Comments regarding Michigan Bulb

Posted on April 27, 2011, updated June 19, 2011
A lot of the plants I bought from them died. When I asked for replacements, I didn't get a reply. So much for their guarantee.
While the pictures are nice and sometime they have nice sales, it's a little risky buying from them. I'd rather buy from a local nursery, this way I pick a healthy plant and don't pay shipping for it.

"On May 5, 2011 4:02 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem you had with your plants. We will have a customer service representative contact you for your account information and have your items reshipped to you.
"

Posted on June 15, 2011, updated June 16, 2011
Posted on May 26, 2011, updated June 15, 2011
I tried this company for the first time this year. I ordered the Sun Perennial Goody Bag and it was well worth it. The Shade Perennial Goody bag was very limited and not all shade plants. My Pink Astilbe still looks dead to me but I will wait a few weeks to see! Overall I was very pleased, especially with the Sun Perennial Goody Bag. I would order from this company again.

"On May 27, 2011 11:08 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate the nice feedback concering our company. If you ever have any problems with our plants or service please just let us know and we will make sure to make it right. Have a great day!"

I am giving Michigan Bulb a NEGATIVE. I ordered an Endless Perennial Garden on April 15. The delivery dates have shifted three times. I called after the first shift in dates and was told by a customer service rep the flowers were to ship on May 27. I called to see if they were on schedule and was told no they would ship to arrive JUNE 17. The CSR assured me there would be no delays. My husband and I created a landscape design and had a stone set inside the landscape and chose these flowers to compliment it all. Everything is ready and no flowers. I called today to check to make sure the flowers were shipping to arrive JUNE 17 so my husband and I could make sure we were available to plant them next weekend. I spoke with a different CSR that told me they would not ship until JUNE 23. I told her that I am not calling again on JUNE 17 to find the flowers haven't shipped. She was very nice and honest and let me know they were having trouble shipping the flowers because of the weather. I then asked if I could cancel my order. I would not of known the flowers were never going to ship unless I kept calling checking on things. I would not recommend this company to any friends! I wish I would of read these reviews before ordering and I would of never ordered from this company. I have just now read other comments in regards to the same complaints I have and now I am worried I will not get my money back. End result - I am a dissatisfied customer and I have to figure out what to put in the landscaping whole.

"On Jun 14, 2011 9:22 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your shipping date. A customer service representative will contact you for your account informaiton to check on delivery of your order."

On 15 April 2011 I ordered Purple Passion Asparagus, Giant Asparagus, Pink Lemonade Blueberry, Giant Blueberry and Pink China Elephant Ear via inserts and an order form included in a mailing from a garden club I belong to. It took 3 calls to Customer Service, the 3rd with the info from the front and back of my check to Michigan Bulb company that I received a xerox copy from my bank. Michigan Bulb Company deposited my check in their bank on 23 April 2011. The first two calls, the customer service reps could not find me in their computer system anywhere--the order seemingly did not exist, yet the company had cashed my check. The first Customer Service Rep, a male, was very "cold" and only said to send the front and back of the check to the company and a list of what I had ordered, no apology no "sorry for the inconvenience" to me. I called a second time to verify that I was not in their system at all, and was told the same thing, and the gal was polite and friendly. The third call, today June 6, I got a very thorough and caring Customer Service Rep who sounded very sincere. After asking her about the bank (located in Pennsylvania, not Indiana where Michigan Bulb Company is located) listed on the back of the cancelled check copy. She verified that it was the correct bank and that Gardens Alive on the back of the check was the parent company whose account my money went into. She was very thorough, tried multiple spellings of my name, plus zip code, and then still nowhere to be found in their system, her supervisor told her how to locate people another way by zip code. I did indeed have an actual account already set-up by them and she gave me the account number. I was listed with an erronious double middle initial (though unable to be found by last name), but no shipping of the plants ever happened and no plants were listed as having been ordered. Too late now and they are out of the plants I ordered back in April. I suggested they keep my money and deliver the plants next year. The Customer Service Rep advised against that as it likely would be too confusing and I probably would not get my plants again but suggested I re-order anew next January. They will refund my money when they receive the copy of the front and back of my canceled check. My take is that they are a huge "processing" company designed to make money. The photos of the plants look nice--but I've never seen any actual plants that I did order. It's "hit or miss" with the Customer Reps. The third one, Tami, was persistent and did all she could to help.

"On Jun 7, 2011 9:42 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problems you had with your order. We apologize for all the issues you had. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and figure out what we can do to make this right."

Posted on June 6, 2011, updated June 6, 2011
I placed an order. I got a few of the things. Then i got an email stating some items would be shipping at a later date.. The date changes 6 times and Now they are due to arrive in late October!! HELLO I live in Michigan, I cant plant this stuff in October!!! What a rip off!~

"On Jun 6, 2011 3:52 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order.
I checked on your order for you and see everything has shipped except for the hydrangea. You should receive the hydrangea in September as we are out of stock for the season. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any problems with your plants, please know we do have a lifetime guarantee."

Posted on May 24, 2011, updated June 2, 2011
Posted on May 16, 2011, updated May 24, 2011
I placed an order for 3 preplanned gardens in April. The shipping schedule says that for my zone (5) they ship until May 27th. The website also states that things ship in 10-14 days. A fews days after placing my order, one item's shipping date was already pushed back into June. I called Michigan Bulb, and asked the customer service rep how they were going to ship something in June when it clearly states they only ship for spring until the end of May. She did not know what "shipping chart" I was talking about (the one right on their website) and it was made obvious that she didn't know much about what was going on. She stated that she was "assuming they would push the spring shipping dates until later so that things would still make it." Still haven't heard a word from the company, but according to my order, all of them have been pushed back well into June now. I noticed the spring shipping dates have been moved into the first week of June - This still is not going to help me, I am fearing. I am also fearing that like others who have commented on here, they are planning on shipping them in the fall, next year or not at all, without even letting me know. I have a huge empty spot where these gardens were supposed to go. Very disappointed. After reading reviews on here I still wanted to give them a chance. I think my stuff isn't coming, and that is really unfortunate.

"On May 16, 2011 3:19 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and check on when your order will be shipping to you."

In march, I ordered 14 Wall of china Hedges and a pack of Twinkle toes. The shipping was on-time, no complaints there. And the price was excellent! However, over 2 months after planting the bulbs, and hedges, none of the bulbs came up, and only 6 of the 14 hedges grew :( I sent a letter to customer service, and received a response within a few hours (Very Quick at responding). They told me that my entire order was going to be replace (Which was GREAT news)... However, it was not going to be shipped until next year!!! I am disappointed.. The spring shipping season does not end until June 10th, and today is the 1st. I waited as long as I could to give the plants time to grow. And now they are telling me I have to wait another year, even though the shipping season is not over! :( I really want the hedges, and am willing to wait if need be, but, (as others have stated), I now have bare spots along my property for another year :( I waited to give them a chance to grow, but tried not to wait too long so they could be replace if they didn't.. Despite of them offering to replace them, unfortunately, I'm still feeling a bit shorted. Other than this, Michigan Bulb has proven to have GREAT products and Customer Service. I would recommend them to anyone. Unfortunately, things like this happen sometimes. Perhaps I could find something in the mean time to fill in the blanks :(

"On Jun 2, 2011 10:25 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feeback concerning your order. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information. We can check on your reship but we may not have any more of these items available to ship this season. We apologize for the inconvenience."

I am sorry some of you had a bad experience with your orders. But mine was perfect. I recieved healthy green, very nice plants. They arrived within 2 weeks of my placing the order. They were at a great sale price as well as they had a coupon for $20 off. I was very pleased with my order and I will order from them again.
I had ordered the following that were all healthy and in very good condition:
2 Wildfire Clematis
2 Earthquake Clematis
2 Butterfly & Hummingbird gardens (which each collection included a pink butterfly bush, a blue butterfly bush, 3 scarlet bee balm, 3 sweet william, 3 columbine, 3 red coral bells, and 3 sunburst coreopsis. All of this collection was on sale for $4.99 and with the coupon it only came to $2.50 for all of these plants listed in the parenthesis).
3 pink lavender
4 purple love grass
3 blue moon hydrangeas
25 ozark beauty strawberry plants

All of the above were in great condition and only came to $29.88 which included shipping. To me this is wonderful value for wonderful plants.

"On Jun 1, 2011 2:09 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with our company. We look forward to your future orders."

Posted on May 23, 2011, updated May 26, 2011
I am new to gardening. I also have 2 websites for non related goods. These folks are very shrewd, and I almost feel scamming people from their lack of information to the customer. I placed an order on their site thinking some items may not ship, but found out 80% would not ship for months so I called to cancel remainder, oh you cannot because the boiler room answering service cannot access orders to cancel. Ok so I decided to wait for that and order some more to hopefully get something planted and they sent a 50% off coupon (ordered $109 more). Hooray! No not good. Only 10% will ship within 2 weeks the rest maybe 4 months. So I got a partial order supposed to be 5 Red habiscus, but received 4 RED habiscus, and 1 blue rose of Sharon ($2.00) difference. I look at website to check my order the order has changed down to $69 with no explanation. So I look to see my original order but lo and behold how convenient they do not email you a copy of your order when placed. So Now I have no idea what I originally ordered so I can reorder elsewhere. I called them and informed the boiler room call girl that this was the only site I have ever ordered from that does not send a copy of your order when placed. I think they do this on purpose to confuse customers and deter them from cancelling. After a few harsh words about this manipulation, and inconvenience to the customer she could not even recover my original order so I could calculate if they were cheating me if I lost a discount. And I do not remember all the items I searched their site for hours to find. Never have I found a website lacking this simple function to send an invoice. This makes me believe this is on purpose. Customer service? Ok she could not find my original order, so I moved onto the other complaint that I did not receive the correct product. She could not correct this issue either because she felt the one wrong one just shipped early. That is fine but then that should have been corrected on the invoice I received. Apparently the boiler room answering service does not seem to have any power to help customers with real problems as I wasted 45 minutes to get a "someone will return your call withi 3 business days" Also to note each time I called I was on hold at least 8 minutes, and I am sure that must be part of the build up of confusion the website makes.
I am thinking now I should cancel all my orders, but I may just do a chargeback now because I do not want to wait 10 minutes on hold to have a boiler room answering service tell me again they do not have the power to cancel orders.

"On May 24, 2011 11:15 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problems you have had with your orders. We apologize for the inconvenience and a customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and get all of this straightened out for you."

Posted on May 26, 2011, updated May 26, 2011
Posted on May 26, 2011, updated May 26, 2011
Most of my plants came, though much smaller then expected. I mean I can buy a gardenia, blooming and quite large here for $9, but the one from gurneys was tiny. The dancing dolphin plant has barely grown in almost 1.5 months. The others were OK, I will have to wait and see. The angel trumpet plant completely tanked. It can as a one finger long and one finger thickness and barely any roots. It's done for completely. I ordered April 26/11, and one plant has not been shipped yet. I was even astounded, as the climbing shell plant was puny, like half the length of my pointer finger, though its grown a tad.

Overall, disappointed - I have requested they either refund me for the angel trumpet or send another. Though honestly, I believe the shell plant, dancing dolphin, and blue fringe daisy's should also be refunded or sent a decent one that will grow.

"On May 27, 2011 11:36 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and see what options we have still available for you to fill up your garden. We apologize for inconvenience."

Michigan Bulb has one of the best Customer Service Dept. in the industry. I have ordered from them for many years and never had a problem until my last order. I contacted them and they immediately responded to my issue. They issued a full refund and their staff is friendly and courteous. You can definitely shop with confidence with Michigan Bulb.

"On May 23, 2011 1:03 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you very much for your wonderful comments about our company. We always wants our customers to be happy and have the best possible product and service."

Posted on May 18, 2011, updated May 21, 2011
I am not sure how this company could ever have a bad review...they have a lifetime guarantee, you call and just tell them and they send new plants on the honesty system...no questions asked. Their customer service is stupendous and the plants are wonderful. just make sure you order within a reasonable time to get planted...that was my first problem i ordered a bunch of things and they came dormant just before cold snap and could not be put in ground so had to be replaced. Not one question, they just wanted to make my experience great! What a wonderful company!!!

"On May 19, 2011 10:06 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with our company. We really appreciate the nice feedback. Happy Gardening!"

I made a purchase from Michigan Bulb Company last year and nothing grew, AT ALL!!! What a rip off!!!

"On May 20, 2011 4:38 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We do have a lifetime guarantee so a customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and we can reship the items to you."

Posted on May 19, 2011, updated May 19, 2011
Posted on May 10, 2011, updated May 19, 2011
Never again! It's my own fault - I couldn't resist the dwarf fruit trees they had on offer, it was the middle of winter and I was just eagerly anticipating spring. My 5 trees were sent in 3 separate shipments. First to arrive were 1 honey berry tree, 1 orange, and 1 lemon, all dwarf. The lemon and orange, despite being 4 inches tall, were in flower when they arrived. Unfortunately all of the soil had fallen out of the little plastic bag so I had baby bare root trees. Did my best to save them. They died. The honey berry seems to still be trying to survive even though every leaf had fallen off during shipping. The leaves were all inside the plastic bag covering the little pot.

Next shipment, dwarf pomegranate tree. Um...I dunno about this one. He's truly a sad little guy. I'm doing everything possible to keep him alive but it's like he's given up hope and just wants to die.

Last shipment, the 2nd honey berry tree. Unlike his 4 inch tall predecessors, he is just under 2 inches tall, 2 leaves, and hardly any root system at all. He was dead upon arrival, it looks like he was dead before he was shipped to me. The two leaves that are on it are just crunchy little remainders.

I'll keep my tree buying local after this. No more Michigan Bulb for me.

"On May 11, 2011 7:36 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the problem with your order. We would be happy to reship the plants that did not do well for you. A customer service representaive will contact you for your account information.

Posted on May 17, 2011, updated May 17, 2011
I hate to give a negative rating, but in the past my experience has been that plants arrived months after I ordered. I am a horticulturist and know something about plants. When the plants arrived they were small, leggy and unhealthy looking. While I had to call twice for a bleeding heart plant that never came up - they did replace it- then last year it didnt come it and they replaced it again. This Spring the 2nd replacement finally came up! My last order attempt last year resulted in me calling customer service to check on the status of my order when i was told that none of my order was in stock! They sure took my money though! I cancelled my order and got a refund.

I also do gardening for a handicapped friend of mine. My friend had ordered from Michigan bulb as well. When her order arrived it was awful! All of the plants were puny (like mine) and leggy like they were starved for light. Needless to saw, I do not see them coming up in her garden this year. I know she should give her own review but she is legally blind.

I suggest that Michigan bulb get new growers and learn how to grow big robust plants. Your customer service needs an overhaul as well. Not to add insult to injury- but I placed my first order with Willow Creek gardens- a bleeding heart- the tuber was HUGE- the size of my hand! and it is blooming right now. I say this because that is how plants should be.

That was the last straw for me and my friend. We will never order from Michigan Bulb - or any of their affiliates again.

"On May 17, 2011 10:10 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your orders. We will have a customer service representative contact you for all the account information. We can reship the items that did not do well for you as well as see what items we sent that we need to check out."

I've been ordering from Michigan bulb for years. The plants are usually small but priced small. Two years ago I got a knock out rose bush for 5.00. When I received it the thing was three inches tall! OK you get what you pay for, around here they were 39.99 and I could not afford. But two years later my bush is 4x4 and full of flowers, absolutely breath taking. I love my bush. Recently I ordered a new Hosta mini called Cameo and they sent two dehydrated plants that had no dirt, just tape. I was horrified and called customer service and he said no problem it's something new, just plant it and water it and all will be fine. I could not believe he wanted me to plant this dead plant stuck to a piece of tape but I did and several weeks later they are alive and thriving. I got a very good price on these, thanks to the 60% off sale. I have never had a real problem with this company. I order a lot from them, they always send me coupons, let me know when free shipping is available and they have sales often. Also, very good packing. :)

"On May 16, 2011 11:23 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your wonderful feedback. We do our best to offer top quality plants at an affordable price. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on May 12, 2011, updated May 14, 2011
I had originally placed an order with Springhill Nursery in mid-march. My plants were never shipped, the order kept getting pushed back, so I canceled. At the time I did not not realize that Michigan Bulb and Springhill were the same company, so I made the mistake of ordering from Michigan Bulb after my order from Springhill fell through. Big mistake.

I kept checking the website for updated shipping dates my items. The estimated ship date kept getting pushed back. I was never alerted to the change in ship date by email or by phone. The only way to tell that a shipping date has changed is to log into their website. Finally, I called the company to inquire as to the status of my order, since the shipping date kept getting pushed back. Apparently, the estimated ship date posted on their website is bogus. The rep I spoke to said that there was no estimated ship date for my items. The person I spoke with was incredibly vague and could not tell me whether I could expect to get my order this year or not. The only thing they could tell me is that I will be getting my order either this year or next spring. I was shocked that the company would actually keep my money for over a year before shipping me the product that I ordered- without even alerting me of their plans! I understand that some items sell out quickly, and it is simply impossible to ship the plants if they don't exist. However, I do believe that I should have been kept informed along the way as to the status of my order either by email or by phone. I still have no idea whether or not the plants will ship this year (at this point I doubt it). It would have been nice if the rep I spoke to could have at least given me some kind of idea. I am debating as to whether I should keep the order and hope that the plants arrive next year or whether I should cancel the order now.

So, here I am with a large empty flower bed in the front of the house- since March! It looks terrible. I can't help but think that if I had avoided Michigan Bulb and Springhill that I would have avoided this problem. I suppose I could still order from yet another company, but I have put so much time and money into ordering plants already this year I am about ready to give up. It is so late in the season at this point, I am afraid most places will be sold out.

The customer service of Michigan Bulb is sub-par, and shipping is highly unpredictable. It's unlikely that I'll order from either Michigan Bulb or SpringHill again.

"On May 13, 2011 10:07 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the trouble with your order. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information to check out what is happening with your order.
"

Posted on May 11, 2011, updated May 14, 2011
I thought I'd give Michigan Bulb a shot after years of seeing the Sunday insert.

Never again.

They sent my order about 6 weeks ago. (It's mid-May and their still too early.)

I bought the corner garden and the centerpiece is the tall grass. It died about 2 week after I got it. So, I figured I'd just write them and ask for a replacement. I got a standand emial, referring me to their return policy of sending it back.

They want me to send back dead grass? If they provide me with a postage paid envelope, it'll get there. Otherwise I guess I'm outta luck?

No thanks Michigan Bulb.

"On May 11, 2011 10:05 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the problem with the grass, and you are correct we do not want the grass returned to us. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information to process a reship for you."

Posted on May 7, 2011, updated May 13, 2011
Posted on April 27, 2011, updated May 7, 2011
Posted on April 9, 2011, updated April 27, 2011
Everthing I have ever gotten from them has died. They offered to send replacements for the two separate orders, but I only ever received one, and they died, too. Recently I got a 'we haven't seen you in a while' e-mail. I said it was because everything I ever order from you dies. They offered to replace them, but wanted all the info. They keep your info and order history, and after a couple years, I sure don't have it anymore. They found it, and said they'd send out replacements for everything, so I went ahead and made another order. Which was promptly lost. LOST. I do most of this by e-mail, so how did they contact me? Snail mail. Which shows they know who I am and what my mailing address is, at least. They LOST the new order and have not found it, and wanted me to resubmit it. Fat chance. The replacements allegedly were sent, but I never received them, but I'm willing to give benefit of the doubt, since I've been getting mail stolen. It took three or four e-mails, though, to ascertain they'd been SENT so we could confirm if they got here! When I said they'd been stolen, they said they'd send out new replacements. Well, I got a confirmation on ONE of the two orders, and when I asked about the other one, they're asking what it was, what my account number is, and where I want them sent. WHAT? YOU HAVE THAT INFO!!!! IT'S IN YOUR COMPUTER! I should NOT have to go through this every time. Now I know why everything was half off, and now is up to 70% off. They're a badly-run business that is panicking!

"On Apr 12, 2011 3:54 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order. We always need to check our customers name and address to make sure it is correct to avoid any delivery problems. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and check into the problems with your orders.

I placed a small order w/Michigan Bulb in March for a coneflower, couple carnations & a bee balm. One carnation was backordered at time of order but all the products came in proper time for planting and all were well-packed & healthy. The bee balm has tripled in size, one of the carnations is in bloom & both are healthy, the coneflower has grown several new leaves. I have bought from MB a number of times over the years & have had no problems other than that the plants are on the small size, as would be expected for the low prices. I will continue shopping MB.

"On May 13, 2011 10:11 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate you sharing your experience with our company, thank you, and Happy Gardening."

I recently ordered 20 Clematis plants from Michigan Bulb company. I received them in a timely fashion and they appeared to be healthy plants. I followed their planting and care instructions to the letter and the plants looked great for about three days. Within a week and a half they were all dead.

Disappointed, I went to their website and submitted an inquiry via their customer service form for "returns". I received an automated reply telling me they would get back with me as soon as possible. Days passed, and no other communication has arrived from them. I emailed them yesterday at the same email address where my order confirmation came from. No reply at all. So today, again, I contacted them at the service address. Still no reply other than an automated response. I seriously don't think they know what "as soon as possible" means.

I want my money back. At this point, I really feel like I just should have taken my money and thrown it out in the street...such a disappointment!

I have purchased plants from their sister company, SpringHill and they are all fine.

I would love a reply from them, and I want them to live up to their guarantee.

"On May 11, 2011 7:21 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the delay in responding to your emails. This is our busiest time of year and we sometimes do get behind. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information so we can have the clematis reshipped to you.
"

Ordered last year (positive), and again this year (positive). If you use their coupon and pick items on sale you can get a very good deal. I received a LOT of plants this year for a small amount of money, and every one came in a pot except the bare root rose. I'm happy with all of them (several bloomed within a few days and others are growing fine), although still waiting for good signs of life on the rose ( I believe I can see a few shoots forming ). The nursery is a great deal if you shop their website carefully. The plants are sometimes smaller than elsewhere but when taken together with the sheer number and low price makes this nursery a great option for filling in areas.

"On May 11, 2011 10:09 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful testimonial. We really appreciate your feedback and look forward to many future orders."

Posted on April 27, 2011, updated May 3, 2011
I placed and received numerous orders from Michigan Bulb this past winter. I will say that I was VERY PLEASED with the plants that they sent this year---healthy, green, growing. I potted them up, and they are doing just great.

I order from them most every year, and yes, some years have not been the best. But, they ALWAYS have replaced what did not grow.

A week or so ago, I sent them a list of plants from previous years that have not survived--way back to the early 2000's--and I received an answer in about a week. First I was told to send a list of what I wanted replaced, then a week later I received another e-mail listing those that will be sent in mid-May plus I will receive a check for those they no longer carry.

I trust them to follow through as they have in the past.

"On May 11, 2011 10:43 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We will reship your plants if you ever need any replacements. Please le us know if you have any further problems."

Posted on April 28, 2011, updated April 28, 2011
I have been a customer of Santa Rosa Gardens for several years. I find that they have high quality products, efficient delivery timeframes, and helpful employees. I recommend Santa Rosa to all of my gardening friends.

Posted on March 30, 2011, updated April 28, 2011
Placed an order on 2/23/11 (which was shipping season for my zone) and it wasnt shipped until almost 3 weeks later. When I started planting the Hummingbird/Butterfly garden I ordered, I was shorted in 3 different plants for this garden. I also ordered 3 of the Mixed Perennial Hibiscus plants only to have 2 of the 3 arrive alive. I have one entirely dead plant. I also ordered a Blue Rose of Sharon that just got shipped out today. Over a month later. I will NOT be ordering another thing from this company. They took my money immediately and the fact that I was shorted plants that I paid for and plants that arrived dead, I am utterly disgusted! Never Again!


Order Number: 10541357101

"On Mar 31, 2011 8:33 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I apologize that some of the items you received were not viable and that you were missing plants. Our customer service representative will be contacting you to find out what plants you are missing as well as what items did not survive so we can get them reshipped out to you."

Wonderful shopping experience. I placed an order at the end of March and received it mid March. Everything I ordered is thriving beyond what I expected 4 weeks later. I was so impressed with the plants I placed 2 more orders, all in total I bought a variety of plants that totalled over $200.00 and every single plant is growing and thriving. $200.00 may not sound like a lot but at Michigan Bulb that is a lot of landscaping. I received every order in under 2 weeks from when I placed my orders, you just have to know when to place the order. Don't place an order at the end of May and expect to get it before it gets too hot for your area.

"On May 11, 2011 10:15 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful testimonial. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to many orders in the future. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on April 1, 2011, updated April 27, 2011
I was nervous about ordering from this company after reading some of the reviews, but my 9-year-old daughter really wanted to try their strawberry jar kit, so I decided to try them just once.

Although I was surprised that it took them over two weeks to ship this, I was very happy with the condition that the plants arrived in. Also, the jar is wonderful. I purchased a jar last year from a garden store that was terracotta. Aside from being very heavy and hard to move around, my large dog ended up knocking it off the porch and breaking it. This jar is a heavy plastic and even my daughter, who is very small, is able to move it around after planting everything in it.

I planted all of the strawberries, then came our wonderful Oklahoma weather. The temp went from 85 to 40 in two days and I was forced to move this pot inside. The next day as my daughter was watering, she called for me to come look at it. Every one of the 20 plants had beautiful green leaves already unfolding.

My daughter was very excited and I was so happy I placed another order. After placing that order, I was disappointed to see that it would be two weeks before shipment, so I called. I spoke with Kim and she was happy to put a rush on the order. She explained to me that would cause my order to be shipped within a few days and I wouldn't have to pay any extra.

I will update when I receive the second order, but so far I am very happy with this company.

"On Apr 8, 2011 11:54 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for posting your experience with our company. I will have a customer service representative contact you for your account information and check on the status of your order for you. Happy Gardening!"

I pre-ordered 12 lilac bushes in February. Received them when it was too cold to plant, so I repotted them and kept them in the house for a few weeks. To my disapointment, they all died. I sent an email to Michigan Bulb explaining what happened, and let me be honest - I didn't hope for a reply and/or a replacement. To my huge surprise, they replied in 4 days apologizing for the inconvenience and letting me know they are sending a replacement absolutely free. I received 12 new lilac bushes shortly after the email.
I am VERY pleased with the company, they do care about their customers. Needless to say I'll be ordering from them again.

"On May 11, 2011 10:13 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate you sharing your experience with our company. We always want our customers to be happy and satisfied with our plants and our service. Please let us know if you need any further assistance."

On 03/08/2011, I placed an order with Michigan Bulb Co. for 4 Angel Trumpet plants. I received an e-mail confirming my order and a shipping date of 04/18/11 to 04/25/11. Upon checking again my shipping date had been changed to 04/21/11 to 04/28/11. The next time I checked on my order, the shipping date had been changed to 05/17/11 to 05/24/11. When I e-mailed them concerning these changes, they informed that my order was on back order until 05/10/11 and would be sent out in the order that they came in. This is totally unacceptable for my growing season. I have e-mailed Michigan Bulb Co., cancelling my order and demanding a refund of my money. I have not heard back from this exchange and do not know what the reply will be. Rest assured that I will not order from Michigan Bulb Co. again and will inform all my acquaintances of the service that they will get from this company.

"On Apr 20, 2011 9:33 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for the trouble you had with the shipping of your order. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and see what is happening with your order."

Really excellent packaging. Nice healthy little plant.

"On Apr 20, 2011 9:40 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We do our best to offer quality plants at an affordable price."

Posted on April 15, 2011, updated April 16, 2011
Posted on March 23, 2011, updated April 15, 2011
I placed an order on 3/30 and received an email with a delivery status link stating that my items would be shipped on 4/6 and 10/10!! This is way too long - even for the earlier shipment time I wouldn't receive the items until mid April, which is a rediculous amount of time. So I emailed twice to cancel the order - absolutely no response for two days. I called today (3/23) to cancel the order during business hours and spoke to a Sara and then her supervisor Sam in a call center in a foreign country (they spoke very poor English) and was told it was impossible to cancel the order - even though they acknowledged the items would not be shipped for at least a week. It was very difficult because of the language issues to communicate - even the supervisor Sam kept telling me his computer just wouldn't let him do a cancellation. They just told me I would have to wait and try to get a refund after the shipment arrives. The order was for about $50.00 worth of bulbs and plants which I will have no use for if they arrive best case scenario mid/late April and then Late October. I would never have ordered plants for October. It is rediculous that they will not let me cancel an order a week out of shipment. I will never do business with this company again. I have ordered from several other companies this year (about $200.00 from Swallowtail and $150.00 from Park Seed) and my orders came promptly with no issues. Michigan Bulb has no customer service and no cares for customer satisfaction.

"On Mar 25, 2011 9:07 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I apologize for the trouble you had trying to cancel your order. Our company is based on 100% Customer Service. We are trained and qualified to answer any questions you may have or assist you with any problems that may arise. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience we may have caused you, and we ask that you consider giving us one more opportunity to provide you with world class service. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information.

I ordered several things from Michigan Bulb - saved a ton of money, too - all things arrived very nicely - small but alive and looking good - ordered forsythia bushes and planted them and one of them even bloomed - excellent for the price - ordered a rose and it was small so I have it in a pot in the window until the weather finally breaks and ordered 9 hedge hydraegna (sp?) and they are in my window until the weather breaks - ordered a couple more plants and they are doing well, too. The only thing that has not come up is a peony and I am writing the company and I am sure they will replace it, but for the money I could not be more pleased with the way this order turned out.

"On Apr 16, 2011 10:12 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We will be happy to replace the peony for you. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and take care of this for you."

Posted on April 5, 2011, updated April 12, 2011
On March 28th, I decided to order a specific group of roses from Michigan Bulb company for a large bed in the space between my sidewalk, garage and front porch. I also needed a couple of climbing roses to finish a bed by my office window.

I ordered 4 miniature rose "bargain bags" to line the sidewalk, 6 tropicana roses, 3 double delight roses, one ebb tide rose, 2 blaze climbing roses, 1 Queen Elizabeth climbing rose, and 1 blue girl rose. I thought, and still think, that the total order price of $133.57, due to a coupon offer, was a very good price.

Even without the benefit of reviews, I expected small plants, so reading that in the reviews here does not surprise me. What did surprise me was that each time I checked on the order, the "delivery estimate" was always moved back. As a matter of fact, some dates were moved back 9 days farther than the others.

This afternoon, I checked and saw that some of the dates were moved to the 19th. I called to cancel my order. After waiting on hold for 24 minutes, I finally spoke to a woman who was unable to articulate her name clearly.

Brace yourselves, this may come as a shock. I don't believe that she was in the United States.

She explained that the items that have the later ship date are popular and are out of stock. I pointed out that I didn't care because i was cancelling my order. She refused to cancel the order, which had not shipped yet. She swore that part of the order would ship within 24 hours!!! As if that fixed everything...

I told her that if everything couldn't ship at once, or, failing that, if she wouldn't cancel the order, I would just call my credit card company and have them cancel the payment. Whatever-her-name is pretended to speak to someone to see if the missing items could be added.

She forgot to push the mute button. I heard her breathing and the background noise. Then she muted when she tried to come back and had to take it off mute again. She told me that the plants weren't available and she couldn't cancel the order.

In this part of the country, that is called fraud.

She tried to appease me, however, by offering to refund my order once it had shipped! Of course, if I had believed for a second that the order was preparing to ship (within 24 hours!!!), that would have meant what? Absolutely nothing, it is still fraud!

Once I had her remove me from the Michigan Bulb mailing list, assured her I'd get my credit card company to cancel payment, and got off the phone, I actually changed my mind. I decided that I would wait to see if the main part of the order actually ships (with 24 hours!!!!) tomorrow. If it does, I will reconsider everything and find out when the other items ship. I mean, I love roses and some of those varieties are gorgeous.

If it doesn't ship tomorrow, though, I will call my credit card company, cancel the payment and just plant a bunch of knockouts. At least I'll have actual plants in the ground instead of bare roots that won't ever get shipped.

"On Apr 8, 2011 9:22 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for making us aware of the problem. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and find out if your order has shipped or if you have been refunded. I apologize for the trouble."

I am not a pro by any stretch. I'm not rich either. I can't afford older plants. Yet, seeds never seem to work in my tough clay soil. So the thought of buying inexpensive plants appealed to me. I initially was just looking for a few bulbs, but quickly feel in love with all the plants available from this site. I never saw plants like this at the local big box store. Over the past six weeks, I have ordered the following:

DWARF DAYLILIES
RASPBERRY PARFAIT HYDRANGEA
GOLDEN CREEPING SEDUM
BLACK MAGIC ELEPHANT EARS
HELENIUM MIX
STELLA DE ORO DWARF DAYLILY
PINK LEMONADE BLUEBERRY
ZEBRA GRASS
ROSE FOUNTAIN GRASS
DARLING DILEMMA DAYLILIES
BLUE FESTUCA GRASS
CROCOSMIA 'EMILY MCKENZIE'
3-IN-1 ROSE OF SHARON
BUTTERFLY BLUE SCABIOSA
SUPER ASTER

In all, well over 100 plants and a few bulbs for a total of $292.97. I would have spent three times that much at the big orange store without the selection I got. It is so exciting to watch them grow from virtually nothing. Once invisible from the road, some of the lilies are 5 and 6 inches tall in just a couple weeks. To be honest, I would have been disappointed but not surprised if I lost half the plants. They are so small that I didnt give them much of a chance. But to my pleasant surprise, my last count was three that have not flourished; even in my tough clay soil. I've kept them watered but that's it. I'm still keeping my expectations realistic so I'm not looking for many blooms this first year. To only loose three plants so far out of a number well above 100 is incredible. I do plan on testing that guarantee; especially considering the other people's comments. But even if they told me to go fly a kite, I still couldn't be happier with how well these plants have done. My neighbors watched me plant for the better part of two weeks as I moved out boring monkey grass and prepared the ground (that clay was tough.) It's so rewarding having cars stop by on their way home just to compliment the end result. In the words of the Chicago Cubs, "Wait 'til next year!" They ain't seen nothing yet.

I have placed several orders with this company and have only been delighted. I have called customer service once and got through quickly and they did exactly as I requested, though I primarily deal with them via email. There are a few things to know though. They do differ from many other companies in that they charge you when you place the order, not when it is shipped. I have run into an instance where I ordered an item (with several others) and they ran out so it would not be shipped until the next season. I requested it be removed from the order and received a prompt refund to my credit card and no "guff" from the representative. I believe that removal also dropped my order total to below the amount for the discount I received, but they allowed the discount to stand.

I have had two experiences when requested replacements/refund other than that. With one, I received the item andit looked a little worse for the wear, but I planted it. It seemed to die out, but this was in the fall and the only way to tell that was to wait until spring and see if it came out of dormancy or was dead. They only sold this particular item in the fall and rather than have me wait a year to have a replacement sent (if it was dead) the cs rep opted to send me a refund instead. I did not demand or request this refund, I had just emailed my concern. To my delight, the plant bounced up in the spring and is doing great. The roots of these plants are truly strong and the plants are quality. On the second, I sent an inquiry about when the plant should come out of dormancy, as I had purchased several varieties of the same plant and that was the only one that had not leafed out. They promptly sent me another one as a replacement. Again, the original plant ended up "waking up" a couple weeks later and I did not demand the replacement and had explained that I was not sure if it was still in it's dormant state. I find their service to be excellent.

The plants are small, but they are very strong-rooted and "survivors". Even if they look as though they are not thriving, give them a season and they will prove their quality. I have never had this company deny an order to avoid replacement or anything. In fact I got some lily of the valley that I think may not come up this spring, but I'm giving them until fall to see if they might come up then.

This company has great service, stands by their products, and has great prices. As long as you go into it expecting petite sized plants (that typically grow quickly) and know you will be charged when you order though shipment may be weeks/months later, if you give the products a shot, I think you'll be highly satisfied. I even have plants that are borderline in my 7b hardiness zone that thrive. Final example - I bought peonies from a home improvement center last year...only some came up a couple months after planting (all but one are thriving now), and I bought a couple from Michigan Bulb. The Micjigan Bulb ones came up and were thriving within 2 weeks of planting. I love this company!

"On Apr 8, 2011 10:06 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for sharing your experience with our company. We do pride ourselves on our quality of service as well as our plants.
We are always here to help with any question or problem."

DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY EXPECTING A LIFETIME GUARANTEE OF THEIR PRODUCTS!!! In the early part of 2010 I placed an order with this company. They have deleted all of my orders except for the replacement orders (that were cancelled as I was rejected as a customer for asking for replacements) so i don't have exact dates or details. But several of my items were basically DOA so I had to have them replaced and other items just didn't survive the winter due to planting time and them not having time to get well established before a winter that was abnormally cold for my area. I called and spoke with a CSR who was very friendly and helpful... so I have to give them kudos for their customer service. But I feel it is false advertisement for a lifetime replacement guarantee if they are going to cancel you as a customer when you get items replaced. I also shop with all of their "sister" companies and have not had any problem getting items replaced. Many times items are DOA and I feel they should take this in to consideration on the replacements, because they should send viable products not rotten, mushy or simply dead plants. I was very frustrated and disappointed when I received the letter in the mail saying I could no longer purchase from them. Most of their items that are potted aren't even plants anyway, they are more like "starts" (tiny little things that have a hard time surviving). So I guess I will just continue to order from Springhill Nursery and Brecks and Gurneys (I highly recommend these for their overall quality of plants/bulbs/replacement guarantee). In my opinion it is their loss losing me as a customer because I spend any where from 300 to 500 dollars a year on plants. And normally I don't get a lot of replacements. So needless to say I DON'T RECOMMEND them as a nursery source.

"On Apr 5, 2011 3:36 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your feedback and we will look into your account for you. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information. Please reply to our agent so we check into this matter for you."

I purchased several plants and shrubs from this company. I live in zone 5 and have already received most of my order which I can't possibly plant yet. When it said ships at proper planting time for your region I didn't think I would have to babysit the plants for over a month before I could put them in the ground. I contacted the seller and they sent me some instructions on how to take care of them until I can plant them. After I complained about the first part of my order that shipped what I thought was early, they still went ahead and sent the rest of the items. It is snowing here today and there are plants in transit. I'll try to follow up in May when I get them in the ground and see how they perform.

"On Apr 5, 2011 3:30 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. We do ship according to the USDA grow zone and I apologize they arrived too early for your area. If you have any problems with your order please let us know and we would be happy to reship them to you.
A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information."

I placed an order for six Carmine Jewel cherry trees and a Victoria rhubarb . I used thier coupon spend 80 take off 40. I got all six trees for 52 dollars with shipping. I didn't get the rhubarb they sent a baby lilac shrub instead. No big deal I ordered the rhubarb to put me over the 80 dollar mark. The trees were tiny around 8 inches, but I knew that would be the case. Planted them in five gallon buckets with monrovia potting soil and all are growing well in my Virginia spring weather. Will they work in my zone 7 area? Time will tell. I got what would have cost around 150 dollars elsewhere for 40 bucks.

"On Mar 31, 2011 9:12 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I apologize you were sent a lilac instead of a rhubarb. A customer service representative will be contacting you for your account information and have the rhubarb reshipped to you."

Posted on May 26, 2010, updated March 28, 2011
I wanted to make sure that I took the time to rate the Michigan Bulb company since I almost did not order from them because of all of the negative ratings.

With all three of my order experiences, I received everything that I ordered, everything looked to be in fine shape, and everything appears to be coming up just fine. I did have a problem with one of my plants (which I think has to be normal when your dealing with live plants) and Michigan Bulb, without question, sent me a replacement.

My only suggestion would be that the Customer Service people have a picture of what the plant will look like when it first starts growing. In a couple instances, I didn't mark where I had planted things and wasn't sure if what was coming up was a flower or a weed. But of course that is just the newbie in me.

"On Jun 9, 2010 9:34 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for posting. We appreciate your feedback to better serve our customers. Happy Gardening! "