Hollingsworth Peonies

I have thirty gorgeous peony bushes in my yard. Many from my local nursery and others from recommended American Peony Society growers. I love my specific type of peonies so like to hunt and find the exact ones I want to add to my shrinking space available. So you can image how disappointed I was with my peonies from Hollingsworth when I did not get all healthy or as chosen peonies. The ones not affected by disease also took multiple years longer to bloom. Most of my peonies bloom year 1 and nicely by year 2, not theirs. Immediately the first spring one came up with a disease never seen in my dry climate. Then another, Bowl of Cream (marked by their tag in their handwriting) came up a little dark pink single with a sprout of white in the middle. What a horrible shock. I sent a picture to the company and they tried to pawn it off that I sent a picture of another peony not Bowl of Cream and I took the picture of a badly expiring, unidentifiable peony versus this sad little thing on it's first day. When I reclarified this was the Bowl of Cream, they stopped responding. There are so many great growers. I should have dug further. The bad reviews are piling up. Unfortunately the great reputation built is being tore down from awful customer service and poor employee mistakes.

¡¡¡¡BUYER BEWARE!!!!Unfortunately my review is much the same as VES of September 19, 2014. Mr. Hollingsworth had sold the company by this point and was no longer responsible for his name. Regrettably whoever took over the company is by far the WORST most inconsiderate group of individuals I have ever worked with purchasing plant material, or anything else for that matter. My experience reads much like”Ves’”… It was my first experience working with this organization and I purchased what I would consider a very expensive cultivar “imperial fuchsia”, The most expensive herbaceous PEONY I have purchased thus far. I received a small box filled with damp Sphagnum moss with a small tuber about 7 inches long 1:2” dia with one additional piece of tuber at the union with one growth bud and four other tiny buds. That was disappointing, considering the beautiful product I had received in the past from Adelman and SOLARIS to mention two. But OK, the flower color was very dramatic/unique and the description of the plant vigor encouraged the possibility of its quick growth. When I went to plant it the next morning as I placed it in the hole, The tubers snapped it was all dry rot, well 75-80% dry rot. I then contacted Hollingsworth to relay the situation. They told me to send photographs and then wanted me to return the item to them at my own cost !!!! All the while unsympathetic. I was infuriated at how disrespectfully I was being treated. So I pulled myself together put it in a box and returned it to them. Shortly afterward they refunded my money, offered no consideration or apology other than blocking me from the website. Now I could NEVER consider purchasing another piece of s..t. from that company… It is unfortunate, because Mr. Hollingsworth’s work is quite legendary and desirable. The pictures are beautiful… The treatment and product are absurd. You would think that they might hold the inspector accountable… DO NOT DO IT… DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER THEM… if the product is any good, it will be available from other growers for far less money in future, that is for certain. I could go on, but that’s really it… Absolutely not… ¡¡¡¡NO WAY!!!!! Do not consider them.

Posted on September 21, 2011, updated October 8, 2014 Received my order yesterday; large, firm, healthy divisions with many eyes. Packaging was perfect. The growing guide is very detailed. I recommend this seller. Get some of their own hybrids...they are gorgeous!

The last comment dates from October 2013 and the info about Hollingsworth peonies need be updated. Firstly, Mr. Don Hollingsworth, whose tireless work built a great reputation for this company, is not running it for mail orders any more. Instead, he sold it to other people to be in charge of mail orders, shipment, etc. I had the most unpleasant experience that bordered on harassment. Firstly, the peony was packaged in a smaller box so when it arrived, the root was completely broken. I contacted them, e-mailed the photo, and the person I spoke to, after seeing the photo, said they would send me a replacement at no charge. I received the replacement and it was even a smaller box with a single peony root that was cut on both ends and hardly several inches long to fit this tiny box. I am the first time peony grower and this root did not look like the ones I've seen on pictures from reputable growers. So I e-mailed them that I was returning it (I also paid $10 for return mail charges) and requested to be reimbursed for what they originally charged me for that one peony ($39), attaching the photos and provided the tracking number for the returning mail. The response I got was one line, as follows: "You're a real piece of work! Tim" BUYERS BEWARE - this is not the same company for peony mail orders as the one that got all accolades in the past. It changed hands and the person "Tim" in charge of communication (located in Maryland) as well as the other person who is packaging & shipping from Massachusetts bought this company from the old owner for mail orders.I do a lot of online shopping and this was by far the worst experience I've had with any seller. Even if someone else might think that this kind of a small single, severely cut root was good enough to grow (I am a newbie and go by the pictures I've seen online and which show a much better and healthier peony root for mail delivery than the one I got), the response from "Tim" who represents this company was rude and demeaning. That is NOT how the customers should be treated.

I ordered two peonies, which arrived today. The roots are big, plump and heavy. These are mature peony divisions, not just a piece of root. I am very happy with what I received.

The Peonies are superior to any I have seen. They arrived quickly and safely. I cannot wait until Spring to see their beautiful blooms!

Waited for several years and finally took the leap and bought several plants from Hollingsworth Peony Nursery. I love the varieties they have and the prices are ver reasonable. The roots are large; they are extremely well packaged and shipped promptly. The customer service is great and very helpful. Definitely one of the nurseries to rely on.

Customer service is fantastic. I ordered 2 peonies through a co-op purchase in 2010. Since I have never grown peony before I called prior to the order and spoke to Don who talked me through the planting process and care in detail. Both of those roots received were planted according to directions and the spring of 2011 only one survived (and bloomed). I was concerned with just the one breaking ground and called them back to ask for suggestions on what to do and what I may have done to cause her not to survive. Again my concerns were discussed in detail and we could not determine if I killed my peony or if it just simply didn't survive the conditions I placed her in. The peony was replaced for me late fall 2011 and I'm happy to report that now in mid April of 2012 she has been up 6 weeks and already has 5 buds. Hollingworth's customer service is above and beyond what is commonly encountered in today's world. Good old-fashioned one-on-one service is difficult to find and I recommend giving this company a call and finding out for yourself how valued you are as their customer.

I co-hosted a coop this year with this vendor - they were wonderful!! They sent huge roots when they said they would so I could turn them around for the participants. Everyone seemed very pleased with the size and I was overly tickled with the customer service - he split our order in two, for two shippers and even caught my mistake in missing one participant's order - amazing and thorough. I highly recommend this company for customer service and quality.

Hollingsworth truly ships an awesome product and has some really unique varieties to offer. A terrific DG friend here referred me to this nursery based on her great experiences with them. Roots are huge and healthy and easily a match for the best out there. I had the opportunity to visit their farm in Missouri this May and was impressed by their hospitality and the friendliness of Luke, who showed me around. The roots they sent this fall were equally wonderful and size/quality are definitely in the same league as the likes of Adelman and Klehm. Will definitely order from them again next year and encourage others to do so!!!

I recieved 9 peony roots this fall and all were very nice divisons.I really like the fact that Don lists information on fertility and responed to my e-mail on which plants would be good for crossing.I will order again next year.

I have recieved peonies from Hollingsworth on 4 different occasions. Plant quality and size are the best. Most plants will flower for me the first year. There cannot be a better peony supplier in the world. They promote their "Best Landscaper" plants. These plants really hold up as nice plants in the garden all season. I now use peonies in my landscaping business because they look like nice plants all year, not just in flower.

The peonies I've ordered from Hollingsworth have been true-to-name and well-sized; all have performed well in the garden. An excellent source for mail order peonies.

I ordered 3 peonies in 2004 and 4 in 2008. They are all doing very well. I wish I had space for more. The biggest reason I like Hollingsworth is because they identify Best Landscapers and describe their plants so well. If you buy a peony from a store or nursery, all you get is the name. With Hollingsworth, you get the information you will need and if you need more just contact them. They are the experts.

I've ordered from 4 peony suppliers this year, none of the others even came close. Hollingsworth peonies are huge & full of buds. A bit pricey but worth every penny. Hollingsworth=The Best

My first time ordering peonies from anywhere and it was a very good experience. The roots are huge with many eyes; well packed and fast. I mailed the order on Friday and they arrived Thursday. One note: I do wish they offered web-ordering.

Best source for peonies I have ever dealt with. They send huge roots, and responded the next day to my e-mail inquiry. I am not a peony expert, and their literature is the most informative of any I have seen.

I ordered 9 peony in early 2007. Late fall, all 9 were delivered, of very nice size, and healthy. My early fall inquiry of a shipping date was answered next day. I plan on ordering in early 2008. Customer service A+.

Good service to Germany, large and healtyh plants

I purchased a peony last year for the first time from this company. The communication was outstanding, the planting instructions superb and the peony root was one of the nicest I've ever seen. This peony was very hard to find.. They have an excellent selection of peonies. Highly recommend.

I have ordered twice from Don. His peonies are of excellent quality and they are HUGE divisions. Both times the orders were carefully packed and the response to any questions I had was timely and thorough. These are super nice folks to deal with. I will order from them again.

Excellent peony roots were sent, with nice eye divisions. These were the amoung the best plants that I got from about 5 to 6 different peony companies I ordered from this year, and I plan on ordering from this one again. All were well labeled, and as I just got them, I'm not sure if they will bloom true to description, but again, the roots are large & healthy & I'm sure will do great.

I,ve received excellent peony roots from the Hollingsworths. Delivered on time, well packaged, healthy,large roots which do very well. They have an excellent selection at reasonable prices, many not available elsewhere, and are very helpful.A great asset to the peony world. Highly recommended.

I have had excellant service and experience with Hollingsworth Peonies for over 5 years. Their bare root divisions are of the highest quality, and delivery has been exactly when I required. Their descriptive literature exceeds that of many other peony outlets. Judy Wilmarth