Comments regarding Hardyplants.com

Ordered a few packets of seeds from them in the beginning of July, and just got them now. It's packaged professionally, with concise germination instructions included. They've got a great selection of seeds, some of which I've been hard pressed to find. (Even NALS doesn't have them in their seed exchange!) And there are more seeds than stated on the package, which is a great bonus.

I would order from hardyplants.com again in the future. (When the CAD to USD exchange rate is a bit better.)

I've ordered from this company twice now. The order was completed within their stated time frame (the second order was completed almost immediately) and so far germination has been pretty good with the seeds I started indoors. I'll be planting most of them directly outside in a few more weeks. Fingers crossed!

I'm not a huge fan of the way the seeds are packaged, but it's not a big issue. I'm happy with everything so far.

I placed an order with Hardyplants.com on October 22, 2013 after finding their website while searching for a species I was having trouble finding elsewhere. I placed a small order of five species (just under 20$ worth). The prices were reasonable. I received a email on Oct 24 confirming the order and stating it had been shipped. The package arrived on November 1 in good condition and all seeds ordered present and in very good quantities. I can't speak to germination rates just yet as I will be growing them next spring but I have enough seed that even if the germination was moderate I should have plenty of plants.

I am happy with my experience with hardyplants.com and would return if the need arises (my garden will be fairly full after the addition of these) ;P.

Posted on June 26, 2012, updated March 8, 2013
Posted on January 29, 2012, updated June 26, 2012
I ordered several hard-to-find seeds form this company. Mostly Campanulas. They shipped in a timely manner and also sent along some Magpie Aquilegia. So far they have all germinated well and are tiny sprouts. I did not have any problems with them. They look to be what they say they are, but I won't really know until the spring. I have no reason to think they are not. So I would say I am a fan.

I should have checked here before ordering. I usually do, but this time I let my excitement distract me (they have some rare seeds that you won't find anywhere else in the USA). Unfortunately it would have been easier to import them myself because this source is a dud.

I ordered over 2 months ago and have not received my order. I sent them an email, and waited a week (no response). I sent them a second email, and waited a week (no response). I also called them twice and the phone just rings and rings. There is no answering machine and no one ever answers.

I guess I'll be joining the rest you of with a complaint to the BBB which is too bad because I purchase a lot of seeds and they could have had a loyal customer.

I was hesitant to order from this company due to the less than stellar reviews. However after a lot of searching they were the only place I could find a couple variety of seeds I wanted. So I went ahead and ordered them. The order was promptly aknowledged and then I waited. After 3+ weeks I emailed and inquired as to the order status. A few days latter I recieved an email stating the seeds were shipped and an extra packet included due to the slow turn around. So I have the seeds and total time was a month, about what I had been prepared for. So a positive rating all told.( to be updated after I have germination results if warranted).

I ordered five or six packets of annual and perennial flower seeds in Feb. 2011 for winter sowing. They came promptly and I was pleased with the results. I'll be ordering again this winter.

Posted on March 4, 2011, updated July 1, 2011
I ordered Blue Barlow Aquilegia Vulgaris (columbine), and Hakone Blue Platycodon Grandiflorus (Balloon Flower) in Summer, 2010.

The site emailed me saying they were shipped after about 10 days. But that wasn't true, I received them about a month later. It was fine because I wasn't using them immediately.

But both packets said they should be used before 2011, before they were meant to be planted. I don't know why they would keep stuff that old, let alone sell it.

This is my first gardening experience, and I had no idea that the seeds were bad, I kept thinking I was doing something wrong. But I ordered from another company and learned that it should be much easier than that.

Of all of the 2 sets of seeds, and TONS of work and attention and care, I only got 2 balloon flowers to germinate, and only 1 survived. I regret my purchase deeply because I really did waste so much time on this lost cause, and it took most of my enthusiasm away from gardening.

I did email them about all of this, but as you could guess, they didn't respond and I expect they would tell me to go to ____. Please don't support this rotten business, even if you're desperate for something they have, you'll regret it.

P.S. They also market themselves under Specialty Perennials FYI.

I ordered my seeds having read all the negative reviews; so I really thought and believed I would have lost my money.

BUT it luckily turned out the opposite way.

Ok I only have ordered once three weeks ago. But I received my seeds 10 days from ordering from them (from US to Belgium).

The packaging was great and secure. The seed count was more than what was written so that was a nice find.
Their website looks great as well and has a large selection with many special and rare species.The seeds I ordered; were those I couldn't find anywhere else( having looked to over more than 50 world wide companies)
Since I just received the seeds four days ago I thought I couldn't write about the quality but I definitely can; those seeds I ordered would normally germinate between 4-8 weeks , but from every package of seeds 25-50% is already sprouting! so I can tell you that their quality is great and their prices are a real bargain!
I'll definitely order from them again.

Based on my first experience I honestly can recommend this company.

I ordered 7 packets of Oenothera seeds last fall. The arrival was timely but, when I grew them out in the greenhouse in January four of the packets contained what turned out to be plantago. The company did not respond to emails about this until I got through the the phone number which appeared to be Pauls father. I did then receive a long email describing the botanical characteristics of the seeds and verifying they were not Oenothera. I asked for replacements- I need them for a research project. This has been months and no word, nor seeds. The Minnesota Better Business Bureau warned me that this company has a track record with them for not responding.

My order was sent in a very timely manner. The seeds were well packaged and labeled with instructions for each different package. The variety is great, the amount in each package is very adequate and I am well pleased. The prices and the web site are good also although he could use a few more pictures.

After reading the many negative reviews of this company (and the many positive ones too) I wasn't sure if I should order anything from it. However, it was the only place I could find online selling the seeds of a specific plant I wanted, and the monetary risk was small (only $5.70 including shipping), so I decided to risk it.

Somewhat to my surprise, the seeds arrived in only 3-4 days, neatly packaged, with planting instructions. I placed my order on a Sunday afternoon in March, so perhaps that was an ideal time. At any rate, I would recommend giving this company a chance, at least with small orders.

Last week I fully expected to leave negative feedback, but upon receiving my seed order today I changed my mind. Like the other reviewers, it took longer than I expected for my order to arrive. I too emailed the company about my order with no response. After 2 weeks, I called the number listed on this website for the company, and had a brief conversation with whoever answered, who assured me that my order would go out in the next few days, and it did.
The most surprising thing for me was the amount of information included with the seeds I ordered. Very detailed planting information is included with each seed packet, along with a separate sheet giving more information about the more confusing planting routines. This information is what impresses me the most - and in all honesty, for me, it justifies waiting longer than I thought.
All things together, I am not sure I would order from this company again - but I'll not dismiss them out of hand when it comes time for my next seed order.

I placed an order on September 6, 2009. Three and a half months later, I am still without my seeds. I have tried to contact them twice about this order, with no response from them.

I`m without the seeds and without the money.

They ignore all my emails.

I wanted two specific species of columbine. I ended up ordering a few others I had been thinking about. I got out of date per the package seeds, two sets of seed I didn't order and I was missing those I wanted in the first place. Only two packages matched what I wanted . Email link is no longer working, no phone number posted to call, No response possible. NOT HAPPY

I ordered seeds from this company before finding out about garden watchdog. It did take 6 weeks to get the seeds I ordered, but they came with often more than twice as much seed as stated. They also gave me a half-dozen packs of lagnappe similar seeds and 20% off of future orders since they were so late. I will use this company again, but will add in alot of lead time!!!!

I placed an order with this company on Feb.18th. My responding e-mail stated the seeds would arrive in 5-10 business days unless it is June which is a busy month. It is now March 17th with no seeds and no response to my e-mails. I do not agree with the earlier positive response to this company. If they are not able to deliver as they say they will then they should honestly say when they will deliver and not charge until they are delivered. They are also very difficult to contact, if you respond to their e-mail it is undeliverable. There is no e-mail for hardyplants.com or specialty plants. The only way to contact them is by the address contained in the e-mail.

I ordered a few packets of flower seed on Feb 22nd. It arrived on March 12th with an extra packet of seed!! I would order from this company again.

I have ordered 4 times in the last 12 months and always obtained the seeds safely. The number of seeds in each packet are much more than expected an always some additional packets were added. I'm very satisfied.
Many thanks to Paul

I placed an order in February which was charged to my credit card but was never shipped. They did not respond to emails and did not follow through on shipments after they stated they would when I called. I did try to go through my bank to get the money refunded, but it had been too long since the initial transaction took place.

Then a couple of days ago (6 months later), they sent an email that they refunded my account, which they had. I am proud to support any small companies as long as they deliver, and I can simply say that Hardyplants did not.

No email responses no shippment. I am not going to follow suit as others did with phone calls. The state of WI does have a Consumer Protection for dealing with fraud as does the internet and ebay. The IRS also may want to check up on fraudulent companies. If interested the address below is to the WI Department of Justice. Links to consumer protection and contact method are on the page.

http://www.doj.state.wi.us/dls/crimltt.//www.doj.state.wi.us...

I received all the seeds I'd ordered, within a decent timeframe. Some were hard to find anywhere else. As a surprise, they threw in 2 free packets of perennail seeds.

I have ordered from this company for the past several years, usually at least twice a year. I have had good experiences. I have gotten the seeds that I ordered in what I consider to be a timely manner. I think the worst that has ever happened is that once I got duplicate seeds--like two of the same ones--and a couple of other packets I didn't order. Their seeds were good, and I have not had problems with misidentification. I have enjoyed how their selection has increased greatly.

I think people really need to keep in mind that small companies are often run by one or two people. That means that sometimes they don't have time to answer emails or the phone. If you don't like that sort of thing, you should stick with huge companies like Burpee. Small companies like this can have one person be packaging seeds by hand, printing off the labels, updating the website, handling the payments, ordering stock, locating new sources, etc., etc., etc. So have some understanding of a small business and to consider that you are dealing with human beings instead of a large corporation.

And no, I don't know these people. I just hate to see a business trashed in a forum like this when it is absolutely not merited.

I join those who who where lured to order from this company by their great selection and great prices; however I also join with those that have had a very negative experience. (They also operate as Specialty Perennials.) I placed an order and after 3 weeks of no items received or any correspondence sent me, I made an friendly email inquiry and left a message to their telephone. Hardy Plants replied to neither.

This is unacceptable business practice. I did not have the problem that Hardy Plant had already charged my credit card so I closed the card account used and will refuse any items sent me.

I encourage the gardening community to boycott this shady business.

This is the same company as Specialty Perennials. I ordered a variety of seeds & was very excited to see their selection. Unfortunatley, after a month I did not receive them, although my credit card had been billed on the day of my order. I sent numerous emails (very polite) which were all ignored until I threatened to go to my bank, then they sent me an email back apologizing and saying my order had been sent out. Over a month later, still no seeds, and no responses to the numerous emails I've sent since.

Do not order from these people. They will cheat you.

I just received my seed order from Hardy Perennials and I am thrilled. It only took six business days in the middle of the Christmas rush!
The seeds are clean and clearly labeled with germination information. I find this extremely helpful because several of the seeds are new to me so I have it on hand when I am writing up the plant tag and I don't have to stop and flip pages while I sow. And the selection is AMAZING. Plus shipping is great- one flat rate. So many other companies have outrageous shipping charges and its not worth it for just a couple of packs of seeds. I kind of feel like I have everything in one site- plus they sell plants. Dirtrx/Shannon R

The seed that I received was NOT what I ordered. This was not an isolated incident!

Seeds are great - germinate well and ship fast. Sometimes extras are included. I've ordered perennial seed twice this year and had great results.

I placed my first order with Hardyplants.com and received very nice hostas. In their site they had them listed as liners and I thought they would be very small. I was very pleasantly surprised, they were not small at all, they were very healthy looking with nice root systems and their prices are extremely reasonable. The order took about a month to get here but I will definitely be ordering from them again.

I ordered for the 4th time this year. I really like the selection of seed varieties. Practically everything I would want is available on their web site. Why isn't this company in the top 30 list? This company has more product than any of the others on the list and the prices are much much cheaper for most of the selections.

I've just ordered seeds from hardyplants.com for the third time. As with last time, I had them in about a week. Though I have't started this batch up yet, I've always had fine germination, and the website has the kind of helpful detail that tends to come only from those who grow much of what they sell.

I ordered seeds on-line from hardyplants.com on 7/16/04. Shortly after, I received an email from them notifying me that seeds are shipped out in about a week and gave me an order number. They charged my credit card on 9/15/04, but I have not received my seeds as of 10/18/04. I tried to contact them by email twice, but got no response. I would like to either be reimbursed or receive my seeds.
Robin

My experience was similar to karlaetten's. I placed an order and ended up contacting this organization numerous times via e-mail and by phone. I would deem them unresponsive. The seed was properly packaged when I recieved it however substitutions were made without my knowledge or consent and I don't particulalry appreciate that. It was so diffiuclt initiating contact with them that I didn't even bother recontacting them to comment on the substitutions. I do have to also comment that I did not get the greatest germination rate from their seeds. There were other issues with the transaction I had with HardyPlants. They did offer a nice variety of seeds and to their credit, they do have a nice website that offers good advice on seed starting.

I placed a seed order with them for the first time this year and was very happy with the service. They have a great selection and give excellent service at good prices.

I have purchased from this company twice and was happy with both orders. They have a very extensive selection.

A seed collectors paradise!
- Great germination on seeds
- Detailed germination instructions included
- Excellent selection of unusual seeds, ones that I haven't been able to find with other US companies
- They actually answer emails and quickly!
- One low base price for seed shipping
- Add new seed varieties all the time

I got a great group of Hostas from Hardyplants.com. I assumed I would get small TC plants, but they look to be at least two-year old plants and the prices can't be beat! I would recommend them anytime. Be patient, however, as it took me nearly a month to get the plants and I live in the same state! Overall, great prices and selection. Average service...

This company was super fast in fulling and mailing my order. My order came within six days of placing the order. They have great prices also.