Comments regarding Gurney's Seed & Nursery

I have been ordering seeds and plants from Gurney's since the early 1980's. The seed has always been very vigorous. The one time that there was a mixup, they sent the correct item and didn't even ask me to send the incorrect one back to them. Occasionally they will have excellent deals on fruit trees. For instance, currently (3-9-2002) they have a buy one get one free fruit tree special. You can pay as little as $5 for a Hansen's shrub cherry, and still get an expensive one for free. By taking advantage of this, I got about $150 worth of fruit trees for only $40, including shipping. While I have heard that they were taken over by a huge conglomerate for a few years, it appears that they are now under new management. In my experience, smaller companies always give better service, so this is probably a good thing.

I purchase $30 of root plants in 2001 and was very unhappy-none of them grew.
They say they guarantee their products, but all my emails were returned "undeliverable"
Then I heard they went out of business.
I just got a new catalog and it is going in the garbage.
Their new owner has a FAQ page on the website, were they basicly say that they can't do anything about any problems from the previous owners. I think they have a big problem if they don't make these people happy again. They could send us gift certificates.
I am sticking to my local growers.

They had my money in the spring 2001, $200. It took along time for me get that much saved for trees and plants. I call and called, and all they could say is that it was on back order. Then I get a card in the mail, to make some kind off claim, but it doesn't say anything about getting money or plants back. I had also paid to have holes dug for the trees I will never receive?

They said they are under new management and try to get back their reputation. They still have a mirror companey names HenryField's. Both has some format catalogs and websites. Their seeds was ok last year with old management, but plants were so so.

Last spring we ordered 4 rose bushes, 2 butterfly bushes, 1 hosta and a small variety of seeds. Two of the roses were DOA the other 2 so weak they would not grow. The 2 butterflys were very small and stressed, did poorly. After a very slow start the hosta did grow and the seeds were ok. After some phone calls they did refund the money on the roses and butterflys. NO MORE ORDERS FROM US..
Greenwood & Sugar

I am in the process of developing a planting plan for my family's 300 acre farm. I call them to ask about growth rates for certain trees they offer and what fertilizing shedual they would recommend to obtain good growth. The person tried to help, but was only able to tell me what was printed in the catalog or what was apparently prepared for them as a sale pitch. No one else could apparently help. I won't buy from them.

The company ripped me off last year. They could not get my order straight sending me random plants that I did not want and not sending me what I did order. What came was poor quality (to be kind) and damaged goods. They repeatedly promised to fix things but did not. Then were unlocatable/contactable when they reportedly went into bankruptcy.
BEWARE! I just got a catalog from them for this year! The NERVE!

This company is not located in Yankton, SD anymore. Seeds are ok but any bare root plants are beyond help when you get them. Dry and shrivelled up, they don't come back even if you soak them in water.

HAD DONE SOME BUSINESS WITH THEM AND RECEIVED FINE SERVICE.

In winter of 2001 I ordered strawberries, kidney beans, mulberry trees and sweet potatoes. In July I received lima beans and a notice stating I would receive the rest of my order in time for fall planting[?] as it was back ordered. THEN I got the postcard. Bankruptcy. With all these companies interwoven, who are we to put our trust in?

We purchased 10 redbud trees at the average height of 2 ½ feet. We bought from them rather than the nursery because of the price difference and their guarantee. When the package arrived they were a bit dried out. But hopeful, we planted all ten trees. Several months later, after watering several times a week according to the weather, still nothing, including the bark test. No green, dry and brittle easy to break. Promptly sent in our credit request, here we are three months later nothing. I can see why they are into chapter 13. No more for us or anyone we talk with.

I have just arrived at your page while attempting to get Gurneys on the web. I also have tried for some time now to get them by phone without success. I placed an order early in the spring; the total was in the neighborhood of $82.00. The two trees came and a pack of flower seed and stated that the grass seed would follow separately. The grass seed never arrived to be planted in august, when I would usually plant it here; finally, I felt I had been forgotten and one of the trees had died despite my careful attention. I expected them to replace that little stem that I had paid $32.00 for and also send my grass seed - I made an attempt to get them by phone to no avail. I thought of it again and tonight I started to check with them again and found this message of THEM GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. I guess I've lost that deal.

Several years ago I purchased blueberries from Gurney's. All but one died and although promised, they were never replaced. This year I thought I'd try again. I ordered 80 mixed raspberry plants because of the fine selection. All but two have died. Another company's raspberry plants purchased at the same time and planted in the same place in the same way have survived. I received a notice that all would be replaced in early Sept. Tried to call repeatedly in last week of Sept to no avail. Discovered bankruptcy proceedings via internet. I suspect that my hundred plus dollars are down the tube.

Gurney and Henry Fields ship bare root trees and shrubs. I have yet to have one live! Their perennials also come bare root and I have a 50% viability. Their low cost plants are tempting but, unfortunately, the money you save is lost waiting for your plant to come out of its "death-like dormancy". After months of waiting, you finally realize that the "dormant" plant is real dead as a doornail! They're good to replace or refund but how many years in a row will they do this? No, thanks but I'll spend more money to buy local plants or collect the seeds and grow my own!

My order placed in the spring of 2001 arrived only partially, bareroot stock extremely dry and late. Most of the order did not arrive, which probably simply saved me from planting dead vegetative matter, since what was planted did not show any signs of life. Repeated attempts to contact by phone and mail received no response. The phone connection was never actually made, always busy. Now I know why. Too bad they went down without class, because at one time Gurney's was a reputable company with good stock, and they backed up their product. They apparently managed to cash plenty of checks without any accountability. I just hope the bankruptcy laws don't shelter the scoundrels who took customer money without any requirements of restitution.

I guess this explains the poor quality and service I received from them this year. Approximately 80% of the product failed partially because of an extremely late arrival and the poor quality of the stock shipped. Had attempted to contact them about refund or new product with no success. I guess it will be a moot point at this time with their subsequent filing for bankruptcy.

I've just got to say Iım truly disappointed in Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. and the care Iıve gotten with my order. My husband went to a great deal of work to put it together and get it sent out in early March. We have yet to receive one of the items ordered and when I wrote 7/23/01 to request my money back, Iıve received absolutely no response. Just now, today (October 23), I found out that they've filed for bankruptcy. I guess if they've given the same service to others as they have to me, I'm glad they're out of business! I should have figured when I'd spent over 6 hours during 2 1/2 days trying to call and check on my order in early May.

I mailed an order for about $100 worth of stuff from Gurney's 8 June. My check cleared the bank 15 June. To date I've received NOTHING (it's now 1 Aug.). I have yet to get through on the phone, although I have spent an estimated 4.5 hours on hold. This was the first time I'd ever ordered from Gurney's.

I purchased plants from Gurney's and received partials which all have died. It was not possible to contact them by phone so I emailed them and got a response that they received email; however, they did not respond with a solution to the problem. Lucky enough I charged it on American Express. I dare them to charge my account. What a joke they are. I have waited 9 weeks for my order. After many attempts I have given up trying. I know now to purchase locally.

This March I ordered over $500 worth of bulbs trees and bushes from Gurney's by mail. By early June nothing had arrived. Calls to their customer support or sales number were always busy. I finally got through to them in June and canceled my order, and was told I'd get a refund in 3 weeks. No refund has arrived and I see they are in bankruptcy, after having cashed my check.

I ordered $138 in plants from them and should have stuck the money in the ground it may have grown better. I paid in full and nothing grew; they can't be reached by phone or internet. I think they should make good before they bail out. If anyone can help me find these plants please let me know. I hope that there is a real plant company out there but this experience has scared me on ordering from a magazine. How do you find the reputable places?

I also have purchased many trees and plants from Gurneys over the last ten years. The last few years, the quality of stock has dramatically declined. I purchased a Harlequin Maple last fall and it never sprouted. When I tried to call for a refund, I (obviously along with many others) couldn't get thru to them via phone or email, or regular mail either. I suppose the customer is out of luck with the filing of bankruptcy.

I ordered many plants from Gurneys. The 5 bellflowers arrived dead and 2 Canterbury Bells did not grow. I started emailing them in June to ask for replacements to no avail. I also tried calling them and only got the busy signal! Now I know why----they are out of business. From now on, no more mail order for me. I will stick with my local garden centers.

After years of seeing ads for Foster & Gallagher's great nurseries, I place a $500 order with Gurneys. >From the beginning it was a mess; charged my card before shipping, lied about the ship date even though the postmark showed the real date; didn't send 1/4 of the order, but charge me the full amount, when I called, the talking head said new plants were on the way - nothing came. Now I read Foster & Gallagher has shut down all but their "Gift Group" Another reason to shop at local nurseries on a cash & carry basis and expect NO support.

I have ordered things from Gurneys for several years now. In April I ordered a big bulk of strawberries, they were not shipped together; one bulk was brown I put them out anyways and about 60% greened up and are doing ok, the rest shriveled up totally and never did anything. I had also placed a order of thornless blackberries I was first notified it would come in a later shipment. Then on June 6, I was sent a postcard stating due to unseasonable poor growing conditions they will be shipped between Sept 1 and Oct. 30th.I guess I will cross my fingers, since that time has not yet come. I have attempted to contact them by phone numerous times; there has been a busy signal every time. I knew when I placed my orders it was sent from Stark Brothers in Louisiana, MO which is close to my residence but when I heard they were closing, I checked into the Gurney's status and was shocked with disappointment.

I've dealt with this company along time. I've never had a problem with them I ordered casper beans they are beautiful. Gurney's is the only place I can get them. I hate to see them go - GOOD COMPANY.

I have ordered from gurneys for over 16 years and never had a problem and they are always willing to work with you.

I ordered several items from Gurney's, the seeds shipped were the wrong seeds and they arrived too late to plant, I also ordered potato sets finally received a package (also too late) and the package was empty except for a packing slip and advertisements tried contacting them by e-mail several times but never received an answer. I'll never buy from them again and neither will any of my friends.

I ordered from Gurney last year and was very pleased. The trees are doing wonderful. I should have stuck with them even though they were a little more expensive.

This year is my first time trying to mail-order plants. I've placed orders with four places, all about the same time. Gurney's is the first to deliver. Granted, it was a small, simple order, but I'm very happy with the turnaround and feedback via email. The plants arrived bareroot packaged in a plastic bag with some loose dirt. My fiance was shocked at the site of them, with it not looking like a plant at all, but it's exactly what the site claimed. Anyway, after being planted a few days, both are coming up nicely. Only time will tell, but as of right now I'd order from them again.

I've ordered from Gurney's for several years--until last fall only seeds. They messed up orders in small ways a few times, but always quickly corrected the problem when contacted. I've been very happy with their seeds and have always had good results. However, last fall I ordered peonies and by the time they arrived I was assuming that my ordered had been lost in the mail. I didn't get an order confirmation until 8 or 10 weeks after the order was sent, and then they arrived very late for planting. I planted them anyway but don't have much hope they survived the winter. I noticed that their perennial plant catalogue comes out of Michigan instead of North Dakota where the seeds come from--wonder if it's a different company.

We ordered about 60 fruit, nut and other trees from Gurney's two years ago. Of course we also got some freebies to go with them. The freebies bit the big one, and about 4 of the trees didn't ever sprout. But Gurney's replaced the trees, and two years later I have a beautiful little orchard with fruit and nut trees. And the shade trees are flourishing too! I will order from Gurney's again. The bare root trees need to be planted right away. Don't let them dry out. If you can't plant them immediately, at least cover the roots with 4-6 inches of dirt until you can plant them.

I've ordered from Gurneys twice in the past and had to call numerous times for both orders to get things right. On the first order they sent many of the wrong plants (i.e., I got strawberry plants rather than a strawberry guava houseplant, etc.). They sent 3 or 4 shipments before getting things right. On the upside, I got a lot of extra plants I didn't have to pay for, and some even lived. This past fall I ordered some bulbs and two trees. The trees haven't come yet; they were out and will have to wait until spring to send them. I had to call once or twice to get an answer about where my trees are. They sent the bulbs too late to be planted. They came after the ground started freezing and I couldn't get them planted in time. I would say that I wouldn't order from them again except their inexpensive offers and free shipping certificates are sure to draw me in again.

Since retiring and building in a new subdivision, I discovered PBM. This year I decided to try a couple of different companies in addition to my absolute favorites. Bad mistake! Packaging was almost non-existent the products were in very sad shape. I had similar luck with Gurney's and a Harry Lauder Walking stick. That's all I got was a stick about 8" long with a 90 degree bend and no buds. It was dead and getting replacement nearly caused my own. Never again from either of these companies and I was sorry to see one show up in the collection of companies on MySeasons.com.

My experience with Gurney's has been mixed. The strawberry plants I ordered were stated to be able to fruit even in the hot, humid southern summers. I live in north Florida, so this sounded like just the thing for me. Well, the bare root plants sprang to life right away and Iactually received 27-28 plants, though I ordered only 25. The test of a true zone 8 Florida summer showed that the plants produced only 2 tiny berries. To be honest, it was my first mail order of strawberry plants and the plants are all still alive and putting runners -if not fruit-everywhere. Ah, maybe they will do something during the hot, humid southern winter. As for Gurney's seeds, they are really good. Imagine harvesting large, tender spinach leaves in mid June in Florida! Gurney's Olympia Hybrid spinach did just that and it is the best tasting and largest of any spinach I have grown. I can't recommend this one enough to southern gardeners - or any one for that matter. The Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe seeds were equally impressive and extremely sweet. For kids, Gurney's has this fantastic 10 cent seed packet offer. It's probably just the stuff swept up off the floor, but the packets are huge and have everything from tiny flower seeds to beans and melons. The variety of seed sizes and colors would make this one interesting to any kid and it sure fits within their budget!

A few years ago I ordered enough Barberry bushes to make a hedge all the way across the back of my lot. A few didn't make it but Gurney's promptly sent me ample replacements and they worked for me. I only go to gurney's if I need a large amount of something but I was satisfied with them.

I've been ordering off and on from Gurneys for about 4 years now. I am a professional landscaper and California Certified Nurseryman. Although I'd never use the plants I order from them for anyone but myself, I've always been very happy with them.They have an incredible selection of very affordable plants, bulbs, seeds, and supplies. The key here is to keep in mind that "you get what you pay for." Often times, their plants arrive bare root and/or very "dead looking." With proper care and planting, I've had a nearly 90% success rate with their plant products (including bulbs and seed). Often times, plants have required much care the first year in order to become properly established, but nearly always I have been quite pleased with the end result. Those few times I was unsatisfied with something in my order, the people over at Gurneys were very nice about compensating me, most often with a credit toward my next order (which is my preference). I've been blessed with a wonderful and exciting garden (yes, it's exciting). I'm very pleased, and I have Gurneys in part to thank for it.

Another example of getting what you pay for - or even less! The plants I received from Gurney's did not arrive by planting time - the asparagus arrive a full six weeks past planting time - and did not arrive in good condition. Five out of the twelve Purple King asparagus plants made it, and none of my butterfly bushes or eucalyptus ever made it. Not a huge surprise, given the manner in which they were packaged and (I used the term loosely) rooted. The best survival rate came from the bare root Nanking and Hansen's cherries, fully half of which survived. The germination rate for the seeds has been decent, but resulting in rather puny plants.I did call and, when I could finally get through, ask for replacements. Gurney's is yet another company that takes orders twenty four hours a day, and takes complaints and questions only from the hours of 2:15 to 2:45 pm of every fifth Wednesday - during which the period the line will, of course, be busy. I ran that obstacle course twice - the first and second set of replacements were just as dead as the originals - before giving up. NOT a company I'm going to fall for, again.

I won't order from Gurney's again. My order arrived on March 15, 2000 - with still several inches of snow on the ground just outside of Boston (zone 5!) I kept them cool & moist until I could plant them. By end of May, 1 of 6 clematis & 1 of 4 blueberry did not leaf out. I got a busy signal every time I tried calling their Customer Service from late May into mid-June. I sent emails with no response after 3 weeks. I'm sure glad I didn't spend a bundle there!