Comments regarding Wayside Gardens

I placed an order on April 29, only to come home from work and find that my well pump had burned out. I emailed them first thing the next morning to cancel my order, and I received a reply within hours confirming that my purchase had indeed been canceled. My credit card was never charged, and I was happy. I am disheartened to see all these negative comments, as I had been quite impressed with the website. I suppose I will look elsewhere for my jasmine and clematis.

Over the last year I have spent HUNDREDS of dollars on plants from Wayside. They have a great selection of plants and they tempt you almost daily with email specials.

Last year I puchased 3 clematis plants from them, only one has survived and as of today (May 28) it is a scrawny 8 inches tall and looks like it is hanging on for dear life. I called last fall and cajoled the customer service rep into giving me a refund. I purchased tulip bulbs with that refund and they never showed up. I just found my e reciept and will be calling them about that.

The Pink Muhley grass I purchased did not come back this year. I purchased AGAPANTHUS STORM CLOUD, planted it in the fall ... May 28 and nothing. I'm sure if I call them they'll tell me I should have called in the fall. I'm not sure how they can sell plants for fall planting and expect anyone to be able to tell if they are failing ... everything dies back in the fall.

In a nutshell I'd say about half of the plants I've purchased from them have failed. My Rose Moonstone, dead. ALSTROEMERIA FREEDOM, dead. HYDRANGEA ROMANCE, dead.

My Blueberry Sunshine is alive but looking pretty pathetic.

Maybe it's a mail order thing except that the annuals I buy from Burpee are always wonderful. At any rate, I won't be ordering from them anymore. It isn't worth the aggravation.

My experience with Wayside gave me the impression that Park/Wayside is unaware of FTC Prompt Delivery Rules.
I place an order (id# 521-5***) totaling $68.80 on April 1, 2008 but I receive no e-mail notification of the processing of my order. I wait a day or two. Still no notice that they received my online order. I place my first call. "Wayside Gardens, my name is (Yada Yaah), how may I help you?" or words to that effect. Yes, they got the order and are in the process of shipping it out. Thank you.
My order was no April Fool but their business practices are. In less than 72 hours my charge card was billed for the full amount. A week after I placed the order I received 1 item of the 4 ordered. I wait.
Three weeks after the order was placed I received items 2 and 3. I grow restless for I am rapidly running out of nice transplanting season and I am charging head-long into Southeast Texas 'super summer', a season that in days past earned soldiers combat pay. I call, "Precious" ( that is what the lady said her name is) informs me that my item is on backorder and is due at the end of the week, I'll have my remaining item in 7 days or even less. I wait.
And I wait, and wait but then I get my charge card bill for the previous month. I am agast! I have been billed for items not yet shipped. I call, again. This time "Beverly" informs me that item 4 is still on backorder but could arrive any minute. I wait, again I wait but not for long.
On May 12 I decide I will wait no more. I draft an e-mail that looks almost like this but a bit more concise (no 'super summer' sob story) and request a refund on items billed and not shipped. I include a link to the Federal Trade Commission page on Prompt Delivery Rules. The page includes several suggestions on dealing with unusual demand and delay in shipping. I wait.
A few days later an e-mail from Eva with the Wayside Gardens Customer Contact Team writes to inform me that "When dealing with live plant products however, there are occasional delays that are beyond our control." And when dealing with live paying customers there are occasional people who expect you to say what you mean and mean what you say in 30 days and don't bill me until you ship.
So now I wait for my "prompt" refund. I won't address the quality of the plant material I purchased, the quality of the "customer care" material answered all my questions about Wayside Gardens.
My order from Wayside was placed largely due to sentiment. My Grandmother was a steady Wayside customer during the 1960's and '70's, planting their products in family gardens from coast to coast and always had the current catalog on the coffee table. This isn't my grandmother's Wayside anymore.

At the beginning of March, 2008, I ordered three 'tinkerbell' plants from Wayside Gardens.com. They were never shipped although WaysideGardens accepted my money immediately.

After four unanswered email messages to them, I noticed on my order description on their web page, they had substituted another plant with shipment scheduled for fall of 2008! They did not ask for my approval for the substitution. This was the first week in May. I emailed and asked for a refund.

They did say they would cancel the order and provide a refund. I have received nothing as of May 24, 2008.

Don't do business with WaysideGardens.com!

Marcia

California

Prior to this order I had postive experience with this company. I placed an order and the money was debited from my account. When I did not receive my order a month later I called customer service. It was a bizarre experience to say the least. No resolution after 4 phone calls. They would giggle and hang up on me. No supervisor available. They thought that funny. I was so incensed I wrote a letter to the owner of the company. I received a phone message (not the owner) that my account would be credited (which it was) and as a gesture of good will they were sending me 3 plants. One gardenia and 2 Carol Mackie Daphnes which is the plant I really need. I received the gardenia but never received the Daphnes or an explanation. So the good will gesture didn't even work. Something changed with this company and not for the best.
Before I knew Park seed was part of this company I placed the order for the Daphes with them. Needless to say I never received that either. Now I will have to make another phone call to see if I can get my money refunded from Park seed.
A very unhappy experience.

Before finding this feedback section, I wrote a note via Wayside Garden's "contact us" website; therefore, I will make this short with main points.

1. Placed a $182 order on 4-20.
2. Credit Card was charged on 4-23.
3. Called to check on order status 2 weeks later and was told 2 of the 5 plants ordered were on "back order" until the fall, the others would go out this next week.
4. Two weeks later, called back and got the same response.
5. I cancelled the entire order
6. Week later -- no credit to my charge card yet, so I called and learned it can take up to 30 days for the credit.

If I had known the plants would not ship immediately (which should be information provided upon order), this could have been avoided--even a note in my email order confirmation would have been a nice touch. And to charge the credit card within 3 days with no plans to immediately ship the plants is simply poor customer service.

I would be cautious and at the very least, make a phone call to place your order and receive clear expectations of delivery at the time you place your order.

I first learned about Wayside Gardens last spring. My mom showed me their catalog and asked me to pick out some plants, which she would order and help me put in (my flower beds were all dirt at this time). I really liked and wanted to try out the Gaillardia "Fanfare," so she ordered them amongst others.

She also ordered some lavender (a lot of lavender, in fact) for her garden. We ordered late in the season, so everything was to be fall shipped. I remember my mom calling me last September and asking if I had received anything, which I hadn't. She was concerned about her own order, since she was getting ready to migrate back down to Florida for the colder months.

A couple of weeks after she moved back to Florida, I received my Fanfare -- and her Lavender, which was supposed to be sent to her (a different zipcode 120 miles north of me). By this time it was October, and I barely got the Fanfare planted before the first frost came. None survived the winter... not even my mom's Lavender which I tried to keep alive.

6 months pass and I forgot what the name of this place was, so I googled to find some more Fanfare after realizing mine weren't coming back. Found WaysideGardens.com, which also had some other plants I thought I might like (some Echinaceas, Pyrethrums, other Galliardias on sale, etc). I tried to place an order 4 times but kept getting errors and no order confirmation email. Finally the order went through on 4/29. Aside from the problems having to submit an order multiple times, the web site was very slow.

It is now almost a month later, and my stuff has not been shipped. Some of the items which were supposed to be available for Spring were put on back order until the fall (Fanfare included). I'm not going to murder any more Fanfares my ordering from this company. I called yesterday and was told that because the order was "on the shipping room floor", it could not be cancelled. I would have to refuse the order in order to receive a refund. I plan to do that next week, IF the order ships next week and isn't further delayed.

Like the other negative votes, my main gripe with the company is the lack of integration between the customer side and the shipping side of the business. I don't know how they are affiliated with Park Seed, but I ordered a Coreopsis and 2 Gaillardias from "Park's Landscapes" at http://www.parkslandscapes.com on 5/6, received that order around the 14th, and the Coreopsis and 2 Gaillardias are already planted. When I called about my Wayside order, they told me " Your Coreopsis and Gaillardia Arizona Sun were delievered." Correct, but the order I placed with Wayside a week prior to placing that order, still has not arrived.

After some more research on google, I was able to find the Fanfare at another online store. This new store promised shipment of my complete order by 6/2, which is fine, because they're sending me the same plants that Wayside had on backorder until Fall. My advice is, don't accept any fall shipments. Just because they're busy in the spring doesn't mean your fall order will ship in a timely fashion since you "got it in early." My mom ordered her stuff last June, and it was already getting close to frost by the time we received the plants.

I ordered from these guys before I read any reviews or I might not have...overall though I'm pretty happy. I got a few Knock-outs, some Irises and a few other things. All showed up pretty health last season. Everything except one Knock out made it. The rainbow one actually looked dead when I got it last fall. I called and they said to plant it and wait to see. I was dead as I expected. I was not too happy about loosing 6 months of growth, but when I called them, they promptly sent a new one that was 3 times the size and blooming. Even though it was the 40s in my zone 5b garden it is still blooming 4 weeks after planting and getting more buds. So no complaints here.

This is one company I was wary of after reading the reviews, but have wound up doing a bit of business with them since then...have had better luck getting plants to my door ALIVE than with many others.
Actually, everything I've ordered from them is still alive.


VITIS GRAPE GLENORA (perky)

MUHLENBERGIA CAPILLARIS PINK MUHLY GRASS (from invoice, do believe that should actually be MURPHY - small but happy)

CHRYSANTHEMUM CLARA CURTIS (small, growing quickly)

FESTUCA ELIJAH'S BLUE (thriving)

THALICTRUM SP. BLACK STOCKINGS (small, healthy)

HELLEBORUS BRANDYWINE TM (taking time...)

PEROVSKIA FILIGRAN (slow but steady)

I feel the same as most negatives. The prices are way too high for the size of the plants delivered. I have ordered for the last two years but unfortunately over half of my items died over the winter, they just do not come back. Substitutions are made without your knowledge UNLESS you email them the same day you place your order and say "NO subs!" Any credits took months to happen after at least two or three email and calls, however, shipping charges were not reimbursed. Charges were placed when ordered, not when items shipped which is WRONG. Items shipped at very unusual times, including one almost 6 months later than I thought. I planted it inside so it wouldn't die. We'll see. Daylillies I received two years ago, finally look like the plant and have a few blooms instead of looking like grass. None of the 4 echinecheia I ordered survived the winter. I will look at the pretty pix and then find somewhere else to order. Buyer BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is going to be a lot of reading so get ready. This has to be the WORST run business going and they are definitely out to cheat you any and every chance they get. If you order from this company you are really living dangerously and would be better off buying from ANYBODY else.

OK so here we go, in early March I placed a sizeable order of about $150 and of course was charged immediately which I can live with. On the website the items appear as Reserved and a couple of weeks later it changed status on their website to "to be shipped" and they remained this way for weeks until in early May a call was placed to see when these were "to be shipped". I reached them no problem and was "helped" by a lovely young lady who assured me they'd shipped right away and stupidity got me to buy a couple more things and then I'd qualify for a free knock out Rose which stupidly I went for, so another charge on my credit card appears at once. Interestingly enough I ordered one Clematis at a discount price but when I was upsold for a second to qualify for my free prize I was charged more for the second but what is a few more dollars when you are wasting so much money already. I was notified when the packages were shipped with tracking #'s (oddly they shipped on Friday’s so the packages sat around in transit 2 extra days and this happened for 3 of my 4 shipments) and when I checked the order on-line, I found one item Echinaceas Crazy Pink were cancelled and they had decided that Prairie something or other Echinaceas would be substituted for them, I of course knew nothing about this and didn't even want these, so another call to Wayside. Again another friendly helpful voice answers (I will say they train the people answering the phones very well but that doesn't go into the shipping department but we will get there soon enough) and she explains they just make substitutions at their whim (she of course told me they make substitutions of “comparable items”) when something is out of stock so after some prodding, she agrees to refund my money for those $60 this was 5-06-08 and it is 5-21-08 and no refund. Now 2 packages finally arrive from Wayside and one looks like it was packed by a 5 year old (it was clearly marked proudly packaged by #25 never saw this again in any other box from Wayside) plants just thrown into a box with some Styrofoam peanuts and lots of hay, needless to say numerous plants had broken at the roots and ALL of the bareroots they sent were moldy and rotten however the Knock Out Rose I was upsold and given free was very nice and packaged well go and figure. The plants received were skimpy at best stuff, so small it could be hardly be considered saleable by anyone reputable and the few things that were "nice" had of course been broken from poor packing. So time to call in again, once again another very sympathetic voice, who of course apologized and agreed to send replacements for the ones in stock some were not so I had to take something else which is fine and of course more upselling but by now I on to Wayside so I pass on anymore generous offers. Oddly the same day I get a $30 charge on my credit card from them (for what I wonder, shipping ?? too many calls to the 800 # ???) since I was owed a $60 credit odd I would get charged again but we must move on. The replacements arrive reasonably promptly and upon opening the box I again find a group of plants strewn into a box, some of the replacements are worse than the first group and what would have been nice plants are damaged from poor packing. I have since planted what I could the rest are in the ER on my 3 season porch and some of it is doing OK most others not so much. So at this point I didn't call back into Bandit Gardens and have had to go to the credit card company to challenge these charges luckily I just squeaked in under the 60 days to challenge a charge (now I understand why they charge you upfront). However I am willing to pay what I am sadly responsible for but the $60 and the mystery charge I will NOT pay. In order to avoid a carbon copy response from Mr. Jay Johnstone the order # is 5168862, and if you actually plan to issue a credit your people promised and AFTER you have done so, feel free to contact me in regards to your operation as I would be glad to hear from you. In closing I would recommend you ignore Wayside's beautiful catalog and website and look elsewhere to fill your floral needs or you do will end up scammed like so many others have.

"

Dear Eric,

We are sorry to learn that you are dissatisfied with our service and hope you can understand that this is not our typical level of service. Our records do not indicate that your credits had been processed, so I am unsure as to how you would see the amount credited on your credit card. We have generated a refund for the Delphinium Chocolate for $7.95, and have also refunded you for the remaining two Prairie Spelendor subs that you had not wanted. The total to be refunded to your charge card is $74.06. Please look for this credit to appear on your statement within the next 3-5 business days. We apologize for any inconvenience and I hope that you will give us another opportunity to provide you with the quality products you deserve and that all your future encounters with our plants bring you nothing but pleasure.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Department
e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com
"

This company is one of the worst I ever dealt with when trying to purchase anything, never mind plants.

On March 7th, I ordered 7 shrubs and 1 perennial. Unlike most nurseries I have purchased from, they took all my money immediately which I was shocked at.

Then I waited. I received no order confirmation, no email, just nothing. The only reason I knew the order went through is that they took my money.

In late April I began to get billed for an receive shipments from other companies. I called Wayside finally on the 29th of April.

Here is what they told me. The one shrub sold out, The 6 other not avail. until Fall, the perennial not avail until the middle of summer.

The actually asked me if I wanted to cancel the whole order. I of course did. No apologies, no explanations as to why they would mislead consumers like myself. NOTHING.

Then I was told I wouldn't get my money back for another month. Wayside took and held my almost 150.00$ for plants they could not and never intended to deliver and then, just to make some more money on my money...Keep it for another Month. I will never shop with Wayside again. I only wish I read these reviews before I ordered from them at all. I have nothing to show for it but having my money make them money for 3 months.

Ordered Royal Acres bulbs last fall from a catalog showing beautiful blue tulips.. Got them, bulbs OK, all 15 ordered came up and floweered. So-whats the problem, the bulbs are a red that sure doesn't make my wife appreciate I used her garden space. Laugh on me, should have found this web site a years sooner... We'll see what Wayside has to say and report back....

I cannot tell you how frustrated I am with Wayside Gardens. I will never, ever, ever order from them again. I placed my order on April 29th. Today is May 19th and I still have not received my order and I can't get anyone to tell me why it isn't en route. Everyday for the last week, I have called to check the status, and everyday someone tells me something different, but I am never given a definitive answer. They've double billed me for shipping, which I had to fix, they've held my entire order and then released it numerous times because one plant is for fall planting. Supervisors are never available to talk to, and the customer service reps apparently do not work off the same systems as the warehouse packing people or the credit card department. I bought 8 plants, was promised 2-Day FedEx shipping, and have now waited 21 days with no resolution. At this point I don't know if I am ever going to receive my order and I feel scammed. This is absolutely the worst online shopping experience I have ever had. I just called them again today. It was the same answer - "it might ship out one day this week."
BUYER BEWARE. WAYSIDE GARDENS DOES NOT KEEP ITS PRIOMISES

I also got stung by those nice folks(Con-Artists) at
"Wayside Gardens",
with their fancy, shmancy color catalogue &
"NEEDLESS MARK-UP prices,
I was looking for Blue flowers, so I took a chance, on 2 plants,
Aster 'Wonder of Staffa'
$25.00 including shipping.
What arrived was a joke,
2, 2 1/2 inch pots with no leaves,
and a tiny shread of paper that said
" I'm not Dead I'm just dormant"
Well guess what, 'I'm not rich I'm just stupid" for ordering any plants from those crack pots.
NEVER AGAIN!
I sent them back for a refund,
and have'nt heard a word from them in months.
SNAKE OIL SALESMEN

Unfortunately Wayside seems to be going downhill. I ordered some reblooming iris from them last fall from an email offer. I planted them quickly even though they were the smallest iris divisions I've ever seen. The same day I transplanted some iris from other places in my yard.

Of the 6 Wayside Iris only one survived. The dried husks of the rhizomes of the others were still there but not growing. All the ones I transplanted from a different part of my garden (each with 2 growing points which is how I was taught to divide iris) are thriving.

I emailed them about this 4/ 28 and received a computerized notice that they had received my comments but that was
the last I've heard from them.

I too have mixed feelings about Wayside Gardens and agree that communication and organization seem to be their biggest problems. I've ordered many plants from them over the years and in most cases the plants are strong and healthy and flourish. I have some absolutely gorgeous climbing roses that I ordered from them 2 years ago. I don't like it when they substitute plants -- especially the few times they substituted a less expensive plant for the more expensive "new" version boldly featured in their catalog without making a credit adjustment. Their web site is great but you can't check on past orders -- the page always errors out. They could do a match better job just letting the customer know what's is going on with their order. I also don't like that they now charge your credit card when you place your order instead of closer to shipping time. I didn't order anything from them this spring -- the first time in about 15 years.

I wrote the company asking them an environmentally sound manner of disposing of the storofoam peanuts they sent. I asked them to take my name form their mailing list until this issue is resolved. They agreed to take my name frorm the list, but gave no suggestions about the peanuts. The company shipped substitutes for plants I had ordered. When I called to say they were unacceptable, the company agreed to credit my account for the amount of the plants.

I have mixed feelings about Wayside Gardens. I love their wide selection and how easy it is to browse their website. Of a couple dozen plants I've ordered from them, only one has failed so far (and I think deer were at fault). My problem is that they don't communicate well. Their website offers being able to check order status, but that page always errors out. And on two out of my three orders, I had to call to bug them about when my plants were going to ship. Most recently, they told me my x.pardancanda had been delayed until the fall (which I knew when I ordered it), but it seemed that up until that minute, they hadn't planned to ship any of the other plants that were available. They did make up for it by upgrading the shipping on the available plants. But stranger still, I just received an email telling me the x.pardancanda have shipped! I just get a sense of disorganization from them.

I have ordered many times from Wayside in the last few years. Most times they have been ok in replacing defective plants that they sent me. This year however, they have completely frustated me and disrupted my plans for my garden, resulting in an entire wasted year. I had planned a partial redesign of my large garden in front of my house. I submitted a very large order IN EARLY JANUARY (order #XXX8484) to Wayside to ensure I received the plants I requested. Nonetheless, 36 plants that I had ordered (24 Phlox 'Purple Kiss' and 12 Echinacea 'Sunset'), which were to be delivered in 3 inch pots, arrived as bareroot plants. Additionally, the Echinacea were basically clumps of dirt and I suspected had very little chance of growing. Also, as part of my order, I received 12 bareroot Gerananium 'Purple Pillow' plants that were not in good shape either. When I called to complain, I was offered the opportunity to return the plants. But doing so of course totally would derail my planned redesign. I was told any of the plants that failed to survive would definitely be replaced. So I decided to try to use what they had sent. After none of the Echinacea survived, and I followed up, I was now told they are unable to replace the plants and I would receive a credit. The credit of course includes nothing for the shipping charges they charged already. Also, only 1 of the Geranium bareroots survived. They are replacing the other 11, but only in the fall. So, the credit and fall delivery takes into account nothing of how they totally runined my redesign for the whole year. I am completely frustrated by this company. I am now unable to get these plants anywhere else, I have huge empty spots in my garden. I now have to go spend more money to find something to complete my garden for this year, not to say purchase more plants for my redesign next year. With almost 100% certainty, I will likely never order from Wayside again, as clearly they find it ok to fulfill an order with a totally different type of product (bareroot) than what was in their catalog and ordered (3 inch pot), even when the order was made well in advance of the season. I don't feel like I can trust what they will deliver any longer, or trust that when they fail to provide what was ordered and what they said they were selling, that they will be able to properly correct the issue.

I ordered PG hydrangea tree form, sorbaria sem 4" pot, 2 knockout rose 1-gallon pots, siberian iris bareroots, 3" pot echinacea,3" pot helleborus, and 1-gallon pot halo hydrangea. Everything came very well packed. Plants were larger than expected and looked healthy. My PG hydrangea took off right away--am excited how it will turn out in a few years. Prices for items are very reasonable, especially if you look for their specials and there are usually 10% off coupons you can use. Shipping is not cheap, but it seems like they spend a lot on packing. People should give them a chance.

I made my order with Wayside Gardens before finding this website and reading these reviews. After reading all of the negative reviews, I was ready to go to battle. I ordered 4 coreopsis, 4 ceratostigma plumbaginoides, and 4 sisyrinchium (blue-eyed grass). All plants arrived together when promised and all plants look great! I don't know if I'm just lucky, or just got plants that are in season and healthy. The coreopsis are a variety that I have not been able to find locally so I'm very happy with my purchase. After reading all of these negative reviews, I will probably take a "wait and see" attitude before ordering from Wayside Garden again to see whether the reviews improve for this company. Yet, I can say that this first experience for me was good.

This company does not unconditionally guarantee their plants, unlike most other mail order garden centers and nurseries. I STRONGLY recommend doing business elsewhere. Wayside apparently will only warranty their plants for the duration of a season. For perennials that fail to appropriately overwinter, they do not provide a replacement or a credit. This is in stark contrast to most other companies and should be a significant deterrent to your doing business when other companies provide an extensive guarantee. This begs the question as to WHY they do not guarantee- and I suspect it is because it is not uncommon that their questionable products don't survive past one season.

I am deeply disappointed in the rude treatment I received from customer service and in the sub-standard Wisteria Sinensis I received (that did not survive the winter). In this case, I'm quite certain this was an issue with the plant as the other Wisteria are doing quite nicely.

White Flower Farm, Dutch Gardens and Klehm's Song Sparrow... all of them guarantee their products unconditionally. Shame on you Wayside Gardens and on your unacceptable business practices. I, for one, will take my gardening ambitions (and sizable landscape budget) elsewhere.

I sent this e-mail to Wayside Gardens earlier today:

Dear Wayside Gardens:

My order arrived, as promised, on May 8. The plants [Gaillardia grandiflora 'Goblin'] may live, but I'll be surprised if they do. Let me tell you what happened, and offer a suggestion.

The plants arrived on Thursday, May 8, at 4:15 pm. I opened the box and carefully removed about a ton of styrofoam peanuts from the top. I saw two plants, gingerly lifted them out, and took them outside to my patio. I removed another ton of styrofoam, found another two plants, and took them to the patio. Another ton of styrofoam, the last two plants, and out to the patio. Below the last layer of styrofoam I could see something in plastic that appeared to be a re-order form. I left it in the box.

The plants arrived in terrible condition. Most were hideously bent; all had brown leaves. Even the green leaves were sagging. I carefully removed the straw that was packed around the top of the containers and it was clear the soil was bone dry. I figured I had better get them into the ground and watered as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, I always plant things as you indicate they should be planted: I dig a hole about 1 1/2 times the depth of the container, put Miracle Grow potting soil in the bottom of the hole, water it thoroughly with water mixed (1 Tbsp per gallon) with Vitamin B-1 for plants. I also dig the hole about twice the circumference of the container. I set the plant into the hole, put more Miracle Grow potting soil around it, and water it thoroughly again with the Vitamin B-1 water mix.

I planted all six plants that way.

When I had finished, and was still very worried about their chances for survival, I came back inside, removed the remaining styrofoam peanuts, and lifted out the enclosure. It was only at that point I found your instructions saying NOT to plant them for three days, but to give them plenty of water and time to adjust first.

Recommendation: Put the planting and care guide at the TOP of the box, not the bottom. Insert something in red at the top of it that says STOP! READ THIS BEFORE UNPACKING PLANTS!

I've been following carefully your after-planting directions, but I'm not at all sure these plants are going to survive. Unfortunately, if they do not, it will be my fault for not following your directions. If only I had known in time that there were directions to be followed.

Roberta Walker
Bellingham, WA

I just received 12 plants of the plumbago groundcover. and they were gorgeous. This is not an easy plant to find, and these plants were what I would expect had I bought them locally. They were fresh and arrived safely packaged.

I live in Charleston, SC-last week I ordered (online) a number of Agapanthus, and 2 clematis plants from Wayside, and placed the order on Saturday May 3, 2008(order # XXXX999-details are for Mr. Johnson's reference, vis-a vis his comments on previous posts). I paid for 2 day shipping to try to make sure they arrived without delays in a post office or the like. My order was confirmed, and the confirmation indicated that the Agapanthus and one Clematis were scheduled for "Spring" shipping, and the rest of the order was scheduled for shipping in the Fall. I interpreted this to mean that the Clematis for Fall probably would not do well if planted at this time of the year, but that the Agapanthus and other Clematis would ship. When I checked on the status of the order online, it confirmed the partial shipment slated for the fall, and indicated that the rest of the Agapanthus and the other Clematis were "In Stock and reserved." There was no further information about the status of the order, and no explanation anywhere of what "in stock and reserved" meant. After a week with no further information, or any plants, I contacted customer service today. The representative that I spoke with told me that it took "three to five days" to process the order before shipping. She reminded me that this was their busy time of the year, but she refused to tell me when the order would ship, but reminded me that they did not work weekends.
When I reminded her that three to five days had already passed, and asked her when she believed it would ship, she told me that the plants were undergoing "inspection" (same reply as noted in comments in the thread below" and she couldn't really tell me when shipping was likely to occur. She mentioned repeatedly that this was happening because I had placed an Internet order, suggesting that by placing order by telephone would have resulted in being given additional information Re: shipping when the order would've been placed. I was then cut off.
I called back to customer service, and spoke to a very polite representative, and asked her to please forward my call to a supervisor. She checked to see if any were available, and told me that none were available at this time but that if I gave my name, and telephone number, that I would receive a call back from a supervisor when one was available. I left my order number, name, and telephone number with her.
I have ordered items from catalog sources for 30 years, mostly with excellent results and excellent service, including both garden/plant supply companies, as well as other merchandise. In all those years, I have had few experiences with such companies where delays in shipping did not result in a prompt phone call or e-mail from the Company to me informing me that an item was out of stock, or that there was to be a delay in shipping. Most Internet orders I have ever placed typically are followed by e-mail confirmation, and some indication of expected shipping date, and often followed by updates (often daily updates) informing me of changes in shipping date or expected delivery dates. The only e-mail I received from Wayside Gardens after my order was placed, was an advertisement to buy more plants from them. I got the feeling with Wayside Gardens that I was expected to call to find out about shipping dates, even though they could not provide any information that helped me to know when my order would actually be shipped.
After having taken the time to review the positive, neutral, and negative comments on this site regarding Wayside Gardens, many of the negative comments, and several of the neutral comments indicate recurring themes. These include unreliable shipping dates, blaming delays on "inspections," generally poor or unreliable communication regarding orders, and boilerplate comments by Mr. J. Johnson on most negative comments, suggesting that deficiencies in information provided to this forum preclude his ability to help resolve outstanding issues. I'm waiting to hear back from the supervisor.

I recently ordered a rose bush from Wayside and it arrived in a timely fashion and in wonderful condition. It's healthy and growing. I'm happy with the service.

Placed an order of (1) Jackmanii- Clematis (2) Daylilies- Stella De oro and received (2) Niobe- Clematis for free. The order was placed 04/28/08 late evening. The items were shipped on 05/06/08 and received 05/08/08- AM hours.

I was thrilled firstly about the offer of 2 FREE Niobe clematis. I am impressed with company's service, shipment arrived as stated on order form.The plant quality and meticulous packaging, clean, carefully packed, the box was not dented, ripped or damaged in anyway.

After reading a lot of the bad experiences from some of you. I thought I was going to receive a pile of dirt in a box especially when I began thinking of the FREE plants. Again I am very impressed with Wayside Gardens.

Instructions on how to plant and care for the plants were included with pkg, which I found very helpful being a novice at gardening. Looking forward to placing my next order. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to catch them on another fab offer. Thank you Wayside Gardens.

I don't think I have ever had such a frustrating experience with a mail order company. On March 3,'08 I ordered a Buddleia Davidii and a Buddleia Alternifolia from this company. On April 23, '08 the Buddleia Davidii shipped and I was informed that the alternifolia was not available. I checked their web page which noted that the B A was "sold out". This regardless of my having ordered in March. I was given a "refund due" of $11.95 but of course no reference number. I searched their catalog trying to find a suitable substitute (in the same price range). I found a Rose Don Juan for $9.95. When I called to place an order for this item, I was informed that I would be charged an additional $4.95 for shipping and handing. (Let's see if I have this correct- $11.95 refund +-$4.95 for the replacement order= $16.90 for a $9.95 order -on which the shipping had already been paid.
Now this is where the story gets unbelievable. After waiting about a week, I checked my order status and to my surprise found that the order was "to be shipped". When I called to tell them I wanted the product now as it is the proper planting season, I was assured by Lilly that it would be expedited. I checked the status again in a few days and it was still "to be shipped". I called again and spoke to Katherine who assured me that she would personally see that the order was expedited. In the meantime I sent an email to customer service detailing my problems. No reply. So I sent an email to Mr. J. Johnson, still no reply. So when I check my online status, I find that my order has been canceled. I called again and got a very nasty guy who informed me that indeed the order had been canceled and a refund made to my credit card and I should "have a nice day" and then he hung up. Well, I checked my credit card and no refund has been made.
What's wrong with these people? Don't they realize that their jobs depend on their customers' satisfaction? Well, I for one will not help to guarantee their job security. I will never order from them again.

"

Dear jayt36,

We are sorry to learn that you are dissatisfied with our service, and hope you can understand that this is not our typical level of service. Let me start out by saying how deeply sorry we are that you were not properly informed of the Buddleia Alternifolia being sold out. You also should not have been charged any shipping fees for choosing a substitute item for the Alternifolia being unavailable. After reviewing this post, I would like to resolve this matter as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available. We apologize for any inconvenience and I hope that you will give us another opportunity to provide you with the quality products you deserve and that all your future encounters with our plants bring you nothing but pleasure.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]"

Wayside is poorly run and does not honor its warranty.

I ordered several shrubs, two of which quickly died. I wrote to ask for replacements. No response. I wrote again. No response. I wrote a third time, expressing dissatisfaction. They responded with a call saying it would be sent out during planting season. It never arrived. I wrote again. They called again, said it would be sent out during planting season. This was getting to be repetitious. Two and a half years they strung me along. No replacement plants ever arrived.

This was not the first time their products died, but it was the first time I made a claim under warranty. It turned out to be worthless.

I ordered several times from them and each time there was a problem. Just a few examples are listed below.

I ordered an iris from them, which showed up rotten. I did get a replacement.

I signed up for FedEx express shipping, but the plants came FedEx Post, which was even slower than regular mail. I paid extra for express shipping I did not get.

I also ordered Wisteria which were small in diameter, but I did not complain. I ordered another as a gift and after two weeks it still did not ship. Several emails and phone calls later, and after asking to speak to a supervisor, I was finally told the plant is not available. Each time I communicated with them, I was told that the nursery manager was "reviewing the order" or "inspecting". If I had been told that the plant was not available the first time I emailed them, I would not have wasted precious spring gardening time. I finally went to a local nursery and found a huge, multi-vine, large-diametered, flowering Wisteria for the same price.

I feel I have been patient with them, but I will never use Wayside again. They overcharge you and they don't deliver!

Plants shipped on time, arrived on time and were in excellent condition. Customer service was very helpful and accomodating when I called and inquired about my order as my computer had timed out and I wasn't sure if my order had gone through. They were careful not to ship the order until it was safe in our zone to do so. I can't wait to get them in the ground!

We placed an order of over $100.00 last fall..........They shipped most of them after the ground was frozen.........I have one little plant who survived which I nursed in the kitchen window all winter long........This company charges a great price for their plants.........What they did send did not survive except for my phlox, nursed in the window........They charge double what Parks does and do not deliver, or even have the decency to communicate with you..........

I will never order from them again.........or Parks for that matter.....................This company is the WORST ever company I have ever dealt with...........They need to be put out of business as far as I am concerned.......They take our hard earned dollars and do NOT deliver............I am reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.


Lisa

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

THANK Y'ALL SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!

I ordered from Wayside last week BEFORE I found this page.

I happened across this page last night and bristled because I'm currently re-landscaping my yard.

I found wayside and the pictures looked so wonderful so I ordered over $275 worth of plants. But, I was able to cancel my order this morning because it hadn't yet shipped.

But I'm a bit concerned on whether or not they'll actually credit my card back like they said they would.

I appreciate your candid feedback and am so happy I was able to cancel the order prior to them shipping out my stuff.

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

I bought two amyrillis bulbs - a buy one/get one and said i only wanted them if they were deliveredin in the fall. i was assured that was not a problem. I just received them this week and when i questioned them they said the bulbs can be planted in either spring or fall, which missed the point completely. One tage clearly states for fall planting, no mention of spring, anyway. Then they told me to send them back for a refund. So who pays for the postage? And are there no other options? Just really rude and disrespectful, not to mention lying about the delivery date. it's not that i don't want the bulbs, i just want them when they told me I would get them.

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

I swore off this company last year, but relented when I thought that they were the only ones that carried the McCartney Rose. I have since found another source. Last year I ordered this rose for my uncle in Nebraska. They shipped it to his home in Northern Wisconsin. Not the address I gave them. How they got that mixed up I'll never know, because I didn't even have that address. He planted it there because he had no other choice, and I am sure it has not survived the winter in that zone.

This year they substituted Queen Elizabeth Rose for the McCartney. NOTHING ALIKE. I ordered it because of it's incredible fragrance. I was at one time (before I knew better) a good customer of this company. I will never order from them again.

Lisa

"

I have reviewed your above posting and I am seeking the opportunity to address this matter. Unfortunately, the information contained within was not sufficient to locate your order in our database. In order to rectify the problem I must request that you e-mail us with your billing information, including zip code and order number if available.

Jay Johnson
Customer Contact Representative
[e-mail:JJohnson@parkseed.com]
"

In late January 2008, I placed an order for twenty plants with Wayside Gardens (Order No. 5023777). All were to be shipped the following spring. As of today, only three (rosebushes) have shipped, and that was several weeks ago. Although they were planted with painstaking care, only two appear to be sprouting leaves. The third has shown no sign of growth at all.

I've contacted Wayside three times now: twice by phone and once directly by email, using Mr. Johnson's address as posted on these forums. Both times I called I've been given entirely different answers. I've also left my number and have been promised that a supervisor would return my call; no one has. I do not expect a response to the email, but as the spring planting season grows shorter every day, I am increasingly anxious to receive my ordered plants.

I wish I'd read the reviews here before ordering so much from Wayside Gardens. I still hope that they'll contact me and resolve this matter to my satisfaction, but after seeing this site, I'm not holding my breath.

It's been an unfortunately expensive lesson to learn, but that will teach me not to research a company before doing business with them. And the fact that they charged my card before shipping the product (Is that even legal?) should have been a huge red flag.

Upon resolution of this matter, I will happily change my review to a positive one. Until then, I cannot recommend Wayside Gardens to anyone.

I ordered several gaillardia, echinacea, helleborus, and a spirea bush, and everything arrived intact back in March. The plants were all quite small when they arrived but are now blooming and gorgeous. I will order from Wayside again despite the price.

I have ordered 3 plants last fall and, except for "Knockout rose", two other did not survive the winter, which was very upsetting. "Citronella" arrived very thin and anemic and didn't make it. About 10 days ago I emailed to Wayside gardens telling them this and without a word and no additional questions asked - I received a replacement yesterday. Small but healthy looking plant. Thanks, I was prepared for a lengthy back-and-fourth communication and you pleasantly surprised me. I definetely will order again from your company.