicely but the seventh, a Geranium 'Raven', was dry and light weight with no viable looking roots when it arrived but I planted it and cared for it meticulously. It did not ever put out feeder roots or any kind of shoots.
So I called their customer service and asked for a refund. The rep refused to refund my money for the defective product that was sent to me, refused to replace the dead plant in the fall, and refused to comp shipping when I place another order!

I will definitely think twice (or more) when I am tempted to order from Wayside again.

"On Jul 11, 2017 8:04 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, I will be more than happy to assist you, please email me directly with your order number and reference this and let me look into this for you please, I'm certain I can find a resolution for you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Awful experience and terrible customer service.

I made a $150 order on April 17th. The order was returned to their depot as no one was home to sign for it (which I wasn't informed was policy when I made the order). I requested the order be sent again on May 3rd. I never received a confirmation. I have sent numerous emails with zero response. It is now June 12th. Will I ever get my plants? Who knows. Wayside owes me $150.

"On Jun 13, 2017 8:26 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, reviewing your order I found that it is noted it was returned. But no adjustment was made due to a return reason was not given. We do not require a signature upon delivery, so I am not sure why UPS returned the package, I am so sorry. Unfortunately it is too late to reship the order so I am making the adjustment to have you refunded for the order. I am so very sorry this happened and hope you will continue to be one of our loyal customers.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Posted on June 6, 2017, updated June 6, 2017
Posted on March 31, 2017, updated June 6, 2017
Horrible communication. I spend 120$, and never received anything.

I ordered February 16, 2017. According to their chart, my plants would ship march 9. Today is 3-31 and nothing.
I emailed them 5 days ago on Monday 3/27, today is Friday 3/31 and no response, that is ridiculous.

"On Mar 31, 2017 3:16 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, if you will email me your order number I will be more than happy to look into this for you.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I had three problems with my orders from Wayside Gardens and Park seeds this year. after more than 20 years with both companies, I will never order from either again. Wayside gardens sent me a bare root bleeding heart. It never grew. Another six I had from Brecks grew fine. I contacted them through the website weeks ago – no response. So I called them yesterday and they were very rude. I didn't realize they changed their policy. I now get a merchandise credit – is if I would want to order from them again :-( I also got 2 six packs of creeping thyme. Six of them had lost so much soil and shipping that they died immediately. Wayside's related company, park seeds – sent me a package of 20 broccolini seeds. The package only had three seeds. I also contacted them through their website. No response ever . wayside used to be the most reliable source for me. Their customer service has totally gone down the tubes. I am moving onto bluestone perennials and white flower farm now. Much much better experience with both of those companies this year!

"On Jun 5, 2017 8:57 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, I will be more than happy to assist you, please email me directly with your order number and reference this and let me look into this for you please. During our peak season we do have longer than normal email response times simply because of the shear volume of calls and emails we receive daily. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

I purchased a beautiful marleys weeping pink snow fountain tree from them, so two months later when they had them on sale on purchased two more, they came dead, I emailed the photos, they aren't sending two more alive trees they are refunding half my the amount I paid for them in a gift card to use at there store, why would I want that, if they don't even stand behind there products. a very unhappy customer. I will never shop there again.

"On Jun 2, 2017 1:48 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. Please email me your order number and I'll be more than happy to look into your order and review why you received only half your cost back..

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com
"

I paid $40 plus shipping for a yellow lilac bush. Guess what? it is white not yellow. I all ready have a white one. Way too much money, way not happy. It took for ever for the tiny thing to bloom. The picture in their catalog showed a gorgeous yellow blooming lilac. Have not and will not buy anything else from wayside. I don't recommend buying anything from them at all.

"On May 30, 2017 9:40 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

I have reviewed your posting on Dave's Garden Watchdog website. I want to resolve the problem but I am unable to locate your order with the partial email address provided by the site. Please forward your order number or complete billing address (including zip code), and any other pertinent information and I will be more than happy to assist you.


Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

First order from Wayside arrived very quickly. Packing was acceptable. A little damage to a fern, but plant will easily recover.
Upon opening the packaging, my jaw dropped and I felt like I hit the jackpot. I could hardly believe the size of the plants! I do a lot of mail ordering, due to local nurseries and big stores rarely have more than the ho-hum selection of plants. Nearly everything I ordered was on sale, my expectations weren't particularly high, but I still can't get over the size and quality of the plants I received. 15 plants in all. They got here in good health, one plant a little travel weary... the rest is up to me.

Do NOT do business with these people unless you want to be billed promptly, receive no plants at all, and then have your repeated inquiries ignored. The only thing Wayside Gardens is good at is getting the cash out of your credit cards.

All the other people who gave them one star know what they're talking about. Beware!

"On May 15, 2017 11:34 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. We are experiencing some issues with product delays this season. Please email me your order number and I'll be more than happy to look into your order and make sure any refunds needed have been issued.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"

Posted on April 21, 2017, updated May 4, 2017
After waiting a month and a half for my order and after contacting WG four times in that period with no resolution, I canceled my order. They had charged me immediately upon placing the order. No word about back-orders; no refund for unavailable plants. Very poor customer communication... though they did send one or two ads per day...

"On Apr 24, 2017 10:11 AM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

Please accept our apology, we never want to disappoint our customers in any manner, customer service is very important to us. We are experiencing some issues with product delays this season. Please email me your order number and I'll be more than happy to look into your order and make sure any refunds needed have been issued.

Angela D
Wayside Gardens Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com

Posted on May 8, 2016, updated April 12, 2017
Posted on May 3, 2014, updated May 8, 2016
I'm not sure if this should be a neutral or negative rating. I have purchased trees from Wayside for years. This spring I purchased a variegated Dogwood and a Rose of Sharon shrub and both are doing well. I also ordered a River Mist variegated Oat grass and when it arrived in early April with the tree and shrub. (Last frost in Ohio is mid May) The Oat grass was a tiny mangled dried out root ball in the bottom of the box. I called and they happily sent me another plant. The replacement is green. It is approx. 1 inch by 1.5 and inches wide with three green leaves. The root ball was about an inch or less. I needed to get my reading glasses to make sure the things I thought were leaves really were leaves. The tiny little pathetic plant cost me $15 bucks plus shipping. While I appreciate the replacement I feel I have been robbed and have been an idiot for spending $15 bucks for a microscopic replacement.
For years I have heard and read Wayside is the best of the best. I'm not sure I am buying into all the hype. I am not sure if I will buy anything from them in the future. If a similar item was available at a Nursery I would kiss Wayside goodbye!

"On Aug 26, 2014 3:00 PM, Wayside Gardens responded with:

We have reviewed your posting on Dave's Garden Watchdog website. We want to resolve the problem but are unable to locate your order with the partial email address provided by the site. Please forward your order number or complete billing address (including zip code), and any other pertinent information to assist you. We want to help.


Angela D
Park Seed Sale Associate
adavenport@parkseed.com"