Comments regarding Wayside Gardens

In January of 2004 I placed an order for $169 for plants for spring delivery it is now April and in the past three weeks I have recieved notice cards for two of the products saying they are out of stock. I feel they could have and should have sent me notice much sooner so I could have ordered from another company for spring delivery.

I just received three VERY healthy "Green Giant" thujas from this company and the shipping date was exactly when I specified. I've ordered from them in the past and have had nothing but terrific experiences.

I ordered a number of plants with Wayside as part of an email promotion I received. All of my plants arrived quickly and were in beautiful condition. Additionally, all but two of them are doing wonderfully (and the two that didn't make it were because they weren't for my zone -- my bad). I would absolutely order with Wayside again -- I got an excellent price on some wonderful plants!

I am, quite frankly, confused as to whether or not I should place an order with Wayside. Yes, their catalog is amazing and the positive remarks from past customers make it very tempting. There are, however, quite a few (about 40%) disgruntled customers that all seem to have similar complaints. I think what bothers me the most is that Wayside has never bothered to address these complaints. When you have a 40% disapproval rating, I would think that you would make an effort to address some of the issues found here in this forum. I think I'll hold off ordering from this company until either (a) the customer satisfaction rating gets MUCH better than 60 % or (b) a Wayside representative responds to at least some of the complaints listed here. Better safe than sorry.

I have ordered from Wayside for about 4 years now. They are my favorite mail order company. I've only had problems with a few plants and they gave me credit with no questions asked.

I love that they ship many of their plants in pots with sprouts of life already on them, rather than domant roots that take a whole season to come to life. Their packing is great, wet wood shavings, it's unlike most mail order companies.

I worried that their plants may not do well in Minnesota, but I've had very few problems. They now offer a cheap option for a two year warrentee, worth it for an expensive tree, etc.

I ordered a Rose from them last year and it just never did well. This year it looks as if it is dead compared to the other roses I have. I emailed them about it and they are replacing it without any questions or any kind of a hassle.

I ordered 2 flowering apricots and 4 viburnum 'cardinal candy' from them this winter. They shipped the plants very quickly (I received them in late Feb - here in SC) and was very impressed by their size. The trees were about 4-5' tall and are budding out now and the bushes were about a foot and a half tall with buds on them. The roots were good size and look healthy. I'm impressed with them so far (first time ordering from them) but will see how they grow this summer.

I purchased a smokebush last fall from Wayside that, so far, doesn't look like it made it through the winter. So I sent them an email late on Saturday afternoon about it expecting a reply at the EARLIEST on Monday. But when I checked my email on Sunday there was an email from Wayside saying sorry for your loss we will ship you a new one. Although the plant I bought died, the quick no questions asked replacement makes up for it.

Once upon a time (about 20 years ago) this was a superlative company! The plant material was exciting, the service was excellent, and I was a regular customer who enjoyed many happy hours browsing through their catalog and planning my upcoming season's garden. SAD TO SAY: NO MORE.

I tried them again last summer by placing an almost $200.00 order...and was utterly shocked! The plants, though well-packed, arrived in various stages of half-rot. Some plants were even missing. About 40 percent of the order never took hold and did not survive the trip (IF they were alive at all when shipped, I wonder?). The Clematis vines were miniscule...so weak and spindly I almost couldn't find them at all. (And I live in Md.: not far from NC). Very sad and sorry plant material for a premium price. One of the plants that survived (And I am an expert, life-long gardener) were three Jasmine, a cultivar that they advertise as being extremely fragrant. It is NOT. They are thriving in a sunny southern window, BUT unlike common Jasmine, one has to stick ones nose right into the flower itself to catch a whiff of any fragrance at all. Philadelphus Snowbell was also weak and lanky. The only decent plants in the lot were the daylilies and the lily bulbs. Even the Hydrangea (var. Beni Gaku) was below average. WAYSIDE GARDENS NEED SOME QUALITY CONTROL! WOW, what a terrible experience. It is like losing a good friend. I am so tempted, still, to order yet again... a testimony to the one thing they still do RIGHT: their gorgeous catalogs! They're SO sumptuous and compelling and still as beautiful as ever. Their email offers look so delightful.... but NO, you have lost me forever Wayside Gardens! As to whether they will make good for all my lost plants, I do not know yet. I have to get my notes together and send a letter detailing the losses in the order. Meanwhile, THANK YOU-- everyone-- for this marvelous website! I am so grateful for everyone's input and thrilled that I found it! Please keep the feedback coming.

I have been disapointed on several occasions with the quality of the nursery stock that I have received from Wayside. Two years ago I paid an exorbitant price for a weeping Redbud - what I received was barely a twig that has done nothing but barely survive. I ordered a Mountain Laurel last spring and received a plant that they should have been embarassed to ship. It was half dead - the type and quality of plant you would purchase at the end of the season at the local home improvement center - spend only a dollar or two and not be to distressed if it didn't make it. The problem being I didn't pay a dollar or two and it was from a well known company.

I had placed my first order last season for a 'standard form' forsythia tree. ($50) It had arrived on time, and I was impressed by the packing job and the size and quality of the tree (almost 5' tall).
During the growing season, the tree sent out may new branches and I can't wait to see it bloom this spring.
I just order over (16 plants 1 gallon ea.) for $350 worth of Thuja ‘Green Giant’ for privacy screen.
Although I agree the prices seem a bit high, I found that $50 for my forsythia tree was right for the quality and size of it.
I guess I subscribe to the thought "You get what you pay for", applies to me. Let's hope the same rings true for my $350 worth of Thujas.

I have ordered off and on over the last few years from Wayside. This past spring/summer I took advantage of the 75% off rose sale(SIGN UP FOR THEIR E-MAIL OFFERS!!!)and was quite impressed with the bareroot roses sent to me. They thrived all summer into fall. Also ordered daylilies and clematis which arrived in very good condition. One of the clematis did not arrive and I was promptly given credit on my card. Customer service is excellent. I have Wayside roses in my garden from several years ago and they are still going strong.

Have not ordered from them in several years, so I can't comment on current plant quality. I still regularly receive their catalog and find their prices to be much higher than many other quality mail order nurseries for the same species and plant sizes - that's what supports those beautiful, glossy, free catalogs.

Last spring (03) we had a rather large order of Daylillys, Spireas, roses and a few Bluebird Hybiscus standards. All arrived in outstanding condition and were very well packed. All of the plants propagated well. Communication with staff of Wayside Gardens was very responsive. The roses we ordered were on sale, however they were also of excellent quality and are doing well.

This spring I purchased both perennials and roses from Wayside. I also purchased a Sieboldii Magnolia this fall. I got the roses on sale at 75% off like some of the others here. What a steal! I agree that for roses and trees they are tops - but perennials - phewwee they stink! My perennials were shipped bare root - most of them. The grasses were so tiny they can barely be seen in my garden. My poppies and delphinium didn't even survive a week. When I called to report the deaths they cheerfully gave me credit for the dead items - but even so - for what they charge I was sadly disappointed in their perennials.

I've always had mixed emotions when ordering from Wayside Gardens. There have been times when I have received an order that was almost completely dead, or I received plants at a time that was too late for planting. If you are looking for perennials, bulbs, and the such, I'd find another company. However, they have always shipped very nice selections of trees, shrubs, and evergreens and this, for me, elevated them from a negative to a neutral. The roses they shipped were unbelievably large and healthy for a bareroot plant (I'm still amazed at the quality of the roses I received) and the golden western redcedars WOULD have been nice if they had shipped what I had ordered instead of replacing the items with an evergreen that reached 1/4 the size of the cedars. Still they were marvelous plants and have grown rapidly. While they could do much more to improve the quality of their tender plant materials like the tropicals, perennials, etc. I consider them one of the best sources for hard to find shrubs and trees.

I placed a very large order for bareroot roses they had early this spring. Living in South Dakota,many of our nurseries do not carry the selection that they offer especially the austins, and I could not pass up 75% off. They were shipped incredibly quick & very well packaged. I was impressed with the huge healthy root systems and plump green shoots just starting to emerge. Perfect condition for planting in the first week of June when they arrived. Throughout the summer I enjoyed the many colorful and fragrant blossoms of my newly planted bareroot roses. However there were a few that just didn't make it. This fall I e-mailed them with a list along with my copies of the transactions. I recieved a very friendly and professional email within 24 hrs acknowledging they would replace in the spring the ones they would continue to carry & a refund check for the ones they will not be carrying . I will order with confidence from them again. I ordered on a whim last spring not really knowing what to expect....but with service like what I have experienced I know that this is a company I can rely on with confidence.

I wish I had checked this web site before ordering from Wayside/Park. My deliveries this past month included:

- a sedum where the pot and packaging arrived, but there was no plant in the pot.
- a bicolor butterfly bush that was supposed to have butterscotch and raspberry colored blooms that is now blooming with only purple flowers.
- a crow feather foam flower that does not have the variagation shown (reds, yellows, greens and black), but instead is just a couple of shades of green.
- a painted japanese fern that was supposed to have fronds that are red/silver/white which looks like a plain old green fern.

The other plants were okay, but were VERY small for the price I paid and arrived in pretty rough shape. I was also disappointed to see them using foam packaging 'peanuts' instead of something biodegradeable.

I had assumed that a large garden like Wayside/Park would be reliable with their delieveries as advertised, but that has not been my experience at all.

I have not yet contacted the company to try and work this out because I am busy getting plants and bulbs in the ground right now. I hope they will do the right thing and replace the wrong plants that were sent. But even if they do, I am still bothered by the fact that I was sent so many wrong items in the first place (as well as the one missing item) and that I will have to work at getting the replacements and hoping that I can get them in the ground quickly enough so they can get established before the winter sets in.

I was shocked when I received the roses I ordered from
Wayside gardens back in the spring of 2003. I wish I
had known about this website. I paid a price that was
much higher than other companies I've ordered from,
and the roses were mostly moldy twigs, with, strangely
enough, roots that were chopped short, as if someone had played some kind of a cruel joke by chopping off nearly
the entire root systems. But the thing that was really shocking was their roses were labeled at 1 1/2 grade, rather than grade 1. I had paid such a high premium I
assumed I was getting grade 1; every other mail order house
I ordered from delivered grade 1, for much less of a price.
In fact, I paid less than half the price for grade 1 roses
at some local places I drove to later in the season when
they had sales. In short, if I want to pay for twigs I can run through a wood chipper then I can spend lots of money ordering again from Wayside; otherwise, if I want to save time, I can simply flush my money down my toilet. I'm never getting burned by them again.

I placed several orders with Wayside. I agree that the sale on the bareroot roses can't be beat. I too had a dormant Double Delight topiary come to me with an enormous root system and nice sturdy stem. I got it quite late in the season due to the sale, but it finally woke up in August and is still putting out blooms!
The other perrenials I ordered did come small, but with some TLC are growing nicely. Some items were missing, but their phone customer service is very helpful and willing to replace or credit anything you are not satisfied with.
I recently received 3 rainbow's end Picea spruce trees, which are very rare and expensive elsewhere, but I got a great price on them during one of the sales during the summer. The came somewhat small, but wonderfully packed and very healthy!

I placed a couple different orders with Wayside this past spring. Their sales on their bare root roses can't be beat & all the rose bushes grew like gangbusters. They had such impressive root systems on them - couldn't believe how large a hole I had to dig just to plant them! Some of the other bare root stock plants I received were very small though, but all grew once planted. I'm sure it will take these "baby" plants a couple growing seasons before they begin to look as good as the photos in their lovely catalog. I did have one butterfly bush turn out to not be the color I ordered (found out months later when it bloomed), and all it took was a phone call to their customer service department, and they promptly sent me out another butterfly bush in a 1 gallon pot - at no charge. I am happy with their customer service, the plants are healthy and I appreciate the email they send to you the day they ship your plants ---so you know ahead of time just when they will arrive. I give this company Two GREEN THUMBS UP !!!

I've ordered a lot of plants from Wayside over the years. They do have a great catalog (though its descriptions are far more chipper than reality could ever be) and carry unusual plants.

In the past, I've gotten some really lousy plants from them: rotting leaves, tiny, and even some misnamed, etc. However, they've always replaced them, no problem, and the sales people are fine about it.

I suggest: Since they started insuring your whole order for two years for an extra $5, I've gotten a lot better plants! Plus, how can you beat a guarantee like that?

But yes, expensive as heck! Look around for better prices elsewhere before ordering.

I have ordered a few times from Wayside Gardens and never had negative treatment, first of all. Their cataloge is a never ending resource of gardening knowledge and I always look forward to getting their latest printing.
The plants I received were definintely small, to say the least, but seemingly healthy. After planting, they seemed to flourish but the following year only 2 out of 6 survived. Unfortunately, that will happen with internet ordering. The two that did survive were totally magnificent this summer though! All in all, I will give them a neutral+ rating and may order from htem again.

It is interesting to read other customers comments.

I only order from Wayside somthing I cannot get from Bluestone. Wayside's is too pricy, although I will order Clematis from either Parks's or Wayside only, since the root system is the best and the price not too bad if ordered numerous plants at once. I just started to order roses from them. Very nice. I will try them again if I have room in my garden.

Their replacements were always made without fuss. We pay for that already, of course, but it is so disappointing to see a plant die or never leave out then receive no replacement for them.

I like their catalogs. Nice to look at, although we don't really need several copies of the same. We pay for them too of course.

I spent $123 so far on 1 order from wayside, which included black mondo grass, climbing pink hydrangea, and a weeping pussy willow.

i have so far have experienced 100% survival rate on plants delivered so i remain happy with wayside.

positives: good quality mature specimens, timely delivery in well-packaged containers, access to some rarer plants

negatives: they are a little pricey

i received 2 mondo grasses instead of one (very happy), a decent sized climbing hydrangea (happy). the weeping pussy willow arrived stressed and confused (not so happy), which was no surprise since it was already 5 feet tall and had to travel in a box with no windows, had some die-back last winter, but is very happy and vigorous now. both mondo grasses survived and the climbing hydrangea has put out new growth slowly but surely.

i would order from them again, but only if i really wanted to get a rarer item i couldn't find at my local nursery or when there is a big sale on (waiting for a sale on roses next year...)

This is a great company, and I've ordered several orders from this spring/early summer. I have gotten some incredible deals with roses, mostly David Austin kinds. The roses I got were FANTASTIC. They were huge and green.
I did order some non-bare root plants and they were small and over watered, most of them died. Buy hey, I had like over 12 plants and it only cost me like 15 bucks. I contacted Wayside and they gave me credit instantly, which I used to buy more awesome roses. Any time I've had a question about a rose, an order or a credit, they have answered me in 24 hours. I've even talked to them on the phone, and they were always extremely curtious and polite. I still can't believe the deals I got on the roses were 75% off.
I can't wait till next spring to buy more.

They may be a little higher but their produts are highest quality. I can't begin to guess how many plants I have ordered from them in the last six months and only on a few occassions have I had to request a refund or replacement and there were no problems! They are also extrememly careful in packing - much more so than any of the other companies I have ordered from. You do get what you pay for. BUT if you wait towards the end of the season they have some really terrific sales that you can access by signing up with your e-mail address. A+ Company

I placed my first and last order woth wayside this spring. I ordered 3 grasses and 1 jasamine vine. All of the plants arrived in very poor condition, with poor root devolopment. I planted them, nursed them along and only two of the grasses survived. I called wayside, and while they were very helpful and replaced the 2 plants that never grew, the replacements were just as bad as the first ones. I spent approximately $160.00 on this order, and still only have two grasses to show for it. I've decided to cut my losses and have nicknamed the two tiny grasses my million dollar babies.

Ordered four Rose plants on 4/23/03. Received two Rose plants (in good condition) on 5/14/03 and a notice that the other variety was sold out and that a refund check for about $20 would be sent. Called 800-845-1124 on 5/24 to say that no refund check had yet arrived. To be mailed "anytime." Called back on 6/17 to say no check yet and they said that it would be mailed out "tonight." Called back on 6/24 and they said that a new check will be issued and sent out in "a few days." Called back on 7/2 and they said that the check would be sent out "the first of next week." Check finally arrived on July 9, 2003. Hmm. If they can skip mailing out refunds, they can greatly increase their corporate profits.

Well, I ordered 7 bareroot roses from Wayside really not expecting a whole lot, especially because they were extremely inexpensive -- something like 70% off. When I received them, I was pleasantly surprised. They were quite large. I planted them within a few days of receiving them. They are all doing very well so far. No disease, healthy foliage, and all have buds. My biggest problem is the rabbits that are munching on them. I must say I was very skeptical, especially because of other posts and such, but I cannot say anything bad about the roses I received -- they were definitely healthy, #1 grade roses. If they have a sale like that, I would order from them again.

I have to agree with heirloomer about Wayside Gardens on many points. You can save money by signing up for the e-mail specials at Wayside Gardens. I bought 9 new roses for my rose garden this year through the e-mail specials. Most of these roses were the David Austin English roses and were priced at 75 percent off the retail price. I even got one of the new Cherry Parfait roses for $4.25. I couldn't believe the quality of the plants I received. It was early June when I received the plants but the young buds on the plants made me think I was planting them in late winter or early spring. I highly recommend this fine company and I hope everyone else has a pleasant experience with them as I did.

I have ordered from Wayside Gardens several times and have never been disappointed. The plants always arrive in good condition and the bare roots have always grown. They are known to be expensive compared to other catalogs and local nurseries. I signed up at there web site to receive their sale notices and have actually saved money by buying those items. Those are the only items I buy now unless they have a species I really want and don't have time to search out locally.

Anyone who orders from wayside has not done the research to find a better, and less expensive plant elsewhere. And one that is grown at the nursery you are ordering from instead of brokering it. the internet in invaluable for finding sources for any plant that you want. If you are beginners do the home work, it will pay off.

It's happened to me on several occasions when I've ordered from Wayside that the plants I've received (irises and peonies)have turned out not to be the colors and varieties I've ordered. I kind of get the sense that they just grab the iris rhizomes from some big bin and hope that the customer doesn't complain when they end up with a different color bloom than the one they've ordered. Wayside has always been very nice and replaced the plants, but this is getting annoying and I've decided to buy from only local nurseries in the future.

I bought a Pampas Grass plant from Wayside in August 2002. I paid $10 extra for the bigger plant. I also paid for the type that is supposed to get big & get plumes in the 1st year of growth. When my plant arrived it consisted of four 12" blades. It is now June 2003 & the plant has not grown even 1". Maybe I will get a huge growth spurt in 3 months (this plant should grow 10' - 12' tall) but I am not holding my breath.

I also ordered 4 plants (of the same type) from Wayside in March 2003 for a large cement planter I have in front of my house. The plants were perennials. I had gotten tired of replanting each year so I thought these 4 matching plants would be a good option. When my plants arrived, 2 of the plants looked good, 1 looked OK, & the 4th looked bad. I planted all of them anyway thinking I could bring them around. The one that looked really bad didn't improve so I called Wayside. The lady in Customer Service was very nice & told me she felt the plant would come back so I should give it a few more weeks. She never told me that the supply they had of this plant was limited. She said she would note my account that I had called & was having problems. After a few more weeks one of the plants died. I called Wayside & got a rude customer service rep. She said they were out of that plant & would send me something else. I told her that would not do. I had paid the money to have those 4 matching plants & it would look stupid to stick a 4th mismatched plant on the end. I told her I wanted a refund for all 4 plants or I wanted 4 different matching plants to be sent as replacements. This representative made me feel like I was trying to scam them or something. Evidently my 1st call was never documented. She put me on hold for an extremely long time. When she came back she (in a rude tone) told me I could mail all 4 plants back to them & they would give me a credit. She went out of her way to make me feel like my request was unusual & unreasonable. I disagree. I paid $35 + shipping for 4 plants. When they came they were very small. They never grew into the beautiful plants pictured in the catalog. They were wiry weedy looking things that barely flowered.
I guess I could have mailed them back but after the attitude I got from Wayside I opted to throw them in the trash. I will never waste my time or money on Wayside again. They are very overpriced & customer service is quite lacking. Unless you have a gardening season or 2 to waste & like to pay extra for inferior plants, I recommend staying away from Wasyide Nursery.

I made two separate orders from wayside and received both in great condition, 9 root stock roses in excellent condition and as i received them during a fantastic sale the product more than exceeded my expectations, also received two clematis and they are also in excellent condition. Was very surprised by the differing feedback i found here at the garden watchdog. However, I'm very happy that my experience was so wonderful and would order from them again especially if they have another sale! Tracy

Great experience! Sale items were great values and they replaced anything that didn't make it. Customer service was very nice. Will definitely order again!

The plants I recieved were VERY well packed, if not too well packed. The individual gallon containers were boxed, taped and stapled into another big box. The smaller containers and bulbs were protected by packing peanuts. My only complaint was using the web site to 'order'. I had to give up and call the company to finally place the order after many failed tries. Because of this I lost out on a $15 off web coupon and a tree that was on sale(75%).

I have ordered many times from Wayside. Their catalog pictures look great and they have unusual plants that others don't have. But the past couple of years, things seem to be either very good or very bad in regard to their stock and packaging. They sent me a witchazel(bareroot), BeautyBerry bush(bareroot), allspice bush(potted), 7 sons flower(potted), butterfly bush(potted), echinacea 'raszzatazz', and tiarella crow feather. The witchhazel and beautyberry were replacements for plants that didn't grow last year (witchazel) and this year (beautyberry). These were not sale items, but full price. The beautyberry arrived with tiny leaves dried up that fell off when I touched them. It never grew any more leaves and after 1 month I called, got a nice customer service person who sent me another. They said it would be 2 weeks for another but it came in a few days. However, it looks like the first one so I don't know how it will grow. The witchazel's roots were sopping wet and the tiny leaves were all slimy. I planted it anyway. It had 3 three foot long limbs. One of the limbs has nice leaves on it now but I'm not sure if the other 2 will ever leaf out. But it is growing. The plants that were potted were in ok condition and seem to be doing good. I'm hesitant to order more trees or shrubs from them, especially bareroot. I thin their packaging has gone downhill from what I used to get a few years back and their quality of plants is either good or pretty dead. I hope they read this and do something about it as I think their selection is very good.