Comments regarding Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com)

Plants were ordered in Feb. Finally received in late May after several phone calls. Orginal order was shipped to the wrong address. Plants are pitiful. I was very temped to throw the entire stinky soggy moldy mess in the garbage. I will not order from them again.

I had a very good experience with Spring Hill. Because of the size of the plants and how early they ship, I probably will order only bushes or trees in the future, but almost everything is growing. The first time I called to get a few replacements, the woman I spoke to acted as though she had never heard of such a thing as one of their plants not growing. She sighed and said, "Let me check on something" and put me on hold. Then, the battery on my phone started to go (luckily) so I hung up. However, when I called back a few days later, I got a very cheerful woman who teased me about killing my banana tree. She was very nice and the plant arrived quickly. With the great coupons and quick replacements I would order from this company again.

I had made a purchase with Spring Hill Nurseries about a month ago I have waited fro my order week after week. nothing then I decided to go and check my order status on their site. I found-out that my order was cancelled. Idecided to call their customer service. I provided my order information and questioned the reson for cancelling my order. The customer service representative have put me on hold to check with his supervisor. 10 minutes later he came back telling me that my order was cancelled because I had an outstanding balance with one of theri affiliate companies "Gurneys Nursery". I indicated that I had made an order with them in early Summer of 2004 and received partial of my order, and that was paid for. They shipped me the rest of my order in Winter of 2005. and the plants when they arrived where dead. So I refused to pay for something that was dead. and Also I was not informed via email or regualr mail that my order will arrive almost a year later. Since my CC was only charged for the products I received. I didnt make a seen about it.

With Spring Hill customer care The response was that the Warranty on the plant got voided because I didn't pay the remainder of it. anyway I asked the representivie how to get this resolved. the answer was that my account is being restricted from ordering and I connot order from them.

Finally My advice if you place and order with this company make sure you followup on the status of the order. They might send your order a year or two later.

Many bulbs were rotted. This is my second order with them and each time the plants were in poor condition. Replacements are available but often they don't carry the same plant.

Spring Hill recieved my order on april 8th, after four calls to customer service to check on the status of my order, I finally recieved it today (may 17th). 12 of the 36 vincas were missing; the lavender were rotting and slimy; and the lilly bulbs , hen and chicks, raspberries and clematis all looked ok-pretty much what I expected. I called customer service and told them about the missing vincas and the woman cherfully offered to send them out, but I had to tell her to honor the coupon from the original order and not to charge me shipping. While I had her on the phone I also mentioned the lavender. In good faith, I will plant them and give them a chance, but I don't expect them to recover and I wanted it in some record that they were NOT in good health when I took them out of the shipping box. My growing season here is very short, and the delay in getting my order shipped out (I still don't know why) was really starting to concern me, and with part of my order missing, and part rotting I am not sure if I would order from them again. We will see how long replacements take to arrive.

I have ordered several times and a variety of items, I find the prices to be reasonable and with the coupon quite good. I ordered the naturalized shade garden among other items this is the second season for that garden and other than a few of the lillies which I am sure the squirrels dug up everything is doing extremely well! The customer service is excellent and the one item that did not work out was replaced.

I placed an order with Spring Hill on 4/07/07 and was promised an arrival date of 5/17/07, which is today. I did not recieve the promised email telling me that my items had shipped, so I went to Spring Hill's website to check on the status of my order. They bumped my arrival date back to 6/07/07. My growing season is not long enough to wait until that date. I have canceled my order and will buy my plants from my local nursery. Spring Hill should have alerted me to the change in my order status by email. I will not order from Spring Hill again.

I received my shipment from Spring Hill Nursery on April 27th. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. First of all on their web site it states "A Growing Guide containing the instructions below is included with every order. The Growing Guide also includes additional information regarding specific plant care and attributes." Well there was NO Growing Guide in my box.
Also on their website it states that the Hibiscus will be "Shipped in 3" pot." I received 2 bags with 6 bare roots in them. If I knew that they were bare roots I would not have purchased them!
Can't forget the Scabiosa Pincushion Collection. Most of them looked half dead when I received them. I have planted them and I am trying to nurse them back to health. There was barely any roots to ALL of the white ones. Some of the others you can tell they were starving for water because the only place the roots were was at the bottom.
I sent this company an email on May 10th, 2007 about all my issues with my order. I got an automatic response from them stating that I will hear back within 48 hours. Well it has been 72 business hours and still NOTHING.
As it stands now I will never order from this company again.

I had ordered a large order from Spring Hill in April, 4 complete gardens and also a hosta package. Delivery date to be 5-7 to 5-20. Just checked to confirm the date, and it has been changed to 6-4-6-10. My garden is ready to be planted and if they did not have the plants at the time of ordering they should have just cancelled the order. I am very unhappy with this company, and will cancel my order today. I can go to our local nursery and fill my garden. We have a short growing season to begin with and need all the extra time for the perennials to get established before winter again.
Jean Pederson

I ordered 4 Lilac Bushes and 10 Dwarf Burning Bushes. They all arrived in great condition. All 10 Burning Bushes are doing fine. One of the Lilac's is failing, but I think it will snap out of it. They were all very small plants, but then the price was really good too. So I'm happy!

All I can say is "So far, so good!" I ordered a set of mums last year as my first order. Since I've never had luck growing them, I thought I'd take a chance. They came back this spring and are growing fast! This spring I ordered a red azalea,the ice plant collection, and a few more mums. The plants arrived in great condition - packed well! They all appeared healthy and have shown growth since planted. I did have a problem with this year's order though. Two items were missing. I e-mailed SpringHill, and they sent replacements out within a week. I'm impressed with SpringHill so far. I've had terrible experiences with Cottage Farms and Roberta's (both on QVC), so I've found SpringHIll to be a much more reliable and pleasant company to deal with. I plan to replace the dead (and never received!) items from QVC's companies with new ones from SpringHill.

OK.. get ready for this one. I purchased over $860 worth of plants, flowers and bulbs from each of these online websites in the last year alone! I thought they were wonderful! The plants were growing nicely. Now, this year comes up - man oh man what a different story! I purchased 3 rosebushes from Springhill Nursery - 2 last year, 1 this year - last year, the two were doing fine.. this year they won't come back - deader than dead. I ordered a new one this was before I realized the other two were not coming back - and within 2 weeks - the new one is deader than dead. I also purchased cascadia petunias - blue spark and choice - the choice ones are doing fine, all of the blue spark died. When I called Springhill to ask for their "guarantee" to replace the items, I was told my account was turned over to a collection agency and I couldn't get my returns!! I called Springhill and the accounting department confirmed that there was an er ror - all of my purchases were clear! (like I already knew that) He appologized for it, then when he asked me what I needed, he confirmed to me that he released the item for priority shipment that I was waiting on, then when he went to order the replacement for the petunias and rosebushes, he told me that I had too many returns therefore, he couldn't help me. OK.. now I've never had a return - I should have stated about all of the "hard to grow" ground cover never came back either - but I wasn't too concerned about those - i just wanted my current items shipped and replaced! I get put on hold for the manager - she stated your account is clear I'm noting it in the comments section, however, I cant release your items.. customer service will call you tomorrow and release them for you. SOOOOOOOOO I talked with customer service today, and their response - oh it seems there was an $8.72 order that was placed last year, on a "bill me" basis (ummm.. they don't have that option online - that's the only way I've ever purchased items) and that is the reason that my order can not be released. I told her to bill my credit card for the stupid $8.72 and release and resend my orders to me today! She confirms the payment, THEN tells me she billed it to the wrong person! NOW - they want me to call a collection agency and pay the $8.72 that they just billed to my credit card for someone else - then call them back to release and replace my order.
WHAT A MESS! They have NO IDEA what they are doing! When I asked to speak with a manager - MULTIPLE TIMES - I was told No!!!! I have only one thing to say - STAY AWAY FROM THESE COMPANIES! They have screwed this up ROYALLY!

placed 2 orders in early April. Received smaller on April 25th even though I had requested it not be shipped until I got home April 29th but at least received it. The much larger order, placed within a day or so of the other kept being delayed. Every day or so I would check the status of delivery and each day it would always be a day or so later . I sent 2-3 messages to customer service asking why everything was delayed because I couldn't believe all of the items were back-ordered when my local nurseries are selling most of these kinds of items . Each time they replied to my inquiry they did not answer my specific questions. Either they chose not to answer or their customer service people are not trained to read and reply specifically. Now they say items are being "pulled" for me and will be shipped in 3-4 WEEKS! Some of the items are the same as the order they shipped early.

I've ordered from SpringHill in the past, but I was happier this year. The plants were in better condition- the potted plants had substantial growth, and they included a bag of bulbs as a bonus. I will continue to use them.

I have ordered from Spring Hill in the past with good results. This year I ordered in early April (when I received the catalog) and got an estimated ship date of mid-end of April. Since then I have checked my order status several times and every time it changes I am now out as far as May 23. I e-mailed them on April 25 and got the standard "we will reply within 48 hours. When I hadn't heard from them by the 29th I called and was told that they are backlogged. After I called they finally e-mailed me back on April 30th and said all my plants are on back order. ALL?? I called back and the representative told me because I ordered so late, (she said most people order in January, I told her I ordered when I received the catalog) that my plants weren't going to ship until later. Why give me an April ship date then? And why is my ship date changing every day? For now I am giving them a neutral if my plants ship in a timely manner I will change it. To be honest if I hadn't gotten such a good price on some plants I would just cancel my order since I can now get same or similar plants at local nurseries.

I have done business for 5 years with Spring Hill and have been very satisified with their product and guarantee. If I ever got anything that failed to grow I had no problems getting a replacement plant. I recently had an collection of lilacs delivered, in which one out of four lilacs plants was missing. The representitive at the customer service line was very friendly and apologetic, and told me that I would enjoy the "free" plant I got by mistake. He quickly took my replacement order. I GOT THE LILAC WITHIN TWO DAYS! I would recommend this company highly! I have done business with several catalog companies and this is my favorite. You can see my not so positive posting for House of Wesley.

I would like to know who the parent company is for Spring Hill Nursery, Breck, Michigan Bulb, Garden's Alive etc.
Could anyone tell me please?

I placed my first order from their website before I found the Garden Watchdog. I was a bit worried, but all items arrived in good shape. I planted them immediately, and after about 3 weeks all items are doing well. The Amethyst Astilbe has gone from rhizome/root to about 10 x 12 inches already. I have no problem with small plants that grow, as I have had more than my share of larger rootbound plants from Garden Centers that underperform. They are a bit slow on processing the orders, but so far that is my only criticism. I have another order on the books, so we'll see how that one goes.

I ordered over $500 worth of shrubs, trees, and flowers, since they were running a half off special. Afterwards I came across this site and became a bit nervous after reading all the negative reviews.

So far I have received half of my order and was pleasantly surprised at how good all the plants look. I even received some Azalea bushes that already have big pink flowers on them.

I also ordered the sub-zero rose bush collection. 2 of the rose plants are not looking that great out in the yard, but I will continue to water them and keep an eye out. The other 4 are sprouting new branches and leaves like crazy!

For now, I have absolutely no complaints.

I have ordered from Spring Hill off and on for years...when I wasn't running my own nursery! Recently I sold out and started ordering from them again with good results. I ordered three trees from them and they were shipped, two of them did not make after they were planted and I emailed them. I received an email the next day saying they had ordered two new ones to replace that at no cost. I had a terrible time with another company this spring ordering bulbs from them so this was a breath of fresh air for me.

We used their $25.00 coupon for new customers just had to pay the $8.95 shipping. We got a nice size in pot Black Magic EE and some tubers all free . We received healthy plant and tuber four days after ordering. Email Thanking us for our order, email when shipped with tracking number. We like when companys do this. We were very impressed and suprised on the large size and good quality of plants. Will shop again.

I have ordered twice from Spring Hill Nurseries, both times with a coupon.

I was pleasantly surprised--what I got was better than I expected. I knew the plants would be small, and they were, but they had extensive root systems and arrived extremely well-packed and hydrated. So far, except for a couple of ice plants that didn't make it (possibly due to gophers), everything is doing well.

Another plus is that my order was shipped very quickly.

I couldn't beat the price anywhere else, and with patience, I expect to see lots of beauty in the years ahead!

This is the second time I order plants from them, and it arrived well packed and the plants are small but they look healthy. The liatris I ordered last year came out beautiful and I just received some more yesterday - and it arrived ahead of schedule!

I ordered some miniature roses last year and they were very twiggy by they all made it... they are really baby plants... but for the price it was ok!

Having grown up just a few miles from Spring Hill Nursery in Tipp City, Ohio I was always used to their great selection, beautiful nursery site and friendly staff. A few years ago, (I am terrible with time) the original owners went out of business. The community was very happy to see that after a year or so, another company purchased Spring Hill and re-opened the local nursery. This might be why some have had wonderful experiences and some poor ones. The old management was great, and the local nursery is still good, although some stock is often low. The mail order part of the company seems to be the weakest part.

I was a first time customer of Spring Hill. Their catalog was so beautiful, I couldn't help but to give them a try. I mostly ordered flowers already potted (some semi-dormant) and some rhizomes, but I was pleased with the purchase. My order also arrived quickly. Their items are of course small, but it is a good deal for what you pay. You've got to have patience to let things grow mostly when ordering from most mail order nurseries and not after instant gratification in your garden. I look forward to seeing these beautiful flowers blooming !

not only did spring hill replace any plants that died (without question), but the ones I planted got so huge the first season that I have to thin them out this year.I prepared the soil very well- I believe even small plants will thrive given the proper conditions.I suggest to those who haven't had good success to test their soils & amend appropriately. also, I would rather buy small plants that are guaranteed than larger more expensive plants from a local nursery that are not. How can you loose with a lifetime guarantee?

Here's the ownership chain of Spring Hill, for those of you who're interested.

Gardens Alive! owns:
Gardens Alive!
Audubon Workshop
Breck's Bulbs
Gurney's Seed & Nursery
Henry Field's Seed & Nursery
Michigan Bulb
mySEASONS Garden Solutions
Spring Hill Nurseries

After reading some of the comments, I thought I'd enlighten those of you unaware that Spring Hill, Brecks, Michigan Bulb, Garden's Alive and one or two others not common and currently not coming to mind ARE ALL OWNED & OPERATED BY THE SAME COMPANY! Their calls (which are not to 800 numbers) all roll into the same call centers, where employees are given very little training and very little support! The products all ship from the same warehouses (in Lawrenceburg, IN and Tipp City, OH last I knew) using different invoices/labels.

The only positive I've ever seen from any of them is the replacement guarantee, but as stated, the replacements are often in the same shape as the originals, so little good that does! I do know they used to offer money back on anything, too, but maybe that has changed.

I have dealt with Spring Hill and their affiliate, Brecks, several times. I have always received quality plants and bulbs. The thing to consider here is the price and size of plants. Do you want instant gratification with large plants and massive blooms right now? Don't mail order anything then. Go to a nursery or garden center and buy an adult plant. When you order through the mail you are going to get what you pay for. Mail order is good for people like myself who enjoy planting small things and watching them grow larger each year. Another thing-you guys who have issues with shipping need to research the plants you are buying and find out if they are SPRING or FALL shippers. Duh. If your plant doesn't get put in the ground until November why would they mail it to you in July? Research,research,research. Then pore over your catalogs and web sites and garden centers. Then make sure you have the right place for the plants. Then order them at the right time.

Last spring I ordered several plants from them. ALL of them came the size of small twigs, some never even came out of dormancy. Emailed them for refund, which they did promptly, hence the neutral rating, or else it would've been negative. Will never even look at their catalog again.

A year ago (spring) I reluctantly placed an order and was very pleasantly surprised by the care in packing and the healthy plants I received. I must have got my package before this issue with shipping last spring (I'm in the south so that would make sense). Anyway, I was again reluctant to order again this year just because others have had bad things to say about spring hill. But I did order and was, again, very please with the package and big, healthy plants I received. I WILL order from them again.

Right now I'm posting a neutral rating. Previously when the plants didn't grow they sent replacements or $ back no questions asked. We moved into our new house 2 years ago and I ordered a lot of stuff. The evening primrose and foxglove were doing great, then I ordered the magic rose collection, keys of heaven, orange phlox, red pansy, trumpet vine and red phlox. They had to replace some of the rose collection for different colors and they all shipped at different times. I think only 2 of the roses survived and the pansies bloomed but nothing else grew. I was going to wait one more growing season before calling to get my $ back, and depending on how I'm taken care of we'll see if I change my rating. Also, I remember receiving a letter saying that their greenhouses were destroyed and that they lost a lot of their plant stock, so if that were truly the case then that would account for the majority of the problems.

I have been ordering from Spring Hill for years. From what i recall, most of the plants come healthy.

A few times some of the plants will be smaller (ice plants last Spring) where a few died but most did very well. I also recall some red creeping phlox that were a bit scrawny, but they didn't die.

One thing that I love about Spring Hill is their guarantee. Two years ago I had a bunch of plants that did not survive the winter and all of them were replaced, no questions asked.

Customer Service has always been helpful.

One company I will keep ordering from.

I ordered twice from this company using 50% off coupon. My first spring order experience was mostly negative because all bareroot gaillardia plants were either dead or died within a week, vinca and liriope plants (also bareroot) were very small things with tiny roots, and none of six vinca plants made it through summer (liriope is ok, but still small). Hydrangea was yellow and way too small even for a perennial plant, but I must say that it grew amazingly well and looks like nice small shrub by now. Daylily was ok but small, and it didn't bloom this year. Overall it was about 1/2 survival rate for this order. I placed second order for fall planting for some plants (potted) and bulbs. The second order was much better, plants were healthy enough and reasonably sized, and bulbs looked ok too. Will see in spring how they'll do. I am giving them a neutral rating and, no, I won't order from them again. There are too many excellent mail-order companies to waste time and money dealing with not-so-good ones. I can get bigger and healthier plants elsewhere and might even save money!

Very disappointed in the plants I received. My RED butterfly bush is actually purple. Will it mature into RED (it's been a year now)? My GREEN rudbeckia has healthy green foliage but has never bloomed (so don't know if it would have the green flowers) and it also has been a year in full sun. My scarlet flame phlox was purple the first year (in 1 plant) and never bloomed in other plants. Has been a year and didn't bloom this year. I planted in required sun/soil conditions. So, I think I'll pass on ordering from them again.

I have been a frequent visitor of their site over the years, but never placed an order until recently. Mainly, I was not pleased with the selection they had. I placed an order in October and received the plants somewhat promptly. I was not pleased with the appearance of the plants; however, I realize that when plants are entering dormancy, they normally don't look too good anyway - the root system looked to be in good shape. We'll see in the Spring.

The ordering process was great, order was not charged until it shipped, and I called Customer Service once after a little over a week to see when my ship date was. I was told a ship date and they delivered on time.

I was very pleased with this order (assuming the plants are okay and come back in the Spring). I would use them 100% if they had a little better selection. Thanks!

I just received my first order from this company. Although the shipping took quite a long time I'm fairly pleased with the product for the price. I ordered sale items and paid less than half price for the items I bought. Some of the plants were on the small size, but for the price I paid that's fine. I might would order again from a sale if the price was right.

Over the past three years, I have purchased plants from Spring Hill and have had a bad experience every time. The plants are small and 25% are rotting in the plastic bags. When I call, they do send replacement which are equally bad. There is no way to get my money back. Ugh! I will never use them again....unless something improves drastically.

I've made 4 orders with SH since the end of July. The plants started arriving in dribs and drabs a couple weeks ago. I did expect to wait, as it, I think, clearly states that the plants I ordered ship in the fall. What I've gotten so far looks fine--the toad lilies were even blooming in the package!
The only problem so far was a missing echinops ritro, which they are reshipping. One of the lupines in a package of three was moldy, but I did wait a few days to take it out of the package so I think that was my fault. I'll update if anything cataclysmic happens.