Comments regarding Musser Forests, Inc.

Ordered: 10 Serbian Spruce 3-2 18"-24",
25 Ivy English Rooted Cuttings, &
5 Holly winterberry 2 YR 2-4"
on 4/26/19.
Received: Wilted, as in 1 month old refrigerated wilted salad, English Ivy, and Holly Winterberry, ergo no leaves.
Bushy Serbian Spruce with bone dry roots and they were much wider than tall; some of the trees had side branches that were longer than the height of the trees. I thought it odd that the roots would be dry, yet the tops of the decidious plants would be soaked and wilted.

I planted all, none, zero survived as expected.

I called and told them of what I received and questioned them as to whether they had just hired a new employee or something - because the village idiot collecting firewood to burn the witches - or almost anyone would know not to wrap the decidious leaves to the point of wilting. I was nice and polite and did not include the sarcastic comment - not much of a response.

I also inquired as to why the Serbian Spruce were more like bushes instead of like trees; I was told that nothing could be done about that and they were all like that.

They did send another replacement order at no charge - considerate.
I received: Serbian Spruce with damp roots that were not "bushy" as they looked like healthy trees with proper confirmation - great!
Apparently the "they were all like that" comment was incorrect.

I also received more of the same with the
Wilted English Ivy and Holly Winterberry leaves, ergo no leaves.

I Planted all; the decidious plants did not survive - or were dead upon delivery - as expected. Some of the Serbian Spruce are doing great, some so-so - possibly locations. I'm happy with the the Serbian Spruce.

The first order took some time to receive, as well as the second replacement order. I don't know the date that I received the second order, but I considered it too late to plant, so I thought that I would call next year.

When I called this year (~May) they said that they don't replace orders either the next year or after one year - I am not certain what they said specifically regarding the replacement TIME. I assume that they meant from the original first order date. Bad plants and delayed shipment are not of my doing. I said that I didn't call them last year because it would have been too late to plant.

They then changed the reason as to why they wouldn't replace (or give credit for more Serbian Spruce) and said that they only replace plants once!

And they then later said that they would have replaced them again if I had called sooner!

Ethics, Morals, Reasoning? The ends justify the means.

Ladies and gentlemen this is what happens when you shun education and your children and you think so subjectively that you rationalise the logic and morals of these kind of contradictory insulting and revealing statements.

I wouldn't shun my dog.

I'll sacrafice a chicken for you!

I've ordered from Musser 3 times now, and also purchased from them at the Mother Earth Fair in Seven Springs, PA. Their prices are great. Their quality is amazing. I've had a few issues, but not contacted the company as I accept at least partial responsibility. As I see in another review, my red cedar trees didn't make it. Some were brown (red) upon arrival. I hilled in 25 and planted the other 25 very quickly. About 5-10 are still green. I don't know what the issue was, but I will try again. I ordered persimmon trees, instead of 12-18 inch trees, I got 24" tall, thicker than a pencil trees. Right off the bat I was concerned with the root systems. They seemed too cropped, not enough smaller feeder roots for the overall large size of the roots. These also were hilled in and some potted. so far, out of the 50 trees, only about 10 have started to leaf out, but the weather has been unseasonably cold, so that could also be a consideration. The paw paw I ordered this year seems a bit dry and I'll have to wait and see how those do. I still give Musser a positive review because had I called them with these concerns, I'm sure they would have refunded or replaced the order. I also ordered Gingko, Pawpaw, sugar maple, osage orange, echinacea, juniper, and other things. All of those are alive and well. Their pricing is the best that I've found, and when I have found a slightly lower price, Musser still beats anyone once shipping is taken into consideration.

I've ordered over 200 trees from Musser. All have arrived in good order. Most that I planted have lived.

These guys are good, especially for the price.

Posted on May 17, 2017, updated May 17, 2017
A Stellar positive review for Fall 2016 order:

October 2016 I ordered over 350 seedlings of Red Maple, Silver Maple, Black locust, Eastern Red Bud and Eastern Red Cedar, Ginkgo and Mulberry.

Delivery: With in 2-3 days and I have never seen bare root plants plants as healthy as these, seemed like they were picked yesterday. Roots packed in wet paper and covered well with plastic in nice large card board boxes. All the plants looked healthy and taller than I expected.

*******************************************************************

I waited till spring to do the review so I can see how many of the seedlings survived.

I am happy to report about 80% survival rate on all except the Red Cedar. My Red Bud, Maple and Locust are growing vigorously and look really healthy. I did coat all the roots with root dip and added a fertilizer tablet when planting in fall. I can not really tell if good success was due to the root dip, fertilizer tablet or just plain good stock of the trees.

Cherry on top: I called them to tell them about the good results and inquire as to why none of the red cedar survived and they instantly gave me credit. I opted to get white Pine to be shipped in Fall 2017.

All in all a great experience and I would recommend them highly.

I ordered quite a few varied trees from them two times now and have had the best experience. Their trees are in wonderful shape and they even put in 1 or 2 extra in case any were damaged in transit. I would recommend them to anyone for trees. I didn't think their prices were out of line especially for the quality of trees they ship!

I order from these folks regularly. With the exception of some holly I bought last fall, all plants have done very well. I had ordered holly from them before and was pleased, so was a bit disappointed that the fifteen seedling I got last fall all passed on. But, that's fifteen out of probably 200 or so plants I've bought from them. The quality is really good in general. I'm very happy with them.

My one complaint is that they tend to lose orders - I'll place an order and wait and wait and wait ... then I call and they tell me it will ship in a day or two. Not a big deal, since they don't charge you until they ship, but when you order in the winter for a spring planting, you'd do well to remember in the spring to drop them a line.

Posted on March 20, 2005, updated June 15, 2015
This is the third time I've ordered from this company. Thus far no complaints. This spring's order consisted of four potted trees and one bundle of bare-root kousa dogwoods. The potted trees were all in superb condition and the height advertised. The dogwoods had crooked tops, as if they'd been grown sideways for one season. I don't find this troublesome as it's easily corrected in one season with some ties. More important was that the dogwoods were all healthy with great root systems - they even included an extra one for good measure. All trees were experty packed - the pots tied down and the bare-root dogwoods adequately moist. Will do business with them in the future.

At this early stage, the order looks good. A half dozen each of chestnuts and catalpas arrived with healthy root stock that should enable them to thrive next spring. The rooted rhodie cuttings in pots were a real surprise. They were not just sticks in a mud cup, but healthy, vigorous and well rooted specimens that will do well in their new setting. The order was placed on Sunday evening and arrived Friday morning. The packing was thorough and effective in keeping the cuttings in their pots without any damage. If you have the patience to deal with smaller plants, or even enjoy the process of watching young specimens grow, this is a an economical way to go.

Posted on April 29, 2009, updated October 17, 2014
I'm very please with the package I just opened from Musser Forests. In order to take advantage of their "50 Frasier Fir seedlings for $1 with any order", I ordered a 1-2 foot sawtooth oak. The sawtooth oak is a tad shy of three feet, has many leaf buds and looks healthy and ready to grow. The fifty supposedly 4-8" seedlings are all over a foot tall and are healthy and pliant. They were packed in such a way that they could not move about in the box. So I have a three foot oak tree and a bunch of foot-tall fir trees, all for under $20 including shipping. Very nice!

In general, I have been satisfied with the plants I have gotten from them. The issue is the shipping department. They must have morons running it. I ordered about 600 dollars worth of trees. One box (marked 1 of 3) came on time. The others were MIA until I called a week later. They seemed clueless. I told them which trees I was missing. Soon a 2nd box came, and a few days later a 3rd box, still missing, however, about 150 dollars worth of trees. I e-mailed them asking if the rest of the trees were going to ship, requesting a refund if they were not going to ship. I guess they were never going to ship them, because they responded saying they would refund my money. I guess I'll see if I actually get it back. Last year, I had problems with them shipping the correct items as well. I'm never ordering from them again, which is a shame, as they have nice products. They just need to fire everybody in their shipping department.

I have ordered from this company several times since the late 1990s. Most of my orders were for potted stock for birthday party favors. The only problem I had was with some Rudbeckias that were a little small. I let them grow for a couple months longer and they were fine. All of the trees and shrubs were very healthy and a good size. I always have friends giving me updates on how big their seedlings have become. I am very happy with my orders overall.

Ordered 10 Northern Bayberry plants this Spring. What I received was what looked like one mature plant hacked into 10 pieces. All were brown leaved, but still supple, so I planted them. Now, three months later, I have ten very supple brown leaved sticks planted in my yard. Their return policy is only good until you receive your plants, so I figured 1) It was no use contacting them, and 2) It would be pointless buying from them again. I also bought and paid for a Mountain Laurel in a 4" pot. I got one 1/2 the size (2" pot). I got no refund for the downsizing, but unlike the bayberry plants this one actually lived. Bad experience--won't happen again!

Posted on April 23, 2011, updated October 23, 2012
Posted on April 5, 2011, updated April 23, 2011
They did a good job for me. The (3 year?) bareroot seedling trees were well packaged, and the roots were moist. Smallish, but cheap and healthy, with nice roots - exactly what I wanted.

The potted plants look good. No wilting at all, though a couple of pots were cracked, probably during shipping, and the soil in those was dry. My pots were in little individual plastic bags, with tie-tags closing them at the tops. That seems to have kept the soil where it's supposed to be. The mountain laurel are tiny (but hey, they're $6 or $7, not $25 from the local nurseries...). The potted birch were a surprise - bigger than I expected.

A good experience overall. My only concern is that they're in a slightly colder zone than I am, and they also were running a little behind this year. So I ended up planting the bareroot seedlings a little later than I'd like. Just something to be aware of if you're in a warmer climate. I'd still order from them again.

I bought10 American Sycamore seedlings all but 1 was dead or died. They shipped me 10 more just like them. One is all that is doing like it should. Some of them sprouted out at the ground the rest died. Out of 20 1 is all that is doing well. They were the worst looking crooked little seedlings I have ever saw.

I took advantage of Musser's offer of 20 plants for $20.00. I ordered 10 boxwood and 10 shamrock holly. They arrived on the exact day I requested and were extremely well packed. .My bargaion plants were large (for the price) and healthy looking. I potted them all up waiting for better weather to plant my hedge. I noticed one of the holly plants began to drop leaves. It shortly went completely bare. I decided to plant and discovered that the roots of the holly plants, tightly rootbound on arrrival, had not extended beyond the original pot size, inspite of my efforts to loosen them up before planting. I was worried about the health of the remaining holly plants and contacted Musser. I received an answer from them the very next day saying that they will replace any plants that fail to thrive.
Seems like a company that is doing everything right. I hope my plants will grow but I am confident that Musser will stand by their word if they don't.

Last fall received an order from Musser's where over 50% of the plants were out of their pots with roots exposed. When placing a spring order for 87 plants, mentioned this issue and it was written on order to make sure order is packed well as dirt was out of pots. Well.... received order today and one box was nothing but soil, pots and plants all in a big mess. It looked as though they were never in the pots as pots were stacked together. The other two boxes were adequately packed but tags were scarce and Viburnums look similar when in bud. Received Althea, 10 of them, which I did not order so this means I am short 10 of another plant. This order was meant to be part of a plant sale to raise money for Horticultural Programs but sadly this may not be the case due to Musser's lack of attention in shipping their plants.

Definitely my LAST order to them. Money will be directed to companies that take better care of their plants.

Very pleased with my 100 periwinkle plants...seemed a little dry at first but after a few hours in water, perked right up. Individual plants are many runners with rubber band around the roots...easy to plant. Happy ;)

I got a Chinese Dogwood from Musser's for $5.95 plus S/H. It was securely packaged in a long narrow box and I received it fast in 2 days. The dogwood was about 2 feet long when I got it. I live in central Pa so shipping may take longer for other people. I was able to plant it immediately and it's been doing quite well in my yard for the past few weeks. I will be buying from them again in the future.

I placed an order on Monday and everything arrived by Friday. I called and asked for a UPS tracking number and they sent it by email the next day. They said this wasn't automatic and is the one thing I wish they would begin doing.

I ordered 2nd year potted seedlings of the following types; 2 Ginkgos, 2 Chinese Chestnuts, 4 Hybrid Poplars and a few non-plant items. The seedlings were securely packed and strapped in place so they wouldn't be shaken from the pots while in transit. Everything looked good except for the Chinese Chesnuts which appeared to some frost burn on them and I chalked that up to the late frost we had in PA. The plants in my yard were also affected by this late frost and I had one Holly drop all of it's leaves because of it. All the seedlings seemed to have good root systems.

I would order from Musser again in the future and am already planning a fall order.

My father and I have ordered stock from Musser for decades. Their product is first rate and prices are very competitive. Few offer the ability to order for mass plantings they way they do. When ordering 100 - 1000 plants to see all of them healthy and ready to go is a welcome sight. They have been in business for a long time with good reason.

My plant were sort of healthy...the problem is they grow everything too close together and a 2ft plant does not have any branches.Basically just a 2ft stick with a couple of leaves on top....
Your classic Charlie Brown tree.

In the past I have ordered carya ovata seedlings and recently as last year ilex verticillata seedlings. I have been impressed with the quality of material I was getting, considering what the service is. All of my holly did well, except for those chomped on for chew toys by rabbits. This year I ordered some Hicks yew and they all came in great condition yet again, and are all growing. For inexpensive ways to get mass quantity of planting stocks I cant recommend anyone but musser.

Order came very promptly; well packed and plants in very good shape. Plant sizes as advertised.

I ordered from Musser for the first time this year; I ordered some white spruce seedlings and the sugar maple special of 30 two-year seedlings for about $37. I am very pleased with all aspects of this purchase: the packaging was excellent and the trees were in good shape for the low price. Of course they are small--they are seedlings after all--but all of them seem alive and well. The best part is that their root systems are completely intact with no damage; whoever dug them up did it properly. I expect rapid growth as a result.

I'll definitely order from them again and would recommend them to someone who wants large quantities of small but healthy seedlings at very good prices. Getting 10 (ended up with 11) white spruce and 30 (ended up with at least 35 in the bundle) sugar maple for about $70 including shipping is a great deal in my book.

I ordered a total of 25 bare root tree seedlings for Fall planting this year. The seedlings arrived in good condition, although the Balsam Firs were definitely on the small side.
My complaint is regarding shipping notification: there is none. I travel for a living, and left early in the morning for three days on the day the seedlings arrived unannounced. A simple email notification of shipment with an estimated arrival date would be helpful and pretty easy to do, instead of the vague shipping date of "Proper time for my area" on the order confirmation.
I will probably order from another company next time so I am not surprised again.

I have ordered from Musser Forests for well over 20 years. Years ago, I was completely satisfied with all aspects of every order. However, for the last 5 years or so the quality of their plants has not been that great. Although they are packed well, most of what I've received (trees) are fairly scrawny, seem to be random sizes, and barely meet the minimum size stated in their catalog. Very disappointing. Bases on comments I've seen on the web, guess I'll give Cold Stream Farm a try. Their shipping costs are fairly high, but the extra cost may be worth it if the quality and size are more reliable.

I placed a nice order with Musser's. All the plants arrived in a very secured manner and all very viable. I have had to pot many of the bare rooted plants as the planting area has not been cleared due to the wet and cool weather we have been having. All the plants have budded out and are very healthy in their pots.

My father and I have ordered from Musser for years (at least 15), and we have been relatively happy customers. They were the first nursery in our area, to my knowledge, to offer bulk seedlings of Concolor, or White, fir, and each year have a few unusual pine, spruce, or fir offerings that can be had at a decent price in amounts as little as 5, or even individually, in pots. They have been the only commercial catalogue we have ordered from for bulk tree seedlings beyond our state nursery in Pennsylvania. Over the years, for sure, they have fallen short a couple of times, in supplying seedlings that were definitely at the lowest end of their scale in terms of height. However, on the average, they have been quite good regarding the material they supply and the time they ship.

This year's order included 25 bareroot Concolor fir, and smaller amounts of Lodgepole pine, Serbian spruce, Southwestern White pine, potted Austrian pine, and a smattering of individual potted trees. Although the Lodgepole pines were on the small side, the others were beyond expectation, and all looked healthy, fresh, and ready to grow.

We are quite happy to have Musser as a resource for quality seedlings. I look forward every year to their newest offerings.

I ordered 5 Eastern White Pines on 3/29/09. When I got off their website I went cruising the 'Net looking for pictures of my soon-to-be grown up trees. To my horror, I realized that I had ordered the wrong type of tree. It was a Sunday, and I left a rather long-winded message regarding my mistake. I was contacted at work the next day and we discussed my requirements at length. After several trips for the customer service rep to talk to a botanist, we determined what tree to order and what the shearing requirements would be. Well, those babies came last night and they are wonderful. Packing was done carefully, pots were moist, and I only had to tease the roots a little bit before they went in the ground. I will definitely order from Musser's again ! Pamspace

I have ordered hundreds of trees from musser's and have never been dissapointed. They send what you order. Out of those trees I can count on my hand how many didn't make it. They have saved me so much money reforesting my property.

Musser Forests is a Superior tree farm. Been planting their trees and shrubs for 15 years. One week delivery time after ordering(fast). Just keep your plant roots moist and plant right away on arrival. Water regularly the first season. You'll be rewarded with lush stands of trees or shrubs as I have. A stand of palowuania is now 40' high, and the seeds have spread, with trees everywhere on my lot. My evergreens are over 30' high. Redbuds have seeded and appear everywhere. 12' wegeilias. More forsythia than I can transplant all from one bush from musser. You got to never let the roots dryout when transplanting ordered stock or dividing your own, that is the key to success. Best to plant early spring or late fall, my plants always survive.

Jan. 6th ordered 10 spratan trees recieved today 12th . They are in good shape and hope they all thrive where I plan to grow them as a hedge. Will plant them 3 ft apart. we still have wokable soil here in n.e.ar. plan to buy more evergreens from them.

I received my supposed Whitney Crabapple tree in 2001. It finally bloomed and fruited this year.(2008) Well, it is not a Whitney crabapple. So I called the company and they said they have never had a Whitney Crabapple and could I send them a leaf or something so they could identify it. Ha! I could see where that was going. I am not very happy that after the seven years it took to bear fruit that it is not even what I ordered and then they tell me it is not even theirs. It is the only mail order company I have ever ordered from so I know that it is their tree.Their response is very disappointing.

Beautiful garden center with extremely helpful staff. Decided to visit them in Spring and was able to get some incredible deals. If you get a chance to go some time, it is definitely worth the trip.

I ordered several bare root trees and a few potted ones last fall. They arrived at the very end of October. The bare root plants looked pathetic and the roots were almost dry. I suspected they wouldn't survive the winter so I called to ask for a refund. They noted this in their files but said wait until spring. Sure enough, all but 2 of the 15 had no buds that opened this year. The 2 that did had major die back and sprouted very low on the trunk. They won't be ready for open ground for at least another year!

I reported the news to Musser this spring. They said a supervisor had to review my claim and was very busy. I called back 3 times over the next 10 days to get an answer. They never called ME. The third time they said my money would be refunded for the trees I requested and I would receive replacments for the five holly, as requested. At least they didn't fight me on that. The holly arrived and were even more pathetic than the first batch. One was literally the length and diameter of a toothpick!

Yes the prices are good, but what's the point if the stock is substandard and doesn't survive.

I ordered about $130 worth of seedlings on line to be shipped to my house. Shipping added another $26, and Tax another $10 to the order. I asked for confirmation about delivery time, so I could keep an eye out for the order, Musser Customer Service decided to change the shipping method, incurring another $67 in shipping charges (effectively $93 to ship $130 worth of plants) but never sent me an e-mail regarding this change. When I found out that the plant order for $130 was charged on my credit card on March 7th for $230, I cancelled the entire order. Customer Service has assured me repeated that they issued a credit for the $230 on March 19th, but no such credit has been issued either on the March Statement, nor the April Statement to date. How deceptive is this?

On the whole I am pleased with Musser. Last year the bayberries they sent were healthy and immediately went to work; however the Annabelle hydrangea died upon impact! I buy only potted treesbecause I've had less luck with bare-rooted stock. Most of my little trees are better than expected, more vigorous and ready to grow.

I ordered 100 Norway Spruce last Fall. I didn't plant right away and then took too long to plant them when I had them in the field. I still had about a 80% survival rate. Not too bad. For the price, Musser's can't be beaten for bulk orders. I expected a certain amount of loss since I simply dropped the seedlings into the ground with a shovel-full of top soil. In about 75 years, the living screen that I am aiming for should be majestic.

I used to live relatively near Mussers and would visit the farm on occasion. It is a well run operation with a real desire to do things right in their niche which is trees. They haven't tried to be All-things-to-all-people.

I purchased 5 Paulownia Trees that were described on the website as being 3 years old. Being a little familiar this type of tree, upon arrival they looked like others I've had that were 1 yr old. These are not pot grown, they dig them up in the fall and ship them. They could not give me a specific time they would be shipped, but a 6 week window. I asked to be notified when they shipped so I could be on the watch for them. They refused to provide me with any type of notification upon shipment stating that it was impossible to notify customers of shippments (even through email.) The trees arrived in a condition that was less than expected. Hard to tell if they were dormant or dead. All major roots had been cut 6-8 inches from the ground line and very little or no fine roots in tact ....meaning that most of the root system was missing. Even keeping these in good soil and controlled condidtions 45-65 degrees, only 2 have developed any type of root growth, the other three just rotted in the dirt. I don't plan on making any future purchases here.