Comments regarding Gurney's Seed & Nursery

The Truth You Need To Know About Gurney's Plants, Bushes, Trees:

First: There is no such thing as a free lunch. If every other nursery wants to charge $45 for a tree and Gurney's only wants $7, then maybe you're going to get what you pay for.

Second, Gurney's is very inexpensive and sells very young plants and trees. If money is your primary concern and you like to watch a tiny sapling or plant grow to maturity, it's the place for you.

Third AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, the pictures you see online and in the catalog represent what the plants you order will look like in two to three years. I don't know why the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) permits what I think of as misleading advertising, but somehow Gurney's and several other big nurseries get away with picturing lush, mature plants and delivering tiny, immature plants that won't look like the catalog pictures for years - assuming they survive.

Lastly, with this in mind, you can still snag good deals. I love exotic plants, and Gurney's is currently the only place offering coffee plants, which I consider way cool. Although the plants I received are somewhat smaller than what is pictured, I ordered (and paid) for only TWO plants. I RECEIVED FOURTEEN PLANTS! Each tiny nursery pot contained multiple plants, so now I have lots of coffee plants to give to friends! If you shop informed, and keep the above "Gurney's Rules" in mind, you shouldn't be dissappointed. Good Luck!

I ordered strawberries, blackberries, and blueberry bushes this spring. The strawberries are doing great! The blackberry plants were DOA, but I had no trouble at all getting them to credit my account. I'm still waiting to pass judgment on the blueberry bushes. I ordered the larger bushes and most seem to be doing OK, but several had strange dead-looking spots on some of the stems that I have trimmed off. They definitely didn't look as good as I had hoped a larger more expensive plant would.

After seeing the postings on this website I was a little wary when my husband told me he ordered from this company, but I couldn't be happier with our purchase. He ordered a strawberry pyramid with 50 strawberry plants and 10 poplars. All are doing well and came with sufficient planting instructions. I would definitely order from them again.

I ordered from Gurney's many years ago when I didn't quite know what I was doing with bareroot saplings. Those trees all died and I attributed it to my inexperience.

Last year I ordered from them and received substitutions without my knowledge and consent. Specifically, I had ordered a Condor Peach and received a Peach Contender which I already have growing here and I ordered a
Stella Cherry and received a North Star Cherry which I also already have growing here. They just showed up. I had specifically chosen and ordered plants as pollinators for plants I already had. To top it off, all of the plants I received last year were poorly packed and they had dried out in shipping which meant they weren't viable any longer. I took photos of the plants I received and contacted Gurney's expecting a hassle. Their customer service was pleasant and apologetic and ended up crediting me.

I decided I'd give them another try this year because their customer service had been pleasant, apologetic, and non-argumentative. I figured maybe they had some bad packers in '05 and that last year's substitutions had been an over sight. I ordered 4 plants earlier this year and told them that I did not want a repeat of last year and wanted them packed properly so that they didn't dry out while being shipped and that I did not want substitutions and that if they couldn't ensure that I would not get substitutions or dried out plants that I wouldn't place an order with them. They assured me there would be no substitutions and that they would make every effort to ensure that the plants didn't dry out during shipping. A few days ago I received a post card in the mail that 2 of the 4 saplings I had ordered were not available and that the rest of my order had shipped.

I called them up and asked them how it was that 50% of my order was not available and stated that common courtesy should have dictated that I be contacted earlier to be in a better position to purchase the plants elsewhere given I had placed my order back in February. She indicated there had been a crop failure. My comment to her was was, "and Gurney's is just now finding out about this crop failure and your web site is still advertising these trees as being available?" Whatever. My gut feeling on this is that they don't update their website in a timely fashion so people place orders thinking they have most if not all of the plants available and that Gurney's just sends substitutions and most people are ok with that. Well not all pears and cherries are created equal in my humble opinion and I find it rather unprofessional to not keep track of inventory to the extent that people are notified by post card after their incomplete order has been shipped. Sorry, I get the feeling it is by design that their customers are not notified earlier and that it is also by design that their inventory is not updated to denote "crop failures" because then they can substitute in plants that may not have sold as well to customers who may not have dictated that a substitution is not acceptable.

To add insult to injury, I just received part of this year's order. It has one of the plants that I ordered and that plant was dormant which means it has probably been in a refrigeration unit a tad too long and to top it off.... drum roll please... somebody appears to have hacked off a major portion of the tap root to fit in it the box and what little bit that is left is completely dried out and the wad of wet newspapers that was supposed to keep it moist was on the outside of the plastic wrap up against the cardboard box. Great, a wad of wet newsprint outside the plastic and no where near what was left of the root to the sapling. Disappointed would be an understatement right about now.

No point in contacting this nursery regarding my disappointment or to request a replacement. I'll let them know I want a refund and that they can take me off their mailing list as I have no desire what so ever to order anything from them again. I had contacted them before I placed this most recent order in an attempt to avoid another bad experience with them. And, I took photos of the sapling I received today that they sent me. Pathetic and it doesn't have a chance of surviving in my opinion.

I ordered 4 packets of seeds, a citrus dwf tree combo, a dwf pomegranate and a gooseberry/red currant combo.

I recieved the seed packets a few days ago, all were labeled and I had a paper telling me how to grow giant 500lb pumkins in one.

The seeds seem pricey $2-3 for 10 seeds on some, but they are supposidly for jumbo veggies.

My package also clearly labeled what would be shipped latter.

So far all my seeds have sprouted and are taking off.

I ordered two specials on "Whooper Strawberry Plants" this spring. When I received them I found everything in perfect order and the plants were of good size and shape.
I will order from Gurneys again.

This was my first time ordering by mail. I don't recommend this for beginners like myself. My plants arrived in a condition that to a beginner seemed terrible. Some were in tiny pots-most of the soil had fallen out and the plants were small and brown and withered. Of course I have no experience with bare root plants and semi dormant plants-these came in plastic bags and basically looked like a mass of tangled roots in sawdust. Perhaps this is standard. I am hopefull that they will eventually be full and lovely with actual leaves. If you are new to gardening-stick to your local nursery.

I received my crape myrtle order and checked for signs that it is alive because it was very very dry although the accompanying literature said it is dormant. I checked for green in the bark all the way down to the crown and it is all brown. I reported it right away and at that same time, they send me a new order to be shipped as replacement, so no additional cost. I never had any problems with them on all my orders including grapes and others. They replaced all that I reported to them that needed replacement. Maybe there are circumstances that one would get a negative interaction with them but they are sure to satisfy their customers so I would continue to buy what I need from them.

I have ordered from Gurney's the last 2 years. While I have never had any problems with their seeds I have had tremendous troubles with their nursery items. Last year I ordered their "jumbo" Northland Blueberries. They sent other varieties instead. I called customer service and was told they would send the correct items. I received the Northland ones but of the smaller-cheaper size. I called again and told them I would like what I ordered being I was told they had them in stock. I was informed this time that they did not have them in stock. I agreed to a replacement certificate to use next year and dropped the matter. This year I had given up on trying to get the blueberries from them and tried a peach tree. They sent me a dead peach tree at the beginning of April but not the flower bulbs I had ordered with them. I called again and was told that the bulbs wouldn't be sent until the end of April because of planting time. Then why send me a peach tree so early because I obviously couldn't have put it in up here in Northern WI so early except that this was an early spring. I asked also to send a replacement tree for the dead one. They said they were out of stock and I should have ordered earlier. I ordered in mid FEB. I have given up on getting any nursery item through this company

I was a bit wary after reading the negatives here, but I had a coupon, so I thought I'd give Gurney's a try. I'm glad I did. No problems whatsoever.

I ordered a patio blueberry, 2 of their Trillium Trio (6 plants in all) and two hybrid tea roses this spring.

The blueberry and the trillium arrived first. The blueberry was potted and very happy, moist, and with buds. I promptly planted it into a bigger container, and it is doing well, blooming, and leafing out.

The Trillium arrived bareroot and dormant, but looked fine. I planted all 6 promptly, and have been watering daily. So far, two are leafing out.

The two roses arrived a bit later, both bare root (as they said they would) and looked good... though I was unable to plant them as soon as I would have liked after I received them (which is entirely due to me, and not Gurney's) . I planted both, and have been watering daily, and both seem to be doing ok, even though I didn't get them in the ground right away.

Everything I received was well packed, and arrived in fine shape.

I purchased 3 Flowering Almond shrubs and 2 Bee Balms. I received them in a timely manner. One of the Bee Balms was sickly when I received it but I tried to baby it to see if it would live, but with no success so I emailed the company and within 5 hours they replied that they were reshipping me a replacement Bee Balm.

Then they sent me another email the next day asking me to take a survey to get my feedback on their customer service which I filled out. Then at the end of the survey they sent me a $5 coupon.

This is my first time using this company. They might have had problems in the past but they are definitely focusing on giving great customer service. I will definitely use them again.

I ordered seeds and a few plants from Gurney's this spring. The seeds and plants arrived quickly and were packaged decently. The roots of the missouri primrose are large and look very established. The double geranium is a little on the small side but the roots look healthy. I planted both immediately. I am still waiting on my two flowering almonds which should arrive this week. So far I am pretty pleased and have not had any problems.

I completed the credit card info in full on my order and Gurney's confirmation e-mail acknowledged the credit card form of payment. Plants arrived in barely acceptable condition. Now some time later I get a bill from them, telling me it's a "late payment notice", nasty language, threatening to add a $10.00 late fee (30% of the order cost) if I don't pay in 10 days!. Letter gave a billing e-mail address. I sent an e-mail and received "You have responded to a mailbox that is not monitored" Fantastic...what a way to run a business. Sent them a check and will monitor my CC statement. Also requested that I be removed from their mailing list. I don't deal with people like these! Stan

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We have tried numerous times to help take care of the problems this customer has had with their order. We have not received any reply for the information needed. We need his name and address to locate his account in order to help."

I have a similar comment regarding Gurney's shipping methods! I placed an order with Gurney's February 13th for 2 Japanese quince bushes for my mother who lives in Massachusetts (I live in Texas). I read and understood their policy that they would not ship until planting season. I received a shipping notification on March 16 telling me that the delivery estimate was 3/20 - 3/23/2006. The order has still not arrived and it shipped 3/17 via the the US Postal Service, using APX. I tracked the shipment on-line and apparently it has been sitting in Springfield MA waiting to be delivered to the local Post Office in Shelburne Falls MA. The quince bushes were a sentimental purchase so I willI wait to see what condition the plants are in before I decide to order from Gurney's again...In addition, I also have been inundated with catalogs and emails wanting me to buy more...we shall see...

i have two orders with this company that they will not ship.they claim it is backordered,but they just sent me a catalog trying to sell me more of the same stuff.in the past i have spent a lot of money with this company.they dont seam to care.they will tell you anything.i will never order from them again

I recently ordered 11 items from Gurney's this year. They sent my seeds right away, and held the plants until it was warmer weather. I was very pleased with my order. The seeds I started are growing great, the bareroots were in good condition too. I had a $25 coupon that made it even better. I'll add to this comment later in the year to let you know how the plants grew, but so far so good.

I ordered seeds, plants and a tree from this company. The seeds were shipped within a couple of days. Two of the bare root plants have arrived, but others and the tree have not. The seeds have germinated and starting to grow. The bare root plants seemed to be in good condition. The other plants and tree should be here in the next day or two according to expected ship date. I will post again when the rest of my order arrives.

After waiting for weeks for the 10 Poplar trees I ordered, I recieved a very smashed box. Inside I found 5 sticks with a bunch of shredded paper. The roots were dried out. Unfortunately, I ordered 10 not five. So now I have to wait how many more weeks for 5 more sticks. Ironically they charged my credit card in a very timely manner.

Substandard Shipping; Paid $9.85 to ship a few basic, in-stock gardening supplements from Indiana to Pennsylvania. The package shipped on March 18. By March 25, the Order status page had changed from US Postal to UPS ground and stated "order tracking is not available for this shipping method". Finally, the small box arrived on March 30 via USPS Parcel Select. UPS would have gotten it to me in 3 business days for an equal or lesser charge with package progress tracking.

The incident is not a fluke. This company is affiliated with Gardens Alive! I placed a separate order with that company which shipped on March 15. As of today, April 1, it still has not arrived. If and when it does show up, I will place a comment for that company as well.

It's a shame since both companies seem to carry such a broad range of quality products.

I ordered from this company with mixed results. The Star Magnolia arrived in great shape with an impressive root system.
I also ordered what was advertised as Meadowsweet. I thought I was getting Filipendula. What I received was Meadow Rue ( Thalictrum.) I didn't notice until after it was in the ground. If it survives, great. If not, it's going back.
I did some research and never did I come across Thalictrum listed as Meadowsweet.

We have ordered seeds from Gurneys for several years and have always been pleased. Our tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and onions that we started this year have had almost 100% germination. We are growing lettuce under lights inside and have been picking it for a month now. My favorite tomatoes are "cold set" for an early crop and "Imp.Gurney girl" for our main crop. Shipping was good and packed well. Last year we picked over 400 lbs of delicious watermelon. I bought asparagrass 2 years ago and now the plants are large and very productive. I will continue to order seed from them.

Beware that Gurney's shipping method stinks! I placed an order with Gurney's on 2/28/06 and I was notified by email that the only live plant that I ordered was shipped on March 9th. When I checked with them on March 20th, they say that they show the package was delivered to my local post office for delivery on the 15th. Upon checking with my local post office, I find that the delivery number shows that Gurney's used APX/DHL as their carrier, and that carrier received the package in Atlanta on the 14th, but does not deliver to the local post office until they have a pallet headed that way. My live blueberry bush has been sitting (and dying) in a heated warehouse in Atlanta for six days now, just because Gurney's used the cheapest, sorry carrier service that they could find. Gurney's only comment about the fact my package has not been delivered was that after 14 BUSINESS DAYS, they would reship the plant if it had not arrived by then. For a nursery company to ship live plants by such a sorry arrangement is ridiculous!

I received a coupon for $20 off any order. I ordered the red and gold raspberry combo. The plants were basically free, all I had to do was pay shipping. They were shipped on March 10th. I did not receive them until March 18th. I don't know why it took so long for the plants to get here but that was not their fault. I was actually suprised by the quality of the plants. They were nice well rooted plants and seemed to be healthy. I have planted them and will give an update a little later after they have had a chance to grow.

Last Spring I bought a Hall's Hardy Almond from Gurney's. It was smaller than the size that I had ordered and paid extra for, and it died after I planted it. I did have to wait to plant because the bareroot tree came in Feb, and there was snow on the ground. Not great planting weather. The tree came wrapped in plastic with nothing to keep the roots moist. I stored it wrapped in moistened paper towels and a plastic bag till I could plant it several weeks later.

I called them after it failed to leaf out by late Spring and they offered to send a replacement. I asked them to ship it mid March.

I just received the tree today, and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the tree bigger-5' with a nice thick straight trunk, but this time it had moist shredded newspaper in the bag to protect the roots. Unfortunately, during shipping, all the paper wound up in the branches. They should find a way to secure the packing material. But it does not seem that any harm was done.

I plan to plant the tree tomorrow, then wait and see. I really hope this one grows; it's very disappointing when plants die-esp. after all the hard work of digging and planting.

If it grows, I'll change my rating to positive.

I ordered seeds from Gurneys last year which had extremely poor germination rates, especially the corn. A different variety planted at the same time from another company (and only 10 feet away in the same type of soil) had almost 100% germination. Only the gurneys bush beans came up at a decent rate. I replanted some old corn seed I had from another company and it had way better germination than the supposedly fresh new seed from Gurneys.

I am very please with the service I've received from Gurney's.
Last year I purchased 6 raspberry plants on sale, as well as some blueberry and blackberries. For some reason only 3 of the raspberries thrived- but I wasn't expecting miracles since they were clearence.

I contacted their customer service about a refund for the black/blue berrier and replacement for the 3 raspberries. Not only did they respond quickly, but were very helpful in answering all my many many questions conscerning the use of my return check.

My replacement raspberries just arrives yesterday, and not only did they replace all 6 (even though I only asked for 3) but they are much bigger than the original shipment.

My seed order also arrived earlier than expected, and was packaged very well.

Definately will order again!

Positive, with the caviat that their seeds performed poorly.
I had trouble getting their seeds to sprout (even the Brandywine tomatoes, I don't normally have trouble with tomato seeds), but they willing refunded me. A couple of the bare root plants made it and one didn't. They were pleasant when I called.
They sent me a coupon for free merchandise the next season and I tried the dwarf blueberry combo for fun to try in pots, but I killed them (I think it was my fault). I had no idea how much of the amonium sulfate to mix into potting soil. (I couldn't find an acidic potting soil mix)

I would really like to order a tree they are offering, and probablly will if I can't find it locally.

I have ordered from Gurney's two years running and while I'm pleased with the plants after a month or two the condition they arrive in leaves much to be desired. If I walked out to my garden and saw plants looking like that I'd pull them and toss in the garbage!

I also received what was labeled as a Fernleaf Bleeding Heart last year and frankly I still don't know if there was anything in there besides damp saw dust and some dirt. I contacted them and they did take care of the matter right away by giving me a refund/coupon, I would have preferred another plant but no matter. I do find it annoying that since I'm in a cold zone I have to wait for the next planting season and expected to hang on to the blasted thing.

I've just come to expect a sick looking plant but know that it will snap out of it and be wonderful the next year. Waiting for my new catalog. :)

I ordered two flowering almond bushes from here. Both arrived on time (I ordered them late in the season), but were still moist, and packed well. Tiny little things…maybe 12 inches if that. I planted them and covered them with a Styrofoam cone because I was doubtful they would survive the winter.

We’ve had some warm weather here of late so I looked under the cones. They made it and have little buds on them, so I think they will do well. So the word is so far, so good. I’m pleased after being a bit dubious.

I am always incredulous when I see negative comments about Gurneys or Henry Fields. I have been dealing with Gurneys for over 20 years, and they have never failed to send me wonderful plants, or make something right! They sent me a "premium" cherry tree last spring, and it is already taller than a nearby Maple planted 4 years ago! I wouldn't doubt that I get cherries this spring! I love Gurneys and Henry Fields...I split an order for 40+ Robin Hood Roses 2 years ago
between them. There was absolutely no difference between the 2 orders, and both have thrived equally well...just beautiful!
Just my 2-cents! rmp

I have done business with Gurney's for several years now, taking advantage of their special offers. There have been a few problems with the plants, but they have always made it right ASAP, so I will continue to do business with them.

I have dealt with Gurney's for seeds & plants for well over 25 yrs and have never had a problem with anything. I plan to continue dealing with them in the future.

Several years ago, I bought a plum tree from Gurney's. It was in terrible condition when it arrived, so I ordered a replacement. This one arrived in an intact box, but literally looked like it had been run over. There were huge sections of torn bark in two places on the trunk. So, I asked for another replacement. This one was also in terrible shape. Miraculously, the first one was the one that ended up surviving Gurney's growing, packing and shipping departments. Never again!

Gurney's can't follow shipping directions. They screwed up shipping 2 years in a row. They won't get another chance from me. I asked for delivery at my spring home. They delivered early at my winter home. I had to lug the plants from Florida to Virginia. The actual plants were only so-so in quality.

I recently ordered 6 types of spring blooming bulbs. All arrived on time and appeared to be in good condition. Hope they come up in the Spring!

Several years ago I used this company to order bare root shrubs, and everything that arrived was healthy. Those shrubs (blue girl hollies) are now 6 feet high.

Based on my experiences, I would order from Gurney's again.

I placed an online order in April 2005 for a friend - so I have no experience with the quality of the Product. Seemed like a good deal... On the other hand, I have loads of experience with the Service. This week (October) I received a call from a collection bureau stating that I owed $28.10 to Gurney's. Funny, I had a receipt for my online purchase, have had no issues with my credit card, and received no notice in any form from Gurney's. Gurney's responded to an email inquiry stating that something had happened during the credit card transaction and they decided to ship anyway (but not contact me?). The story goes around and around from here. Gurney's refuses to offer a phone # for their accounting department - surely the easiest way to resolve this, but instead refers me to the collection bureau who now says I owe nothing. Gurney's is blowing my otherwise pretty perfect credit score with their lack of ability to have one person take ownership of an issue and work to resolve it. Too bad. I thought I would purchase more next April.

I ordered a Citrus Tree combo from Gurney's earlier in the year. I sent them an email asking when they would ship, and they stated within the fall shipping time. They DID email me the day they shipped.
The plants are small, crooked, and branched. Some of the leaves were torn despite the cute safety packaging sleeves because they were crooked and stuck out of the sleeves.
I planted them the day after I recieved them (they were very moist when I got them.) They have survived transplantation, and look OK.
Considering they were around $30 including shipping, I can not complain about the price. Gurney's was good about emailing. If you are on a budget, and dont mind raising smaller plants, they are an OK source for plants.

I ordered approximately 20 plants last March. None arrived 'til late June when it was really too late to plant them. The order came in dribs & drabs for about 6 weeks. I ordered a 24" Rose of Sharon and they didn't have any so they sent me (2) 4" plants...not very effective in hiding my garbage shed to say the least. The only bright spot is that of all the plants I did receive, the Rose of Sharons were the only ones to survive. Everything else either died quickly or did not come back the following year. Some of the order never arrived, but they waited until August to tell me that the order could not be completed and sent me a coupon in lieu of a refund! I would NEVER order from this company again.

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Gurneys contacted the customer and offered a reship, refund or a replacment certificate. To date the customer had not replied."

I ordered some blueberry bushes from them this last spring, 2005. They arrived and neither of the dwarf blueberries survived to even start growing. They were in bad condition when I received them. The other plants started to grow but within a week or so the Rubel started to turn brown. I trimmed and cleaned and checked out the situation and discovered that it had brown rot which spread to all but one of my other blueberry plants. When I reported the problems they sent one replacement dwarf plant that was worse than the others and didn't grow at all. They then said they would send me back my money. I questioned whether it would be another coupon or cash and they said cash. What I got was a coupon, however the amount was lowered by the amount of the coupon they gave me last time they owed me a refund. I called several times but they refused to change the amount of the coupon. The huge amount of this coupon was a total of $5.00, so they have lost a customer over $5. The condition of the plants has a lot to do with my decision to not buy from them again. When I first started using them a couple of years ago the plants were always top quality and in good shape. This is not what I got this year. The quality was worse than the mess I received from Burgess. I lost two other plants and the cost of purchasing them. I will use the coupon on something that can't die or need replacing and not use them again.