Comments regarding Plant Delights Nursery

Ordered a variety of plant material to be delivered in 90+ F temperatures on the week of July 4.

Shipping:
This is an in-state delivery, so the plants likely sat in trucks for about 3 days. Pick-up notification was prompt, shipping on Monday. Delivery was on Thursday in two boxes. The soil for all plants was slightly damp, with each plant pot wrapped in a plastic bag. The shipping container was a double box, and none of the plants were loose or damaged.

Plant condition:
1. banana - a 14 inch pseudostem with 4 leaves arrived in a box accompanied by one other "small" pomegranate plant
2. pomegranate - with 3, 14 inch branches full of large, glossy leaves
3. elderberry - a thick 1/2 inch diameter stem with well-developed new branches, but those had not lignified yet.
4. hellebore - healthy looking plant, but the leaves and stems on hellebores always look good until they're dead.

The root systems were well developed for all of the plants, requiring teasing the roots apart to prevent girdling. There was no evidence of the plants being root bound in prior containers as the core of the soil remained loose.

Disappointed in my last (as in final) order from PD; very expensive shipping and new growth cut back hard for no good reason (plenty of room in the box).

I've ordered 25 unique plants from Plant Delights on 4 orders placed over the past 3 years. Every plant was well-rooted, free of disease and the foliage was always perfect. Every one of those plants are now thriving in my garden.

In terms of cost, my less than perfect experiences with more than 2 dozen nurseries compared to my success with the plants from Plant Delights, makes the total expense equivalent with all other nurseries since I've never lost nor have I ever been disappointed in the long-term growth of plants from Plant Delights.

I praise Plant Delights as a dependable nursery that sells healthy plants that always survive and thrive in my hot, weedy, disease-rampant garden.

This spring I ordered some plants from Plant Delights. None were inexpensive but two were quite pricey. I’m okay with paying a bit more for a rare plant. I was so disappointed to receive a tiny sprig of leaves with two tiny, barely visible strands for roots on both of the most expensive plants. These plants were absolutely not rooted enough to shipped out. I’m a fairly advanced gardener so I gave them the best care. Of course one failed. Every gardener loses some plants but too many from them over the years have failed for me. Some of those failures are due to the poor quality of the plants shipped.

I’d sworn off Plant Delights for this very same issue several years ago. Their selection was so enticing that I decided to give them another try. The inconsistency of the quality of plants is so frustrating. The inconsistent quality is unfortunately quite consistent. I’ve had this on and off with Plant Delights since I’ve ordered from them. Not all the plants are poorly rooted. I’ve had plenty that were good too. The fact is too many plants from them have had almost zero root structure. I admire their selection and the greater cause but I just cannot trust the quality of their fairly expensive plants. I’ll be avoiding ordering from them again. That being said, I’d still consider a donation to the organization that their plant sales support. I just don’t want another disappointment over a poor quality expensive plant.

"On Jan 18, 2023 4:32 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We try to reach out to anyone having an issue directly and hope you have received our message. At Plant Delights Nursery we strive to help everyone enjoy their plant purchase. As a small specialty nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Garden, we put lots of care into our plants before they leave our premises, ensuring the highest quality. When a plant leaves our premises, we are unable to control its environment, so we offer a small window to replace the plants should something has occurred during the delivery process. We hope you understand and let us know if we can do anything to help make your garden a success. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794"

I have been ordering from them for over 20nyears and have always been pleased with their service, willingness to answer questions and the plants have always been healthy. Great selection!

Overall I’ve been happy over the years with my purchases.
I have noticed the last few years I have been told plants I ordered I could not get even though they were in stock when I ordered them.
I realize plant failures happen but I also think if I order something I should be able to get it. Especially when it’s rarely in stock. Re: Tetrapanax Steroidal Giant. I have the regular Tetrapanax and it’s very aggressive which I want it to be where it is.
I hope I can get this plant sometime soon.

I ordered six Veronica plants, and received just a few green leaves with practically no root system at all. I did not mind paying their quite steep price because I believe a quality plant is worth it. This was a complete rip off, the plants obviously were seeded a couple of weeks before my order. Instead of honestly stating Out of Stock, they lie and send you pots full of soil with a few green leaves tucked in.

Posted on June 19, 2016, updated August 16, 2020
Plants are small and very expensive. Recent marketing shenanigans have been a big deterrent from supporting company. Good educational resource that has taken a turn to the dark side.

"On Mar 9, 2021 5:38 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

Juniper Level Botanic Garden\'s 28-acre campus is filled with more than 30,000 taxa of plants, including native perennials, exotic plants, rare delights, and an array of incredible and unusual specimen trees and shrubs you won\'t see anywhere else in the world. As a research facility it has a number of programs including perennial breeding, plant taxonomy, propagation research, plant exploration, and ex-situ conservation.

This is only possible with the support of plant sales from Plant Delights Nursery.

We understand that shipping is costly, though it is the same price for up to 6 plants. As we allow people to select their preferred ship date, weather permitting, we often care for the plants for a lengthy period of time in an effort to accommodate all destinations. To learn more about our shipping please [HYPERLINK@www.plantdelights.com]

We do value our customers and the plants we grow in the Nursery. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794 to assist with any plant care question.

I wish I had heeded the many negative reviews on this company, but I went ahead and placed a large order because they carry some selections of plants not available elsewhere. I paid over $100 in shipping, for less than $300 worth of plants, which is an unconscionable upcharge on their actual shipping cost. Their plants are very expensive — twice the price, or more, that you would pay in a local nursery or at other online sellers. So I expected quality. Quality is not what I received.

When you buy potted perennials, what you are paying for is healthy roots. After all, it’s best to cut back the top growth when you plant them out. But all of the plants Plant Delights sent me have underdeveloped root systems, and one had almost no roots at all! All but two of my plants had (obviously) been propagated from cuttings. A good grower will not send out a rooted cutting until the roots fill the pot. But Plant Delights sent out specimens that were not ready to be shipped. The planting information they include with the shipment says you should knock off — or even wash off — all the (soil-free) growing medium from the roots before planting out. But if I did that on any of my plants the tiny, underdeveloped roots would crumble.

They include a paragraph about pot-bound plants being healthy plants because “the more root you have, the healthier the plant.” Yet they sent out barely rooted cuttings.

Oddly, they also state that they believe no plant in the ground should ever be fertilized! Ridiculous. I believe that they say that to cover themselves if a customer says a plant died (Did you fertilize the plant? Yes. We told you not to...).

Apparently, Customer Service does not exist at Plant Delights. I have emailed and phoned, notifying them of problems with the plants, but they do not respond. Calls go to a message service. Customers have seven days, from the day the shipment arrived, to resolve any order issues. I believe that it’s a strategy for Plant Delights to avoid customers for those seven days. Charlatans.

Avoid this company. They send out poor quality plants, priced way above market. They charge you double the shipping rate you will find at other nurseries. And they do not back their product. They will not help you with your plants. They give crazy growing advice in their literature. They have no ethics.

"On Mar 9, 2021 2:15 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We respond to all customer specific inquires directly though 2020 was an unprecedented year as covid created a strain on our staff and resources as so many gardeners were staying at home. We'll reach out again.

We do value our customers and the plants we grow in the Nursery. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

I was hesitant to order from them this spring because of the confusion caused by the Wuhan Virus shut down and the reduction of the work force. Therefore I was very impressed by the on time delivery and the quality of the plants (2 Bubblegum Blast Monarda). The plants were lush and green and better then many plants at the local nurseries. Not your skimpy seconds or immature plants you so often get from some mail order nurseries. Good job in the face of trying circumstances.

One of my favorite mail order nurseries ever. I've ordered from them about 5 times over the last 8 years and the plants they send always thrive for me. Every plant is labelled correctly, and they carry things that are not available anywhere else. I live in California and grow a lot of agaves, mangaves, etc., and their selection is the very best.

I have been a long term (over 10 years) customer of this company, My experiences with them had been positive until two years ago when my order arrived poorly packed, more dirt loose in package than in pots, plants floating free out of pots etc. I wrote them about this, never received any reply to letters. Noticed here others with similar experiences at that time. Didn't order last year. This year I decided I would give them another chance - order arrived when requested (mid April) and well packed. All plants in good shape except 2 trillium, (one additional trillium was dormant, still hasn't appeared) One of the two had bloomed and already drying up which was probably okay, the other was very wilted. I have numerous different trillium and have never seen a wilted on before! I emailed them immediately (April 17), enclosing pictures. Received an auto reply that I would get a response within the next 72 business hours. No response came, emailed them again, same auto reply, still no response. Since they obviously have no interest in me as a customer, I no longer will consider purchasing from them.

"On May 21, 2019 9:27 AM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We respond to all customer inquires directly and hope you have received our private message. We value our customers and the plants we grow in the Nursery. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

First let me say that their varieties are very unique and tempting to plantaholics like myself. This spring, I sent an order for approximately $175 for 7 plants with $35 of this being shipping. When my order arrived, six of the plants were very stocky, well-rooted specimens and one, in my opinion, was very skimpy for the $17 price tag. I emailed them twice with no response, only to learn that complaints should be directed to office@plantdelights.com. Very quickly after I sent the email to the proper address, I received a response from Elaine in customer service. I had included pictures of the skimpy fern. Within a week, I had a replacement. Now, all the plants are growing quickly. I watered them with Myco + root inoculant to help avoid future maladies, and they seem to be thriving. I have to say that my experience with their customer service was great, and Elaine was true to her word. I am certain, I will not be able to resist ordering again.

What a joy to unpack an order from Plant Delights Nursery. Their shipping boxes not only protect plants from the worst abuse in transit, but they also make unpacking easy. Plants were all healthy and have been in the ground for three weeks...all doing great. Will continue to order from PDN.

Posted on July 11, 2013, updated November 30, 2018
I can't say enough good things about Plant Delights. They always have the most unusual, quality plants. I ordered Kniphofia 'Lola' a few years ago even though I was a little skeptical about the mature size listed. I was amazed at just how large it grew. Their catalog is always a good read because of the plant material offered and Tony Avent's humor. My only problem is that my budget doesn't allow me to order all of the cool plants from Plant Delights that I want to.

My latest order included a clematis that arrived in pretty terrible condition. I sent photos, then called, and they immediately shipped a replacement plant which arrived in perfect condition. I couldn't ask for more from customer service.

We have purchased many expensive plants from Plant Delights over the years and we have never been "delighted" at all. Our last purchase was over $1,000 USD. The only reason why we buy--- or rather, used to buy, is because of the rare species. We have made a commitment never to buy from Plant Delights again. The reason is the plants are never really that great to begin with. We have never received a plant that was not damaged in some form. This is terrible because we buy plants to give as gifts and they show up with broken leaves, smashed leaf tips, and they have been trimmed asymmetrically so the plant looks weird. Also, the shipping prices are astronomically high. I can understand high shipping and perfect plants but it has never been that way. Plants are shipped in very narrow boxes that are narrower than the plants are so they are all damaged. We tried communicating these problems but basically gave up because we felt it all fell on deaf ears. We also ordered plants, and paid for them in full, only to be told we would have to wait an additional 6 months. After waiting an additional 6 months we were told would have to wait an additional 6 months ( a total of one year later) to get the plants, if they were even going to be available at that time. I can understand one or two plants being damaged or delayed but it has consistently been the norm for us. Another thing is the catalogs all have some political message to them and are covered with cartoon images. We are interested in buying PLANTS - NOT POLITICS. The whole point of growing plants is to get away from the nonsense of the world yet the catalog makes it the centerpiece. A picture of a new variety or species of plant would be an appropriate picture for the cover of a plant catalog. In my opinion, cartoon images are appropriate for the covers of comic books which are appropriate for children. We believe our multiple experiences of which all have had the same results lend credibility to our review and our decision to post this review.

I have ordered several times from this nursery and spent hundreds of dollars. I love their selection and catalog. I think the prices are high and so is the shipping, so I expect the best of success with their plants. I worked for over 5 years in a nursery potting up thousands of bare root plants, splitting plants, nursing sick plants, etc. and I love to garden and plant perennials first and foremost. I say this because I don't just plant my mail order plants and hope for the best. I prepare the soil, water them in, make sure they are adequately watered but not drowned in the first few vital weeks, and check them every few days thereafter because I want them to survive and thrive. Unfortunately, I have lost a lot of their plants. It almost always seems to be the plants that come in quite small and not looking like they are thriving. The last order was
Achillea Sassy Summer Taffy - doing well
Buddleia Pink Cascades - doing well
Heuchera Pretty Pistachio - doing well
Polygonatum odoratum Angel Wing - looked good. Planted with some trillium that have done well but it never grew at all and recently died over a few day period. A $29 plant.
Polygonatum odoratum Fireworks - First one came in and was broken at the base. I reported it and sent pics as requested and it was replaced with another that, without any support for it's upright nature, was also broken at the base. I staked it and planted it and hoped for the best but it died as well. A $29 plant.
Tiarella Pink Skyrocket - Loved the picture of this. It came in with about 2 or 3 very tiny leaves and looking poorly. It sat in the ground and did nothing and and died with about 45 days. For gosh sakes, it's a Tiarella.
Bottom line, I have lost 3 out of 5 of my expensive order.
As I understand it, plant are only guaranteed to arrive alive, so I will admit to not pursuing reimbursement a second time for the Fireworks Solomon's Seal, the variagated Solomon's seal, or the Tiarella.
Let's look at other orders:
Baptisia Blue Towers - Planted it and it did nothing and then died. Planted in full sun wildflower bed where I have 5 other Baptisias growing and doing well.
Agastache Rosie Posie - survived from Sept. until winter. Never returned
Acanthus Summer Beauty - sat without growing and didn't survive winter
Baptisia Pink Truffles - lived and grew to about 10" tall this year.
Baptisia Yellow Towers - lived and grew to about 10"
Baptisia Ivory Towers - lived and grew to about 12"
Baptisia Blue Towers - out of stock. Got later (see above).
So I lost 50% of this order that was also over $100.
This order of one item for $31:
Arisaema sikokianum - order in Feb, arrived in June. This may have been a replacement of a previously order (see below) Planted the "bulb" and it never came up. Ordered one from White's Flower Farm this year and it came up shortly after planting and bloomed. Leaves still look great even in our 90+ weather.
And this first order:
Kniphofia Lola - large plant. It grew but didn't survive the winter.
Arisaema serratum var mayebarae - never came up. Over $30 for a "bub"
Arisaema sikokianum - Over $30 and never came up. I had these Solomon's seals planted in soil typically covered in oak leaves at the edge of the forest.
Paeonia japonica - never got any bigger and it died off at the end of summer. It did come back but only grew to about the same size it was last year. Hoping it will begin to thrive next spring. No blooms.
In conclusion, only one plant of this $145 order survived.
I haven't not had this little success with any other of the 10+ online nurseries I have ordered from (except bareroot plants from Brecks which have about a 100% chance of not surviving even when I've tried potting them in professional growing medium before planting them). My advice--get the largest plants you can buy. I have found some nurseries, even through Amazon!?, selling 1 gallon and quart sized perennials and and I've had much better luck with the survival rate and the prices have been as good or better than the much smaller sold by Plant Delights and others.

"On Aug 3, 2018 4:26 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We try to reach out to customers directly, and hope you have received our private message. We can better troubleshoot situations insuring quality for the plants in our greenhouses and our customers' gardens with direct communication. Once a plant ships we are unable to control its environment, however we do try to work with every customer and when appropriate replace the plants should something have occurred during the shipping process. We hope you understand and let us know if we can do anything to help make your garden a success. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

I will be the first to admit that I am, at best, an intermediate gardener. Even at my level, I do know how follow planting instructions and I am careful to purchase only plants that work in my hardiness zone and can stand up to my blisteringly hot summers. I water according to the instructions on each plant and plant in the season I am supposed to do so.

I am a firm believer in buying from small businesses. I purchase all of my plants from two local nurseries and a few online sources. About five years ago, I started making notes on how plants from various nurseries were doing. I generally wait at least two, and sometimes three, years before I write a plant off entirely. I try to measure success in specific plants. Where that is not possible, for example when I do not have a sufficient amount of a given plant, I measure them against the best metric I can find.

Over the last three years, I have had a low success rate - - 27% - - with items from Plant Delights Nursery. My success rates with the other companies range from high to average - - 100%, 96%, 90%, 88%, 80%, 55%, and 38%. And, certainly, three companies have scored so low that I never purchased from them again.

I recognize that the company's plants are often rare, though I do have other rare plants that have done just fine. Some of Plant Delight Nursery's plants have not made it past the initial planting and many have not come up after the first year.

I cannot say with certainty why I have not had success with this company's plants. And I have loved the plants with which I have had success. In some cases, I have planted a dozen or more of those plants (albeit, often purchased from different companies with higher success rates).

So, the question is, will I continue to order from Plant Delights Nursery? In light of the company's high prices and my low rates of success, the answer to that is "probably not." I do not believe the company represents a worthwhile value proposition.

"On Aug 3, 2018 4:13 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We try to reach out to customers directly with any cultivation issues and hope you have received our message. At Plant Delights Nursery we strive to help everyone enjoy their plant purchase. As a small specialty nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Garden, we put lots of care into our plants before they leave our premises, ensuring the highest quality. Once a plant ships we are unable to control its environment, so we offer a small window to replace the plants should something have occurred during the shipping process. We hope you understand and let us know if we can do anything to help make your garden a success. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

I really like this place. I have ordered from PDN for the last three years, with about a dozen orders in that time. I rate them positively because my experiences with them have been, speaking holistically, quite good to outstanding. Just some positives: they offer a great selection of rare/hard-to-find plants, are usually very quick to respond to questions, provide valuable information, the customer service has been great for me and the plants, while expensive, are of generally of much better size and quality than most of the other mail order nurseries I have tried (7+).

My slight issues have been some plants that have been slightly underdeveloped - by "some" I mean only a Clematis hybrid and a Baptisia "Dark Net" which I hope they will sell again. I am not sure if this is really an issue, as there were still plenty of roots to ensure development, but I am including this here having seen similar concerns raised by others. I also find their soil medium to be of better quality than some other mail order places, whose media completely desiccate in what appears to be seconds in the Southern sun. For us, that at times makes it harder for plants to get established unless we water constantly even when in ground for several months.

I am also aware that their prices are high, but the place is devoted to becoming a great center for botanical research and transitioning to being a non-profit botanical garden. Perhaps consider that you could be bringing greater benefit to others through science through your payment contributions?

I will finish by noting that I admire their personal touches. I took my parents to their early March open house this year, our first visit to the premises. Though I live hours away from my parents, we have decided to collaborate on designing and planting our family garden as a way of connecting and keeping in touch via a mutually engaging project. This (and so much in our lives) has sadly been made more difficult as my mother has been recuperating from ovarian cancer in the last year and a half. When we went to the PDN open house, one of the staff (Megan, I believe) very kindly spent several minutes chatting with Mom (who was intrepidly walking around despite her pain) about her condition and later offered us 4 beautiful hellebores that staff were preparing to throw away because of PDN's exacting quality standards. (She had remembered that my mother was really interested in figuring out a problematically dull area in shade.) We were so touched by the kindness, generosity and consideration, especially as my mom had made such an effort because she wanted to see the place despite the 2.5 hour drive.

I received my first order from PDN last week, 2 Houseplants and 1 Hosta ('Time Traveler'). All were much larger than I expected and were very healthy. I look forward to doing more business with this company! . . . and they are FUN too! ;)

Posted on April 24, 2017, updated April 22, 2018
Posted on April 26, 2012, updated April 24, 2017
Ordered cat thyme and White Surprise Caryopteris, received call from Diane that due to weather damage the caryopteris was no longer available, but that I could substitute another plant, which I did (a form of Salvia Guarantica). All plants arrived when I requested very healthy and larger in size than expected.

Great customer service, very proactive in preventing customer dissatisfaction. As always, I'm glad to be a customer and highly recommend them.

One sad note, my cat loved the cat thyme too much and in rubbing all over it, he broke almost all its branches.

Posted on April 3, 2018, updated April 6, 2018
Posted on April 2, 2018, updated April 3, 2018
Posted on May 13, 2013, updated April 2, 2018
Posted on May 8, 2013, updated May 13, 2013
Posted on May 7, 2010, updated May 8, 2013
Posted on May 25, 2006, updated May 7, 2010
My very favorite mail order garden place. Cool plants, Good info, and great customer service!.

"On Apr 2, 2018 2:44 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We guarantee that any plants we send are true to variety. We hope that you will respond to our direct message, and if you have any other questions we are also available Monday through Friday via email or phone; sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

Posted on August 30, 2010, updated March 29, 2018
It is when you have a problem that you find the worth of a company. How did the company react to a your needs? I have only respect for Plant Delights. I had a problem with a Lycoris purchase. They happily, and with humor replaced the plants--which were dormant at the time of shipping. I am always very pleased with plants purchased from Plant Delights and now the customer service accorded me matched the high quality of the plants they sell and ship. If you like plants that are out of the standard offerings of many vendors, this is the place. Take a look at their web catalog, and if you want to have a good time monthly--subscribe to their e-newsletter--although sometimes Tony shares some sad news here, it is always interesting and well-written.

I've been debating ordering from this company for some time. Beautiful website full of some varieties that I've been wanting for a long time. I've had four items sitting in my cart for quite some time! The shipping charges are quite high but would be acceptable; however, I've read the latest reviews and became leery. Then I ran across a few reviews complaining about politics being interjected and I definitely decided that I (sadly and disappointingly) didn't want to order from a company who is overtly political. Don't want politics in my entertainment, sports, holidays or plant catalogues.

I ordered 5 plants this spring, and they were received when promised. they did seem to be a little small for the price, but they were all planted promptly. two of them are doing well, and two are surviving. the cardiocrinum giganteum appears to have died. it arrived with 2 leaves and third leaf forming. they have all now turned yellow.

when the leaves first started to turn yellow I emailed, explained my problem, and asked for advice. the plant was placed in a bright location in rich well drained soil. according to the plant info on the website the plant should be hardy in my zone and survive high humidity.

I did not ask for another plant or a credit, just advise. I never even received an acknowledgement of my email. pretty disappointing customer service

"On Aug 4, 2017 3:58 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We try to reach out to anyone having an issue directly and hope you have received our message. At Plant Delights Nursery we strive to help everyone enjoy their plant purchase. As a small specialty nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Garden, we put lots of care into our plants before they leave our premises, ensuring the highest quality. When a plant leaves our premises we are unable to control its environment, so we offer a small window to replace the plants should something have occurred during the delivery process. We hope you understand and let us know if we can do anything to help make your garden a success. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; office@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

I have ordered from Plant Delights nearly every year since 1997. I've had mostly success, but do order one or two plants which are new to me, new to my zone (5b). Sometimes these fail. I accept that! In the past 2-3 years, however, I've had plants shipped which were clearly not ready to sell or plant in. Most notably a couple of pricey Epimediums which came in the standard 3.5" pot, but simply fell out into my hand when I went to plant them. The first time this happened, I took photos showing the meager root system, the planting medium which had no roots in it, and the plant label and pot. I didn't get any satisfaction, replacement or apology. When this happened again this year, I put the plant back into its pot and will nurse it along until it hopefully roots well down into the planting medium. It seems there is not much point in complaining.

Should I have turned out each pot the day I got my order to see if they were well rooted? Isn't this the job of the staff at the nursery?

For a nursery with such a huge reputation, this is unacceptable. The plants are priced a bit high and the shipping is a big percentage of the plant costs, but until this year I figured this was the cost of doing business - they truly do have an astounding selection of plants which they offer.

What a big disappointment this is at a time when so many of the best nurseries are now closing. Right now, I feel like it would be foolish to order again and add to my woes. I will update this comment if this year's teeny plant thrives or doesn't survive.

"On Aug 4, 2017 4:01 PM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We try to reach out to anyone having an issue directly and hope you have received our message. At Plant Delights Nursery we strive to help everyone enjoy their plant purchase. As a small specialty nursery at Juniper Level Botanic Garden, we put lots of care into our plants before they leave our premises, ensuring the highest quality. When a plant leaves our premises we are unable to control its environment, so we offer a small window to replace the plants should something have occurred during the delivery process. We hope you understand and let us know if we can do anything to help make your garden a success. We are available Monday through Friday via email or phone; office@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794."

I ordered 7 plants at an average price of $18 per plant. Of these 7 plants only 4 were in average to good condition, the other 3 looked diseased.

I contacted them and told them about my problem. They did get back to me quickly but said I should plant them and then contact them again if the plants didn't recover.

I told their Customer Service agent that their plants were expensive and if I had known the poor quality of plants I would receive, I would never have purchased them.

As instructed, I planted them to see if they will recover. However, I planted them in large containers because if they are diseased I don't want to pass the problem on to my other plants.

I will update this if the plants recover and are healthy, but the fact remains their prices are much too high to send such low quality plants.

"On Oct 3, 2017 11:12 AM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

We try to reach out to anyone having an issue directly and hope you have received our message. We value our customers and the plants we grow in the Nursery. In conjunction with our experts and Juniper Level Botanic Garden we strive to ensure our plants are of the highest quality. We are available Monday through Friday at sales@plantdelights.com or 919-772-4794 and hope to hear from you."

First time ordering from them, Didn't ship one of the plants I'd ordered three of in the winter and now in May I will not be able to source them. An apology or advance notice would have been nice, but the only communication I got was a brief refund notice with no explanation. I had outstanding products I was waiting for from them, and additionally had just ordered another item before I realized that order with the three plants was inexplicably cancelled. I asked them to cancel all open orders. Not only did they not respond, they promptly charged my card and shipped anyway. Won't buy from them again.

I admit that some of the plants on offer are difficult or impossible to locate elsewhere, which can lead the plant addict down the path of despair if they receive the type of package I received on 4/27/17. I've ordered roughly 18 times or so over the years, and results have been mixed. To start the tally of bad-things-happening-from-Plant-Delights, I received a package containing Trilliums etc in 2016 that was packed in a way that allowed most of the soil and labels to jostle out of the pots. I opened the box to a mess but could re-ID most of the plants except for 2 Trilliums. I immediately contacted Plant Delights and was told that they were experimenting with packaging strategies and that I should wait until the Trilliums bloomed to re-ID. Based on the rhizome size, that could have taken years, so I was not comfortable with that answer. We ended up coming to a mutually agreeable solution and I moved on. I made several more orders after that without problem. Then, on 4/27/17 I received another order in a similar state....unlabeled plants upended in a mess of soil and labels. This time I ended up with 2 Asarums I could not match up with the appropriate label. I also ended up with an unlabeled Trillium but, because I'd only ordered ONE Trillium, I could re-ID it. However, it was basically unpotted (I could see the dormant rhizome in the pot) in a mess of very wet, mucky substrate. I cleaned it off since I was afraid it had started to rot in the muck, but it was firm so I repotted it in a substrate more suitable for my condition. I have another T. underwoodii in tight bud so I was surprised at the dormant stage of this rhizome. But, I can deal with that if it's not a rotted mess. Another worry. I immediately contacted Plant Delights by e-mailing them using the plant order e-mail address on their website. No response. I e-mailed them again on 5/3/17 using the address on the invoice for plant order problems. No response to date. Luckily, I uploaded the photos of the mystery Asarums with 2 potential IDs to FB Planet Asarum and got some useful hints to matching up the plant with the loose labels....but no guarantees till they bloom (sound familiar??). Plant Delights has not provided any response to the ID problem OR the packaging issues. The other issue preventing me from further orders is the recent increase in shipping charges. In 2016 I was able to order 3 plants with shipping $28.75. Now the price breakdown for my area is $40.50 for 1-6 plants. I cannot justify further purchases from a nursery that does not provide adequate customer service, does not respond in a reasonable time (at least last time they DID) to problems, charges very high prices for both plants and shipping, even though I see plants I feel I can't live without. I'll just wait until local collectors or specialty nurseries bring in similar plants (sigh). By the way, when the $50+ plants I received in dormancy never appear and I e-mail them asking what to look for etc, I've rarely gotten any response. And if you look at their fine print about replacements etc. for problems reported AFTER 7 days, they indicate that if the same plant is doing well in THEIR nurseries, it's the buyers fault even though the nursery plants have not gone through a potentially disruptive shipping process. Yep....I really think I'm DONE with them.

I splurged and ordered two flowering gingers from Plant Delights. Gingers are slightly difficult, and twice I have bought plants that turned out to be the wrong cultivar, and deeply disappointing. So I spent a bunch of money to a company I trusted to send me the correct cultivar. They were listed as being in three quart pots, so it seemed I would get fairly large plants. I did not. One was the smallest possible division, the other only slightly larger. They had been freshly shaved from a parent plant, potted in a huge pot, wrapped and shipped. Shipping must have been brutal, because both plants were shaken until almost all the soil was loose in the box, and both the plants have broken stems. I have emailed PD, and so far have not had any sort of response. I believe the plants were obscenely over priced, there is NO justification for up potting to that size, let alone what must have been the day of shipping. I paid more for shipping two big pots of soil than for either plant. I do not believe either plant will bloom this year, they are so small. So for close to eighty dollars I have two huge pots of soil, and two fresh divisions with broken stems. They will probably live, but I am deeply dissatisfied, and after reading the comments I am wondering if I will even get a response. If I do I will update this review.

Posted on April 13, 2017, updated April 25, 2017
Great plant selection, and I would be willing to pay their premium prices if the plants were premium quality. But very disappointed in quality and customer service. One of my half-dozen plants arrived completely decapitated. Two were tiny and both had their single stems broken, in one case by a piece of cardboad packing that was supposed to be a divider but had been pressed down on the tiny plant's neck (!). I wrote to complain but more than a week later have heard nothing from them.

I really wanted to like this place: good catalog, great selection of plants...BUT I spent > $700.00 on plants, and hardly any of them are still alive.Oh, I called and complained, and they offered to replace a couple and give me a small credit, but I still feel I got screwed. 1.) plants sent are puny-little teeny starter plants 2.) culture and zone info are not accurate- plants listed for my zone 10 couldn't take the heat. 3.) WAY overpriced. The reason I shopped with them was to obtain varieties not available at local nurseries, but what a waste of my money. And, by the way, I have a huge, thriving garden... with the exception of Plant Delights stock.

I usually order a couple hundred dollars each year (last 3yrs) but upon receiving their most recent catalog i will not be a returning customer ...

It's really not smart to mix business and politics.
Seeing your un-American defamation of President Trump in your plant catalog is just really super dumb on your part.

Way to alienate 50% of your business.
I support and voted for Trump and proud of it.

unlike the vast majority of people commenting on here, I buy in person on open house days as I live only 15 miles from PDN. That being said the best part about PDN is being able to visit their display gardens, and view in person all the plants for sale on the grounds and in greenhouses and being able to talk to their staff. And I might add, their display garden is amazing..... Never ordered and got deliveries via mail so I cant comment about that...

Posted on August 16, 2016, updated December 3, 2016
I made my first order with Plant Delights (PD) about 2 months ago. I am happy that they have a wide selection of hard to find plants. I am disappointed however that the plants depicted on PD's website and their catalogs are fully grown and the ones you actually receive are very small in comparison. There is no indication of the plants' sizes other than that the ones I ordered were coming in 3 1/2" pots.

I am happy with the 7-8" across Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' and Agave nickelsiae plants I received in terms of health and size. However the most expensive plant purchased -- a $35 rare Agave 'Shark Bite' -- is only a 3" across pup. Also the Echinacea 'Pixie Meadowbrite' flower plant I received is only a 4" juvenile plant that may take a year or more to mature and flower. I would not have purchased the latter 2 plants for the prices I paid if I had known they were baby to juvenile plants.

I also purchased a Yucca curnea -- which was larger than I expected (12" leaves) -- but within a week its center leaves died which killed the plant. PD did send me a replacement though after i sent them pictures. Where I work they have dozens of these same yucca plants and they are very hit and miss -- some die and some flourish in the exact same soil and sunlight conditions.

I just received a Fall 2016 PD catalog and on page 5 there is a 3/4ths of a page large picture of a 18" tall Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor'. The plant description also describes an 18" tall x 2' wide plant. I know the plant you actually receive will not be that large -- which is misleading. PD should describe accurate plant sizes and show inset pictures of an example of the actual size plants you will be receiving like most sellers do on EBay and other websites. Just showing professional pictures of mature plants gives buyers no idea what size plant they will be.

Overall I am very happy with some of my plants and less so with others. They all arrived healthy and neatly packaged by FedEx. Accurate pictures of what size plants you will be receiving and buyer reviews (as Yucca Do Nursery allows on their website) would let buyers make more informed buying decisions and know what they are actually going to get.

I ordered 9 plants from this company - three different kinds of flowering maples and hellebores that I couldn't find locally. The plants arrived in about a week. Was impressed with how well they were packed. All plants were in good shape even after being shipped across the country! The flowering plants all had buds and blooms on them. A brochure about caring for plants after unpacking, as well as return policy and contact information was thoughtfully included. Very good overall.

Returning customer. Ordered several perennials. Shipped on time, packed well for shipping. Most plants were a good size for the container except Amsonia Georgia Pancake which was very tiny. I notified PDN and they noted my account in case the plant doesn't make it.

I am happy with the several plants I ordered and received. The prices are not the cheapest on the internet but the quality of the plants was good. I would like to single out the Spiranthes cernua 'Chadds Ford' as being an extraordinarily good value and I've never seen a peony lactiflora species strain offered anywhere else before.