I ordered from them last year. I got Chambertain and Arabian red (I think that's the name) and a couple of Casa blancas. I think I may have gotten my black beautys from them too. The casa blancas did not do great. One looks like it died?? The other did flower but was not "exceptional".
I also ordered from 2 other bulb companies at the same time, Brent & Beckys and Van Englen. All of these bulbs grew beautifully.
So now my question is, I am looking to order some (because they have such beautiful lilys that others don't carry) like Tinkerbell, but they don't seem to be answering my emails. One I sent them over the weekend, maybe Sat or Sun. No answer.... Then I sent a completely different email yesterday...still no answer.
Am I being spoiled by Buggycrazy's (lisa) quick response to emails or what?
Good night lily lovers
Maureen
The lily garden - what's your experience with them?
I have ordered from them before - they have develped some of the nicest lilies aorund, and are responsible for many of the Orienpets out there. I know others here on DG seem to like them a lot. My comments from my experience are that some of the bulbs I received were VERY small - the Blackjack Asiatics I got were about the size of marbles and did not bloom last year. Hopefully they'll produce this year.
B&D has a less interesting selection but the bulbs I have received from them have always been humongous and have performed well for me - always blooming first year. I would not rule out the Lily Garden since their OT hybrid selection is about the best out there, but my personal luck has been better with B&D.
Good luck!!
Judith & her daughter do not have much time for email at this time of year. Plus Eddie is recovering from a heart attack so they are busy with him too. Judith visits him daily, so I'm told. The days are not long enough for them this year.
If you want to order, place your order. You probably will not get a reply to your email.
It is the same up here. Most lily growers are too busy this time of year to answer email. Not all, but most.
Maybe we can answer your questions.
inanda
I don't mean this in any way to be insensitive towards what is happening with Judith's family, but as a general rule I think customers should be able to expect to receive replies to their emails within a few days. I know growers are busy but that's part of customer service and being in business. I don't think expecting an immediate response is reasonable since I know some of these are family operations and problems develop and there are family emergencies and things happen, but I don't think to expect responses to questions within a few days during ordering time is unreasonable.
Steve
Maureen: Yes you are being spoiled by buggycrazy's attention to customers! I know of no company that gives customer's this much attention. What inanda said is true, there is some illness in the family right now and that is a distraction. If you order lilies from them you will get them. They are there. I saw them myself when I visited. Out in the field. Not imaginary.
If you emailed them to ask questions about their lilies maybe we can answer them here. Give us a try. If they are business questions of course we can't help with that!
Oh, and I have never received a dinky bulb from them. Maybe Blackjack naturally has smaller bulbs? Some lilies do, even Lisa says so.
Have to agree with what Steve said on every point. While I certainly don't want to sound like I'm running Lily Garden down, I've had better bulbs and service from others. Maybe it's just been a matter of luck in dealings with the respective companies.
And yes, we ARE spoiled by Buggycrazy. :) I think she's still small enough that she can provide very personal service.
Judith Freeman is one of the most respected lily growers we have. She has done phenomenal work in the hybridization of orienpets and is a frequent guest at regional lily societies events. As Steve mentioned, the bulbs may just be immature. In a few years time, they will be fine. However, there are other factors to consider such as location, soil, weather and garden pests. I''ve never had a problem with a LG bulb. Yes, they may not be huge, but they have always arrived looking very healthy. If, when bulbs are received and there are no visable signs of neglect or disease, I don't think there is anything that can or should be complained about to the grower or supplier.
I do agree with Steve, that they should have some process in place for handling inquiries, but I also understand what might be going on there and I, for one, am willing to cut them some slack. In addition to Eddie's illness, I believe she travels a lot for speaking engagements and personal appearances. She was at our Fall sale last October. I believe B&D has a standard statement on their website about not being available and maybe someone should suggest to them something similar for the Lily Garden site.
Pic of Chambertain with Acapulco and Conca d'Or. Chambertain was lovely this year. Can't wait until next summer.
Judith is a law unto herself. We live with it. You'll have too as well, if you order from her. She is one of the hardest workers I know but is perhaps slightly lacking in customer service. (emails). Again, you'll have to live with it or order elsewhere. She won't change. BTW, she is also incredibly generous.
inanda
Edited to add. 'General rules' do not apply to Judith. She operates the way she wants to, makes the most incredible lilies and I do mean 'makes'.
This message was edited Sep 21, 2006 8:23 AM
I agree with Inanda. I find myself willing to put up with these things as the great work Judith does outweighs the shortcomings (for me). I do only order product from TLG that I can't find anywhere else.
I posted a similar question/concern last month, as I'd ordered by fax, emailed with questions, and even called and left messages, but never got any reply from them. Eventually I caught someone on the phone, and she was apologetic and reassuring. Because of the positive feedback on garden watchdog, as well as effusive reports here in this forum, and the incredible temptations on their website, I was happy to forgive and forget. I've been looking forward to my October delivery for months already, and I'm certainly hoping for first year blooms, which is what the Lily Garden promises. So I'm a little worried to read in this thread for the first time that I may be disappointed by the size and/or quality of the bulbs I get. I've just quickly looked at Garden Watchdog again, and they've had nothing but positive reports there, no mention of small bulbs. To the contrary, people call them "huge". I'm fairly new here, but I've already placed orders with 4 mailorder companies based on Garden Watchdog ratings. I hope it's a reliable resource. To me, in general, responsiveness is nice but hardly important at all compared to the quality of bulbs or plants. I've ordered some of the asiatics -- Angela North, Eurydice, and Summit, plus a few Black Beauties. Hope I've ordered from the right place.
I first ordered from The Lily Garden last Spring. My order came as they promised, on the date I selected (yes, I love how YOU can select the date, not the grower). My ordered arrived and I thought the bulbs were small. The smallest I received from anywhere, B&D, Brent&Becky's & Breck's were other places I had ordered from for Spring delivery. In the catalog it mentions sending blooming size bulbs, the kind that they would select for their own gardens. They did send extra bulbs, when the bulbs size was small, so instead of 3, they sent 5 or 6. All of them did bloom, as promised.
I have has similar experience with leaving messages and having none returned. Much better luck though, with sending e-mails, then they are able to respond in their own time, when time allows.
Family owned businesses are something a lot of us aren't used to anymore. Family emergencies are something we all deal with, from time to time. When you own and run your own business, it can be even more stressful. I give them a lot of credit for doing what they do. Giving my business to places like these makes me feel like I am directly helping a family do what they love doing.
Besides being a hybridizing goddess, Judith has been helpful in conversations when I have been able to get through on the phone line.
I did order from them this Fall and look forward to comparing this order with the one I received in last Spring. Pard, your post gives me hope that the size thing could have been a fluke. We shall see. But I still love supporting family owned businesses and will likely continue to do so.
Inanda,
I agree that Judith is a great hybridizer and works incredibly hard. That said, if you choose to be in business with the public on a publicly - accessible website I think you have some responsibility to provide a customer service mechanism to answer questions, handle billing issues, complaints, etc. Some of you may be insiders to the industry and may know her personally and may therefore have a different spin towards the lack of responsiveness, but John Q Public does not - he knows he shells out his hard earned money and expects some semblance of service for it. Most of us expect reasoable service at the bank or the grocery store or whatever else as we go about our lives. Bulbs from suppliers like LG are not exactly cheap either, so I think people are right to expect a reasonable amount of service to accompany their orders, when you're investing your hard earned money. I never had to contact LG for service issues, but others may need to. Not trying to be argumentative but to suggest that we should put up with a lack of service because of "being busy" or "that's the way she is" just doesn't work for me and that's not just LG, that's anyone. But, you're right.....we do have the choice to shop elsewhere. BTW - I do love her Silk Roads, though I get most of mine through Park/Wayside. OHG is an example of a web-based bulb supplier that's also a small family business (though yes I know they don't grow their own) that always manages to provide great service, and that's where my money will go.
We all have choices to make when it comes to where our money goes. If the Lily Garden, or any other place does not fulfill your expectations, then it is ones choice to look elsewhere. The bank and/or the grocery store is a bit larger scale than these bulb growers are, in my opinion. Steve, it is true, that we have the right to expect a certain level of service with any given industry.
I did not mean to stir anything up by my comments and hope none were taken that way. Just giving my opinion and experiences that I have had with them.
QED
QED?
I like the lily garden ,but they seldom answer there emails in a timely fashion . I have order seed from her this year and ask on 8/28/06 if she would send them ASAP so I could plant by October 1rst. Still no seed and no reply to 3 email )-:
This message was edited Sep 21, 2006 5:43 PM
What is QED?
Well, after reading all of these messages this is what I am doing.
I am going to go ahead and order from them. I want silk road and another. But before I order I have a question, which I will ask on a separate thread.
Thanks everyone for all of your input .
Is QED - quietly exiting discussion???
Maureen
wickerparker ~ yes, I've had a couple of minor issues with LG but certainly nothing serious enough to warrent a bad review in the Watchdog. If someone wants to post a great review then you should believe it! LG has some truly fantastic products.
No, they don't answer e-mails as fast as I would like, but the world doesn't revolve around me and my schedule. The only problems were a couple mistakes and some crossed-up communications. I chalk it up to you-know-what happens and it wouldn't keep me from ordering again. Lord knows I make enough mistakes of my own!
Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be happy with your goodies. :)
I have had mixed results with bulbs from the Lily Garden, but if you let them know, they will ALWAYS replace them the following season (if they still have the bulb). Once established they are gorgeous! One year she replaced the bulbs two for one! I think they would do well with an office manager/customer service rep. I would volunteer if I lived closer. :) I will be out of work soon... :(
Mainiac, with the marvels of today's technology, anyone could stay home, located probably anywhere in the US and answer their phone and email. Calls could even be split between multiple locations.
Beaker is right, Mainiac. You could work for The Lily Garden from Cape Elizabeth. Hit them up for a job. Your resume could include the many, many gorgeous phtos you've submitted from your garden this past summer. Hey! Maybe they'd hire you to do photos for their catalog, after seeing those. I think we have taken care of your future employment, what do you think?
Well, they did answer my 2 emails today. I guess I just have to be more patient.
Here's what I've ordered from the Lily Garden:
silk road
tinkerbell
chippendale
rosepoint lace
angela north
now I'm off to do my B&D order.
So far my biggest order has been to buggy crazy.
Maureen
You're going to have a lily garden next year!
Thanks for the votes of confidence from you! Unfortunately I am in need of employment that provides health insurance as dear hubby is self employed. But I do have digital phone. Call anywhere in the US or Canda for a flat monthly fee! I am not buying any lilies this year. :( It's going to be a long cold winter in Maine.
I've had limited experience with lilies, but they're crucial to my garden improvement plans for next year. Have already ordered from Lily GArden and Old House Gardens, but now, because of everything that's been said here, I couldn't resist ordering a few from Buggy Crazy too, just to see what all the raves are about, and, well, also because it means squeezing in a few more. Very much appreciate all this expert advice, even though I seem to get poorer every time I read one of these threads.
Just for those of you who might not know this, but I believe, and correct me if I am wrong, that Judith Freeman (The Lily Garden) was once married to Ed McRae. Ed is the backbone of the Species Preservation Society and supplies many of us with wonderful species bulbs each fall (for a price). Ed also supplies a lot of bulbs for fall bulb sales through the regional lily societies. Ed has been very ill this year and I hear that Judith is making sure the work gets done on time for the societies. I am sure this is a contributing factor in her lack of correspondence. Oh man, I wish I lived out on that side of the continent. So let's cut Judith a bit of a break. I am sure she is moving as fast as she can.
You are totally correct. And then some.
inanda