Comments regarding Santa Rosa Gardens

This was my first order with Santa Rosa. The prices and shipping are very fair (and shipped quickly). The plants are a bit on the small size (which is what should be expected with the cost of shipping these days), but well rooted. They also added extra plants and a pair of gardening gloves. What a great company!

I have found Santa Rosa's grasses a sure bet when I plant them. I have purchased their personal collections twice and feel I can always depend on their grasses when all of my perennials wilt and die. Even after surviving a serious hurricane, Santa Rosa sent out an email assuring customers that their orders were coming, even if they would be a bit later than normal. An A+ company - I highly recommend.

Searched the internet (including DG) and Santa Rosa had the cheapest price for the 15 ea Switch Grass 'Dallas Blues' (panicum virgatum) that I wanted to order. I was leary because they were 50% cheaper than their nearest competitor, but I ordered from them anyhow. I am glad I did. The internet order processing was very professional, the order was acknowledged via email within one hour, and the order was received within one business week. The 15 plants I received were large, healthy and very well packaged. As an unexpected bonus, I received a nice hosta plant and a pair of garden gloves free with the order as a "thank you for your business".

Everything about my experience with Santa Rosa has been completely successful. I've ordered from them several times over the last 1 year - ornamental grasses, easy-care perennials like black-eyed susan and coneflower, and hostas. The plants always arrive quickly, well-packaged, and in excellent condition. Their business practices are usually very professional - I've always received a confirmation email detailing my order, and then a separate email when the order ships. Lastly, Diane (their main customer service rep) is a wonderful resource, especially for an enthusiastic, but novice gardener like me. I have called her many times, just to bounce off ideas or ask her questions (i.e. alleviate my "bad" gardener fears!).

I placed an order for 6 different grasses and a total of 34 for pieces a few months ago. They were packed very well and they were in small 2" pots but I knew that most ornamental grasses grow rapidly. They are doing just great and growing well. I did have two die and they promptly replaced them. One died again but I now think it is the location causing the problem.

I would definately order from them again

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Thank you for these comments. I think you will be even more pleased with our new large size pots. They are a full 16 ounce soil volume, providing a better start for a better finish."

Ordered 10 hydrangea bushes, some astilbe & butterfly bushes - all were shipped and delivered exactly as stated. They all arrived still very moist and packaged nicely - from California to Iowa - impressive! I would definately order from them again & again

I need to say that the entire experience was definately not negative.
I ordered about $50 worth of grasses from them this spring.
The order arrived on time and was nicely packed. All plants were in pots.
The plants though were extremely small, many in 2" pots which I call liners.. Some grasses had only 3 blades and the grasses were not more than a few inches tall for a few. I wrote them back and they did replace one at that time that had died.
Later in the summer when they were still very small I wrote again and they replaced the entire order with, again, small plants.
I had never bought ornamental grasses before anywhere and got excited seeing the pictures on their site. If I had only waited till a little later in the spring I could have gotten very nice size grasses locally. I did in fact go to my local nursery and get big plants recently. The Santa Rosa product may someday grow but it looks like it will be many years before they get to the size that are sold locally for good prices.
I guess I learned that I need to be patient and wait for spring and not order in the winter.

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I appreciate these comments, and all comments from our customers, positive and negative. This was a situation where the few varieties that were purchased happened to be varieties that we were having trouble with that season. When you grow the number of plants that we do, you will have some trouble crops. Any nursery that tells you otherwise...well...

Our goal through this type of problem order is to (1) provide our customer with plants that are viable and will grow. (2) to make sure the customer is pleased with the purchase and how the plants perform in their garden. (3) provide replacement/refund/or credit, whichever the customer prefers if the plants fail. We tried our best to provide the plants ordered and stood behind our guarantee with this customer.

In the fall of 2007, we switched to a larger sized pot for our perennials and grasses. This 4 inch round pot has a soil volume of 16 oz and is designed to give gardeners an even faster start with their plants.

Check out plant sizes here: http://www.santarosagardens.com/help_answer.asp?ID=19#110

Feedback on this new size has been fantastic, and we continue to offer our 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our plants. Thanks!

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I took a chance and ordered from Santa Rosa Gardens when I had a bad experience with another online nursery. They had the miniature variegated fountain grass "Little Honey" which I couldn't seem to locate anywhere. I also purchased "Karley Rose" and "Karl Foerster" grasses. All arrived quickly and in very good condition. They are small but doing very well. I will definitely be ordering from them in the future and would recommend them to others as well.

I have ordered from them several years in a row. They have good prices, pack plants carefully, good selection. Very reliable source for ornamental grasses.

I ordered 29 different ornamental grasses Feb 28th and received them Mar 6th. The shipment arrived promply. The grasses were in individual pots with healthy tops and very good root systems. Santa Rosa has volume discounts that almost cancel out the shipping charges. After having a bad experience with another grass nursery, it was a pleasure to deal with such a professional organization as this one. I will definitely use Santa Rosa again for any nursery requirements. They also threw in a bonus plant with my order.