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Comments regarding Hortico Nurseries Inc.

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53 positives
11 neutrals
37 negatives

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RatingAuthorContent
Positive DaintyBess
(9 reviews)
On May 11, 2006, DaintyBess Utica, MI wrote:

I must say that my order from Hortico was a good experience this year. The canes are nice and the plants arrived in good condition. The only complaint I have is it took along time and a few roses, I ordered and had called about, to verify they were in stock. were not available on my shipping date. I placed my order back in February-2006. Hortico did call at least and apologized for this and for it taking so long. I have to give them a good rating due to good customer service and the quality compared to previous orders. I will definately order from them next year. Great job Hortico keep up the good work. Also you can find many hidden treasures of roses that are hard to find through them. Daintybess

Neutral lilystorm
(1 review)
On Apr 7, 2006, lilystorm San Jose, CA wrote:

The rose was delivered in good shape with adequate size, but was delivered six weeks after my requested ship date. The company did respond quickly to all of my e-mails and apologized for the late shipment.

Positive DanaDW
(7 reviews)
On Jan 26, 2006, DanaDW Pahrump, NV (Zone 8b) wrote:

Ordered for the first time from them this year and received my order in excellent condition and exactly when I had asked. Will definitely use them again.

Positive selkirk
(1 review)
On Jan 22, 2006, selkirk Cambridge, Ontario,
Canada wrote:

Personal visits. Love the fact that this is a centre that relies on natural growing methods. Huge selection with many hard to find plants and natives. anything I have bought has flourished and I recommend it to any and all gardeners. Plants may not be huge but that should not be the measure of hardiness or future beauty.
I will be buying again from them in 2006.

Neutral hortensia
(9 reviews)
On Dec 21, 2005, hortensia Langley, BC, BC (Zone 8b) wrote:

Having in the past had very bad experience with this company, I am now delighted to report some of the best experience I have had in many years of mailorder buying. I placed an order early this month which is now on its way to me, an astonishing fact in itself, since most eastern companies force you to wait for their shipping schedules convenience. In the course of processing my order, Hortico sent me several emails and two phone calls to clarify various issues involving out of stock material and shipping.

Every single person I dealt with was friendly and helpful and ALSO efficient. It actually was fun to deal with them --- I could almost feel the past bad experience washing away email by email.

The rose list is now one of the best anywhere, a lot of new "modern oldfashioned" that I haven't seen anywhere else, a good supply of Kordes, various Australian breeders and prairie hardy roses as well as some teas. Alas, I can imagine spending all too much time there! I will post again when the roses arrive to tell of their condition.


On January 25th, 2006, hortensia added the following:

Since posting the above, I have received my roses. They are nice and healthy and of very good size. I have posted a picture of some of them on the rose forum.

I have ordered more roses from Hortico, and my opinion of the company just continues to rise. Their plants are superb, the selection unparalleled and their service level is really exemplary.

Additionally, btw, they keep their website up to date; since December, when I ordered, many roses have gone from the site but others have been added.
On December 1st, 2006, hortensia added the following:

November 2006
My good experience with this company continues to sprout roots and branches. I have a large standing order and from time to time they send me a group of plants as they become available. The plants continue to be healthy, the service excellent -- frequent communication, prompt replies and speedy action. the website clearly states WHEN roses will be available -- I think people forget rare roses can't be picked up like cheerios. I'm delighted to have some of them available to me within a few years in Canada. Never forget if speed is the most important thing, you can always order roses in from Britain or europe at about 40 bucks a pop!!!


On December 7th, 2007, hortensia changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:

December 2007
It appears that the wonderful Diana Baylis has left Hortico; and I am afraid that the improvement in service has gone with her. In November I received an answer to an October query about an order from a new person with a list of the roses that were available to be shipped in November. Later I received a phone call from the same person asking (as if the prior communication had never taken place) if I would like some of my roses shipped now when they were available or the whole order shipped in spring. ( I had stressed repeatedly that I DID NOT WANT orders shipped in spring) I phoned, talked to this lamentably scatter brained and wholly unconcerned "new" person who said she would check on my order and see what was currently available. She then sent me that list __ the same one she had sent in October. I emailed back that yes, I would like those roses ASAP, saying this hasn't changed in a month!!! So here it is December. Still no roses, still no more communication.....who knows what is up.


I am very afraid that this neutral revieiw is shortly to be changed back to Negative and Hortico will depart from my life again, but this time forever.
Positive george_mander
(2 reviews)
On Nov 25, 2005, george_mander Coquitlam, BC,
Canada wrote:

Since John Vanderkruk took over the management of Hortico, in early 2004 I believe, I have had excellent and very friendly service from the Management and the office staff.

A recent order of ( my own hybridized ) roses arrived 3 days ahead of schedule and in excellent condition. The plants were packed very well. I can highly recommend Hortico.
George Mander, B. C. Canada


On December 17th, 2006, george_mander added the following:

It’s been over a year since my last comment about Hortico Inc. and I would like to add that the service from the new management and office staff has improved considerably.

Mr. John Vanderkruk and Hortico’s office staff have always been very friendly, replying to e-mails and/or phone calls within a day. I can highly recommend Hortico.
George Mander, Coquitlam near Vancouver, BC
Positive sharondupuis
(1 review)
On Nov 12, 2005, sharondupuis Sarnia,
Canada wrote:

I ate Tolman Sweet Apples as a child. Later in life I decided to find them again. I could not find them in my area, and was directed to this company. John Vanderkuk took care of us. With a few e-mails back and forth, he found us a supplier of these fruits. He had us shipped two apple trees and also a box of the delicious fruit. They arrived the time John quoted us and in excellent condition. I thank John very much for his kindness and expertise. He certainly is a professional and the company speaks for itself in the way we were treated. Keep up the good work and Kudos to you John.. Sincerely Terry and Sharon Dupuis Sarnia, Ontario. I would not for one minute hesitate to deal with this company or John himself. Thanks again to all of you.

Positive FrostFree
(1 review)
On Nov 10, 2005, FrostFree Alberton,
Canada wrote:

I have very rarely come across a Company with people who put so much Time and Effort into getting me the Trees and information that I wanted. Diana and John both , Checked & Researched different types, and kept me updated on what Trees they had in Stock. It is People like this that make it so easy to do Business. Where most people would have given up , they never, and now the Trees are Planted in My Orchard, instead of still on Their Stock List. I look forward to Ordering more in the Future. Laurie

Positive tony_n
(1 review)
On Nov 2, 2005, tony_n Dundas,
Canada wrote:

I ordered 15 tall Miscanthus grasses (floridulus and sinsensis Goliath) and a number of bamboos for pick-up (I live nearby). The bamboos I originally ordered were not available and substitutions were offered, with the option to decline. I decided to take the substitutions and also bought a Virgil peach tree when I picked up the rest.

All the plants have grown very well, despite delays in getting them into the ground. The Miscanthus have grown quite tall and produced plumes in late summer / early fall (they are looking great now). The peach tree even produced three large, delicious peaches in August.

I am very happy to have found Hortico, especially since it is so close to where I live. They have an amazing variety of plants, particularly interesting, rare and native ones, and appear to have a strong commitment to being environmentally responsible, which is important to me (and should be to anyone who really cares about life).

One downside is that they do seem to be somewhat disorganized, which appears to be the root cause of most of their negative feedback. Personally, I did have to call and email more than once to get my order put through. The impression I get is that they do not have the best system in the office and / or they tend to get overwhelmed during the busy season.

Nevertheless, in my experience, the price of persistence is definitely worth it with this unique company.

Positive marilynandbill
(1 review)
On Oct 11, 2005, marilynandbill toronto,
Canada wrote:

My interest is in native plants, trees and shrubs. I was directed to Hortico by an arboriculturist because I was looking for a difficult-to-find native shrub (hobblebush). They were attempting to grow their own, but it is a difficult plant to grow. I subsequently discovered Hortico's extensive native plant stocks. At extremely reasonable prices, I have since picked up a fringe tree, a serviceberry (leavis), 3 redbuds, a gray's dogwood, a witch hazel, several spice bushes and several rhus aromatica. Though not all bought at the same time, they were all fitted into a Toyota corolla for me - somtimes quite amazingly. I have also purchased many native grasses and ferns. With one exception all are flourishing in my garden - the exception being the fringe tree, which is flourishing in my girlfriend's garden. I'm still waiting for the hobblebush - but that is one difficult bush to get hold of. My experience has been totally positive. It is also my experience with native trees and bushes, that if Hortico doesn't have it, you're not likely to find it. The staff (I mainly dealt with Phillip) were without exception unbelieveably helpful and friendly.

Positive Parkdale
(1 review)
On Oct 7, 2005, Parkdale hamilton,
Canada wrote:

We as a school involved in a park beautification program where in the need for 60 shrubs. We called around and found that not only was Hortico willing to offer us an excellent price, delivery, and the installation of these bushes, the staff and the workers conducted them selves in a very professional manner, all went well with the installation, and I would NOT hesitate this company to anyone.

John Kovacs

Negative samgussy
(1 review)
On Sep 18, 2005, samgussy Mount Hope,
Canada wrote:

My experience was....

Positive Vanderstelt
(1 review)
On Jul 8, 2005, Vanderstelt Orangeville,
Canada wrote:

I had wanted to establish a substantial rose garden to compliment the perrenial beds. I found Hortico through the City of Brampton, where they have the most beautiful and healthiest varieties. I called Hortico for travel directions as I wanted to see the business and the varieties they would offer. In late spring, I took the trip to take advantage of their spring sales and found the roses (although not all their varieties were available on sale) were strong and healthly. Both my husband & I bought 16 to start and after planting, the roses took right off. Not having a lot of experience with Roses, we fell on John's advise for planting & care and this significantly established the stock we just had purchased. I went on line and found to my amazement so many more which I knew would accent my gardens and I knew I could open up the beds for future plantings. I placed my order in mid-summer 2004 for bare root planting. I became concerned in Sept when we did not have arrival of the approx. 75 new roots. We do live in a colder climate and it was necessary to have the plants come when the ground was still workable. After a few repeated telephone calls expressing my frustration and real concern, the bare roots arrived mid-October with only one which they were unable to fill and as a good will gesture, Hortico sent Best Wishes which now has the lovliest blooms. I lost only 2 of the plantings from the entire order and it is felt because of the lateness of the year with the ground almost frozen hard and the needed watering which crystallized, these bare roots could not stand the severe adjustment. By following the planting guideline, in the spring of 2005, the roses came up strong and very well established, blooming pofusely to add a wonderful highlight to our gardens. In 2004, I mentioned Hortico's varieties and prices to friends and neighbours and do know that 4 have already bought substantial stock. I now have ordered 9 varieties more and it leaves me with a real concern that Hortico may not be able to fill my order and there is also the real possiblity that the order may be shipped again so very late in the year. I have successfully dealt with John and found his customer service skills outstanding. Perhaps this year I will get my order complete and in good time.

Negative dovey
(9 reviews)
On Jun 24, 2005, dovey Columbus, OH (Zone 5b) wrote:

Dealing with Hortico has gone from frustrating and disappointing to a total nightmare.
The order took weeks of emails to get half way correct.

At one point I was so frustrated I requested my order to be cancelled and my deposit refunded.
(A 20% deposit they deducted as soon as I placed the order although 1/3 of my requested roses were not available.)
Customer Service refused my cancellation request.

Besides refusing to cancel the order and refusing to refund my deposit.
The experience also involved dead and nearly dead roses upon delivery. A second refusal to refund my money and I was told I had to wait until fall for replacement roses, because their stock was depleted and in unsatisfactory condition.

John convinced me to plant the sickly twigs and I foolishly agreed to give it a go.
Every plant appeared to have some sort of blight coupled with fuzzy mold and brown cankered stems.
They have continued to worsen and one by one are dying.
I feel ripped off. (Heck, I have been ripped off!)
I paid for healthy roses, I should not have been asked to try to save blighted roses.
Any reputable company would have replaced the roses and if replacement was not possible, refunded the money.

OK, if that's not bad enough, it continues, oh yes it gets worse.
Remember John told me all their roses we in unsatisfactory condition and I would have to wait until fall for replacements.
I received an email notice today that the order I "placed yesterday" will be shipped Monday and my Credit Card (which they have on file) will be charged $83.00.
I never placed a second order.
4 out of 5 roses on this bogus order were in the original dead shipment.
The 5th rose was one of the many roses that were out of stock and therefore deleted from my original order.

I have read where people have had good experiences with Hortico, personally I think they got lucky.

This company isn't worth the risk.
Roses are small, poor quality, customer service is a joke and they are so disorganized that I am being fraudulently charged for an order I did not place.

Buyer Beware!


On September 12th, 2005, dovey added the following:


Hortico finally promised to refund my money...
3 months later I'm still waiting.
Dealing with the company is a nightmare!
On March 13th, 2006, dovey added the following:


As far as I'm concerned Hortico Nurseries Inc is ashes in my mouth.

Even after numerous phone conversations and promises of a refund, Hortico still owes me $104.50 for a shipment of 10 very sick and then soon dead roses I received early last June.

In 2 1/2 months and it will be a year, I've seen no refund and no replacement roses.

John may come across as very sincere - but his word means nothing.
Negative AGEuro
(2 reviews)
On Jun 15, 2005, AGEuro Durham, NC wrote:

Although I knew about their less than stellar reputation (for additional info check out http://www.gardenweb.com, and go to Roses Forum and Antique Roses Forum), I ordered one rose, Deep Secret, from them which I couldn't get anywhere else. It arrived on time in late February 2005, in good condition, and looked ok, five or six canes, all a bit on the small side, but with a decent root system, comparable to Pickering's plants in appearance. However, the poor rose experienced continuous and severe dieback during the spring until only one cane remained, and that one put out barely any growth - half a foot and one little bloom (plus one new bud now) so far. Frankly, at some point I thought this plant would be my first rose casualty ever, although it looks like it might pull through, but what a tiny weakling! At least it's the correct variety. Over the past years, I have purchased and planted about 100 roses from other vendors, and I've never had never any problems like this with their plants. Thus, my experience with Hortico indicates that this company does probably not sell good quality, and I'll avoid ordering from them again.

Negative GeneSkCan
(8 reviews)
On Jun 3, 2005, GeneSkCan Regina,
Canada wrote:

I have to express my significant disappointment and surprise after receiving my late 2005 shipment of roses from Hortico.

I think that it is reasonable for a repeat customer like myself, who typically orders 30 to 50 roses per year (yes, I have a lot of roses), to expect that a full order would be sent on time when the order is placed 6 to 7 months before spring delivery. In my case, I placed my order on October 18th (2004) and requested delivery for May 1st - 2nd, 2005 (6+ months later). One would think that this is ample time and, I strongly suspect, well before the majority of other customer orders are placed. I finally received my order on May 31st, 5 weeks after my requested delivery date and this is after many emails, a fax sent directly to John, frantic phone calls and broken promises. Now, even worse news - the roses received are substantially short of my order. This is the second year in a row that some roses were ordered and were not delivered. Apart from the 50 species roses that I ordered for a hedgerow planting, I also ordered 32 roses which were a combination of hybrid teas, shrubs, floribunda and grandiflora. Of this total, I only received 16! That is, only 50%.

I think that this is appalling service, to say the least, and it seems to be repeating itself all too often.

Positive sugarlump
(13 reviews)
On May 27, 2005, sugarlump Louisville, KY wrote:

I ordered Rhapsody in Blue, and am very pleased with it. The bareroot I received was slightly smaller than bareroots Ive ordered from American vendors, but I expected that. I planted it and its thriving, new leaves and little canes starting.
Size matters, and mine was adequate. More important is vigor, and this little rose is very vigorous! I will order again.

Positive celestialrose
(25 reviews)
On May 12, 2005, celestialrose Belmont, NH (Zone 4b) wrote:

I have had mixed experiences with this company which is why I give it the neutral rating. Last year I ordered 5 rose bushes from them; they were small but healthy, and all but one flourished. The one that died was not their fault, as it was an unusually wet spring and where they were planted the soil remained waterlogged far too long....it was a miracle that the others lived at all, and they grew to be quite large by summer's end. However, they have yet to bloom, so I don't know yet whether they are true to name. So I ordered again from them this year, hoping for the same experience, and even though I had read some negative reviews I wanted to give them another chance since my experience previously had been positive. Well this year was a vastly different experience....I am quite disappointed. For one thing, they did not ship on the requested date (even though I placed the order EARLY, back in January) and the order was 2 1/2 weeks late (and sent only because I kept e-mailing and calling!). But it was the size of the plants that was most upsetting....now, I was aware that their rosebushes are not very large compared to other companies and I expected them to be small, but one of them was no more than a TWIG! It must have been a seedling by the size of it...only 4 inches tall at best, with 2 matchstick-sized canes (the I.D. tag attached to the plant was taller than the plant!) They had bundled up all the roses, and this extra-pathetic rose was hidden in the center of the bundle; when I saw it I basically cried because it was the variety that I most wanted and now if it survives it will be YEARS before it puts out any flowers. I immediately sent an e-mail to demand either a refund or a replacement, then because they did not respond, a personal letter, but I am still waiting for a response.....I'm sure my letter ended up in the wastebasket, along with all the other letters of complaint! What is most infuriating to me is that I ordered these roses early so that I would be assured of getting top quality stock....but it appears that it makes no difference when you place your order because if you live in a cold zone like I do, we are the last customers to receive plants, and by the time they ship ours out all the GOOD STOCK has been exhausted......we are sent the LEFTOVERS! I would have given them a completely negative rating, but for the fact that the other tiny plants they sent me seem to be o.k. in terms of signs of life...they are beginning to leaf out so I think they'll be o.k.....although I don't expect any blossoms this year! I will post a review again at a later date, if and when my roses I bought from Hortico last year bloom for me....then I will be able to tell if I was sent the correct variety. This has been a concern for me, ever since I started reading the Garden Watchdog, so I've got my fingers crossed!


On May 15th, 2005, celestialrose changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:

Yesterday I received a personal phone call from John at Hortico (although I was out, he did leave a message for me) in response to the letter of compaint I sent. I appreciate that he acknowledged my letter and my disappointment. I was told that I would be credited for that particular rose, and he was very nice and appreciated that I had taken the time to write a letter explaining the problem. I am babying that one tiny little rose (she's in a pot) and she might just make it, but there's no doubt she shouldn't have been sent out as a Grade 1. But mistakes happen, and fortunately this company owned up to it and is going to make it right. I feel much better about Hortico now. I will say this.....don't expect huge rose bushes, as their plants are normally small, but the ones I have received last year and this year do GROW ! They are tougher than they look, although smaller than what you might get from other nurseries, but they important thing is they are usually healthy.
On June 26th, 2005, celestialrose changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following:

I would like to update on my experiences with Hortico, now that the roses I obtained from them last year are blooming, and also to post the latest on what's happening with roses planted this Spring.....First off, I am OVERJOYED that the roses I planted last Spring (all four of them, the alba, Celestial) are not only blooming, but they are indeed true to name, and they are huge, healthy, fragrant and literally covered in blossoms....gorgeous! But unfortunately, two of the 7 bareroots I planted this Spring have perished, and I am not a novice gardener....I gave them the best of care. All the roses I bought from other sources are doing wonderfully, so I think the quality was inferior; those 2 struggled and eventually gave up. Of the other 5, four of them are doing just O.K., with only 1 doing very well. I really do believe that those of you in colder zones who order from Hortico mail-order, BEWARE. I'ts possible you might get lucky and receive some good stock, but its more likely that you'll end up with whatever they have left in storage which unfortunately may be weak, small and diseased. IT'S A GAMBLE...I doubt I'll even use my credit they offered, because that just means I'd have to deal with them again, and I think I've learned there are better companies out there to give my hard-earned money to! I don't want to bash Hortico, or anyone, but I feel obligated to share my experiences.
On October 7th, 2005, celestialrose added the following:

Well, its October now and in all fairness, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well the surviving 5 roses did! They caught up to all the others from other sources, and so far are very healthy and disease-free (and by the way, true to name). What prompted me to add to my previous posts is the one tiny, pathetic rose (remember the one with 2 canes the diameter of matchsticks, so itty-bitty it had to be put in a pot?) The name of the rose is "Mrs. John Laing", a hybrid perpetual, and I have to brag that she grew too large for her pot, and once in the ground just took off! She grew to be a 5 foot beauty, rewarding me with multitudes of perfect, cupped blooms that smell like heaven....and now that all my other roses are pretty much done for the year, she's still blooming!!! I just had to add this, because this rose started out looking like she would never make it, and now she's the belle of my garden! Whether its to Hortico's credit, to mine for giving her so much TLC, or a bit of both, I just want to say never give up on your roses, because you never know ....and maybe, in all fairness when it comes to bareroots.....size isn't everything.

On April 22nd, 2006, celestialrose changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:

Well, here it is another year later, and I took the plunge and ordered from Hortico, to give them another chance, so to speak. I was glad I did. I kept my order small (4 roses, one of which was a free replacement for a rose that died last year), specified that I only wanted grade #1 roses this time and listed alternate choices in the event my requested roses were sold out. I was pleased with the customer service and corresponded by email with Diane, who was always quick to respond to my inquiries. My roses arrived on time, in great shape, and were small, as I expected (but not TOO small) but I now know from experience that sometimes the little ones grow the fastest so I'm o.k. with that! They all are planted out and appear to be doing well. This was a positive experience, and I will do business with them in the future. (BTW, I received all 4 roses that I requested.....no substitutes.)
Negative daintybess38
(4 reviews)
On May 10, 2005, daintybess38 Utica, MI wrote:

Okay, we all live and learn from our mistakes, I had placed two orders with this company. What a pain in the rear, Their web-site is not accurate, For the stock that they carry. Also I received E-mails asking me what I have ordered. Then I call back, I was told my order was shipped out, Then I was told the next time I called, it was too be shipped in a week. I am very upset with the size of the roses I received to, They are grade 1- 1/2, and tiny. Never again will I do business with them. What a joke. I just pray these are the right roses. Next time I will order from their competition (pickering) A great company to deal with.

Positive Weaver
(1 review)
On Apr 28, 2005, Weaver Potsdam, NY wrote:

I live in the north, zone 4, so buying plants grown in the north is essential for their success. Hortico actually grows their own plants, which has sadly become rare in the nursery trade. Most nurseries in the north actually grow their plants in the south to maximize size and then ship them out. So they are not acclimatized, and many do not do well. I have had half of an order die because of this. So Hortico's growing methods are a real asset. Yes, the plants may be smaller that the husky ones you get at big box stores, but they quickly make up for that. The husky ones live off the energy stores in those huge stems, and then decline, unable to replace their carbohydrates in cooler temperatures and with less sun.

Labeling can be a problem, and I noticed one complaint listed Duchess of Montebello being the wrong plant, which I had too, but they quickly refunded my money. (By the way, it was Alba semi-plena, also a very good plant for our area, can climb, is hardy and beautiful.)

It must be a phenominal chore to keep track of so many thousands of different (and many rare) plants, and I hope their new system helps them. Nevertheless, their selection is a treasure for those of us looking for plants that will be successful in the north.

The staff have always been very nice and helpful. Communication from them is sketchy, but ultimately I get what I need, and have learned to not worry about not knowing what is coming when. I will get something nice.

Positive nmcec4
(1 review)
On Apr 21, 2005, nmcec4 Hummelstown, PA wrote:

I chair a native plant sale in the N.E. U.S. for a local land trust and have had problems finding woodland plants which have not been collected in the wild and which are affordable. I am happy to say that I have fround Hortico's woodland plants to be of high quality and of good value. It is clear that they are propagated by the nursery rather than collected which is absolutely essential for us. I would readily recommend this company for its woodland natives. I would also like to say that the company has worked hard to accommodate our needs and schedule.

Positive schrift
(1 review)
On Feb 9, 2005, schrift Birmingham, MI wrote:

Maintaining a garden of 300 roses has forced me to order from a number of different sources. I have ordered roses from Hortico a number of times. Most recently there was a slight mis-communication about the delevery date. This has been corrected and I am currently anticipating the arrival of my order early this spring.

Hortico offers a large variety of roses some of which are not available in the States. They also bud their roses on multiflora understock. It survives well in my climate and I don't have to worry that the roses will arrive on fortuniana understock (very popular among exhibitors lately) thereby wasting my money by having purchased an "annual".

Once or twice I have been surprised that a plant arrived smaller in size than I would have liked. Within a couple of months the vigor of the plant more than make up for its initial size. All in all I've experienced very little inconvenience considering I've been ordering hard to find or new varieties of roses. I will continue to purchase roses from Hortico as long as they carry a product I need and continue to perform as well as they have.

Positive Cottage_Rose
(15 reviews)
On Nov 8, 2004, Cottage_Rose Cedar Springs, MI (Zone 5b) wrote:

I have heard alot of negative reports about Hortico but I just received (Nov. 2004) my first order of 5 dormant bare root roses from them and I am happy to report they are in fine condition. They are not small or dried up and they came securely packaged. The customer service was nothing but friendly and cooperative when I dealt with them and they even allowed me to change my order at the last minute. They promptly answered all my emails too.
I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.
Thanks Hortico!

Positive patj
(1 review)
On Nov 2, 2004, patj burlington, ON (Zone 6a) wrote:

I have been dealing with Hortico for over 10 years. My gardens are filled with a large variety of plants from their extensive collection. I have received many favourable comments on the plant material chosen for my garden, and I have directed many fellow gardeners to Hortico. I have pre-ordered and picked up plants there when ready, and I have also chosen plants directly from some of their greenhouses. The staff is friendly and helpful, and give excellent advice on plants for a specific area. This year they have been installing weedmat in the greenhouses, which has tidied them up a great deal.
The plants I have purchased have well-developed root systems, and in a retail establishment, most of their plants in 4 inch pots would have been placed into gallon containers and priced much higher. I have been exceedingly pleased with the quality and size of plants purchased at Hortico. They have a superb selection of plants to choose from.

Positive sharonrhoda
(1 review)
On Oct 1, 2004, sharonrhoda Granton,
Canada wrote:

My experiences with Hortico has been very positive! The selection is great and they truly are your "source for unique plants." I would also like to commend them on the wealth of information you can gain from them. They have very qualified staff who have a passion for their work. They are eager to help you with questions and give you valuable advice. The plants I have purchased from them range from shrubs to roses to perennials and have all been great additions to our farm! Keep up the great work!
Sharon Rhoda

Positive lisolette
(1 review)
On Sep 23, 2004, lisolette Montrose, CA wrote:

Hortico is a wonderful place to hunt for treasures. Be sure to have a lot of time to spend and do your research ahead of time so you can do justice to the large amount of varieties that they have!

Positive woodside
(1 review)
On Sep 19, 2004, woodside Erin, Ontario,
Canada wrote:

I have been visiting Hortico for plants for my garden for about three years now, although I don't believe I have gone there more than twice in a year. I am not aware of any other place that carries a selection of plant material this large in my area. Often, I have found Hortico to be the only place to carry an uncommon plant variety that I wanted. Hortico also carries more sizes of plants. Their catalgue tells you it is a four inch or a gallon or a five gallon pot while other catalogues seem to forget to tell you that their plants are shipped in 50mm pots. I was also very impressed with the size and selection (not to mention the infernal conditions!) within their ornamental grasses greenhouse. Where common nurseries would have from a few to a dozen varieties of common perennials, Hortico would list scores of them. Also, the cost of the plants is very low compared to more "flashy" places owing to their low over head. Sure, if you are dressed in your Sunday best, I suggest you go to the mall to buy your plants but if you don't mind some mud on your shoes and tires, this is the place to go. I must admit that I was surprised to read some of the negative comments about this site, but I have never used mail order when dealing with Hortico. I have simply e-mailed my order to them and then arranged a pick up date. Other times I have simply driven there and had someone collect the plants I wanted. If you want to shop in an air conditioned store with music and a latte stand, don't go to Hortico. If you want a place with a vast selection of variety and colour, go to Hortico. Never mind the fancy catalogue with the most perfect pictures of plants that don't look like that in real life. Use web sites like this one to identify the plants you want and the simple black and white pdf pages of the Hortico catalogue to buy them.

Positive MichelleT
(1 review)
On Sep 7, 2004, MichelleT Toronto,
Canada wrote:

I've start knowing Hortico last year through the internet. There website is as good as it gets: informative, easy to fallow and full with information. They made it very easy to choose the roses that were suited for me and my garden. In April, I went to pick up my order and since than I became a constant client of there perennials, shrubs & roses. My garden is a living example of what beautiful and rare species they have.
The people are very friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you for a lovely experience.
Sincerely, Michelle

Positive draw
(1 review)
On Aug 31, 2004, draw Clinton,
Canada wrote:

Since moving to a farm in rural Ontario eleven years ago, we have been developing our gardens as time and finances allow. We have purchased all our plant material from Hortico and have been very happy with the outstanding quality. We have found unique plants at Hortico over the years that have created interest in our gardens. The large variety and hard-to-find plants at Hortico has been most impressive. We have been greeted with friendly staff and our visits have become personal and most enjoyable.

Positive laurawilliams
(1 review)
On Aug 18, 2004, laurawilliams Hamilton,
Canada wrote:

Was referred to this website by a friend, so I decided to look through which companies I have dealt with, when I typed in Hortico I was shocked by the feedback that has been left for them, so I decided to leave my experience with them.

Now I did not deal with their mail order service, as I live in Hamilton I drove there, so this will deal with my experience as a walk-in customer. This was my first year as a customer of their's but will not be my last.
My experience there was excellent (even though it can get a bit muddy), it was so good I went there twice. Once in the spring, and then again around early summer.
I was looking to get some perennials for my new house.
Once I got there I had a general idea of what I wanted.
Once I got out of my car, and walked past their office I was greeted by their great staff, especially Chris. He was great! He asked what I was looking for, and I explanied my situation, and what I was looking for. He made some suggestions to some changes to some of the plants I wanted, as they wouldn't do very well where I wanted them to go. But he helped me pick out some great subs. And he took me through all of their greenhouses showing me where I could find the plants I decided on. Furthermore he helped me pick out the best plants, and explaining each plants needs along the way. Also answering all the questions I had. All the plants that I saw were in excellent condition, weeds were a bit of a problem, but was told that they were taking care of that. After choosing all my plants we went to the office to pay for my new plants. The girl behind the counter was also great, however I forgot her name. There were only two people in the offce, as it was a Saturday (had it explanied to me by the girl) The staff looked happy working together, and they seemed just as happy to help customers. I left there feeling great, had a great time, and my plants are doing great.

The second time I went there same story, great time, great plants, and importantly great service. The staff were great, Chris helped out again. One of the best staffers I've ever encountered at any nursery/greenhouse/plant store.

So if you do have the chance go to Hortico, the plants are good, service is good, and the prices are great. But remeber to come with a bit of time as it's quite large and there is alot to see.

Negative garyon
(2 reviews)
On Jul 12, 2004, garyon Syracuse, NY wrote:

Still working to resolve issues. Roses were very small: as of today 3 of 5 showed little and weak growth. (Roses from other vendors planted at same time doing well or replaced by supplier.) Reported to Hortico by e-mail immediately on receipt that I was unhappy with quality of plants. One was a single cane the diameter of a pencil, two with canes smaller yet. No immediate response, but several weeks later got a lengthy phone call: suggested cutting growth back severely. I have done this, but the suggested solution does not address my real concerns. This started out as a "neutral" experience - I've changed that to "negative as I write this: expensive plants and shipping to USA, plants not even close to no.1 grade, delayed customer service and unsatisfactory remedy to my dissatisfaction.


On June 25th, 2005, garyon added the following:

Replacements promised in 2004 have not been delivered. I was told that they would be included in my "next order". I advised them that at present there would be no next order My expectation had been that plants would be sent postpaid and with no additional charges to me. It has been a disappointing experience. Although all survived the winter, two have failed to show any marked improvement, one is marginally acceptable. The two that arrived with strong canes and well developed root systems are doing well.
Positive mnemko
(2 reviews)
On Jul 12, 2004, mnemko Oakland, CA wrote:

This is a small company that truly loves creating and selling plants and wants to make available many fine but hard-to-find fine varieties. I know a lot about roses and these guys have rare access to some great European roses from Kordes and Poulsen (the world's best breeders). I have read the posts of some people that haven't had good experiences, but I believe this is a firm worth patronizing. They've promised to do better in their customer service, and they're worth ordering your roses from. If they were to not stay in business, it would be a real loss to the gardening public.

Neutral laura79
(1 review)
On Jun 29, 2004, laura79 wrote:

As a former employee of Hortico I have to say this.
The company is very disorganized. The employees do try very hard to provide good service but the majority of complaints I have read about are the result of poor organization.
The company does have a giant selection of hard to find plants. And the managers know more about plants than many other nursery managers.
Because of their selection and price a lot of the nurseries around Hortico are selling plants that they bought from Hortico at an inflated price.
I would definately buy plants from Hortico.

Negative clematisss
(1 review)
On Jun 11, 2004, clematisss grand forks,
Canada wrote:

I ordered my perenials in Janurary and finally got a quarter of what I ordered and they were in poor condition they were small most died and they never refunded my money.They told me the shipping would be 29.00 and they billed my credit card 100.00 and they never will get back to me.I would never order from this company again.


On July 12th, 2004, clematisss added the following:

THEY TELL YOU THAT THERE PLANTS ARE GUARANTEED THEY LIE THEY ARE NOT GUARANTEED THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THE PLANTS AND THEY DIE AND YOUR OUT THE PLANT AND YOUR MONEY THEY ARE A BIG RIPE OFF COMPANY. KELLY
Negative roselovr
(10 reviews)
On Jun 9, 2004, roselovr East Hampton, NY wrote:

Having dealt with 10 mail order rose suppliers in the past 12 months, Hortico is the worst. They sent grade 1 1/2's despite my specific instructions not, promised a refund which I never received, and charged me a deposit which was never credited toward the total purchase price. I have complained twice by phone and twice by e-mail to no avail.

The roses I received were so scrawny that I would never purchase from them again - the poor customer service just makes it worse.


On June 22nd, 2005, roselovr added the following:

PS - I finally got the refund on the two 1-1/2 grade plants.

However, now having spent two seasons growing roses labelled as Aimee Vibert (2) and Tricolore de Flandre (2, the 3rd did not break dormancy it was so scrawny), and now after all this time seeing something different blooming, here's the final scorecard:

Roses ordered: 9
Roses refunded: 2
Roses which did not break dormancy: 1
Roses mislabelled: 4
Roses alive and true to variety: 1

Dismal.
Negative robcastlebay
(3 reviews)
On Jun 8, 2004, robcastlebay wrote:

After being promised delivery for over 3 weeks they finally send our order (along with others) to Nova Scotia. We get a call late on Friday that if we want our order we have to drive 600k return trip to pick it up...otherwise they bring it back to Ontario. This after spending $190 for delivery! We couldn't drop everything and lose a day, so they just returned to Ontario with our order!! Then they have the audacity to offer to ship our order out by courier for an extra cost. I've heard other horror stories about this company from other people...but this is unbelievable. Horrible customer service, arrogant emails. Please don't say we are alone with nightmare mailorder stories! Please share the grief! :)

Nicest thing I could say: Stay away at all cost


On July 5th, 2004, robcastlebay added the following:

To hortico's benefit, they finally did give us a full refund after a few more weeks of phone calls, bad feelings, and demands that we pay a restocking fee. I was even called at 10 PM to get grief over my post to this website. Enter at own risk.
Negative yumiko
(5 reviews)
On May 14, 2004, yumiko Nanaimo, BC (Zone 7a) wrote:

First of all,I waited 2 years to receive roses.

Order 8 roses but only 6 arrived with receipt written 6 roses. I phoned them and asked for the refund of 2 plant.
2 roses are about $20,but they did not give me full amount. They said because of Shipping cost.
I paid $35 for shipping and where did money go?
They have great selection of roses,but with all
stress I do not want to deal with them again.

Positive DesertCliff
(1 review)
On Jan 20, 2004, DesertCliff Cathedral City, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:

I've read all of the previous comments about Hortico and want to add my recent extremely positive experience, particularly in light of earlier transactions with them that unfortunately were less than satisfactory.

I recently received my latest order of 25 roses from Hortico, and based upon the greatly improved quality of the bare root plants received, the excellent packing, the shipment's on-time arrival and tremendously improved customer service (both by e-mail and on the telephone), I'm convinced that Hortico's new management team has already taken major steps to become a first-class supplier of roses that will be able to compete with the best of them. I welcome this development, as Hortico offers many roses that are unavailable elsewhere. Now, hopefully, first-class customer service and first-rate product quality will go hand in hand with the fine selection of roses that they offer.

Negative BruMeta
(14 reviews)
On Jan 12, 2004, BruMeta Livingston Manor, NY wrote:

Giving a negative rating is not taken lightly. Therefore a recap of negative experiences precedes a positive mention.

I first ordered from Hortico in 2002. The plants were loosely packaged, many of them in baggies (to reduce shipping costs, I presumed). Several plants, to my eye, arrived d.o.a. I informed Hortico; months later, they gave me a credit for the following year's order. Time showed that the plants in question had indeed arrived dead. All other plants, however, performed very well.

I reordered in 2003. When I opened the carton from Hortico, all plants, soil and pots fell to the floor. The box had been packed and labeled upside down (despite the "This Side Up" message printed on the carton's outside). I contacted Hortico by email; I never heard from them.

I appreciate Hortico's extensive selection of hard-to-find plants and their low prices. I do not, however, like the exhorbitant over-the-border shipping costs and shipping times across NY State. I can do better elsewhere.

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