Comments regarding Conifer Kingdom

I’ve been ordering from conifer kingdom for a number of years. Their quality is good. The past two years they’ve changed their shipping and it’s a problem. They used to ship in spring based on where you live. Now, the ship based on their location in the PNW. That’s a huge problem for those of us in colder climates. They’ve shipped hundreds of dollars worth of plants to me while I’ve got 6 inches of snow and ice in the ground with no sign of spring for a while. That is not spring for me. This means babysitting plants for weeks before I can plant them. If you are in a colder climate, DO NOT accept their description of shipping for spring. It is based on their convenience, not yours. Insist on a different shipping date in extra notes or you’ll be getting your plants way too early. I’ll remember to either note future orders or wait to order but it’s a big disappointment from an otherwise reputable company. Definitely give them a chance for their great plants but do not allow them to dictate shipping times.

I ordered a 'chief joseph' lodgepole pine, pinus contorta, from them back in april, and it arrived right at the start of may. It arrived in decent shape with only a few brown needles, but after about a week it was wilting and starting to yellow. At about a week and a half to two weeks, i uprooted and thinned out the root ball to see if that would help it. But after about a month it was completely defoliated. I had it in a mix of bark/compost, perlite, and bonsai clay, which has been a good for my other pines amd conifers, bit i believe i may have waited too long to clear the rootball, or it may have contracted pinewilt, though i thought that would take longer to kill it, never had a plant die so fast. I called the company and emailed them pictures of when it first arrived and after 3 weeks. I dont remember who i spoke with,but he was courteous and agreed it may have been water logged and refunded me half the price. The free juniper i got from them is doing great however. I give them a neutral rating as of now because of their good customer service and great selection, but i can not be sure if it was my fault the tree died or they sent a bad plant, i will definately try to order from them again come fall and see where that goes.