Comments regarding Goodwin Creek Gardens

My wife and I were looking for lavender plants to spruce up our zero- scape garden at our San Diego home. Not knowing much about varietals we contacted Goodwin Creek after hearing about it from a holiday wreath maker in Monterey, CA. The business is under new ownership which made us hesitant at first, but after talking to the new owner personally, we felt confident ordering from them. We received our order of lavender, and other plants that were recommended including lemongrass, echinacea, and rosemary in a timely manner, and received a follow up email from the owner to make sure we were happy with our order. We will recommend Goodwin Creek to any of our neighbors who are looking for lavender products as well as other plants.

Was a little worried reading the comments, but I called and they seemed very friendly. Ordered 6 lavender plants and they had them cross-country in about 3 days. The plants were a tad small but they looked as if they had just been packed. They were fresh and packed well. The shipping was a bit expensive to the East Coast, but the total price was competitive. Will order from them again.

I couldn't find Buddlieja Globosa ( Orange Ball Tree) Anywhere else but here! I was happy to find it here, and ordered some other plants to,Everything arrived in great shape ,All the plants were healthy and good sized ,The prices are great on their plants and shipping was very reasonable too.I was thrilled with my plants and those looking for hummingbird and butterfly plants will be happy with this nursery..They have lots to offer that I couldn't find locally, It would order again in a heartbeat..

It has been sort of a rough mail-order season for me this year, and I am tickled to report I had a wonderful experience with Goodwin Creek. Even though the plants had to travel from OR to NC, they all arrived in excellent condition. One of the plants I had ordered was out of stock, so they sent me a substitution free of charge, and refunded the cost of the originally ordered plant plus a fraction of the shipping. Good plants, reasonable shipping charges, and great customer service.

I recently rec'd a large order from Goodwin Creek and must say it was all that I could ask for and more. I am new to gardening and their website and phone advice was extremely helpful with my decisions. I talked to both Jim and Dottie and they are very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. They advised me on selections for my area. I wanted them asap but was told it was too early for my area to plant & ship and they advised me to wait a few weeks, which I did. The plants arrived in beautiful condition with easy instructions on when & how to plant. I ordered a multitude of different varieties from lavenders to sage to salvia and lots more. I would highly recommend Goodwin Creek plants.

I've ordered from Goodwin creek a number of times and have always had a good experience. They can't be held accountable for bad weather nor for running out of stock - with all nurseries you have to order "quickly" if you want a particularly desirable plant.

My lavenders are beautiful, the hardy fuchsia's are thriving and the monarda's are literal show stoppers. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend ordering from this nursery.
FR in Pt Bob

The plants were small but very healthy looking. They sent along a refund check for one item that was not available.

The order that I received this week was again very well packaged, the plants (all kinds of stoechas lavender) looked freshly picked and the soil was moist, and they arrived the exact week I had requested them to be shipped. Communication is good and I enjoy doing business with Goodwin Creek Gardens. I have been a repeat customer of theirs for the past few years and always come back when I need something they grow.

Posted on February 28, 2011, updated March 1, 2011
I placed two separate orders with this company within a two day window and contacted them to combine the order. I received a voice mail message from the company indicating they received my email and that there was a problem shipping to Florida, that it had to go air but that they could do it for the same price. When I got the package, the invoice inside the box had a revised shipping charge on it that was several dollars higher than what the order form indicated it would be. If that had been clear at the time of the order, I would have cancelled the order because the shipping was as much as the tiny plants I received. I was surprised at how small the plants were, but I went back to the website and it did say 3 inch pot and they came in a pot 3 inches high... I just expected more of a plant, not a twig with a couple of leaves on it. I sent an email asking for a refund on the additional money charged for shipping. The invoice in the box contradicts what was left on the voice mail message about the shipping charge being the same cost. Also-- this is not the fault of the company, but UPS screwed up and there was a delay getting my plants. The plants were packed okay for shipment and one was bent up to fit in the box but sprung back okay. I am happy with the turn around time and was pleasantly surprised to get a phone message from them, but now I haven't heard back about the over-charge for the shipping. I did not agree to any additional fee for shipping and I don't think it is right to just charge the customer more when the order form already quoted a rate. If they cannot honor the price on their order form the customer should have the opportunity to cancel the order. I did not agree to pay anything extra and I was informed it would not cost extra. I would have found another source if I knew the cost for shipping was going to be several dollars over the quoted amount.

"On Feb 28, 2011 9:43 PM, Goodwin Creek Gardens responded with:

Unfortunately, there were 2 points that we thought were explained clearly during the ordering process, both verbally and in a written note, but were evidently misunderstood by the customer. We take full responsibility for not making this clearer to her (see last sentence of rebuttal).

1. Plants shipped in midwinter from our nursery in Oregon are usually dormant and often pruned well back before new growth appears in spring. In her case (2 kinds of Asclepias/milkweed), 1 Asclepias had above ground woody growth that was dormant and nearly leafless and the other type was dormant with no above ground growth at all. This is normal and healthy for both types to apear this way. Both were guaranteed to begin growing in warmer weather.

2. She chose UPS Ground as a shipping method. We cannot ship plants safely, even when dormant, to Florida by UPS Ground. This is stated on our shopping cart. We recommend UPS 3 Day or Priority Mail. We said on the phone that we could ship her order Priority Mail for the same price as UPS Ground. She said she still wanted UPS as it was more convenient, so we shiped UPS 3 Day and added on the difference. Apparently she thought we meant we would not charge extra (we actually charged her less than the real difference). However, due to the misunderstanding, we have refunded her the additional shipping charges."

I was very happy with my purchase of two of their collection specials - a Lavender collection of 6 plants and a rosemary collection of 6, selected for my area. The conformation e-mail, and notification of shipment, with tracking info, was was timely. The plants were well packed and arrived in good shape, except for one lavender -( Peter Pan cult.) that has dry, brittle leaves. There is some new growth evident so, time will tell if it survives well. Over all, I am very pleased and will definitely order again.

I have had several experiences with GCG and whenever plants were not ready or sold out or whatever, they have always made it right. But that has been the exception rather than the rule. I have always been pleases with their customer service and with the plants I purchased from them. I keep coming back to them year after year because they offer what I am looking for when nothing around here does. other places I worked with have done good work usually but GCG has always been great to work with.

I ordered lavendars, scented geraniums and many other plants from GCG. I also ordered salvias and mints. This is the first time I ordered from them and I must say all the plants arrived in time and in perfect health. And I was amazed at how quickly they grew. Definitely a sign of a healthy plant. I can't wait to order from they again for the new growing season. I also spoke to the staff as I had a few questions and they were extremely helpful , friendly and gave me excellent advice.

I ordered several gift items for Christmas- Lavender wreaths, gift cards, Lavender Dollies, etc. My package arrived in less than a week and I was very pleased with everything I ordered.

The friends and family members who received the gifts were also very pleased!

I will certainly do business with the Beckers at Goodwin Creek Gardens again.

Jane B.

I ordered 3 Phygelius and an Epilobium on Saturday 8/5. On Sunday, Jim called from the nursery to let me know they were out of the Epilobium and to see if I wanted a substitute or not. (I did not, but it was very nice of him to call, especially on a Sunday evening) The plants arrived on 8/10 from Oregon to Georgia in the heat of August like they had never even been in the box. Nice sized plants, no wilt whatsoever. I'll be doing more business with them in the future.

I have been a customer of Goodwin Creek Gardens for more than 10 years and I have never had anything but positive experiences with them. In fact they are one of my favorite sources for hummingbirtd and butterfly plants. My GCG plants always arrive in excellent condition, well-labeled and at the best planting time. The staff has been helpful whenever I've had questions, and now that they know my plant preferences, particularly for salvias, they have often made suggestions for plants I might like to grow.

Recently purchased several plants from Goodwin Creek Gardens. They arrived as scheduled and look excellent! Excellent communications and I'm very pleased with my purchase! Thank You Goodwin Creek Gardens!

I placed an internet order for 4 plants. All 4 plants arrived healthy and happy 1 week later. Doesn't get better than that...

I am very pleased. They called to suggest substitutions for the out of stock items and then shipped immediately. The plants arrived in perfect condition (I am within 100 miles). The plants are small but then so is the price. Very healthy plants with good root systems.

Based on my initial order, I'm giving Goodwin Creek Gardens a positive rating, but with a caveat regarding communication issues. On the positive side, they're within 200 miles of me and have a wonderful selection of plants in their informative catalog. They did notify me of an approximate ship date when I placed my order (actual ship date was probably a week later). When I was able to catch them on the phone, they were pleasant and helpful. When two of the plants I ordered arrived in bad shape, they did eventually replace them. On the other hand, a little timely communication from them at various points in the transaction would have gone a long way. I wish they would have notified me before shipping my order that they were only able to ship one of two sweet woodruff plants and given me a chance to substitute another plant at that time to fill out the order. When there was a problem with my order, it took nearly two weeks to resolve. The owners did not reply to emails or return phone messages; and I had to keep calling until I got a live person on the other end of the line. I hate feeling like I'm having to nag in order to get a problem resolved! All it would take is a phone call or email letting me know what's going on.
To give them the benefit of the doubt--maybe I just caught them at a bad time--I'll probably place another order and see how it goes the second time around . . . hopefully more smoothly, as based on their inventory and proximity, I would like to be a repeat customer.

Extremely good customer service ... 2 plants I got didnt live and they replaced them and sent them today.. excellent condition ..
I'd order from these folks anytime...

Alexis Michels

This was my first experience with this company as well as my first experience ordering a live plant rather than just seeds. Very few other places had the particular salvia I was looking for on hand, and no one had such great prices. The plants arrived quickly and in excellent condition. I am looking forward to working with this company again.

I placed an order at the worst time (mid-July) for a couple of things I'd been unable to find elsewhere. The owner called to let me know that they were in the middle of a heatwave, and would ship when the temperatures cooled a bit - what great service! When the plants arrived, the soil was still damp and the plants were in perfect condition.

You could say that Goodwin Creek Gardens is a good'un (pun intended).

I am very pleased with my recent order. The owner called me to inform me that one of my choices was out of stock, but they did have a substitute. Even better, that substitute was entirely acceptable. When the order arrived, the plants were in excellent condition, and adequately packed to prevent damage. My plants were of the size I expected for the price, and far healthier and stockier than I would have expected for that price. A $5 gift certificate was attached to the packing slip, virtually ensuring I'll be a repeat customer. I'm hopeless....

I was very pleased last summer with my buddleia. The little shrubs were perky and took off quickly in my garden. They had many cultivars to choose from rather than one or two. I plan on ordering other things this year.

I ordered mostly seeds. Very high percentage of germination and right on schedule. So far so good.

very friendly, accomodating...I received a gift certificate when plants were slow in arriving. Very well packaged; good quality....I bought Northern Sea Oats and many herbs on 3 separate occasions!!

I have been very pleased with the two orders I placed this year (spring and fall). The plants arrived in good condition and have grown extremely well. I will order from them again.

I have ordered several butterfly and hummingbird plants from this nursery. They arrived in good shape and most grew well. This is a good place to find unusual plants. I just tried the web site and it is very slow. The catalog is better.

Just ordered from them for the first time this year. Four plants, including two roses. The order arrived promptly and the plants (potted) were in good condition. All have done well, the two non-roses were divided into three plants each and took off like rockets. The roses were eaten by something after planting, but grew back. I got a surprise when I opened the package- three roses instead of two! A note explained that since one rose variety was a bit small (they were) they had sent an extra one free. The prices and variety are good, plant size is very good for the price. I'm already planning a big order for next year.

A huge selection of herb plants and verlastings. The owners, Jim and Dotti Becker, have written a book on everlastings. What interests me is their enormous selection of lavenders--one cultivar of which they discovered themselves-- rosemaries, and scented geraniums (Jim Becker has also written a book about this with co-author Faye Brawner). As you might expect, this catalogue is really informative about sorting out the varieties and giving cultivation info for them. They also have a lot of unusual things-- native American milkweeds as well as more cultivated types, Chinese medicinal herbs (many of which are grown in this country as ornamentals), species roses, prunellas, and other great stuff. The prices are pretty much on a par with other herb places.The orders I've received from them have been healthy, and a real plus for me here in California is that they ship all year, so I can put the plants in in the right season. Last I heard a web site was in progress, but I haven't visited it yet.