Comments regarding Avant Gardens

What a nice company to deal with. I bought several Caramel Heuchera and not only was the customer service impeccable, the plants were packed with great care and arrived swiftly. They were in wonderful condition despite the heat wave we have been experiencing. I will definitely do business with Avant Garden again and I highly recommend them!

I never got my order. Upon research it seems someone came in and bought ALL the plant I was getting. They "thought" they e-mailed me but had no record. And the other plant I ordered had a failure. I was not happy. I am not giving them a negative since I understand these things happen. I am disappointed I didn't have the great experience others had and I was so looking forward to my shipment.

"

The customer contacted us after she posted this comment. We explained that a crop we had coming along wasn't quite ready of Ilex verticllata 'Berry Heavy', but would have some for late summer shipping. She agreed she would like us to send her the plant when it was ready. Our crop matured in July, and we contacted the customer to be sure she still wanted the plant. After 2 emails she replied that she did.

We sent out a healthy plant on Aug 8th, and did not charge for boxing and shipping. We received the following email this am.

-----Original Message-----
From: [deleted]
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 7:36 AM
To: plants@avantgardensne.com
Subject: holly

I got my berry heavy holly. Almost half the leaves are chewed on and
there are black spots on a lot more. I could take some pictures to
show you but right now I am off to work . I am novice at gardening
but I know that's not a healthy plant.

[name deleted]
[address deleted]

We replied:

I personally selected a very healthy plant that was shipped to you, and unless it was exposed to extreme heat in the box before you opened it, there should be nothing wrong with your plant.
I just looked at all of our hollies to see if any are experiencing a problem with insect activity or black spots on leaves. There is nothing remarkable on any of them. We have had some grass hoppers nibbling on some of the foliage. A few spots on the leavers towards the end of the season is usually not anything to worry about. We are very careful in our use of pesticides and fungicides and limit our use of them.
I am going to refund your money for the Ilex, so you will not feel that you have been ill served by us. We did not charge for shipping the plant to you. I'm going to address the Dave's garden comment you made in the forum. I'd prefer you didn't order from us again until you do get more gardening experience.

Kathy Tracey
Avant Gardens

It's not often but occasionally an unreasonable customer gets the best of me. Some people are difficult to please, and I should just accept this as part of being in business.

Because we had sold out of our spring supply of the Ilex, and was unable to supply the plant to her at the time, (which I might add that she had not been charged for) we wanted to give her a positive experience with us by shipping a very healthy plant and did ot charge her to box and ship the plant when it was ready. Why would we go to the trouble of sending her something that she would not be pleased with? It is also very hard to imagine that an extremely healthy unblemished plant shipped out and received by the customer the following day in northern New England could have suddenly succumbed to insect damage and disease.

Also, it took 2 days after the customer received her order to notice the "unhealthy" plant's symptons. Is it possible that the box wasn't opened for several days but left out in the hot sun? I'll never know.
I might add that a photo was never supplied to us. Our intent in posting this customer's email correspondence was to show we were not editing any of the wording. We have been "decent" enough to request Dave's Garden's editing staff to omit her signed name."

I've known about Avant Gardens for years, but this was my first order by mail. I ordered two C.'Golden Spirit' and didn't expect them to be so good sized for the price. Needless to say, I'm very pleased. At such a busy time of the year for nurseries, I found the time from order to receipt to be quite fast, and quality of the plants and packing were excellent.

A catalogue was included with the order, and unlike the (perhaps new?) gardener below who commented on lack of pictures on the website, the catalogue is full of pictures. No, not glossy photos that may have nothing to do with quality of stock or the knowledge and integrity of the proprietors, (heck spring hill has pictures if that's what ya want ) but WORD pictures :-) . That's the best kind of catalogue and a sign of a nursery not catering to just the impulse buyers. Real depth of selection, as if they are selling their own favorite plants and know what they're selling and how each plant performs. I feel another order coming on....

My first order with this company will certainly not be my last. I purchased annuals, houseplants and a few perennials. The annuals where in quart pots for the same price other websites charge for a 3" pot or dinky plug. The coleus Sedona I ordered are gorgeous and all at least 12" tall.
I also got miscanthus Gold Bar in a quart pot for half the price I paided Wayside last year for a 3" pot, and the root system is very well developed. They are already larger and fuller than the ones that have been in the ground for a year.
The packing was suberb, and all of the packing material went directly into the compost bin. A+++ on that. A delicate jointed euphorbia I ordered didn't have one bent or bruised stem and it is quite a large plant.
I couldn't be more pleased with my experience.

Ordered plants on Sunday. On Monday morning, the company informed me there was a glitch with my credit card, which we resolved easily, and the plants were shipped same day. They arrived on Tuesday, well packed and very healthy. My best mail order plant expereince.

Ordered plants in the middle of the summer heat and my zeal was luckily curbed. They held off on shipping until it was cooler and everything arrived (large!) in healthy shape with buds etc. Annuals were huge and recovered well, cool bonus plant. Can't wait to order again!

I ordered from Avant this fall largely because of the comments on this thread. It may sound like an echo, but the plants not only arrived sooner than I expected, but they were well packed, larger than I expected from other nursery mail orders, and evidently in good health. If they do well in my garden (as I have every reason to expect) I will definitely order from Avant again.

Research on DavesGarden website prompted me to select this company for a purchase.

I just received my first order from this company and found it to be a fabulous experience from start to finish. I ordered three pineapple lilies and a variegated cattail at the end of June. I was informed by email that they would hold the order until July 2, due to some very hot weather were having here. The order arrived on July 5 after 3 day shipping and was perfect in every way. The plants were much larger than I had expected (about 12 inches tall) and they included a free bonus plant I have never hard of before, but am very pleased to try out. I would definately order from this company again, and look forward to perusing their website for rare plants next spring. Just one of the best I have ordered from!

I just received my first order from this nursery of some unusual annuals that I could not get locally. The plants were beautifully wrapped in newspaper, much easier to deal with and better for the environment than packing peanuts. All the plants were healthy, despite the box having been left in full sun by the UPS delivery person, who must have been blind to miss the handwritten messages on the box's top about not leaving the box in the sun. They had been out of one of the plants that I ordered and had taken the time to contact me and ask if I wanted to substitute another plant and followed that with some suggestions. The plants were a good size and not at all root bound even though the order was a late one. They were kind enough to include an exceptionally lovely bonus plant. I look forward to doing business with them again.

It is always a positive experience dealing with Avant Gardens. Interesting selection of plants that are well grown. The packing and shipping is excellent and I have never lost a plant from them.

I discovered Avant Gardens in an Internet search for a particular plant I was looking for, requested their catalog, and ordered about half a dozen plants.

l couldn't be more pleased. Everything came in excellent condition. This is small family run nursery that propagates what they sell and is a terrific resource for plants that are not commonly available.

An excellent company...A+ excellent from hard to find plant selections to correspondence to delivery! They even located an item previously noted as sold out for which I am grateful. Plants received in excellent condition!

Very efficient, responsive customer service.

First order from Avant arrived yesterday, and I've already placed a second. Carefully edited plant selection, quality material at reasonable prices, excellent communication, exemplary packaging, and a bonus plant, too.

Now, this is how it should be done....!

First order from Avant Gardens and it went well. Just received the plants, they were starting to coming out of dormancy. Prefect for planting. Packaging was great. For sure a small company by the way it was packed. Well packed in newspapers and some other organic stuff that I'm not sure what it was. Looks like everything is healthy and what I ordered.

I would order from them again. They have some hard to find plants.

I would like to share the wonderful experience that I have had with this company.

During the 2006 gardening season, I placed two orders with Avant Gardens. The plants that arrived were fresh, green, and very healthy.

They carry many plants that I am unable to locate at local nurseries.

The prices are, in my opinion, very reasonable, given the excellent quality of the product. I am looking forward to placing my next order!

The order I placed this summer arrived in great shape, this company
knows how to pack plantings, very satisfied and will
do business in the future. plants were exceptional in
size and boy did they grow once planted. First class
company to do business with.

This was my first order from Avant Gardens and I'm sure it won't be the last. My plants were shipped in a timely manner and great care was taken in packing them. They were good size plants and a free plant was included.

My first order was based on reviews found here...This is an excellent, professional operation. Their plants are first rate. The customer service and communication is outstanding. Everything you need to know about costs, condition of plants, shipping, etc., is covered explicitly and comprehensively. Not only would I never hesitate to buy here again, this would be a first choice. A+

Excellent service!!! I have ordered by mail twice in 3 years--both times for me to pickup at the nursery. Order was accurately assembled and waiting for me on day I had specified. Plants were healthy and well rooted. A well laid out nursery with clean, attractive plants and knowledgeable staff. Plants from first order have all thrived--tags were accurate and very helpful as to siting and care. Expect second order to be a repeat. This is an excellent operation--small enough to have direct contact with owner, but offering a relatively wide variety of plants, including some not found elsewhere by mail. Website is well organized, attractively designed, informative and complete.

Received small (8 plant) order of healthy vigorous plants today, well packed and of good size. Will definitely order again. josh z8a

i rec'd my order yesterday. it was a rather large order and when it came it was quite clear the shipping company had taken very bad care of the package. most all the plants had been smashed beyond repair. i called avant immediately and left a message, i also sent an email and fax about the situation. since it was after 5 p.m. i knew i would not hear back that day, however, was concerned about when i would hear back.

well, no concern was nessesary, an email explaining that i would get an immediate credit back for the entire order. i was able to reach them this afternoon and explained that some may make it....but it was insisted that i had a total refund.

things happen....i get 30-50 orders yearly because i use them in my business. you get good plants everyday....what you don't get is EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!! it just simply doesn't happen........EXCEPT HERE!

i will not hesitate one second to order from avant gardens again. fact is, of course i would rather have the plants than the money back, but it's good to know that you have nothing at all to worry about if something DOES happen. i highly recommend them and you can be assured that i will place just as large an order next season.

I just received my order today and I am actually shocked by the size of the plants. They are really big, and potted in the appropriate size pots to accomodate the size. I don't think I've ever gotten such nice mailorder plants, for any price (exception being roses). In my opinion, the plants were inexpensive, especially because they are uncommon and large.

They even sent me a free coleus.

Thank you so much for the great plants and service.

I made an on-line order for the first time from Avant Gardens. My order was relatively small, just 8 plants of Campanula. I was quite impressed with the extent of the variety they had on line. Their on-line store was well arranged and easy to use. The ordered plant came within a week in good shape. Each plant was carefully wrapped, then they were placed in a box in good order with adequate padding. Their shipping and handling charge US$8 plus US$1 per plant was a little more expensive than I had expected but it was still acceptable to me. Overall it was a very good experience to me, while I am dealing with another retail store that is saying "next week shipment" for three weeks and still waiting.

Very good experience. I ordered six specialty geraniums I couldn't find at my local garden center, and they were reasonably priced, large plants, well rooted, comparable in size to what I would expect from a garden center. In very good condition and well packed.

They also included a free large sized plant. This was an unexpected bonus.

Shipping charges are on the high side, but worth it if you're ordering something you can't find locally and want to be sure that everything arrives promptly and in good condition. I have had so many bad experiences with other nurseries, ordering plants that were DOA or teeny-tiny or not what they were advertised to be, that I am willing to pay more for the expectation of no problems, good service, and well-sized plants. I will be ordering from them again.

The plants I just received are gorgeous. I didn't expect such beautiful plants at the end of the summer. The bonus plant they sent was a lovely surprise.

I visited Avant Gardens today, and I was extremely impressed, both with the kindness and knowledge of the staff and with the selection of very healthy, interesting, and unique plants that they had to offer.

I always ask nursery owners a lot of questions about their plants, and sometimes I feel like my questions aren't particularly appreciated. At this nursery, the staff encouraged questions. The owner took time to talk to me about my selections and volunteered information about them, and answered my amateurish questions about how to protect tender perennials and how to preserve my coleus over the winter. This gave me the confidence I needed to try growing some beautiful plants that I might otherwise have avoided. Also, while I was in one of the outdoor greenhouses, a humming bird came in and visited some flowers. I think that was a pretty good endorsement. Needless to say, this nursery will be high on my list in the future.

I ordered from this company mainly because they had a Tricyrtis cultivar that I hadn't seen, and they had Geranium 'Pearl Boland,' which I was interested in growing. I ordered several other plants as well.

The plants were delivered promptly. 'Pearl Boland' was unavailable due to crop failure. The Tricyrtis was fine, and nice sized. All plants were healthy and are thriving.

The problem I did have was with Chrysanthemum 'Becky.' This is a common plant where I live, but I hadn't seen any at my usual shopping places, so I thought I'd add a few to my order. What I got was rootbound starter plants that had been recently potted up in bigger pots and sold as such. This seems - at the least - mildly deceptive. Furthermore they mentioned in a post on this site, that their shipping is high in part because they do not send bare-root plants. Well, fine - but considering that - what is the point of adding weight to your package other than to make your plants appear to be a bigger size than they are? Despite some additional tinkering needed to open up the bound roots, the plants are doing fine.

I ordered several plants from this company this year, chiefly because it was the only source I found for Dephinium 'Blue Delft'. The delphinium alas, had a broken stem and did not make it but Avant promptly sent a check to me when I emailed them and let them know. This is the kind of company I will shop from again, one that sends very nice plants and stands behind their product. Thanks again!

My shopping with Avant gardens is a positive one. I
ordered several perennials and a few annuals. They
arrived very well packaged and healthy. The shipping
was rather high, but I would shop with them again beacuse
of the wonderful product and quick service.

C&NN

Wonderful plants - well sized and many are hard to find elsewhere. Shipping may be a bit high, but sale plants are a good value, especially since I like to collect hard to find plants.

The plants I ordered were quite large, well packed, and sent in a timely manner. I also received a surprise bonus plant that I was very happy with! I agree with what others have written about the postage. I too thought it was high. But, this is a first rate company, and I would not hesitate to order from them again.

Phyl

Filled a four trey order of mixed annuals and perennials in early spring and a second in July 2004. Very satisfied to receive excellent seedlings virtually all of which did well.

Wow! I received my first order from Avant Gardens and I'm thrilled. The plants are large and healthy, and they even included a bonus plant. I've paid higher shipping costs for much less quality products. Terrific!

My one and only experience has been pretty good. All things ordered were delivered and well packaged so they were healthy. All seem to be doing very nicely. Shipping prices are rather high but healthy and unbeaten counts for a lot. Thanks guys (girls)!!!

The plants that I have ordered from Avant Gardens have always been healthy, well-packaged, and have perfomed beautifully in the garden. I have absolutely no problem with the company's products or performance.
Why, then only a "neutral" rating?
Shipping charges, shipping charges, shipping charges!
To ship to Michigan, it is $10.00 base PLUS $2.00 per plant. To purchase online requires a $30.00 minimum purchase (about 7 plants).... that would be $24.00 shipping charge__ one of the highest I've found, and almost doubling the cost of the plants!
With shipping charges that high, I will probably be buying from other online sources.

"We've been questioned recently about our shipping charges and really would like to take a moment to address this. We do not build shipping into the cost of the plants, as many big nurseries do. Why not? We have many loyal customers who visit the nursery and pick up their plants, and feel it is unfair to hide shipping charges in the plant prices. Also we ship live plants, not bare roots. It is extremely important that we get plants to you healthy and safely. We do not propagate in large quantities and if a plant does not make it to your door safely in transit, we may not have another plant to replace it. We therefore use only a shipping service that guarantees the plants will get to your door in 2-3 days maximum. We are in Mass. and UPS Ground, which is the most economical service, is reliable for us only in the northeast states.

We try to cover our costs by the rates we've structured. Not only do we have to buy boxes and packing material, but we take extra time in packaging our plants for shipment. For a box of 10 plants it takes at least a half hour to package. This doen't include paperwork, or the time to select the healthiest, best plants. Most importantly, UPS rates go up constantly and we get surcharges on our bill whenever the gas prices go up.

Mail order is a service and if we want to continue to offer this service, we can't continue to lose money doing it. The nursery business is risky enough, and we want to be honest with our customers as to where the costs are coming from.
Katherine Tracey
Avant Gardens"

Superb plants. The only thing that bothers me about them is that they rap you for, in addition to a shipping charge, a $1 per plant handling charge.

I have ordered the last two years from this company. Not only were all plants in fine condition (I ordered mostly specialty "tender perennial" type plants) I received a free "bonus" plant, which was wonderful. A specialty african daisy that I would never have ordered on my own, but certainly after seeing & trying would reorder!

I love this company; this is the second year I've ordered from them and I have been very happy with the plants I received. They sent me an Agave a. 'Marginata' this year (among others)that was so huge that my normally unimpressable gardener husband said'Wow! That's a nice plant!' They have a very, very interesting and (if I may call it such) 'chic' assortment. I do lots of container gardening, and they always have the latest and greatest tropical/tender and just plain weird. The catalog is also very handsome graphically, though photos are online only, and not for every item. You also have to order RIGHT AWAY for the choicest stuff; they have a nice online feature that allows you to check availability, so you don't waste time ordering something they're out of. Packing is excellent, they follow directions as to delivery dates, where to leave the box, etc., and the plants have been among the largest and healthiest I've received by mail. Prices are highish, but they're worth it.