Comments regarding Wayside Gardens

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 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.

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 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 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!

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]
"

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]
"

I decided a year ago, after a series of bad experiences with Wayside, never to order from them or Park Seeks again. So it was much to my surprise, on April 3, 2008, when I received a box from them. Upon opening it, I found a $14.95 plant, with the usual broken main leaves. I called their customer service just to confirm what I figured and sure enough it was ordered on April 3, 2007. "Well, it was set for spring delivery!" the customer service representative said. Well, that sure explains it, it could be sent one year after it's ordered or ten years, as long as it's a spring delivery.

order number 5210692

on april 1 i ordered 5 rose bushes and a black gamecock iris a calla lilly and a primula black lace , 3 of the rose bushes came climbing moonlight and 2 carefree marvel .they were the most pathetic rose bushes ive ever seen , the climber only had 1 cane , the shrubs had 3 and 2 canes respectively the one with 3 had a broken one so really it had 2. luckily i got those in time to cancel the other 2 that i ordered , i have yet to recive a refund which i was told would take a month . we will see if i get that. when i called to complain i was issued a replacement for the moonlight , which will be as crappy im sure. then i asked about where the other items were i was ld "they were being inspected " by the blind inspectors that sent me a 15 dollar stick they call dormant. my other stuff just got shipped aside from the black lace which is back orderd . my mom also ordered from them and hers was about 50-50 , there are still items backordered on hers. all the plants that were ok were way over priced , we saw way better stuff at walmart for 1/3 the price ,i will be tossing or using their catolog in my birdcage from now on !

Wayside: You need to update your zone range for Ilex "Sky Pencil." This particular ilex does NOT survive Zone 5 winters. I ordered a Sky Pencil from you about 2 years ago (planted in the spring); I wasn't too thrilled with the size of the plant (too small for the price), but it was a beautiful little specimen. After 2 successive cold winters (with adequate snowfall), the little leaves are now gray and freeze-dried, with the main stem and branches showing no signs of life. In researching this particular ilex on other Web sites, they all indicate a minimum of Zone 6. Please do the same.

P.S. Jay Johnson: You've got to have one of the most thankless jobs in the USA. My condolences.

Last April we ordered two items from Parks Seeds and three from Wayside. One item from Wayside grew and thrived. Although they were planted according to directions within an hour of their arrival, the clematis and climbing rose did not grow. Orders 4640403, 4767997, and 4640342.

I have e-mailed and called to receive replacements, but have been told that the warrantee is expired since I did not call last summer. I guess I was wrong to wait until appropriate shipping time. I have read the warantee in your catalogs and online; I see no mention of this caveat.

I am very disappointed. I have been ordering--especially from Wayside--for many years with no difficulty. I do not believe that I have ever asked for a replacement. I have had items fail, but they have always grown first. You may remove my name from your mailing list.

Jan Taylor
711 W. Glass Ave.
Spokane, WA 99205

BORDERLINE BAIT AND SWITCH. INCOMPLETE ORDER FROM LAST SUMMER WITH REMAINING CREDIT ACKNOWLEDGED BY WAYSIDE BUT NOT HONORED.

I had an incomplete order with Wayside Gardens from last summer with a balance of $45.40. Feb 23 2008 I contacted Wayside Gardens by email and received the follow response indicating I had a balance:
________________________________________
Dear Mark,

Wayside Order XXXXX81

Thank you so much for contacting us here at Wayside! We value our customers’ comments and questions very highly, and we appreciate hearing from you.

In viewing your order the Miscanthus #44065 was shipped 6/18/07. The Pennisetum #43484, Ursula's Fern #0908 and the Phlox #43543 was shipped 5/23/07. The Ceratostigma #43489 was cancelled and the Ceratostigma #43568 was not available. Your were given a merchandise credit of $45.40 credit #8084186 to use on a future order. You also have an in house credit of $19.50. To redeem your credit, please call our Customer Contact department and place your order by phone. Ordering on-line will not redeem in-house credits.

Again, thank you for writing to us. If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us (number and address listed below). And thanks for gardening with Wayside!

Barbara
Wayside Gardens Customer Contact Team
1 Garden Lane
Hodges, South Carolina 29695
Telephone: 800-845-1124
Fax: 800-817-1124
//www.waysidecs.com
email: info@waysidecs.com
___________________________________________

The email clearly shows I have a credit due.

I recently tried to place an order with Wayside. They did not seem concerned when I called that I had a credit pending. They took my complete order and then told me I was mistaken, I had no credit due .... said another way, I did not have a refund or credit available with Wayside.....but they would be glad to take a credit card number to complete my order.

The above smacks of bait and switch.

I escalated my complaint to the highest level and was finally told I would have to approach my credit card company for the remaining balance. It's obviously way to late for that.

Wayside Gardens is a company to avoid.

I will be contacting my state attorney general about the above.

"

I have located your order and I am in the process of reviewing your information. I would like you to know that I will be contacting you via e-mail shortly. We will make every effort to resolve this issue.

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

I've ordered from this company many times over the years but this past year's experience has taught me that there are better options. I FINALLY received the last 2 plants in February 2008 from an order placed in early fall 2007. Problems noted: advertised shipment size (eg. 4") means nothing. I've received 2" pots that were supposed to be 4". Substitutions will be made without any notification. I order specific plants for a specific reason, and to get very expensive replacement plants that I can buy locally for 1/2 the price isn't a good option. This happened with 3 different plants in my last order. Example: A Japanese maple variety (newly introduced) was substituted with a variety I already have and can get locally. POSITIVES: Immediate refund of the price of plants if you complain...but I'm still stuck with varieties I have no use for. The bottom line is that now I toss away the frequent catalogs knowing that I'll only be frustrated. Those special new varieties will show up locally soon anyway.

I have ordered twice from this company -- but will not again. The quality has been terrible. First order 3 echinaceas, 1 was dead on arrival -- not "dormant" as they tried to argue. I then tried again this past summer and ordered 2 daylilies. They were the worst quality daylily fans I had received from any company. These were daylily fans by name only -- they were as small as you could get and still call it a daylily root -- 1 survived the winter and has 1 very tiny grow point. The other died just this week. Both were planted in very good soil. That is the last for me for Wayside or Parks when it comes to live plants. I hope they read these reviews and see what a terrible job their company is doing in terms of quality. Can you imagine the economic loss they are suffering.?

"

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]
"

My December 3, 2007 order (order number 4968684) and my other order (order number 5040363) total over $150. I am zone 6, which Wayside's Web site indicates they begin shipping for on March 17.After 11 days, my orders have not arrived, and each time I call for my order status I am given different explanations for the delay.

The first time I called Wayside, around March 20, I was told that each of my orders were ready with the exception of one plant. I was told that as soon as the back order plants came in, these orders would be sent out, and that should happen within a few days.

The second time I called, around March 25, I was told that each of my orders were ready, except for one plant from each order, BUT it was NOT the same plants that were supposedly missing the first time I called. When I questioned this, I was told that the order 4968684 would be sent out Friday (today) and the back ordered plant would be sent out seperately when it came in. Also, I was told my other order 5040363 was going to be shipped out around April 2, due to the back ordered plant.

I checked my order status today(Friday 3/28) and it shows not ready yet, so I called again. This time I was told my order was not sent yet, because they ship to zone 6 toward the last week in March. Their Website says zone 6 begins on March 17. So, now I have no clue as to the REAL reason my order is held up, the estimate of when they will be sent, or why the available plants cannot be sent now.

All plants I ordered from other companies have already arrived.

Needless to say, I am very disappointed not only in the shipment of my orders, but also in the differing explanations from the representatives I spoke with.

"

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 dealt with Park Seed and was disappointed with seed germination and plant quality. Less than a third of the different seeds produced any seedlings and the plants shipped, not well or timely, are seedlings, not plants. Their catalog prices are O.K. but the size of the seedlings shipped are much smaller than anything that you would see at a nursery for the same price. They pack with styrofoam peanuts that damage the tiny seedlings.
To be specific: Last spring I placed, what I consider a large order for seeds ($65.81). Of the entire order only $17.95 worth of seeds actually grew. I had a record of all the seeds and their locations on my garden plan so I know which ones did not germinate. I do admit some were listed in their sale section but I would not have ordered them had I known they were on sale because they were not expected to germinate.
The next order I placed was for three of the same kind of bush. Two were for gifts and the other for myself. All of them arrived in terrible condition and quite small. They told me that they would give a credit on my next order. It was too late for spring by the time I got them, so I ordered plants for the fall. Three of the four arrived late in the fall and the fourth did not arrive until this spring, although it was supposed to be planted in the fall. All of them were tiny, much smaller than I ever see at the local nursery at the same or lower price there. This last one arrived completely out of the pot and all dried out. I do not know if it will survive.
I keep receiving their beautiful new catalogs and I am tempted to order but I remember my past experience and others' customer service issues about these companies on this gardening forum.

Absolutely Negative!

I ordered a set of three special buddleia plants for my inlaws birthday presents. Okay, they were pricey, but these were ones I had not found elsewhere, specific choices of my inlaws. The timing of arrival needed to be particular as they were headed out of town for a couple weeks of traveling and thus unable to plant promptly. I indicated this to the rep who assured me all would be well. A little time went by, trip got close, no plants. I called. This person said they do not do specific shipping times. I repeated what I had been told by the other person and gave her name. It didn't matter. I was assured that they would send them ASAP. More time went by, inlaws were leaving for their trip next day. I called again. Yet another person, yet another excuse, this time a problem with one of the items being in stock. They were sold as a set of three -- how could one not be in stock?? I agreed to wait and see if the plants arrived by the time they returned. Well, it got to be late September and still NO plants, still no idea of when the last plant would be "available," still no offers of any other options, when I called the last time. My inlaws live in Michigan. The time for safe planting was PAST. I canceled the order and vowed never to use any of their companies again.

Buyer Beware BIG TIME!

Sad, really. I used to order from Parks about 16 years ago and had great results from their seeds. I am sorry to know they have gone down so far. They used to be a really good company!

Last March I ordered 5 different plants from Wayside. I recieved only 3. I was never notified that the others wouldn't be coming. In ordering again this spring to use my credit with them, another negative event occurred: a $2.00 charge was suddenly added to my shipping fee at the very end of the internet order. Registering that the credit was being used to pay for the whole order appeared to have initiated the extra charge.

I wish I checked this web site but I didn’t know until I got rotten low quality bulbs.

I ordered 6 (x 15) Lily-of-the-valley bulbs. Each bag was supposed to contain 15 bulbs but many of them tangled so I could not separate them. One bag contained a half of rotten bulbs. So I contacted them and they send me another bag of bulbs. However, only 2 out of 15 were healthy, 1 was marginal, and the rest was rotten. As a result, I could only plant 3 out of supposedly 15.

The quality of their bulbs and the shipping method were very questionable. Therefore, I am asking them to get my money back. I paid for 90 bulbs and I got less than 40 healthy bulbs.
Very frustrated and unhappy!

Alas,

Had I only discovered this website before I ordered from Wayside Gardens. I placed an order with Wayside Gardens over a week ago and requested two-day shipping. I did not hear from the company, nor did I receive the promised confirmation e-mail. I called Wayside Gardens. I was told my order had been placed and would be shipped the following Monday. The following Monday (that's today), I checked the status of my order. It had not shipped. I called the company again. This time I was told that my order would ship at some indeterminate time in the future. How this indeterminate time matches up with a two-day shipping order (advertised on the website for an additional seven dollars over the original shipping fee) is beyond me. This information was also distinctly different from what I had been told the previous week. When I requested that the order be canceled, I was told that it would take thirty days for the money which had already been debited from my credit card to be credited back to me. Given the speed of electronic transfers, I fail to understand why Wayside Gardens can immediately withdraw that money from my account, but cannot return it with the same speed. When I requested a confirmation e-mail providing me with the exact date that I might hope to see this credit, I was told this was not possible. I asked to be transferred to the department in charge of carrying out this task. I was told this was not possible. I asked to speak to the representative's supervisor. She, alas, had gone on walkabout. I think I shall contact South Carolina's Better Business Bureau. Based on the comments I've seen here, Wayside Gardens appears to be all too comfortable with this method of doing business. Let me add that I have never before been billed by a company before an order is shipped. And I'm still waiting for the original confirmation e-mail.

I placed an order with Wayside in February of 2007. I received some of the plants over the course of several months but geraniums and a clematis never arrived. Of course I was charged for these plants over a year ago. Going through papers last week I realized I never received them and called Wayside. I was told that the geraniums were to ship this spring but there was a substitution for the clematis. I have told Wayside in the past I don't want substitutions. The rep told me she could cancel the substitution but since it was such a small amount I would be issued a Wayside credit. I'm sure if I bought an item for 12.99 they would have no problem charging my card so what is so difficult crediting my credit card. There is something wrong when a company has your money for over a year, doesn't send the plants, and then refuses to refund money when it can't deliver. I have had problems with Wayside's plants and service for the past 3 years but figured it was just me. If I would have known about this website I could have saved myself lots of money and frustration.

I seldom order from Wayside gardens anymore because they are overpriced, in my opinion, for the small seedlings that arrive. However, at times they have been the only source of a particular item and I find myself giving them another chance.

Of the many times that I have ordered from this company, I have only been completely satisfied once. Last fall, I had two separate orders. Four items were backordered. I know this only because they were marked so on the packing slip with the items that I received. This spring I called to find out when my back-ordered items would ship. Three of the four items were cancelled and a store credit issued with no notification to me.

I will not purchase another item until their customer service and plants improve. It really is too bad…they have some lovely plants advertised.

We are new to Garden Gate and davesgarden.com and delighted we found you. We feel we must inform other mail order customers of our bad experiences over the past 2 yrs doing business with Wayside Gardens. We have numerous experiences of waiting months for our orders. Many times the plants have arrived in smaller pots than advertised with no reduction in cost. Many plants are new growth and have been repotted loosely in larger pots to match the advertised pot size. The past 12mo have proven to be worse then the previous 12mo. We stayed with this nursery because they were advertised as a supplier on the Proven Winners website. Plants have arrived in sprout sizes at a high price. Some have been replaced but with similar seedlings, not plants. One order in particular was for 8 Veronica plants in 3in pots. Two arrived as sprouts and the company was notified for replacements. Two replacements arrived in about 2 wk and one was black and dead. When we called to report this, we were told, "we only replace a plant once". After arguing with the customer service rep, informing her we have spent thousands of dollars there and only now are reporting poor plants or problems, she agreed to replace the plant. This company will NOT refund your money. Your only options are replacement plants -and recently a Wayside supervisor, informed me the replacement for the "seedlings" would probably be the same size, so we could receive a store credit. We took the credit but have no intention of ordering any further plants from Wayside. Fortunately, thru Garden Gate Magazine, we have recently ordered and received from some of the top 5 mail order nurseries listed by Dave Whitinger. All of these nurseries shipped within two wks. Their plants were beautiful and mature as advertised, not sprouts like from Wayside Gardens. Wayside Gardens also offers 2 day Fed Ex for an additional shipping charge. Nine times out of ten, these orders have gone out Thurs eve, and since there is no Saturday delivery, plants have to sit in a warehouse over the weekend until delivery. When we called Wayside about this, they said we could request a day to ship, but although we requested Tues, orders continue to be shipped out Thurs evening. The add'l shipping charge has been a waste of money. Packing consists of messy foam peanuts from Wayside as compared to professionally structured shipping cartons from the other nurseries. We work hard in our hobby gardens, when not at work, and want to reep the gardening rewards from plants and bushes purchased. We look forward to successful gardening from our new website nurseries instead of fearing what might be shipped from Wayside. To other dissatisfied mail order Wayside customers........please try some of Dave's top mail order nursery picks. Good luck to all with your gardening. tkmkam

This company sells garbage and refuses to replace it or issue a refund. Beware of them. Apparently, Mr. Johnstone feels that it makes up for their horrible service to post some BOILERPLATE offer to help if he can ascertain your information. Seems like a token effort to me. Here you go, Mr. Johnstone, I am posting it for you to save you the trouble.

On Feb 14, 2008 9:15 AM, Wayside Gardens added:
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]

Last December I was sitting at my computer and my husband asked what I was doing. I told him I was sending Wayside a list of the plants that I had purchased that arrived either dead or in poor condition and did not make it. I went on to say that I was a bit of a glutton for punishment because I keep ordering from them even though they often send poor quality plants, are over priced, ship orders a few plants at a time over a several month or even season period, and don't ship some plants at all with no explanation. He asked why I continue to order from them. I showed him their lovely catalog and said it makes them so enticing, but what really keeps me coming back is the fact that I could sit down at the end of the year and send them a list of the plants that did not perform and they would send me credit for future orders.
Well the next day my last reason for ordering from them was wiped out. They sent me the generic response that it was past the guarantee period, their horticulturist, six weeks, blah blah.
I responded that I was unaware of the policy change and gave explanations for some of the plants I had claimed. (2 bareroot trees that arrived bone dry and never even broke bud, and bareroot plants that where black mush, among them). I expressed how upset I was, being a customer who had twice been sent gift certificates for being in the top 1% of purchase volume, that I was sent a stock response and given no further consideration. I also said it was clear to me now why they had such a poor rating on this website. (Did I overreact? A little.)
Their next reply said they give the same consideration to all their customers, regardless of how much business they have done with the company. (lucky us!!!) It also said that part of my problem is that many of the plants I order are only zone 5 hardy and that I am in zone 4. Well, that was news to me! All these years myself and every other company I order from thought I was in zone 5. Most of my plants are apparently very confused too, I have thousands of zone 5 plants that are very happy in my garden, many of them from Wayside. My response said as much, and I forwarded all the emails to Jay Johnson. His response was more of the same.
Now don't get me wrong, they have the right to have any guarantee they want, but neither online nor in the catalog does it say anything about 6 weeks. It also might have been helpful for them to warn their loyal customers about the policy change, giving us a heads up. There are many companies that have similar guarantees but the difference is that they send better quality in a timely manner. I have no problem with contacting a company quickly if something is wrong when I receive an order on time and in full. I don't have the time or patience to contact a company dozens of times a year because they send your plants out over months and months and their quality is not consistent.
So to wrap up this long tale, my last email requested an accounting of all the plants I never received, and if , when and in what form I was credited for them, including shipping. I never received a written response, just a company credit 3 weeks later in the mail for $142. I really just wanted a written accounting so I could request a refund. I've never heard of a company that gives store credit for something they never sent, much less one that keeps your money for months, with no explanation.
At this point I don't even care anymore, I just placed an order to use up the credit and that will be the end of my relationship with them. It really saddens me that the Remax real estate group that bought Wayside and Parks a few years ago bought out Jackson & Perkins last spring and moved it to their site in NC. I have done a lot of business with them as well. I should have known something was up when J&P started calling me last summer soliciting orders. They had never done that before. In fact, the new J&P catalog has exactly the same plants as Wayside, it just has more roses and gardening supplies in it.

I have placed two orders to Wayside Gardens--one this past spring and one in August for fall shipping. I was both pleased and frustrated by the spring shipment. It arrived much later than it should have for my zone 7 garden. The plants were small and had little time to get established before the heat and drought took over. Also, the receipt said they had shipped my mandevilla vine, but they had not. I had to call the company to get it shipped. I paid for express, 2 day shipping, but both orders were shipped by the company on Thursday (and Fed-Ex does not deliver on Saturday) so my plants sat in the box for a week anyway. The mandevilla vine grew well despite arriving late, so I decided to give the company another try. I ordered 3 clematis and 2 apple trees in August for fall shipping. The clematis arrived in October, but my apple trees were not in the order. I had to call the company to see when they would arrive. They told me late October. When they hadn't arrived by Halloween, I again called the company and they said they were coming in November. At the end of November I again called the company and was told they could not ship them this late and would have to send them in the spring. I had bought the trees in the fall so they could get established (it gets hot here fast!). I had to cancel my order. It took 4 more phone calls to get my money credited for the order. Very dissappointing as they have a beautiful catalog!

"

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 placed catalog orders of over $300 with each of 2 companies last year. One experience was delightful, the other - from Wayside Gardens- was not.

I requested that the order be sent in late March or early April, but was told that if they shipped earlier than their normal date to my Zone 5b location it would invalidate their guarantee. Not wanting to do that, I requested shipment anytime after 4/17/07 (due to being away during the school's spring break the week before).

Unfortunately, the first shipment didn't arrive until 5/14 (shipped 5/8 according to customer service), with a second box arriving on 5/15 (also shipped 5/8). A third box (shipped later) was received on 6/04.

When I opened the boxes I was greeted by a sad sight. Many of the bareroot items had grown significantly while wrapped and in the dark. A couple were moldy and quite dead.

I called about the dead items and was sent replacements (shipped 6/1, received 6/6). Unfortunately, the replacements were equally dead, so I gave up and canceled the remaining items that were still back-ordered.

This would have been a much better experience, I believe, if the company had agreed to ship the items earlier, before the weather got really warm. It would probably have been a good experience even if they just shipped them to arrive soon after the initial date they agreed to. But mid-May (and certainly early June) is too late for shipping bareroot plants to areas like Massachusetts, particularly when the boxes will spend 6 days or more in transit.

I am encouraged to see that Wayside's catalog this year lists more plants as shipping in pots than before. I may give them one more try this spring, but the bulk of my order will certainly go to other companies.

"

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 am concerned that I have not yet resolved the issue at hand and would like an opportunity to do so; however, I have not yet received a reply from you concerning this matter. Please contact us at your earliest convenience. Customer satisfaction is very important to us.

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

Worst customer service I have experienced from any online nursery. I ordered an olive tree as a gift for my mother-in-law. I used a coupon where I received a free knockout rose bush if I spent $25 or more. The olive tree was fine (a little small) but the rose bush was in bad shape. My mother-in-law called to see about a replacement for the rose bush. They basically told her that it was "free" and she shouldn't worry about it. I called and received the same response. My total bill was $41, so there was nothing "free" about the rose bush. Apparently, their online guarantee means nothing. I repeatedly asked to speak with the manager but was never allowed. Finally, they agreed to send another plant. If they do not want to honor their coupons, then they should not offer them. Bad experience, will not use them again.

"

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 am concerned that I have not yet resolved the issue at hand and would like an opportunity to do so; however, I have not yet received a reply from you concerning this matter. Please contact us at your earliest convenience. Customer satisfaction is very important to us.

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

I placed a large order with Wayside Gardens on November 21st. On Nov, 26th, I contacted WG both by telephone and e-mail cancelling the order and requesting that the order not be shipped until I could resolve an issue with my neighbor. I was told my order was already in the Warehouse and shipment could not be stopped. However, both contacts instructed me to refuse delivery when the order arrived, send it back, and once notified by the Warehouse of its return, a credit adjustment would be made. I followed this procedure and refused delivery.
When no credit adjustment had been made by Dec. 22nd, I called WG and sent e-mails to my previous contact, Sam, in the WG Customer Contact Team (info@waysidecs.com) and to Jay Johnson (JJohnson@parkseed.com) whom I learned about in these Watchdog comments! Within days, both gentlemen responded to my e-mail, saying they had tracked my order, found it had been returned, and had authorized a credit adjustment which should appear on my statement by next month. So far, so good! (I'll revise this comment if there is any other problem.)
I also wish to add that my one previous experience with WG was entirely positive. I ordered 3 hostas late in the season, so I expected bareroot plants. The hostas arrived promptly (each still with several leaves), and I was very impressed with how carefully they had been packed and shipped. Detailed planting instructions also accompanied them. Of course, I will not know until next Spring how the hostas have survived the winter in a colder climate, but they did arrive healthy and in good shape.

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We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how pleased your are with your past orders and our customer service. 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 and offering the best service possible. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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

I have located your order and I am in the process of reviewing your information. I would like you to know that I will be contacting you via e-mail shortly. We will make every effort to resolve this issue.

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

For many years I ordered from both Park's and Wayside gardens. I stopped ordering from them about 8 years ago because of the poor quality of the plants they would send. So many times customer service would say to scratch the stem to see if it showed green. Often it did show green but died anyway. I can honestly say that I have not even ONE plant from them that survived. ( I have MANY from other companies- I am not a novice gardener). I am writing after all these years because it upsets me that they continue to ( I believe) purchase space on lists of resources in many garden publications. I have, indeed, even gone to their garden center in Greenwood, SC and the plants are somewhat better there. But, in my opinion, their mail order plants are just not worth the time to order. There are many mail order nurseries with better reputations and ratings, that's who I order from now...with happier results and no more wasted seasons due to poor quality plants.

"

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]
"

We ordered several times from Wayside over the past year. Orders are very slow to arrive and when they do arrive they are partially back ordered. They will promptly take your money but they take months getting you your plants, and the plants that they do send are of very poor quality. We have decided never to do business with them again.

"

I have located your order and I am in the process of reviewing your information. I would like you to know that I will be contacting you via e-mail shortly. We will make every effort to resolve this issue.

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

DO NOT BUY FROM WAYSIDE GARDENS!!
I wish I could go lower than just negative with Wayside. I have ordered many things from them over many years (not knowing that other plant companies existed) - each time getting quality that ranged from beautiful to dead, to completely non-existent. I have received containers with no plant in them...just dirt - When I called to complain, they said I had to wait for it to grow - Sorry, but I ordered a plant, not an unsprouted seed - and NO, they never did sprout. Others were so small, I was floored that they would call that a plant. Many of the other items I purchased arrived in such bad condition that I had to nurse it to health before I even considered planting. On those that died, I ordered a replacement...they arrived in the same horrid condition. Dry root = dead root, they do not know how to maintian them.
I do not think they have any trained gardeners working at their facility, just a bunch of un-trained, underpaid migrant workers.
DO NOT BUY FROM WAYSIDE GARDENS!!!

"

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]
"

We ordered a number of bulbs and 3 My Monet Weigelas this past spring. Of the bulbs, only 3 came up(and yes, they were planted according to the directions-which were not very good). The My Monet were so long in coming and so pitiful in their tiny pots I wasn't sure if they would survive and they didn't inspite of careful tending and watering. I'll never order by mail again. I want to see what I am buying first

"

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]


"

My biggest gripe with Wayside is that I bought a Paris polyphylia the first year they offered it...for $19.95. I planted the very poor specimen they sent (and very late in the spring at that!), and never saw it again. The next spring it didn't reappear, so I asked for a replacement. They said to wait for it to appear...it never did! And when I asked again that fall for a replacement, they said it was too late following my order! (And besides...that year they'd reduced the price to $12.95) (Now for 2008 they offer it again at $19.95...no way!!!!) 20-bucks right down a rat hole!!! And I still don't have that interesting plant! Wayside-Parks is a gonner for me!!! My mother loved Wayside 40-50 years ago, and I've saved one of her then-gorgeous catalogs for all these years. They have become quite another company, since then! No more orders from me to Wayside-Parks or any company they may become affiliated with in the future!!!

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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]
"