Comments regarding Cold Stream Farm

Ordered in 2022 and again in 2024 Alnus incana (speckled alder), Betula nigra (river birch), Betula papyrifera (White Paper Birch), and Tulip Tree. Great quality bareroot seedlings. I would order before end of April, they take about 1 week to process and dig up your order.

I ordered 1 Amur Maple from Cold Stream Farm, it arrived with the top 1/3 of the trunk dead. I scratched the trunk lightly, it was brown underneath, I pruned it down to where it's now less than 8 inches tall.

I ordered 10 Amur maples from Chief River Nursery, all of them are thriving, growing 2-3ft a year. They were out of Amur Maples, so i paid $30 shipping for a half dead tree from Cold Stream Farm. I'm not happy.

I have ordered from cold stream farms for many years and generally had very positive results. However, the last 2 years have been very difficult. They used to ship early when it was cool. Now they ship later and it is too warm. Most trees are moldy and the stems on the poplars are trying to root out. It is very frustrating. I am hopeful that they will figure a way to ship in late March or early April to avoid these problems. I think if I get one more bad shipment, I will stop ordering from them all together.

I’ve ordered a variety of plants from them over the past couple of years. They’re bare root plants and don’t look like much but all have come with healthy, abundant roots. I’ve planted most of these various trees and shrubs deep into my property. They are all doing well. I would not that their bare root stuff takes quite a while to leaf out. Nothing wrong with that, just and observation. Planting bare root trees and shrubs takes a bit of extra care. Do not skip thoroughly soaking the roots. I soak them for a day before planting and have had great success.

I'm very disappointed. I ordered 11 bareroot deciduous trees (Bald Cypress, Beech, Sweetshrub) from Cold Stream. They were DRY on arrival. Seven were dead, only four leafed out. All were planted as promptly as the wet, wet ground allowed, and all were heeled in immediately on arrival. Their guarantee only offers store credit, which is of little help since I'll never order from here again. I recommend folks look at Botanical Garden plant sales near them to find a similar wide selection of natives that have a much higher chance of living.

I ordered a red mulberry from them, and one from another company (Sooner). The Cold Stream Farm mulberry looked like a lifeless stick. I planted it anyway, and it never did anything. The other - same care - is thriving.

Low prices are only a bargain if they ship viable plants. I was astonished that this one made it out of the warehouse. I mean, dormant trees look sorta dead, but this one was obviously DOA.

Pay a bit more, get something alive.

They did EXACTLY what they said they'd do.

I bought my plants months ago and their website indicated the buyer must wait until plants reach dormancy, before they send them.

I sent an inquiry email around the time they'd be sent and they responded the same day. Who does that?

The plants came, they were packaged very well and, all looked healthy.

Assuming these hazelnut trees are hazelnut trees, these guys get an A+, in my book.

I would order from Cold Stream Farm again and highly recommend them.

They sold me a Amur Maple Flame, but it's actually an Acer Tataricum. I found out today.

It's a beautiful tree though, very healthy and a vigorous grower..

My advice is when you get your plants from this place, make absolute sure what you've gotten is exactly what you ordered..

I have purchased shrubs and trees from Cold Stream for the past four years. I have had nothing but positive results. I am fortunate to live nearby Cold Stream so I always pick my order up when it's ready. Customer service is always excellent, they always notify me when my order is ready and are very friendly when I arrive for my order. I will continue my annual tradition by ordering from them again this year.

When I was getting started I ordered from the Ty Ty nursery folks, Arbor Day and even E-Bay before I stumbled into the likes of Musser Forests, Forest Farm and others. I've received plenty of plants which ended up not making it, more that did from all the above and they all had some life!

Finally this year, the third time I ordered a hundred metasequoia bare root seedlings I had a bad experience. Last two times from Musser they showed up and every darned one leafed out. They were for giveaways so I don't know how many made it but they all leafed out.

This time Musser was out so I paid slightly more and ordered from Cold Stream Farm. Oops. Some shipped without even buds, as of the end of May here 60 or so haven't leafed out at all. Most of the ones which have leafed out did not do so from the top. Something, probably cold, went wrong with these trees.

After weeks of picture trading of trees in pots the dishonest or stupid crooks at Cold Stream became concerned the dead sticks were in pots and offered me possible credit on the non containerized ones or something illogical.

So shame on you Cold Stream Farm. Hire a better person to answer questions or SOMETHING. Even a "tough luck buddy" reply would have been more logical.

Beautiful plants. I couldn't believe how long some of the roots were... up to 2' on some of them. I ordered gingko, basswood, speckled alder, rose of sharon, black locust, and pawpaw. Everything looks perfect. Really couldn't ask for anything better.

Placed a small order (10 saplings). Items arrived within a few weeks, securely packaged and in great condition.

I've ordered hundreds of trees from this company over the last several years and have had great success with them. The very few trees that did not make it were replaced in full.

They have a great selection of native trees and they arrive well packed, moist, and viable. Some of the tulip trees I ordered a few years ago are now about 15 feet tall! Some other species I purchased from Cold Stream that are doing well are bur oak, sycamore, tamarack, balsam fir, white spruce, birch (yellow, paper, river), jack pine, mountain ash, and witch hazel.

I continue ordering each year from this company, which helps me achieve my goal of reforesting several acres. I suggest purchasing smaller seedlings 1-2' or 2-3' because of better survival and lesser shipping charges. Also, order evergreens and other fall hazard trees like black gum or oaks in the spring.

I recommend CSF for their quality and selection of bare root material.

I ordered a bunch of evergreens in early spring. They were dry when I got them but didnt look dead so we planted and watered as directed. All but one died and now they will not accept returns or refunds since it is passed June. Complete waste of money and time and very bad customer service.

"On Aug 26, 2016 9:35 AM, Cold Stream Farm responded with:

We do accept claims past June. We can replace or refund any item that fails to leaf or bud out after planting. Just email or call and let us know."

I placed two orders this spring, for 71 viburnums, 25 serviceberries, and 12 assorted trees. All the stock arrived in excellent condition. Only 2 bushes failed to leaf out in 30 days, and the company promptly sent replacements without any dispute. Despite being very busy, they were polite and willing to take my order by phone. While the bare root stock is small, it is healthy and thriving, giving me more confidence for survival than potted nursery plants. Shipping rates were incredibly reasonable. I recommend Cold Stream Farm, and will order more from them next spring.

Bought several trees and shrubs including 4 viburnums. None of the viburnums leafed out. Contacted the company via their website with no response and no refund or replacement. They clearly do not stand by their warranty.

"On Aug 26, 2016 9:37 AM, Cold Stream Farm responded with:

We always stand by our warranty. Our 'contact' link on the website was unfortunately not working this past season (very sorry, we were not aware of this problem until recently!). Just ring us or email and we can refund or replace any of the plants that failed to leaf out."

I tried this company for the first time in 2014 with a small order - 3 Oregon Grape hollies. No problem with ordering or delivery but what I got was a box full of leaves and three leafless sticks.
I photographed the plants and called to complain about their condition. They assured me that the plants were "dormant" and would be fine. I put them up in 3 large pots and sent them to plant ICU in my greenhouse where after a month or more they looked even worse. I sent updated photos which convinced them finally that the plants had indeed expired.
I was told I would have to wait until the next spring (2015) for replacements. The new plants arrived and they looked marginally better. I planted them but as soon as they managed to push out one tiny leaf another died off.
Now it is spring 2016 and I have three small leafless sticks with no sign of life. I unearthed one and it had the same (minimal) root system as when I planted it.
I don't think their stock is viable. In two years I should have had a nice little shrub. I am not going to complain again - I don't want more of their plants.

Well, admittedly I am about through planting my yard as it's only 0.57 acres and about full but I read about the fall bloom of American Witchhazels and I had to try one so when the one I was saving in my Henry Field's shopping cart was sold out I search a search engine and comparison shopped and the one I bought from Cold Stream was both the correct type (the American native with a latin name soething like hammilus Virginia or something like that), the best size, and the best price.

So I ordered it, it arrived fast, I planted it fast and got rains right after planting. It looks great for being not much more than a sapling and I look forward to seeing it grow.

Thanks Cold Stream.

I ordered 250 hardwoods.Sugar,red,Norway maples.Quaking aspens,River Birch and Bald Cypress.When planting hardwoods bareroot I planned as I have heard for a thirty percent loss.I am a 55 year old female.I watched a utube video and planted them in late fall with a dibber.They are all budding and leafing out.Amazing survival rate.The only ones showing nothing yet are the Bald Cypress.I looked it up and they leaf out very late.I am definitely going to re order from them again as I am reforresting seven acres.

Posted on November 19, 2015, updated March 3, 2016
This was my first time ordering from Cold Stream Farm, and I must say that it was a pleasant experience. I ordered 25 Rosa rugosa native rose bushes, and they arrived with roots well formed and moistened in time for planting. I also order two 6-inch native wild grape vines, and they too were in great shape. This nursery has a smorgasbord of native trees and shrubs that are are priced very fairly. I will order from them again.

ordered many bald cypress and dawn redwood seedlings.
all dawn redwoods leafed-out, but only about half of the bald cypress did. contacted CSF and they agreed to ship out replacements next spring. I'm happy with their prompt and satisfactory response.

This company sells weak and stunted nursery stock. I couldn't believe the diminutive size of the trees in my recent order. What I got would compare in size to the 10 free trees that arbor day used to mail people for becoming a member. In fact some of the trees arbor day used to send would be bigger than the trees cold stream ripped me for. In my opinion I was seriously overcharged for such small trees. If they live I'll be surprised. I don't like how they put masking tape around their trees either. Very difficult to remove from tiny trees. Previous orders were not successful. Only dealt with them the second time because they had a certain species that I couldn't seem to find anywhere else. Since I found a place that's closer to home with what I want, I'll likely drop Cold Stream.

I ordered sugar maple and swamp white oak (25 each); the company helped me select the right size for my application (2-3ft seedlings). They arrived on time in dormant state (in March) and all looked healthy. They were planted soon after arrival and all but one leafed out. I will plan on ordering again from them in the next planting season.

I'm pleased to report of my completely being pleased with Coldstream regarding the trees I bought from them. The quality, the e-mails I got back from them, it all added up to a good experience that I will repeat next year when I re-order from them. The Black Locust trees are awesome.

I ordered 9 items from them on November 30, 2013 for Spring delivery.

9 items were delivered on April 17 and in slightly above average condition (bare root).

I ordered 4 varieties of Viburnum. Unfortunately, they sent me 2 Nannyberry and failed to send a Blackhaw.

I contacted them via email on

April 17
April 21
May 1
May 19

They have NEVER responded once.

Too bad for THEM as I purchase between 1 and 2 thousand $ of plants and seeds per year. My order in $ terms was not large as I usually test a new vendor and if happy use again.

They have a very decent and varied selection at very reasonable prices.

I will never ever purchase from them again and will NOT recommend them to others as their Customer Service sucks.

Although Cold Stream Farm advertises as a wholesale source, I have found them to be an excellent source of trees and shrubs for our home. I bought several trees from them in 2013. Although a couple of the trees did not make it past the first year, I blame myself for over-fertilizing tender young roots. Most of the trees from last year have performed wonderfully.

This year I ordered several more trees and all arrived as promised and in fine condition. Everything is thriving! Cold Stream Farm offers some of the best prices around whether you are buying 1 or 100 trees or shrubs. While you are not going to find a lot of rare or special cultivars here, they are a great source of a lot of basic species. I would definitely recommend them.

Great place for cheap bareroot stock.

I ordered 100 hybrid poplars, 2 hazelnuts, and 2 american plums from them. Everything arrived together, and in great condition

One thing to note is if you do order from them they send you a "order verification" email. Make sure you check your spam folder if you do not see this from them. Mine turned out to be there, which surprised me as I use a corporate Gmail account, and never usually have any issues.

I don't think anyone can beat the prices they have for good sized and good quality bareroot stock.

We ordered two white snowberry shrubs and one pink snowberry shrub. After not hearing anything for several weeks, I e-mailed about the status. They said they would ship in two weeks and they did. Unfortunately, they only sent one which was unlabeled. I asked where the other two were, they apologized and sent one more good shrub and one stick which is supposed to be a shrub. I asked if they could at least tell me which were the white shrubs and which were the pink shrubs. Their response was "(a)lso, as these are grown from seed, it is impossible for us to determine the flower color." This is still the case even though they sell both a pink and white variety. Snowberries can be hard to find, but it's just not worth the hassle to deal with this company.

Theres good news and bad news......
The good news is the prices are cheap... and they have a very nice selection.
The BAD news is (in my experience), that bare root evergreen trees have a VERY LOW survival rate.
Especially if you order int the fall.
They say "Stock is guaranteed fresh and healthy upon delivery. FALL EVERGREEN SHIPMENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED"
I have ordered several times from them and I have a 20% survival rate at best.
I suppose that is the only way they can keep the prices down and sell mass quantities.
I am no longer ordering bare root trees.

I was sent half good plants and half very poor plants.
I gave it my best the good plants lived but the poor ones struggled and died.
They did NOT stand by their guarantee.
These all were supposed to be 2'-3' plants. BE CAREFUL!

I've had very positive experiences with Cold Stream Farm. A year & a half ago, I bought 25 cranberry viburnum seedlings, 25 black locust seedlings, and 4 sycamores. The cranberry viburnums had better than 100% survival (all made it & are growing well + 1 or 2 extras that were included), the sycamores grew about 2 feet last year, and the black locusts were a lot spottier because I planted many in tall grass & where rodents could gnaw on the bark. I think about 30% of those survived.

Because of this, I bought 25 sycamores from Cold Stream Farm this fall. Shipping is good & the customer service has been very friendly via e-mail.

Thanks!

Posted on March 2, 2012, updated December 31, 2012
I have ordered several varieties of trees from this company in the past. Unfortunately I killed them. All trees arrived in excellent shape. I just like to plant in strong drying winds...that does not work well with bare root.

But, the plants have always been in great shape. Will be purchasing soon

Ordered about ten bare root red maples at the end of Spring. Cleaned out the last of their stock. They came quickly with healthy, damp roots. Height was as advertized. All have grown well, survived and thrived. Will definitely order again next year..... but earlier.

I placed 2 orders with Cold Stream Farm this spring and I think they offer great healthy stock at unbeatable prices. The plants I ordered included Paper Birch, Basswood, Ninebark, Snowberry, Viburnum, White Pine, Wild Plum, Spicebush, and Serviceberry. One order was placed in March. Everything arrived promptly and safely packaged. All are thriving except for the spicebush which got partially eaten by rabbits (my fault of course). June is late to be planting bare root trees, but my June order has all done well, leafed out and looking beautiful. I will definitely order from Cold Stream in the future and highly recommend them to my friends!

ordered 25 red osier dogwoods and 4 spicebush. i didn't expect to get much for the money, but the dogwood twigs were extremely thin, although they were all well rooted and almost all of them did survive. all of the spicebush appeared dead and have never leafed out after more than a month.

I only ordered 4 serviceberry plants so I didn't really expect the best service. The plants arrived in a timely manner and appear in good shape. They had nice, green leaf buds which have opened in the last few days. I will be ordering from these folks again.

I really liked dealing with Cold Stream Farm, they have a great selection of bare root plants, they were quick to communicate, and did a great job shipping.

Posted on March 14, 2012, updated April 16, 2012
Ordering seemed easy enough, I ordered hybrid poplars, a few types of maples and trumpet/hummingbird vines. I still haven't recieved a shipping invoice by email, but it hasn't been 5 days yet either.

I'll update... but so far I am pleased with the good prices, decent selection of trees sized large enough NOT to take accidental-but-deadly blows from a weed wacker (you know, those 1-3' sticks so many places like to sell) and an easy to use website for ordering.

I ordered 200 Norway spruce in late February. I received my order yesterday (April 13th) due to the early spring and was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful 18 - 24" trees, all with a fantastic root system. They are by far the nicest spruce trees I have ever bought in bulk. I'm only disappointed that I didn't find this company 5 years ago!