Comments regarding Michigan Bulb

I made a purchase on 3/8/12 of:


Qty Ordered

Item Number

Item Description

Delivery Estimate












1

58222

3-IN-1 BUTTERFLY BUSH

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

76750

BLAZING STAR LIATRIS

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

65731

BLUE MOON HYDRANGEA

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

06417

DOUBLE MOCK ORANGE

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

07005

MIXED COLUMBINE

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

72813

PINK HYDRANGEA

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

72812

PURPLE PASSION HYDRANGEA

03/22/12-04/12/12



1

85346

TEXAS MINI ROSE

03/22/12-04/12/12

Half of the order arrived sickly. The rose and all the hydrangeas were in pathetic health. I tried to plant them to see if they would survive. They did not. I tried emailing the customer service link twice to get a replacement rose and a credit for the hydrangeas. I have not heard back.

On a plus side the bulbs I ordered are great, they are all thriving very well. Also the Butterfly Bush and the Mock Orange are doing well.


I am not sure I would order from them again at this point as if there is a problem there seems to be no resolution for it. I am very disappointed by this seeing how there is suppose to be a lifetime guarantee on their plants which was one of the reasons why I chose to do business with them in the first place.

"On Apr 21, 2012 12:23 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order. Our customer service representative will contact you for your account information and reship these items to you."

Ordered several items from the Michigan Bulb Company and many items arrived dead, from the look of them they were of very poor quality to begin with, another item was described as a Goji Berry Tree, it was at best a teeny-weeny twig.

Gardens Alive (which is affiliated with Michigan Bulb Company) had a special coupon so I ordered three (free) tomato plants, they were to be shipped the end of March and here it is Mid-April and nothing, nada, none...get it! Do NOT order form either of these companies---scammers.

"On Apr 21, 2012 12:26 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your posting. I can assure you we are not scammers. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information so we can reship the items that did not survive and check on the tomato plants for you."

Posted on April 12, 2012, updated April 14, 2012
Made my first order about April 5, 2012 with high hopes for better service and product than some of the other posters had. My order went thru, credit card accepted, page said print conf page and you will receive a confirmation email within 24 hrs. Firstly, the confirmation page wouldn't print so I don't know my account #, which means I can't check my order status. Did NOT receive conf email as promised so didn't even know if order went thru, only way I saw that it did was they IMMEDIATELY charged my credit card!!! Someone in customer service is working, their money is more important to them than their customers!!!!
I have sent customer service 4 emails asking about his, and still NO answer to any of them. SHODDY service to say the least - so now what do I do???? Cry the blues like all the other customers who posted negative comments and wait see!!! What a way to run a business, it's a wonder they are still operating, although I do remember in the past that Gurney's was the same way.....so am I surprised????

"On Apr 21, 2012 12:30 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your post and apologize you did not receive your order confirmation. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on your order for you."

I had a decent sized order. Everything came and everything was alive; good quality too.

"On Apr 21, 2012 12:27 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Great to hear, thank you for sharing!"

I've bought a lot from Michigan Bulb through the years, and, as part of the Gurney's family, their trees are going to be poor, so just be careful about that part.

But, if you know what you're getting, this is a great resource. I ordered some roses, and they were puny, sure enough, but were cheap, a variety I wanted, and own-root. It's going to take some time for them to grow, but if you're willing to wait, and want to save money, that's what Michigan Bulb is about.

Just be aware their plants are going to be small, and they don't hide it. That's why you're getting a great price. With those expectations, I've overall been pleased with what I got from them. That puny rose I got this year will be much larger next year, have a nice shape (unlike grafted roses), and I'll have saved a lot of money. Michigan Bulb serves that market.

"On Apr 21, 2012 10:41 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We appreciate you letting us know about your plants. Happy Gardening!"

I have e-mailed customer service 3 times with a question about what zone we are in.

I clicked on the zone information and put in my zip code and it states that they can't find my code.

However, since they will not respond to my request to customer service it does not make me feel secure in ordering any plants from them.

"On Apr 21, 2012 10:25 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize for the trouble with our zone finder. I would be happy to find your zone for you. Can you post your zip code and I will let you know your zone."

The double knock-out roses that I ordered took a long time to get here and when they did arrive the dirt from the tiny little pots that the tiny little rose bushes (more like dried up sticks!) was all spilled out in the box along with a couple of the roses. Not a good experience at all. I went ahead and planted them, but they are not looking good. If this is the best Michigan Bulb Co. can do, then it is not worth ordering from them.

"On Apr 10, 2012 9:49 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize the package arrived in disarray. Please let us know if the roses do not survive and we will be happy to reship them to you."

I placed 2 separate orders on March 22 and my credit card was charged appropriately. As alsakerm above stated, I too was unable to print the confirm page for my records nor did I receive confirmation emails. I have sent 4 emails to this company and haven't heard a peep. I do not want to hear "it's the busiest time of the year" because there are many other flower companies who are also experiencing volume overload and yet they are able to get their products shipped and answer emails!

I called the number I found here on Davesgarden and was told that the rep couldn't help me because I failed to give an account number! HOW CAN I GIVE AN ACCOUNT NUMBER IF THE EMAILS NEVER CAME?! I said my name, email address, phone number street address are no help at all? And then the oh-so-unhelpful person hung up on me!

I feel like Michigan Bulb is nothing but a scam. I will never, ever order anything from them again. There are many reputable companies out there who care about good customer relations and I would rather spend my money with them rather than sitting here wondering if I'll ever get my order before Spring 2013! At this point, I just want my money back.

"On Apr 10, 2012 9:27 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize for the problem you had with our agent and trying to get your confirmation. We can definately send it to you. A customer service represenative will contact your your information and email one to you right away."

Posted on March 30, 2012, updated April 5, 2012
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Posted on March 27, 2012, updated March 27, 2012
I have recently had the same issues that another person had.
I ordered my items on 3/10/12, and as yet, they have not shipped. I've sent 2 emails to Michigan Bulb, and have not received a single response after 4 days. The date for shippment keeps moving out, too.

Annoying. Based on the other post, I'll need to check my cards to make sure that I haven't been double-billed, too.

"On Mar 27, 2012 4:24 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the delay in responding to your email. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on your order for you."

My expectations were not sky high, due to the low price and a few of the reviews here. I recieved my shipment today (right on time), of summer bulbs, blueberry shrubs, peony tubers, and a few odds and ends. Everything was larger than expected, and looked great. Very great looking roots and plants. I'm very pleased and will order from Michigan Bulb again soon!

"On Apr 4, 2012 10:40 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with our company. Happy Gardening to you!"

Posted on May 12, 2009, updated April 2, 2012
I really feel that Michigan Bulb Co get's a bad wrap. I have never had any troubles with this company. I just called them yesterday about a rose I purchased that isn't coming out of dormancy. They are replacing it, no questions asked. While there have been times that their plants don't come out of dormancy, I know I can call them any time and they will replace it for me. That's terrific customer service.

I recently had six bareroot plants in the vegetable drawer of my fridge for well over a month because of bad weather. I pulled them out in late April, and they had started sprouting while still in the bags. Once planted, all of them are coming up and looking great. I love ordering from this company. The price is right, and they have fantastic service.

"On Apr 3, 2012 2:00 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback once again. We truly appreciate your understanding our plants and sharing this with our other customers."

I ordered the Rembrandt tulip bulbs. They arrived in a timely manner. However, they ARE NOT what I ordered. I can buy regular tulips cheaper at Walmart. This is a ripoff. All the years in the past I have bought from Michigan Bulb were really great. Now you have gone to pot. I can't even get a reply from them. Terrible way to do business. But then, who cares about the customer anymore.

"On Apr 3, 2012 2:04 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize for the trouble with your order. We will be happy to rehship the correct plants to you. Our representative will contact you for your account information."

I placed an order,everything went through just fine after I put my charge card number in,and it came to a page that said to "print for your records" and that an email would be sent to me shortly.I went to click to print and a different page came up,the page cleared before I could print the info.I have checked my email numerous times,I sent a message to the company and still no confirmation email from them,nor any response to my email asking them about my order.
Seriously I dont know if I should cancel the payment or not with absolutely no order number to give to this company..I'm only stating "negative" simply because this company has not responded to my questions and provided me with a confirmation email.

"On Apr 3, 2012 2:06 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize for the problems you had with our website. One of our representatives will contact you for your account information and send your confirmation to you."

Order Number: 20810825900

I placed an order on March 21st and have watched as the delivery date progresses further into the month of April. I am hopeful that this experience will not be later deemed negative, as there appear to be many unhappy customers on this site who have encountered the same difficulties receiving their orders. The link to customer service on their website would not process my order inquiry.

"On Apr 3, 2012 2:08 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your feedback. One of our representatives will contact you for your account infomation and check on your order for you."

So far my experience has been negative. I placed my first order a few days ago but made an error with my e-mail address that I did not realize until my order was completed. I have sent 2 e-mails requesting assistance to fix this and updates on the order of my status. I have heard nothing but the money has been applied from my account. Now I'm worried that I'm out the money and won't receive anything.

"On Apr 3, 2012 2:11 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We apologize for he delay in response to your emails. This is our busiest time of year and we sometimes get behind. One of our representatives will contact you for your account information and make sure your email address is updated."

I just ordered for the first time from this company. I received their magazine in the mail with a coupon for 50% off my entire order and $8.75 shipping. So I ordered almost $200 worth of plants. All of the plants are twigs but I expected that. But they were healthy and had great roots! Out of everything I ordered I only had to have the trumpet vine and strawberries replaced. Which isn't bad for how much I bought. The trees are already blooming! They have the best customer service I have ever dealt with. Very friendly and completely hassle free! I Already started recommending them to everyone else. I would defiantly buy from them again in the future.

"On Apr 3, 2012 1:56 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We really appreciate your glowing review, thank you and Happy Gardening!"

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Until I receive my plants, my experience will remain neutral. I have never dealt with Michigan Bulb, but I am already regretting it after reading this page, as well as my own experience thus far.

Had I known this company ships plants when they have "had time to grow enough", I would have taken my business elsewhere.
I figured it would be like ordering from Home Depot or any other live plant vendor; those companies advertize the plants because they are in season, in stock and ready to be shipped as soon as your order is placed.

I would not be so frustrated if I didn't have such a limited time to plant due to being Active Duty Armed Forces. I am on leave now, but due to go back soon. Since I have placed my order, the shipping date has changed DAILY and that is not good. I know they could just send me my plants next Spring, but that would do no good, as I don't know if I will be deployed or not then, either.

Bottom line, don't order from this company if you are Military or if you have a job that requires you to leave at a moment's notice for extended periods of time (especially if you have no one to plant for you).

I sent them an email, so hopefully they will respond quickly and expedite my order...we will see.

"On Mar 14, 2012 4:30 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I checked on your orders for you and order 20681935200 is shipping today and your other order I put on a rush to have it shipped right away.

Received a first order from this company today -- 9 plants total, 6 bareroot, 3 potted plants. The 3 potted helebores look in great shape -- will see how the others grow, but everything looks good at this stage. Received what I ordered in good time, received an appropriate email to let me know they were on the way, and so far am a pleased customer. I had read this page first, so the order was placed in the spirit of taking a chance.

"On Mar 27, 2012 4:22 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with our company. Happy Gardening!"

All I can say is that I am very frightened by the comments on this page....I wish I had seen this website prior to placing my order with Michigan Bulb. After further probing around on the website, I find it hard to believe that a company that is so well known does not have a phone number listed for customer service. Also, I placed my order and the ship date has already been move back a few days, but yet my payment has been taken from my credit card already! What kind of company takes payment before shipping? There is a full 3-4 week lapse between payment taken/shipping date. That is scary. I am very concerned about the plants I will receive and the time frame in which I will receive them. My zone falls within current shipping dates, so why has my order been pushed back again? We are having unseasonably warm temperatures, and planting outside at this time should not be of any concern. I requested a quick ship date when I placed my order, but from the sound of it, Michigan Bulb does not aim to please customers. Also, I wish I would have checked their guarantee better. Thirty days is not long enough to know if plants are going to survive. I will take this as an unfortunate and expensive learning lesson and at this point I'm thinking I will not be ordering from Michigan Bulb again. I guess we'll see if and when my order arrives, I change my mind. Will try to keep updating. Also, very confused as to why Michigan Bulb representatives are posting on this website??? What is that all about??? Maybe that time could be better utilized if they focused on their customer service.

"On Mar 27, 2012 4:21 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate you posting your concerns about your order. If you have any probems at all please let us know and we will be happy to take care of it for you."

I am impressed with how quickly the plants came. I ordered from Springhill Farms a week earlier but Michigan Bulbs actually came first. I ordered mostly tubers but the small Ketchup and Mustard rose bush had no damage at all. It is healthy color and about 6 inches tall. The Beacon Silver I received was small and had some dark leaves on the edges. I just got it so I am not sure how it will fair later on. I will re-post if any of the plants die or do not seem up to standard. But over all I like how cheap and how quick this company runs!

"On Mar 27, 2012 2:41 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about your order. If your Beacon Silver does not do well for you just let us know and we will be happy to send you a new one."

I ordered a climbing rose from Michigan despite so many
bad ratings. I received the rose, bareroot in February
and I am in zone 7. Normally it would be to early to plant
the ground being hard, but not this year, it was warm so
I planted immediately. The rose is now about 12 inches
high and doing great. I was very pleased with their service, however, I don't think I would order a large amount due to all the problems other people have had with their
orders.

"On Mar 23, 2012 4:47 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Wonderful, nice to hear, thank you for sharing."

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I am real customer. :)

Account Number: 47281879

Order Number:   11261181501

This is my first experience with Michigan bulb. I purchased 7 different living plants, and they came in two shipping. First shipping been delivery but It lost on the way may be stolen or wrong house. I was worried but I send them email and they have very great customer service. They answered my question in the next business day, no quicker it can be. And they promise to redelivery within 5 days. Oh wow, they solved problem as fast as a lightning. They are nice and very polite. Life time guarantee is not their promise but the fact. The shipping that came to me already is dwarf lime. It is well packed, very healthy and beautiful. I was surprised by the size a bit it is about
5-6 inches above the dirt. But for the price that come with life time guarantee, I am just very happy with it. I will come back again and tell you how the other plants look. I have my own blog and Facebook, I 'll be posting all pictures when each plant just came and how they grow. So far I recommend who never has experience, their plants are inexpensive and customer service is great. A+++ :)

I have been purchasing plants from Michigan bulb for 10+ years. I was satisfied up unitl the products started becoming less and less healthy. I ordered lupines from them 36 plants for $38. Not a bad deal except they were all out of the special sale priced lupines and returned my money. I suspect this was a glitch on their web site, but to lie and say they ran out...... I don't buy that. So I ordered the more expensive lupines and for three years running they have not come up and needed to be replaced. Each year I contact them and each year they apologize and send new plants that fail to come up the next year. Last year they send me a refund check. I contacted them and told them I prefer plant replacement as the warranty says I have the chioce. So they send me a bill for shipping? I again contact them and decide ok if I have to repay the shipping I'll take the refund and go to Wal*Mart with my money and buy plants. Low and behold they agree to send me new plants with no shipping cost. I am happy thinking it was all a misunderstanding until the replacement plants arrive. There are no distinguishable bare roots to be found. I have planted the bags of dirt they sent, but am pretty sure when you plant dirt you grow dirt. I took photos of the bags before opening and after opening just in case, but I'm thinking at this point I am better off with the lesson of buying plants from large mail order companies who obviously employ packers that do not know the difference between dirt and plants. Oh and my bittersweet vine is a lovely vine with no blooms. It's been three years and still no blooms... now thats what I call bittersweet. Thanks for the catalog I am cutting out the pictures to put in my garden right now.

"On Mar 13, 2012 12:19 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate you taking the time to let us know about the problem with your plants. We apologize for the problem. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account informaton."

I am giving a negative rating for one reason. Given that this company does business online and that the use of virtual credit card numbers is de rigueur for me as well as a very large number of online purchasers, the fact that Michigan Bulbs *will not accept virtual credit card numbers* is a complete showstopper.

I spent about an hour going through their catalog making my choices, then placed my order online. Today I finally received a confirmation email followed by another email stating there was a problem with my charging my credit card. So I spent another hour on the phone trying to find out what the problem was because I could see that my credit card company had accepted the charge. After cancelling the virtual number, creating a new one and seeing that my credit card company had cleared the purchase, the operator asked me if the number I gave her was a virtual card number, which it was. So after she put me on hold for 15 minutes, to check on something, she informs me that Michigan Bulb does *not* accept virtual credit card numbers. She said this was their policy. There is no way that I am going to give out my actual card number, so I cancelled my order.

I find it almost unbelievable that a company whose business depends upon online ordering can have this policy and stay in business. I know of two virtual credit card apps: Shop Safe and Virtual Numbers. These are provided to customers of Bank of America and CitiBank respectively. Obviously *not* fly-by-night companies. The apps create a virtual number that is tied to your credit card account. You can safely make an online purchase with your credit card with a virtual number that has an expiration date and maximum amount that you, the buyer, can set. This is the first time I have experienced a business not accepting my virtual credit card. In fact, I don't know what caused Michigan Bulbs to reject my purchase method in the first place. The vendor is not supposed to have anyway of knowing the difference between a virtual number and an actual one. And my credit card company had accepted the charge about 2-3 minutes after the operator entered it into her system. It makes no sense. This is the way things are done now and I will not do business online with anyone who will not accept virtual credit card numbers, as *every* company that I order from online or make a payment to over the phone does.

It just boggles the mind.

Catherine Nance

I have received there catalog for many years but never ordered
thinking at these low prices the plants could not be any good.So I
decided to give them a chance and I have to say I was pleasantly
surprised when I received my order.My order included mix bag of
hostas and daylilys and specific plants of both.The hostas had small sprouts and excellent root systems ,with the root systems being the main thing I was concerned about.The daylilys had great root systems and were just starting to leaf out.The order came in just at the right time for planting.If they can keep up the good quality I'll definitely buy again.

"On Mar 5, 2012 4:32 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for sharing your experience with us, we appreciate you letting us know and that is well with your plants."

I have ordered several times over the past few years from Michigan Bulb Co, and have always had good results. Admittedly sometimes there are delays because the plants apparently are grown by different suppliers but they have always been the highest quality even though small. They grow very fast because of the excellent packaging and freshness of the plants received. I just called them yesterday on two plants that had been delivered somewhere during the time I was gone on a months vacation and they immediately rescheduled a shipment to me. They have the best price and shipping cost of just about any mail order company. I am a retired nurseryman myself and really appreciate their customer service. Considering everything about them I will rate them excellent.

"On Feb 15, 2012 11:20 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful testimonial about our plants. We have very nice plants for good prices in this tough economic time."

Caution!! Do not order from this company. There is no lifetime guarantee. They send you a letter confirming your order and tell you to get your garden ready. Then you hear nothing till you are real concerned about being ripped off. Surprise you have been!! They file bankruptcy. That's all! Your money is gone, there is no order to replace,so,no guarantee or any other word from this company. Then you see they have re-opened same name and everything! Don't believe me? Check pages 6&7 on the negatives. It happened to me about 10+ years back.

"On Feb 3, 2012 11:03 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your posting. We apologize for the problems you had with the past owners of Michigan Bulb. We purchased Michigan Bulb out of bankruptcy in 2001. Unfortunately, we did not receive any billing information, order information or money paid on orders when we purchased the old company. However, as the new owners, we will try to assist you in anyway we can. Please provide proof of purchase such as a canceled check, credit card statement or invoice and we will issue a credit that can be used to make a purchase, which will then be covered by our lifetime guarantee. If you are unable to provide proof of purchase, we will be happy to extend an offer of $20.00 off of merchandise totaling $40.00 or more.
"

First ordered from them seven years ago , At first I almost laughed at the plant size . Boy was I wrong my butterfly bushes are now huge 8 foot tall goliaths . My rose of sharons are now 6 feet tall and bloom furiously . All in all the starter plants they send have always came to my doorstep in good health and if you take the time to baby them you end up with some beautiful shrubs and perennials that rival anything purchased at a local nursery for 3 times the price . If you have the patience and nurture your sticks you receive you can have some great results . And one cant beat their lifetime guarantee .

"On Dec 11, 2011 12:51 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful testimonial about our plants. It is true, even though they are starter plants they will turn out every bit as nice as the bigger plants you pay the bigger price for, and we have our lifetime guarantee."

I ordered 2 rose of sharons last year. They arrived in small pots and to my surprise fully leafed out with dark green leaves. Very healthy.

Would recommend this company.

"On Nov 29, 2011 12:58 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate you sharing your experience with our company. Happy Gardening!"

I placed an order for plants and bulbs on 10/24/2011. Went to their websight for order status, and noted that my order will ship between 11/23 and 12/3. I sent them an email requesting earlier shipment, since the ground will be frozen and impossible to plant anything by then. They then postponed shipment to 12/3. The plants will arrive here during the next week, when there will most likely be snow on the ground! The ground is already frozen and we've already had snow! The plants will not keep until next spring if I don't plant them!!! So, what do I do??? Throw them out and ask Mich. Bulb to replace next spring? They did this for 4 years in a row, and had to have stuff replaced the following spring! I should have known better than to place another order with them, but I couldn't resist their good prices! When will I learn my lesson? And when will Mich Bulb learn when to ship?? How can they make any money if they have to constantly replace plants they ship too late??

"On Nov 25, 2011 1:30 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. A customer service representative will contact you for your account information and check on your order for you."

Posted on October 20, 2011, updated November 9, 2011
I ordered from this company for many times. Not because they have great plants, but sometimes can't resist the low price. To be frank, usually half of the plants didn't make it. Bulbs are fine, just small. The two clematis I just got all have pale yellow leaves, don't know how long they will last.

Anyway, you get what you paid for.

"On Oct 21, 2011 2:22 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for any problems you had with our plants. We offer a lifetime guarantee. A customer service representative will contact you for your account information and we can reship the items to you."

As everyone has said the shipping date for my items was pushed back several times. I did receive all my bulbs in time to plant, however the box stunk of mildew and the bulbs were sooo itty Bitty! If you can't resist the prices, go ahead and buy, but for a few extra bucks why not buy from a small business who's invested in their product and really cares about what they send you and whether or not it lives? My spouse and I were in awe of the difference between Michigan bulb lily bulbs and ones we bought from another smaller company! One was as big as my fist, and the Michigan bulb (which has already sprouted, not good) was the size of a walnut! Buy elsewhere!!

"On Oct 21, 2011 2:32 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. Our bulbs may be economical and a little smaller in size but will produce the same quality and size plant as a bigger bulb. We also offer a lifetime guarantee on our products. Any growth development will stop once a hard frost hits. This will not affect the bulb, as any green growth will put nutrients back into the bulb for the spring season.

"

I just paid $12.99 for a 3 inch tree cherry tree. I don't think it will be producing any time soon. Maybe they could offer a real bargain of 5 cherry pits for $15.99?

"On Oct 17, 2011 12:22 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. Starter plants, as opposed to larger plants, do best wen being shipped long distances. Our plants are grown under carefully controlled condtions to make sure they do not suffer from transplant shock, are easy to plant and will reward you with amazing growth. In addition we do offer our lifetime guarantee."

Posted on September 28, 2011, updated October 3, 2011
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Posted on September 20, 2011, updated September 28, 2011
Posted on September 20, 2011, updated September 20, 2011
I should have known better than to place any more orders with this company. I placed a large order in August knowing they wouldn't ship till September. Sept. 26 to be exact-and they are up to their old tricks again consistently pushing the ship dates further and further into October. (most of this order are plants, not bulbs) I had placed numerous orders with other companies for fall shipping and the last of those orders are arriving this week) I sent an email to them 4 days ago asking where my plants are and if I don't get them by the end of September that I would no longer make any purchases with them or their co-horts, Springhill Nursery, Brecks etc. I get the following response:Thank you for your email. "Please accept our apology for the delay in shipping. I have forwarded the request to the appropriate department. We will try to ship the order as soon as possible." No other department has contacted me and yet again they pushed my ship date again. If they don't have the plants they shouldn't offer them for sale. And yet I continue to get emails advertising more plants and offers. I don't know how this practice is even legal. I will be reporting them to BBB and consumer affairs, as I am sick and tired of their fraudulent business practices, as they take my money upon placing an order and don't live up to their promises. I can't believe I was foolish enough to get sucked in by this company by their low prices. By the time I receive these plants I can't see how they will survive in the ground with winter just around the corner here in zone 6.DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY.

"On Sep 23, 2011 3:25 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize for the delay in the shipment of your order. We will have a custmer service representative contact you for your account information and make sure your order is shipped as soon as possible."

I have been ordering from Michigan Bulb for years. Some things have grown, some have not, but I have never received anything that was dead or badly packaged. On the contrary, I think they package very well. Only a few times have I asked for a replacement for things that didn't grow-- two Pawlonia trees come to mind. I believe they were just planted too late to survive. I planted the replacements the next spring and they grew.

I had occasion to talk to a lovely Michigan Bulb representative a few months ago and happened to mention that some things had not grown over the years, and I generally didn't request a replacement-- I'm too busy. (did have all the original orders). After I talked with her I thought--why not?-and sent all the orders back, highlighting the plants that didn't grow, were no longer growing, and an order not received. I asked if they could replace a few of the plants.

I couldn't believe it- I just couldn't believe it! Three different boxes of plants arrived, and checks totalling about $80 for plants they could no longer replace. I didn't even ask for anything like this! That has got to be the best customer service I have received in 64 years! I will always be their customer.

And the replacement Pawlonias-- $5 each-- they are about 20 feet tall now--they are taking over the world!

Yes, their plants and bulbs are small, but you're paying a very small price also. If you can give them a little while to catch up you may well have a beautiful plant.

Good work, Michigan Bulb! Kudos!

"On Aug 2, 2011 9:03 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We really appreciate your wonderful testimonial about our service and our plants. We are very happy to have you as one of our customers and look forward to your future orders. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on July 22, 2011, updated July 24, 2011
I have to give a negative. Even though I love their low prices.
Cutomer account: 47055783
Order Number: 11171864800
Order Date: April 27, 2011
Date Recieved: May 3, 2011

76272: Blue Sea Holly. Great
76693: Summer Cheer Daffodil. Ugly
76775: Twinkle Toes. Did NOT come up
76692: Rose Coreopsis (2). Great
76263: Rainbow Lewisia Mix. Did NOT do well
76796: Double Anemones. Low Grade 6/10 came up
09961: Climbing Blaze Rose. Great
85262: Mixed Perennial Grab Bag. Good (Harvest Moon Coneflower is. not Harvest Moon Coneflower.

My 2nd part of the order was not received.
04762: mixed Lupines
76901: Isaac House Scabiosa

I am very disappointed. These problems need to be fixed.

"On Jul 22, 2011 10:35 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know you did not receive part of your order. The lupines were shipped in May but we are reshipping them to you, they will arrive in September. The hosta were changed to allium, per your request and are being shipped this September as well.

Order Date: 06/26/11
Order Number: 11770099400

Order Date: 06/30/11
Order Number: 11810474600

Order Date: 07/06/11
Order Number: 11870557700

Order Date: 07/14/11
Order Number: 11950490800


I have placed 4 separate orders and am really anxious to get it... First I thought I will just buy one of those gardens and see how it will do and maybe come back after if the experience is good but I keep finding deals so I keep buying more though I have no experience w/ this company. I've bought quite a lot of flowers from Lowes and Home Depot this year then later found this website which I thought they offer their flowers at a very minimal cost.. I know its a risk but I have had flowers bought from stores nearby that died/or didnt come back the following year and am just hoping that Michigan Bulb will stand w/ this lifetime guarantee that they offer...

"On Jul 25, 2011 11:10 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback and for all your orders. Your orders will be shipping out this September. Yes, we do stand by our lifetime guarantee. Happy Gardening to you!"

Posted on June 25, 2011, updated July 3, 2011
Hello Michigan Bulb Representative.

I am complaining because of the situation that has occured with your promotion that advertised "last day to order for spring shipping, plus order today and receive a free grab bag worth $100.00". I ordered two sets of the blue columbine which on your website says has spring and fall shipping. I also ordered one set of lollipop liles. When I received my package I was so excited to see what I would get. You can imagine how horrible it was to see 1: It was a shade grab bag, 2: The columbine were not sent.

I took the time to investigate the plants I received. The information I found on the web was disturbing. The two choke cherry trees are poisonous to cattle, horses and deer. I have wild deer roaming my property and I would be extremely upset if I came across a deer that had passed on because of a tree I planted. I also learned that only two types of plants sent to me are hardy in zone 5, where I am located.

I decided to give Michigan Bulb a chance to rectify the situation. The first representative was somewhat helpful. She gave me the breakdown of what each plant cost.
1: 2 Choke Cherry trees - $12.99 each.
2: 1 Giant Elephant Ear - $12.99
3: 2 Japanese Hardy Banana - $9.99 each
4: 2 Charming Butterfly Bushes - $6.95 each
5 1 Sunday Gloves Daylily - $ ????

If you do the math, the total cost of these plants comes to $72.85. Unfortunately the representative disconnected the call "accidentally" before giving me the cost of the Daylily. I was now fuming because obviously the Daylily did not cost the remaining $27.15 to make up the supposed $100.00 value. This package was not even close to being worth $100.00.

I chose to try to speak with another customer service representative. I went over everything with the gentleman and he chose to try to remedy the predicament by offering me $10.00 off of a future purchase. He also suggested I pass along the plants I did not want to a non-profit organization. I asked to speak to a supervisor, obviously.

I was passed along to a young lady who noted all of my concerns. I also suggested they put a little effort into these grab bags. I have always ordered full to partial sun variety plants and of course, I live in zone 5. This being said, sending me a shade grab bag full of plants that I cannot use was a worthless effort on the part of Michigan Bulb. I advised the level one supervisor I would appreciate a call from a "higher up" who could address these issues. I was told she would pass the information along. When I did not receive a return call within three business days, I phoned again and was told "Mike" *(Name changed)* had been out of the office and would take a look at the problem and get back with me as soon as possible. That was a week ago!

I did advise the first supervisor I spoke with I had every intention of voicing my fury and resentment as far and wide as humanly and electronically possible if this situation was not resolved in a timely manner.

I am very disappointed in your company and your marketing procedures. I believe they should be revolutionized to attract new customers and keep repeat customers.

I would appreciate your prompt attention to this matter!

"On Jun 27, 2011 11:59 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We apologize for all the problem you had with your grab bag and trying to have your issues taken care of. A supervisor will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you."

Where to start? I ordered almost $200 worth of plants. So far my two strawberry collections have died (that's 20 plants!) I planted strawberries I received from sis-in-law along with them and they are flourishing. What is the deal? Two dead blackberry bushes. One dead concord grape. One dead trumpet vine. Some plants are flourishing and doing well. Honestly my biggest issue with Michigan Bulb is the lack of communication and order botching. They have mixed up my order so bad it is unreal, and in there favor. Sent me notices that certain items were sent, but they weren't in the package when it came. I ordered and paid for a small butterfly garden that has now disappeared from my account. I have sent them e-mails with detailed description of what I ordered and what I have received but it doesn't seem to help. Therefore, taking advantage of the guarantee on the plants that have died seems like too big of a pain.(I hope that is not their plan?-if so it worked on me) Also being told my shipment has to be put off until next year. Next year? I so wish I would have just spent a little more money and purchased plants from my local nursery. Overall, my husband estimates that we would have spent less going that route. Not to mention time saved.

"On Jun 27, 2011 11:02 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your sharing your experience with your plants. We apologize for the inconvenience and will have a customer service representative contact you for your account information and see what we can do to help."