Comments regarding Michigan Bulb

This was my first online order for plants. I ordered hostas and a rose a Sharon. I ordered a empress wu hosta that was very well packed and healthy beautiful baby. My only down point was right after I placed my order I found full grown empress in Home Depot for the same price as this lil baby. Any who. Plants look great, all nice size barefoot and packed well. I will do business with them again, happy customer

Ordered daisys, hollyhocks and coneflowers last season, all died, the told me that it was to late in the year and would send this year, which they did. Out of six hollyhocks I have two and they aren't doing very well, daisys died, three of the coneflowers out of six are ok. won't order from them again.

Posted on June 22, 2006, updated May 13, 2014
The Casualties:

9 of 9 "potted" Mixed Foxglove -Dead. At the very least they were rotten or insect laden, and some were simply disintegrated by the time they graced my doorstep. I planted the gooey stubs anyway, (trying to be hopeful), but nothing happened.

1 of 3 Hardy Hibiscus bareroots never sprouted anything. The other 2 are growing, but I will eat my hat if they grow 3-4 feet this season like the company touts in their catalogue. They each have about 4 2mm leaves on them right now.

3 of 3 mixed Canterbury Bells -also Dead. Well, I think they had to have been alive once to be able to die-and that's highly questionable with the bare roots I recieved. I planted them, but they just rotted in the ground and eventually ended up being little more than compost.

4 "potted" Russian Sage of 6-Dead. Same condition as the above mentioned Foxglove. The 5th plant looks like it's about to kick the bucket soon.

The only plants that are growing well are the (bareroot) Astilbe-I ordered the collection of 4 plants (one of each color), and am pleased to see decent growth on all of them. (The white one has struggled the most, pink has performed the best)

Needless to say I am not pleased. They did send prompt replacements when I called to inform them about the Foxglove and Sage, but the replacements all tanked too.

Reading this post may give one the impression that I am a lousy gardener. However I am not, and have managed to have great success with a large variety of plants both fussy and uncommon.

It isn't me!

The "potted" plants are WAY TOO SMALL to survive the long stays in trucks and warehouses etc... The company needs to send larger, healthier plants and send them with a two day service so they don't have to keep re-sending replacement plants to increasingly cranky customers.

The planting season is nearing it's end now, so what does one do? I have fought with teeny sickly plants and exhausted my patience, only to end up WITHOUT the plants I wanted anyway! I had to find them elsewhere-ironically I found HUGE beautiful healthy Foxglove, Coneflower, Shasta Daisy, Sage, Astilbe, and 1 purple Canturbury Bell at my local grocery store for LESS than Michigan Bulb. I only wish I had seen them sooner so I could have enjoyed the Foxglove blooms THIS YEAR!

As for the bareroot casualties-they want me to wait 6 WEEKS to see if they grow. I assure you, they will not. By then they will have LONG since been gracing the gates of little plant Heaven.

It's a stalling tactic-no more. Because in 6 weeks, when fall is nearly here, I can call them back to tell them what they already knew months earlier (the plants have kicked the bucket)and they can tell me they are out of stock and I have to wait for Spring or get my money back.

Nope.

I want my money back now so I can have at least a small chance of purchasing the plants somewhere else (preferably before I'm decorating my Christmas tree.)

Posted on November 6, 2012, updated April 30, 2014
Very reliable. Order needed to be broken up and sent out at different times. They came as specified.

"On Nov 13, 2012 11:16 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful feedback. Happy Gardening!"

4/26/14 Rec'd my order within 2 weeks of placing the order. Plants are small which I expected. Very well packaged. This order I placed was all hosta. Each hosta was in their own little box. Roots had soil and shrink wrap. They all look good, well one was a little droopy. No biggie as it will bounce back in a few days. Order came in a box with airbag packing.
I was looking for another company to replace my long years with DG. It looks like I am have found it with Michigan bulb.
They are actually less expensive than DG. Shipping was less, DG is a bag, Michigan Bulb is a box with plant protection. Michigan Bulb is months faster than DG in high season.

I am waiting on a few more orders and I will update. So far I am very pleased.

Posted on June 4, 2012, updated April 24, 2014
I received my order promptly, correct, and in good condition even though the box was partially crushed (something very heavy must have been on top of it during shipping). The air bag packing did it's job to protect the plants. One of the items I ordered was "Red" Hens and Chicks which was shown as bright magenta in their catalog, What I received was light green leaves with a pale reddish tint at the the base of each leaf. I hope the plants will redden up as they mature and the season progresses or I will be disappointed.

"On Jun 5, 2012 11:57 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate your post. They should darken with age. Happy Gardening!"

I love the products sold by Michigan Bulb and the service and delivery are great. I would buy from them again EVEN THOUGH their marketing tactics are extremely aggressive and prey on people that don't understand. Now that I understand how they work, as I said, I would stay a customer.

Their prices change dynamically on their website, or they have a few versions of their website, depending on your actions. If you use their $25 off coupon, the second you apply the coupon the prices in your basket AND on the website increase by a LOT so you aren't actually saving any money.

The next tactic is using any of the promo codes will also alter the prices on the website so be careful and pay attention. I had a banana tree in my cart that was $8, then after adding the coupon code the price of the tree increased to 19.99 with some money off so the final price became $14.99. Another time it was $10.99, all within the same hour.

I ended up clearing my basket and leaving the site and ended up on Amazon, and low and behold I found Michigan Bulb and their subsidiaries (Gurney's and Spring Hill). The prices on Amazon were far cheaper than on the MB website, so I clicked on the link to go to MB website and the prices were slashed to the lowest I'd seen so I bought from that version of the website.

Like I said, they have excellent selection, fast delivery and pretty good service so don't be afraid to order, but do pay attention to your pricing.

Another one on my list of "will never buy from them again"
I ordered live and dormant plants. I live in zone 6. And okay, most of the country had abnormal weather this winter/spring But.... I was first told they will be held until it was time to ship to my zone. Then I was told they shipped. Then I was told they didn't ship when indeed they did and I received them in the second week of March with almost 2 feet of snow and ice still in my yard. I stored the dormant plants in the refrigerator but I only have so much southern window space. I lost 2 plants so far. I finally have been able to work the soil and plant them.

I never received a response to my email complaining about receiving my plants so early. They at least could have apologized for the error.

I have unsubscribed to their emails and requested that catalogs no longer be sent to me. I'm done with them. No second chances!

For the most part, the company ships plants, even the free ones, in great shape. I was very worried about my bare root asparagus as I had to plant in days after I got it after wrapping it up and putting it in the fridge in the meantime. I got shoots in less than a week.

I did have a few problem plants, but these were immediately refunded without a problem.

I recieved my order today. I am pleased with my order as everything was shipped in full, everything arrived in good condition and I recieved my money's worth.

I have ordered from them several times over the past 10 plus years, usually with mixed results. No complaints as "you get what you pay for". Mislabling (plants not true to identity or color), rotten bulbs or dried up dormant plants here and there. I never contacted them or complained.

I have noticed that their pricing has increased dramatically but their discounts have remained the same. 50% off 40 dollar orders, etc.I decided to order this year and take advantage of the discounts with my fingers crossed and chuckling to myself.

I HAVE to say I am pleasantly surprised. 2 dormant bareroot tall phlox arrived wrapped in plastic and sawdust. They were moist with many new shoots rising from large rhizomes. Exactly what I would recieve from Wayside or comparable. My Julia Child Rose was healthy although slightly dry. This own root was small but no different than other own root rose vendors selling it for 17.50 or more. My 14.95 rose cost me 7.50. A dwarf fernspray Cypress was exceptionally healthy and ingood condition.

I feel I recieved a great value on my purchase. Michigan Bulb met their obligations to me and sent me healthy plants. If they die or fail to thrive from now until the end of the growing season it will be my own fault.

I received my order, which consisted of three plants. I was very disappointed in the size of the Butterfly Bush and Cotton Candy Grass. The Cotton Candy Grass more than anything. This plant consisted of “FOUR” blades of grass. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to order a plant and get something I can’t even see in my garden, or I won’t be able to see it for years if it even makes it. I ordered a plant not 4 pieces of grass. At the same time I made this order I also ordered a few plants from Spring Hill Nursery’s. Those plants came in one gallon containers ready to plant and will bloom this year at a nice size. How many years will I have to wait to see my four blades of grass bloom? I don’t believe I will be ordering from this company again. Very disappointed customer.

Just received the first of three orders I've placed this season with Michigan Bulb. Plants arrived in great condition, and were larger than expected! Great value!

Posted on March 22, 2014, updated March 27, 2014
Posted on March 17, 2014, updated March 22, 2014
Posted on March 12, 2014, updated March 17, 2014
Posted on March 10, 2014, updated March 12, 2014
Posted on March 8, 2014, updated March 10, 2014
Posted on March 7, 2014, updated March 8, 2014
Posted on March 5, 2014, updated March 7, 2014
Re: Account Number 50493921
Order Number: 40530014000
Order Number: 40550014500

The original estimated delivery dates of these two orders placed on 2/22 and 2/24 respectively have come and gone. The revised delivery dates range from 3/8/14 to 3/13/14. Considering that today is already 3/5/14 and I'm in California the 3/8 is already out the window.

Since the last frost date for Zone 10 was January 31st and I've had roses and other spring flowers blooming for weeks I'm eager to receive my orders. My credit card was charged immediately.

With over 25 years of experience in business processes and software systems for materials management in a variety of industries including fresh foods it is obvious to me that their are several serious and systemic problems that MB management doesn't seem capable of fixing.

MB should have fewer sales and focus on delivering quality product on time. Why in Sam Hill's name would I place additional orders with a company that can't ship the orders I've already placed? I have no clue when I can expect my orders based on MB's track record with my order and numerous other customers who have posted experiences similar to mine.

I will update this post when and if I receive my order.

I ordered 3 Itoh Lollipop peonies on 2-15-14, they were shipped 3-18-14, and arrived today 3-21-14. The foliage is 14"+/- tall and full. The roots are maxing out of their 2" pots and healthy and full so I potted them up and have them under lights, there was no wilting nor bruising or breakage of the stems and leaves. I am very happy with my purchase. I will try to post a picture in my file.

Just got a heads-up note from them, they shipped hibiscus that will arrive by US mail next week.

It was 12 degrees last night. Our ground is like concrete, most of the garden is under 8 or more inches of ice/snowpack..

I am furious.

Michigan Bulb sells or shares customer information with a spammer sister company. If you do business with them, expect to receive unsolicited commercial e-mail several times a week. I first complained about this on their Facebook page and they responded by shutting down the Facebook page instead of properly keeping customer information private.

I have been dealing with Michigan Bulb for over 35 years. In the beginning, they were pretty good. I usually got what I wanted and it grew. Then, within the past 10 years or so, they began declining. Sending out obviously 1 or 2 year old bagged bulbs and rhizomes whether rotted or not, and visibly dried and dead plants that had to be that way when they shipped. 3 years ago, I would have put them in the same category as all those numerous and pitiful Jung's-owned companies out of Bloomfield, IL. I stopped doing business with them. I decided to order again this year. I got 2 of my ITOH peonies on 3/1/14 and several other herbaceous peonies that were good sized, green, at least 4-5 eyes and had leaves and signs of life everywhere. I much prefer receiving them this way rather than getting what looks like a dead piece of dog-poop and I have to spend months waiting and convincing them that it was not "dormant" but was dead when I received it. On my recent order, they did adjust their delivery schedule once, but it was only a week, and they kept me informed. The price I paid for ITOH peonies with their 50% discount was at least a third cheaper than the next best price I could find. And these are healthy thriving plants, albeit a little small. Nonetheless, a fair offer for what I paid, very healthy, and I'm starting to see signs of life again at Michigan Bulb! I'm back, too, MB! For as long as you are! Thanks so much! People are going to notice and use you again!

Posted on February 8, 2014, updated February 22, 2014
Great sale prices on plants and shipping and they offer a free gift. They return emails quickly... great customer service.

I don't usually write online reviews, but in this case I feel like I want to give this company some positive feedback because in my experience they've improved in the last year. I first started ordering plants and bulbs online a few years back when I moved to a house in the suburbs (in central PA) from a city apartment. At that time, the items I ordered from Michigan Bulb either ended up being out of stock by the time they got to my order, or for whatever reason (possibly my own fault as a novice gardener - which I still am), the plants didn't thrive. (I don't think I ordered actual bulbs from them.) However, in the past year or so, I've ordered a number of items (almost all plants, not bulbs), and have been really pleased with the quality of the items, especially because their prices seem a bit lower than some of the other big companies offer for the same exact products online. My only complaint would be the number of emails I receive, and that's because of my weak willpower with regard to spending money. I do enjoy all of the print catalogs I receive from the various garden companies. Also, all the companies I order from have an uncanny sense of timing such that my plants generally arrive the day (and since I work every day, it's the evening) before I'm going on vacation.

"On Feb 3, 2014 11:49 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful post about our company. Happy Gardening to you!"

I ordered 2 Ruby Red Dwarf Pie Cherry trees and a Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree last spring. All 3 grew beautifully! Lots of leaves and happy little plants (too young for fruit just yet). I also ordered Virginia Bluebells that didn't live, but tis gardening, some things work and some don't. Good thing those were the cheapest items in my order. ;) Granted, the prices at Michigan Bulb are really reasonable for everything I ordered!

"On Jan 22, 2014 12:36 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback, we appreciate you taking the time to post. If you ever have any problems please just let us know and we will be happy to help."

I placed an order with Michigan Bulb and two years later started getting multiple marketing e-mails a week from their sister company. When I complained, I was told it would take 6 weeks to get off their email list. When I place an order, I assume that ALL of my information is confidential. If it's not, I go shop somewhere else. I wrote about my experience on their Facebook page and got a reply from an employee posing as just another gardener telling me I was over reacting. Less than a month later they took down the Facebook page to prevent other people from learning that doing business with MB will get you spammed. In addition, the plants were EXTREMELY small and very few of them survived. The few that did spent three years in a pot to get them to a reasonable size to go into the ground.

"On Jan 2, 2014 12:02 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your posting. I apologize for the problems you had with our emails and our plants. I will have one of our customer service representatives contact you about your plants and to make sure you are opted out of our system."

I have never been so unhappy with a company. I have had numerous problems with my orders. The first time I ordered in late spring, I was sent a totally different item in my box than what I ordered. I gave them a pass. Things happen. I was eventually sent the right order months later. They were the smallest sedum plants ever. Not worth the money paid. But, I gave them another try. I ordered some bulbs in early August and some sedum. Everything I actually received was sent in different boxes. Very weird. The sedum I ordered, after two months or more of waiting, was all of a sudden "Out of Stock". Last week, I was again sent a totally wrong item. I ordered a very special tulip bulb(again, in August). I think a tulip bulb could have been sent to Wisconsin a lot earlier than the second week of November. With both wrong orders, the plants sent were very generic plants with product numbers that were not even close so they could not of both been human error of being off a number. And, both times I could not even find the wrong items sent on their website so I was obviously sent any old thing lying around. I really feel this company sticks wrong things in your box in the hope you don't notice. Something is off with this company. The customer service people are nice, but they must get tired of dealing with unhappy people. The excuse for the not shipped sedum was something along the lines that the stock was not up to their shipping standards and they didn't have enough good plants to send out. So, I am suppose to believe that enough people ordered this item before me that when they got to my order (again, I can't stress enough we are talking over two months later) that company finally found out they didn't have any for me. It makes no sense. I am generally not a review writer. But, I am pursuing all options to let people know not to order from this company. Do not be taken in by their half off your order coupon. You end up ordering enough to make the amount and then only get the most common things in your order. That plants are Ok but not large. I really think there is something off here.

"On Nov 16, 2013 12:54 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We appreciate you letting us know about the problem you had with your order. We always want to make sure our customers are happy with their purchase. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for account information.Our value-sized plants are grown under carefully controlled conditions and they do not suffer from transplant shock and are easy to plant."

very fast shipping. Bulbs look very healthy. very pleased

"On Nov 15, 2013 4:42 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know. Happy Gardening!"

All I have received so far from Michigan Bulb have been beautiful. One plant was broken and when I called them ,customer service was very polite,and they sent a replacement promptly.I am very happy with them. Thanks for listening. NEVA

"On Nov 15, 2013 4:44 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. If you ever need help with anything just let us know."

Don't waste your time with this company, unless you want to drive yourself insane!

I placed 2 orders in mid-September for shrubs and perennials with Michigan Bulb...I was all excited to get the items and could barely wait to get them in the mail...in the pictures on their website, the plants looked so awesome...I ordered Big Daddy Hydrangeas, Bee Balm, Nicky Phlox, and more...I am in the northeast and so I wanted to get these planted reasonable soon, before the first frost....After I placed the order, I noticed that in my invoice it stated that the items would ship out in the beginning of October and some at the end of October....I was a little dismayed and puzzled why they would take so long to even ship out....(because, meanwhile, I ordered some perennials from a different company, and received those in about 5 days)...after about 3 weeks of waiting, I decided to call Michigan Bulb and ask "What's the holdup?"....I didn't want to hear anything about "we'll be shipping at the correct time for your zone"....that's nonsense; the other companies I ordered from shipped healthy perennials to me immediately, and the longer that I would wait to get these, the greater the chance of us getting a frost, so I wanted them asap....but before I called them, I did some research on Michigan Bulb, and realized that I had just made purchases at a real DUD of a company; now I was stuck in the middle of a transaction...so I called them and told them I wanted to cancel both of my orders....(actually, the 2nd order was now "delayed" and wasn't scheduled to arrive until around Thanksgiving, or who knows when, actually; it probably would have been delayed again)....so when I called them, they allowed me to cancel the 2nd order, but they said the 1st order was "being processed" and I couldn't cancel until I received the items...the only decent thing I can say is that the phone reps I dealt with did not give me a hard time about cancelling...they must be used to cancels, by now....

So, about 10 days later I received the Purple Bee Balm that I ordered, and it was hysterical what they sent to me...the soil that the Bee Balm came in was barely enough to fill up two thimbles, that's it, and a little miniscule sprout was sticking out of it....practically a microsopic plant...this is what I waited 3 weeks for? And the bulbs I ordered were about the size of peanuts...."Can you spare it?", I thought.....

So, AVOID Michigan Bulb at all costs...what a dud...go with Dave's Top 30 Watchdog retailers; I did and I was SO much happier...if you use a Top 30 or other highly rated company, you'll get nice-sized, healthy plants, and in a timely fashion.....if you use Michigan Bulb, beware, here are the things you will be faced with:

1. You will order an item, and then be prepared for WEEKS before they even consider shipping them...
2. Further delays in any order that you place; sometimes for months....
3. If you happen to receive any perennials, you might as well put away the shovel, and get your kitchen teaspoon out to dig the hole for them...they will be miniscule....

I don't know how they stay in business....

"On Nov 16, 2013 1:58 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I apologize for the problems you had with your order. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you."

We ordered several hundred dollars worth of bulbs and other items including a bulb planter. For some reason, they think I don't need the bulb planter until the last of the bulbs is shipped. Go figure. Otherwise I am pleased at this point with everything else and the timing of the deliveries.

"On Nov 15, 2013 4:42 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback, we always appreciate hearing from our customers."

Have several orders in.
Customer service is great.
On line Chat service is quick & easy.
Products are of good quality and shipped in a timely manner.
Packaging is good.

"On Sep 12, 2013 10:08 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your wonderful review. Happy Gardening!"

I only made a small order because of all the negative comments from other reviews, but overall I was satisfied. Although I had to wait quite a while to receive my plants, I found the customer service to be great. I ordered 2 Passion flower vines, 3 geraniums and 3 Hellebores. I had a few problems such as
1. Order for Hellebore cancelled without notifying me (I found out when I logged into my account)
2. Repeated delays in shipping plants - each plant was shipped separately over a period of 6-8 weeks. I really was afraid they would try to ship in the heat of summer.
3. The passion flower vines I received did not look too healthy and were in the smallest pots I have ever seen, with just a couple of roots and maybe 5-6 leaves. A couple leaves were stapled to the support stake. However, they were $3.00 each so you get what you pay for and they were well packed. After planting, one promptly lost all its leaves. The other passion flower is growing slowly - hope it gets strong enough to survive the winter
4. Really don't like that they charge your credit card as soon as your order is placed then take weeks to ship.

On the positive side:
1. Customer service responded within 24 hrs of my emails and helped to expedite shipment
2. Customer service issued a refund back to may credit card for the Hellebores
3. When I contacted customer service (within 30 days) that one passion flower died, they sent me a refund check for that, too. For a $32 order, I got a $21 refund. Overall, I got 5 plants out of my 8 plant order. The "dead" passion flower eventually started to grow after a couple of months
4. The geraniums were huge healthy bareroots. Two of them grew right away (no blooms this season) and the third has put out several leaves after about 6 weeks.

I just placed another order for this fall, hoping I will get everything. They do have some well-priced unusual plants and coupons. I am trying more bare root plants since they were so healthy. Would advise not placing a huge order initially, till you get used to how they operate. It can be quite frustrating wondering where your order is. Also have to reiterate their customer service reps were great.

"On Aug 6, 2013 4:08 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. I apologize for any problems you had with your order or your plants. Please let us know if you need any replacements and we will be happy to take care of this for you."

Posted on May 29, 2013, updated August 2, 2013
I'm a novice gardener and this is my second year planting a garden and flower beds. I received a catalog from Michigan Bulb in February and after some speculation I placed a large order in the Spring. I was aware (thanks to information in the catalog) that the plants would be tiny and that the order would be shipped when my zone had opened. Michigan Bulb was very good about sending me emails to update me on the status of the order and expected delivery time. My order arrived two weeks ago and all of the plants and bulbs were in good shape. So far so good, they are thriving. One item was not available and Michigan Bulb contacted me and gave me a refund and I was able to order another plant in it's place. I am very pleased and I have placed a second order. I appreciate the affordability, customer service, and quality of plants from Michigan Bulb.

"On May 30, 2013 11:31 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

We really appreciate your feedback about our company. Thank you and enjoy your garden!"

Posted on July 30, 2013, updated July 30, 2013
Posted on October 22, 2012, updated July 30, 2013
So I couldn't resist the $20 coupon and ordered a few things for the heck of it not anticipating much and for the most part I got what I expected, but overall not horrible and to be honest there were some pleasant surprises. The details.....

First, I give MB kudos for their communication emails. I received a prompt e-mail acknowledging my order. A second email advised my order would be delayed about a week and finally a third e-mail advising I would receive my order between 10/6 and 10/8. Much to my surprise my order was received promptly on 10/8. No back orders and everything was in stock. Nice job.

Now for the plants. I ordered 3 yellow stargazer lilies, 3 fern leaf bleeding hearts, 3 liriope, 1 spiritual corridor day lily (strange name) and 25 glory of the snow (bulbs).

The lilies were definitely on the small side but for the most part were healthy and firm with the exception of one which appeared to have some soft spots. Because of the smallish size I'm not expecting much in the way of bloom next summer. They'll clearly need a few years to reach their full potential.

The daylily was a small division as expected with a little bit of green growth but again, although small the roots appeared firm and healthy. Daylilies are tough and I expect there is no reason why it won't continue to increase in size over the years.

The liriope was somewhat of a disappointment. The small root divisions were dried and one had absolutely no roots at all. They all had some green growth however so I'm staying positive.

The glory of the snow were miniscule. Yes, I know they are "minor" bulbs and are generally small but these were tiny, tiny, tiny. I would be very surprised to see these bloom this spring. That being said all 25 of them were firm and healthy so time will tell.

The bleeding hearts were the bright spot. Although bare root (as were all the perennials) the were sturdy multi-eye divisions with a nice root system. I expect these will do well and my even bloom next year.

I planted all promptly and and threw in a little bonemeal to help the bulbs along, watered in and mulched well to help get them through the winter. With a little coddling I think the majority will make it. Overall I would say that I got what I paid for so I can't complain.Am I expecting glorious blooms next spring/summer? No, not really. To be sure, the plants were way small and will need some time to establish but I was pleased with the health of pretty much all so there's no reason to believe they won't grow. I believe the price was commensurate with the size of the plants, low price = small stock, that's reality no matter who you're dealing with. For now I'm giving MB a positive rating since I was impressed with the communication, timely shipping and overall health of the plants.

"On Nov 2, 2012 9:58 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you very much for your posting. We appreciate you letting us know about your order. Happy Gardening!"

Posted on July 2, 2013, updated July 11, 2013
Posted on May 21, 2013, updated July 2, 2013
Posted on May 10, 2013, updated May 21, 2013
I ordered in April and my expected ship date has now been pushed back to sometime in late May or the first half of June.

I think the plants will be nice additions to my garden if they arrive in a healthy condition.

My suggestion to Michigan Bulb would be to make it clear which plants are out of stock. I might have ordered these specimens anyway, and would have appreciated the opportunity to make an informed decision. At this point, I will wait and hope for the best.

I will update this comment and rating when the plants arrive.

"On May 11, 2013 10:42 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your feedback. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on the status of your order for you."

I ordered a shade garden and a lavender plant, and was to receive a mixed ranculus at no charge. I monitored the anticipated shipping date on line, and it kept changing. I also noticed one day that the shade garden was totally missing from the order. Completely dropped. I emailed Michigan Bulb and learned that due to popular demand, the shade garden was no longer available. They mentioned that they had credited my credit card for the cost of the shade garden. Somehow, their system was not set up to let me know, I had to ask. I then received an email last night that the mixed ranculus was no longer available. Michigan Bulb really needs to update their computer system to real time so that customers don't have the option of ordering plants that, in reality, cannot be shipped. I hope the little lavender plant makes it. I won't be ordering from them again. There must be better companies out there.

"On Jul 11, 2013 9:39 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I apologize for the problems you have had with your order. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and assist you in resolving this issue."

10 weeks ago I placed an order with Michigan Bulb. Finally about 7 weeks later, I received a partial order. The plants looked dead but I followed directions and placed them in soil and watered. All but 2 began to grow.

I started to wonder about the rest of my order. I checked on line and saw that it was still delayed. I checked every week or so, even called once. They were very nice and gave me a projected mailing date. But the date went by and no plants.

Finally, I noticed a credit from Michigan Bulb on my credit card. I was relieved. I checked on line once again and their website said the remainder of my order was cancelled.

I checked my email to see if there was a courtesy notice alerting me to the cancellation. No notice at all. How curious!?!

I have removed myself from their mailing list and want nothing more to do with them. Customer service and good communication are so important but they have definitely missed this step.

"On Jul 5, 2013 2:12 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I apologize for the problems with your order and the cancellation. One of our customer service representatives will contact your for your account information and take care of this for you."

I ordered at least a hundred dollars worth of flowers from Michigan bulb to revitalize my Ohio garden which had fallen on hard times while I lived in NC for ten years. I was excited to get back into gardening after living in a condo for that amount of time. The problem began when I ordered first in February and after I had paid received notice that my plants would be delivered in May! I called and was told that because of n unusually cold spring they were having trouble filling orders. I suggested they not advertise things then. They expedited my order and things began to arrive in early April. Most of the plants were fine and are growing well, but the poppies and fringe daisies they sent were rotted and slimy. They replaced them with a gift certificate for more plants. I ordered three foxglove, one grass plant, coral bells and mercury rising coreopsis. The coral bells shipping estimate is September! The other plants came in waves. The foxglove looks nothing like any foxglove I have ever seen , spindly, thin leaves with brown tips that looked wilted. Then a week later the coreopsis came. It was two inches tall and had not one leaf on it. These were supposed to be plants mind you, not roots or bulbs. The coreopsis looked as if someone had trimmed off the stems to a uniform height to try to make it look like a viable plant. I have planted the foxglove, but have no hope that it will ever bloom this year, probably will have a hard time developing appropriate foliage as my established foxglove have let alone blooming. I have made my last order from MIchigan Bulb . They have some serious product, shipping and service issues and it is too difficult to wait, wait and then get a plant that would make Charlie Brown's tree look like a blue spruce!

"On Jul 5, 2013 2:02 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I apologize for the problems you have had with your plants. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you."

I'm very disappointed.

I ordered enough items make it worth the shipping costs, now more than 6 weeks later, they decide to cancel 3 out of 6 items that I ordered. I was really looking forward to get the DOUBLE ORIENTAL LILY MIX to flower around the time of my birthday in August. I would have gladly taken a substitute for another oriental lily. At least they refunded what they felt the remainder of my unshipped order was worth.

However, the pink lavender I ordered arrived dead on arrival. There was no plastic protecting the root system and it dried to a crisp during transit I can only assume. There was another plant that had the rootball protected with plastic bag and it arrived in good condition. I emailed Michigan Bulb at least 3 times in the past two weeks and they have not responded yet.

ORDER SUMMARY
Account Number: 49781910
Order Number: 31260315000
Order Date: 05/06/13

"On Jun 24, 2013 11:42 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

I apologize for the problem with your order. The Lily Mix is out of stock but I am reshipping the lavender to you. You should be receiving it in the next 7-10 days."

I have been ordering from them for the last 10 years or so and love them. They have different plants than what you buy at homedepot as I try and make my yard unique. I have had the odd plant die or not grow and die out but they have always replaced or sent me a credit. I am an experienced gardner. I have bought plants from homedepot or walmart and had more die out from homedepot or walmart than from michigan bulb. I would like people who say bad about them to mention how long they have gardened and if plants they buy from other sources are dying out or bad like what they say Michigan Bulb sends.

"On Jun 14, 2013 12:43 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. Happy Gardening!"

These people SUCK. I ordered plants in April and they didn't ship until June. And the plants I recieived were puny, dried out and barely clinging to life. They charged my credit card 2 months before shipping. This is twice for these people and they will get no more business from me.

"On Jun 14, 2013 11:49 AM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for letting us know about the problem with your order. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and take care of this for you."

Posted on April 15, 2013, updated June 9, 2013
Wow, This company is a joke!! They keep pushing my shipping date back further and further into the summer. Spring is here and I won't receive my plants until The end of May! Something is wrong with this picture. I ordered my plants around the end of March. Stay away from this company. Don't waste your time or money with them!!

"On Apr 17, 2013 4:13 PM, Michigan Bulb responded with:

Thank you for your posting. One of our customer service representatives will contact you for your account information and check on the status of your order."

Michigan Bulb Co. is the worst on-line garden supply store that I've ever dealt with!
I ordered several bulbs this past spring, and, they arrived as promised. Purchasing was not the problem. I planted the bulbs immediately, and only one blossomed. I then attempted to contact their support to no avail. Never got a single response to multiple contact attempts! Apparently Michigan Bulb is only interested in sales and not in customer relations. And, in my experience, the product they sell is worthless.