Comments regarding Musser Forests, Inc.

Two years ago I ordered Sea Green Junipers, Inkberry Hollies, and Dwarf Barberry. When I placed the order I was well aware that the plants would be small...as that is one of the reasons I didn't have to pay a high price. The plants arrived in great condition, and now two years later...they have turned into great specimens. I will definitely order from them again.

Over the past decade, I have ordered from Musser about 3 times. Most of the plants were ordered for windbreak plantings and included hedge and evergreens; in quantities exceeding 200 plants per order.

Here is a breakdown of the quality and service...

quality of stock: excellent; plants were of high vigor.

packaging: excellent for "bare root" stock.

value: very good.

In my opinion, Musser Forests is an excellent choice for nursery stock in quanity for mass plantings etc.

I recently placed an order for Spring 2005 and will update this post for that order experience.

I own and operate North Hills Nursery in West Virginia and have personally visited and purchased several times from Musser Forests, Inc. Their business in primarily designed to sell wholesale to the industry only, even though they will sell to anyone who requests a catalog. They also have a large garden center on site where they sell retail. It should be noted when purchasing small seedling trees from their catalog at wholesale prices, that is what you will get from any wholesale nursery and they will survive and flurish if properly cared for. They have gone out of their way to provide personnel to escort me through out their nursery and assist in my purchases. As a nurseryman myself, I have had exceptional success with all my purchases.

I bought a variety of tree and shrub seedlings from Musser Forests in 2004. The company has a beautiful catalog, but many of the products they shipped me were lacking---undersized and with weak or tangled root systems. They seemed to have been hurriedly packed. Just before receiving my first shipment, I telephoned the company to order several more hybrid poplars. I asked the company to please, please send them as soon as possible, since it was already the first week in April and I wanted to get a jump on the growing season. I let them know I had already ordered several of their products and was likely to order many more in future years. They said they would try to get them to me quickly but couldn't promise to. Sure enough, the weeks passed, the days grew hotter, and my poplars still hadn't arrived despite numerous pleading phone calls (and they don't have an 800 number). Finally in mid-May the poplars came---tiny and thin and less than 1 foot tall. In addition to all these problems, I found the company representatives I spoke with to be rude. I will never again deal with this company. All someone had to do was stick a few sticks in a box and stick them in the mail, at my expense, but I guess they just didn't have the time , , ,

Ordered five Osage Orange trees and five River Birches this past fall. Packing was excellent. All ten trees had large root systems and all were as large or larger than specified in the catalog. Not sure if it was a mistake or a courtesy, but actually received six of each instead of five! I've ordered trees from other, more "mainstream" catalogs and the Arbor Day Foundation, and what I received was pathetic in comparison to the trees from Musser.

Their tree selection is extensive, and their website is very well-done. Prices are also very reasonable, expecially considering the size and quality of the trees they send.

I highly recommend Musser Forests and will definitely order from them in the future.

Musser Forests has a nice website for browsing a large and diverse selection of trees. The online catalog is very well-organized and the search functions make it very easy to find what you’re looking for. In addition to a great selection of native and landscaping trees, I liked that they often had multiple options for sizes. The young seedlings and transplants are sold in multiples for incredibly low prices. The plants I received all looked very healthy with excellent, well-developed root systems. Unfortunately, some were quite pot-bound with roots entangled around the drainage holes, and it was a shame to have to lose those roots. The specimens were often better than I expected for the price, although some were pretty small and you could probably run over them with the mower if you’re not careful.

I definitely won’t be expecting much from these trees for a long time, but I planted them with the future in mind. In fact, I intentionally sought younger specimens, because I want to let the trees take over the landscape gradually, not for immediate impact. In the meantime, they will be in the shadows of other things in my garden. On the other hand, it was very personally satisfying to plant these trees. I hope that I’ll be around to see them when they are really impressive. I think these trees would make great gifts for children, because they are not a big investment, but they are good quality for the price and it’s good for the environment. The planting instructions were very detailed and helpful. Only other complaint is that they don’t seem to answer emails, but it seems like they are a very large-scale operation so…

Overall I think that Musser Forests’ product is a great balance of price and quality.

Ordered 5 spicebush and a small American beech. The spicebushes were ok. The beech was totally unsecured to its pot - I could here it banging around before I opened the box. It was dried and fried and was really tiny to start with - only 2 inch roots for a 6 inch pot. The company has a really restrictive return policy. You have to send them a letter. I sent a letter that day asking for my money back on the beech - not going to pay shipping and 50% to receive another puny beech when it was their fault - not the shipping company's, not mine - for not properly packing their plant. Never heard from them; never dealing with them again.

Over many years we have bought fir and spruce seedlings from Musser by the thousands. For the most part the seedlings we order are 2/2 or better and in the 12-18" range. Very well packed and on time. Often we will plant out directly instead of nursing in a bed for a year as the root systems are excellent, trees are well budded and healthy. Of 500 set this past April I have lost 3 to date, and that appears to be from grass competition.

I ordered two trees to try this company out. I was not able to find these locally so I didn't have much of a choice. I was happy to see that they will ship a wide selection of hard to find natives year round.

A couple of things bothered me though.
The web site advertised the trees would be 1'-4'.I ordered by phone, and since I think there is a big difference in a 1' tree VS a 4' tree in terms of when I would plant it and IF I would plant it. So I ordered by phone and asked the salesperson about how big they are. She said about 3 feet.

I neglected to ask how big a "plastic pot" is though! And since it says nowhere on their site I assumed it would be 1 gallon. Maybe 3 gallon pot if it really was 3 feet tall.

But I couldn't figure out how they could stay in business shipping out trees for $5 a piece in a 1-3 gallon pot and charge only $5.50 for shipping.

Well, I can't say I was all that suprised to find out the plastic pot is TINY! About the size of a soda can.

And I was disappointed that the trees were less than the advertised size, much less than the "about 3 feet" I was told by phone. The tallest of the trees is about 10".

I may have still ordered anyway seeing as how for the low cost, and not being able to get them within 8 hours drive from here, it wasn't such a bad deal, however I will likely have to find something else to plant where I had planned on putting these. And I hope these survive. I doubt I would survive 3 days strapped in a box with no sun, air or water.

The packaging was good and the order was shipped when promised.

I received my order from Musser yesterday. I ordered forsythia and crownvetch to replace the garbage that Burgess sent me. The new plants from Musser are very nice. I expected dormant sticks for the forsythia, but the plants are all leafed out and happy looking. I had asked for quick shipment, and they got the plants to me less than 2 weeks after I placed the order. I am very pleased.

My first order from Musser, and I am pleased. Although they took a little longer to ship than they originally estimated, the 5 inkberry hollies and 2 pieris I received were in lovely, healthy shape -- moist and green, and in line with the sizes listed in their online catalog. Their prices, especially for multiples of the same item, seem really quite good when compared with my pricey local nurseries. I'm not in such a rush that I need huge plants. I'd order from Musser again.

On January 19th, I ordered some Blue Lyme grass (potted), Four Dawn Redwood trees (potted), and Five Black Locust trees (bare root).

They arrived May 6th, perfect timing for my area. They were packed in a strong box. The potted plants were strapped into the box so completely that, short of completely crushing the box, there was no way they could be damaged. The potted plants were bagged and moist and the bare root trees were well wrapped and moist as well.

The Dawn Redwoods are extremely healthy looking, as was the Lyme grass. The Black Locusts were a tad small, but they shipped eight of them!

This is the second time I have done business with them, and I am very happy with their service.

I ordered Virginia Pines from them. When they arrived the trees looked like they'd been enroute since last fall. They were half-dead. The best word to describe their trees: kindling.

Only survivor looks like it's about to die. The candles are still dormant and the remaining needles are getting brown on the tips.

FWIW, their fern is doing fine.

I ordered a number of plants from Musser Forests for Spring planting and I was very pleased at the packaging. The only issue I had was, the Northern Bayberries were very root bound.

I ordered an eastern red cedar seedling and a wild black cherry tree seedling from them. They came sooner than expected and are thriving in my backyard. I have no complaints about their service or products.

Ordered holly plants on the internet in February from Musser. They arrived on time, well packaged, and as described. I would order from them again, especially with their good prices.

I was referred to Musser after talking to my mother last summer. I had decided to add some new shrubs to our collection. We decided to make the day out of driving to Indiana County in mid October 2003. I spent about $95.00 and got everything on sale. I was impressed with the quality of all the plants on display. Even though it was October, everything looked to be healthy and well kept. The selection was just as impressive. They had everything I was asking for. The staff was very courteous and professional. They told me all of the requirements necessary for getting my plants to bloom next season. You will see excellent quality service from these folks. While I was checking out my order, the cashier explained the 6 month warranty on all the large shrubs. We are planning our spring trip to be around mid April.

I have ordered from this firm for the past several years. The first year I ordered Hemlocks in two different sizes, Cornus kousa and miscellaneous other shrubs. Although I live in Northern Illinois, I asked for March delivery. Everything came well packed with fantastic root systems. Extra plants were sent presumably to replace anything which did not make it. I planted them out within two days of receipt, although it was very cold. We had a drought ridden summer and the areas where they were planted receive little watering after being watered in for several weeks after planting. ALL of the plants survived and are thriving. After I planted them, I emailed the company to thank them and to tell them that if I lost any it would surely be my fault as they were all well grown plants with great root systems.

Ordered several times from them this spring and summer [2003]. Everything was packed well, healthy, and did well when planted. This is definitely a company that does a good job.

I have ordered seedlings from Musser in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The orders have ranged from 5 units to 2500. The packaging, delivery and coordination (of calendars) is very good. Moreover, the survival rate is very good. Of all orders and all products... only 1 item was incorrectly labeled out of ~2900 total units. I will continue to order from them for Spring, 2004.

I ordered several things about three years ago and half my stock died the first season. Company rules seem strict on replacements - but the prices are so cheap you don't feel that bad when some die. They have a large selection of trees and I recommend them to someone with a large property looking to reforest - but not to the average homeowner with 1/4 acre lot.

I have ordered from Musser several times within the past two years. I noted in their spring catalog that it says they provide replacements only if 20% or more of the order is bad. Considering their prices and selection are very good, I am willing to take that risk. I have only been disappointed once. I lost four hollies (out of six). This was quite a large order so it was a small amount of the order. Some of the hollies looked a little sick when I received them, and I probably held them a little too long, so the combination of those two items did them in.
This fall I placed another large order. Many of the trees were to be used to replace dead saplings in a reforestation we are working on. I couldn't be more pleased. Perhaps three out of fifty trees were a little small, the rest were equal or much larger than advertised. And I suppose, to make up for those three trees, I received at least one extra of each kind. In one case I received five. I will definately order from Musser again, as long as I continue to need trees and shrubs.

I recently ordered some rhododendrons as well as oak and dogwood trees off of the internet from Musser. They were shipped very promptly and were well packaged. All of them arrived in great shape. I have ordered from Musser several times over the last 10 years and they have consistently provided good quality and good service.

I received a plant that appeared dead - very little if any soil in the pot, dry, and extremely root bound. I went ahead and planted it right away and gave it a good watering and hope that it survives. However, I contacted the company to let them know of my concerns and ask for intructions (since I received none with the plant) on what I might do to get the plant off to a good start. No reply from them. After approximately a week and a half, I followed up again and still no response. I'm not happy with the plant or their customer service.

I ordered a number of trees and shrubs from this company within a couple of weeks of their spring deadline for ordering. They were slow to arrive, and although most of the shrubs were in good shape and of good size and well packed, many of the trees were smaller than listed in the catalog by quite a bit. Over half did not survive even though I planted them the day they arrived and took great pains to keep them happy. I will be very cautious about ordering trees from them again and will only do so if early in the season and if I can't find the plants anywhere else. Eileen in NH

This company offers 18 different types of oaks. Wow! The variety of trees is very impressive. This year I ordered spruce, white pine, and osage orange trees. I received one extra of each species I bought. Cool! They arrived at the correct time and now, four weeks later, all look great (except the one I ran over with the lawnmower). Unlike trees I have ordered from other companies, the Musser tree roots were packed in wet shredded newspaper, wrapped in plastic. I have ordered trees from several companies and this company has the most information in their catalog and the best packaging. Recommended! (I would also add that I checked this website before ordering from Musser, and as of a few months ago, they had a lot more comments, all of them positive as I recall, but it looks like this website purged the older comments?.)

I am a repeat customer, trees and plants grew well even in this baren desert wasteland. Some look like dead twigs on arrival, but roots are healthy and they all grow fine, don't let the look of bare root plants stop your from planting. Judy from Arizona.

The tree and shrub seedlings I have received from Musser Forests have always been healthy and have arrived at the appropriate planting time.

I only wish they would improve their packaging technique for potted plants. On many occassions, the plants shake out of the small pots during transit. (They should take a packaging lesson from Bluestone Perennials.)

I will continue to order tree and shrub seedlings from the University of Idaho Forest Research site as their seedling stock is the best I have found, but it they don't stock what I want, I would not hesitate to order from Musser Forests.

I ordered trees from them on two occasions and I was happy with my order. I called to get more info on my trees and I was able to get good information from a forester. I also sent trees from them to someone else as a gift. He was satisfied with his trees.

AWESOME quality stock -- an incredible value -- shipped securely and quickly. I ordered yews and they are very large and vigorous. I recommend them highly and I'll definitely order again.

Ordered from Musser Forests in January, rec'd in early April, the 17 bushes were well packed as were the seven trees. The Fraser Fir 7-yr transplants were absolutely beautful! All healthy plants.

I've ordered two shipments of creeping juniper plants from Musser and have been extremely pleased. Not one of them died, withered, or were eaten by deer (a real plus). The customer service people were great, they were shipped quickly and securely packaged. I planted them in not-so-hot soil and only fertilized once in 4 yrs. I would buy more from them but there are usually minimum's and I don't always want 10 of each kind of tree or plant. Everything is usually sent bare-root so you have to be special careful about planting them properly(just make a great slurry so all the air bubbles are worked out). You also have to be patient because the plants are usually small unless you order older plants - which I don't because I'm cost-conscience and need a large quantity to cover all the space I landscape.

I've also had excellent shipments from Mussers. They have trees and shrubs I couldn't find ANY where else. Their packaging is impressive and shipments right on time. When I order very small plants, I usually order several extra. Summer droughts in my area are plant killers, but the Musser trees have all survived. (I can always give away the extras!)

Have been ordering bare root and potted trees & shrubs from
Musser Forests since 1996. I am very satisfied with the
quality of the stock and especially with the packaging. The potted 3 yr Kousa Dogwood that I ordered in 1998 arrived as a skinny 18" stem with 2 or 3 leaves and now (4.5 yrs later) is a very lovely, full 8 foot tree.

They often include extra plants with the bare root orders. Their customer service is friendly and professional. Will order more plants in 2003.

I've ordered from Musser's for the past four years. Their catalog contains accurate descriptions and the plants are always of excellent quality and very well packaged. My favorite mail-order tree/shrub company.

I ordered 50 3yr old lilacs from them. They arrived at the correct time to plant and were fantastic plants. I will order from them again!

Very good service. Their phone help was very professional. You can talk to a forester if you wish. Plants can within one week of expectaions for an early April delivery. All plants were in good shape. My father has been ordering from Musser Forest since the 60's.

I did order last year. Plants looked good but I have lost several. The order did include extras, which partially made up for the loss. I will be ordering again and will compare survival rates

My father has been ordering from Musser since, I believe, the 1960's. So, when I purchased my 5 acres I followed his lead. I bought 50 Hemlocks (5 yr. transplants) and ten Siberian Dogwoods last spring (2001). I have lost about 4 hemlock - may be a result of this being my first time planting bare roots. The dogwoods are doing fine. I found their service to be excellent and was even able to talk to a forester several times for advice. I have ordered 45 more trees for this upcoming Spring. Plants arrived in great shape - roots were very healthy. Their prices are also very good.