Comments regarding Direct Gardening

Last year, I ordered 2 hibiscus syriacus plants from this company and while they arrived small (2-3 inches tall), they were bright green with 1 bloom on one & 2 blooms on the other. Today, they are going strong. They're both about 12" tall and getting ready to bloom.

This year, being extremely pleased with my previous order, I decided to order from this company again. The order said it would take 1-2 weeks to process the order. Well, 2 & 1/2 weeks later, everything arrived except one plant that is not in season. They arrived in the dormant state as stated on the order page.

I think alot of the negative ratings for this company are unfair and caused more by the consumer and not so much the company. I'm sure this company has probably sent out some items that didn't make it in shipping, but I'm also willing to bet alot of the fault should go to the customer for failing to read before placing their order. I will definitely be ordering from this company again!

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH DIRECTGARDENING. I was foolish to attempt repeat business with them. Year one order - ok. Years 2 and 3: terrible. Dead on arrival. Very difficult getting living replacements. "Replacements" arrived dead. No refund. Very uncooperative. Very disappointing. My worst online ordering experience.

"On Sep 20, 2010 10:51 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

A dmail was sent to the customer to try to help rectify the situation, but we have not received a response."

On 5/31/10, I placed an order at Direct Gardening, consisting of bulbs, corms, perrenials and a few house plants. My order arrived yesterday, 6/11/10.

Plants, corms and bulbs are alive and well.
Bulbs/corms are fresh/firm, house plants, well-established, and perrenials, perky. I especially love one perrenial called Euphorbia Ascot, Variegata. Its colors are gorgeous.
One perrenial, Cherry Bells, is a tad smaller than I hoped, but its roots are healthy.

All in all, I'm very happy with Direct Gardening, and plan on shopping with this nursery in the future. Toni

So much negativity! I did wait a bit longer than I had wanted to for my order, but it all came, in decent shape. 2 seperate shipments, but that is fine with me. The plants were small, and I am still waiting for my Fruit Cocktail Trees to do something, but for the price, how can you go wrong? I have purchased from them in the past and while the plants are small when they arrive, they do tend to have cast iron varieties.

My story is the same as many others, Ordered, 6 weeks later still no plants, so i called to cancel my order was was told I could not. I would never do business with these guys again. Please stay away from them, and their parent company plantronics.

"On Sep 21, 2010 10:46 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We have sent a dmail to this customer, but have not received a reply. Without more details, we are unable to help or address his issues. If the order had already shipped, we would not have been able to cancel it, so hopefully it arrived shortly after this posting. "

Posted on June 2, 2010, updated June 4, 2010
After reading all the negativity on this board I had lowered my expectations considerably. I am please to say that I placed my order on May 19, 2010 and received all of my products on June 2, 2010. I called the company once and was told that my order had shipped the prior friday. I am pleased.

Took over 6 weeks for them to ship my product. I e-mailed once, and called twice. Took a number of calls for them to finally answer. They could not tell me anything over the phone, said they didn't know product had shipped until it shipped. Pitiful, pitiful customer service. And I couldn't cancel my order over the phone or e-mail, I had to fax in a cancelation. And there was no one else to help me, tried to ask for supervisors and other levels but nothing. Plants/bulbs are pitiful. Glad blulbs the size of your little fingernail. Live plants, barely living. I would send back for a refund, but not worth my time. Lesson learned.

"On Sep 20, 2010 11:02 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

A dmail has been sent to this poster, but we have not received a response. We hope that the customer will take advantage of our one year guarantee if any of the products do not survive. It also sounds as though the processing and shipping of this order took longer than we normally like. Due to bad weather early in the season, there was difficulty digging plants from the fields and getting things in stock in a timely manner. This put us behind in shipping as the season progressed, and we are wondering if the delay the customer speaks of is a result of this."

I will never order from this company again and like many people wish I found this website before I ordered. It has been six weeks since I placed my order and still haven't received them. I have emailed them a couple times. The first email they sent me was vague saying they are waiting for plants coming in and will ship them out as soon as possible (no time frame). A couple weeks later (two weeks ago) I emailed them again and they responded saying my plants were getting ready for shipping. They gave no shipping notice or tracking number and still no plants. I just emailed them again today and after reading several of these posts I'm afraid what will be coming in the mail. This company should be put out of business!

"On Sep 29, 2010 11:22 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

This customer placed their order on 4/25. The home page of our website and the order confirmation indicated to "Please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to be processed. We will then ship based on weather and availability of the plants." The customer's order shipped on 5/19 and was delivered 5/26.

The customer has not responded to our dmails, and we hope the customer was happy with the product when received. "

I had ordered some ornamental grasses & a summer flower garden collection from Direct Gardening. The total order was over $100. Several weeks after placing the order, I received a notice that there was a delay, & the plants would be shipped at a later date. Since I wanted to get the stuff planted ASAP, & was able to get some nice plants at Lowes, I called & asked them to cancel the order. They told me they didn't know if they could cancel it, since the order may be shipped before the cancellation notice was received. About 2 weeks later, I found a green plastic bag hanging on our mailbox, which didn't look big enough to have all the plants I ordered. What a shock when I looked inside the bag. Most of the plants were little tiny puny things, that were either totally dead or so far gone that there wasn't much hope for them. Some of them were even moldy & rotted. I called them immediately & told them I wanted to return all of them for credit. I did get a refund for most of my order, but I still had to pay the shipping to send them back. What a rip off! I won't order from them again.

I am totally blown away by what they sent me!! Honest to God they sent dried sticks!!! Seriouslt not even with the bottoms in a baggie. DEAD DRY STICKS. I called them and i have to pay 9.99 to ship them back. That's how they make their money. Off the shipping. I could ship what they sent to me for 3 bucks--Not 9.99. Then you give them another 9.99 to send more crap back to you! I am calling my credit card company to refuse the charge. If they want the crap they sent me--they can go in my trash can. I am fuming at what they get away with. I called them and they want me to write a letter. Believe me--this dead stuff needs no explanation. Never waste your time--it took 2 months to get this nasty stuff. They should be fined or put out of business. Next year I am going to deal with the cream of the crop businesses. My time is too valuable.

"On Sep 29, 2010 8:19 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Most of our trees and shrubs are shipped in a dormant, bareroot condition. When trees are dormant (just like during winter), they are not actively growing and seeking water, sunlight, and nutrients. They simply need to be planted and watered well the first year while getting estabilished. We also recommend soaking them in water overnight or for a few hours before planting. Within 6 weeks of planting (assuming the weather is warm), they should break dormancy and show signs of life.

This is one of the best methods for shipping and transplanting trees. The trees experience less shock during travel and are more acceptable to transplanting. It also allows us to save our customers a lot of money by not paying to ship unnecessary large pots of dirt.

All of our nursery product is covered by our guarantee which states: If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt....For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with the correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt.

Thus, for a refund, the customer would need to affix postage to the package that was being mailed back to us. This amount is not determined by us, but by the post office or other shipping agent used by the customer.


"

Despite the feedback on this list, I bought from Four Seasons Nursery because the prices are outrageously cheap. I desperately needed to plant 30 Lombardy Poplars to quickly block my view of the teenage gangsters who sit on their roof glaring into my backyard. I also needed the added security of the beautiful (and ruthless) rosa rugosa along my perimeter fencing. This would have cost me a fortune - if I had one. So when my long awaited package came, it was, indeed, a dried-up bunch of bareroot sticks in one smallish package. I unpacked them immediately into buckets of water and to my surprise, they budded within days - before I could even plant them all. And they are all doing beautifully; for the tiniest fraction of what I would have paid elsewhere. I couldn't be happier and I will definitely order again!

Posted on May 3, 2010, updated May 21, 2010
I wish I had found this site earlier. I just placed an order with directgardening.com. It's just a bulk for 3" round Jiffy pots ($31 including $9 shipping). I am growing several types perennials from seeds for friends. I thought it would be easier for them to plant the perennials if the entire pot could be planted instead of having to remove the plant first. We will see how the experience goes.

I received my order about 5 weeks after it was placed. For the first time EVER I received an order that was 100% consistent. Literally everything in my $100 order was completely dead. The 4 rose bushes were covered with mold. They were BLACK all the way through. The 5 purple leaf plums had no roots. They were literally 5 sticks. The only reason I knew that they were the plums was because of the tags. The 6 Forsythia Bushes were about 9 inches long and had what looked light human bight marks from top to bottom. They were as dry as old fire wood. There were other ferns, flowers and bulbs that were covered with so much molds that I didn’t take them out of their greasy bags. I’m convinced that any positive reviews on this or any other site are from owners or employees. This place should not be in business. When you watch the evening news and hear about store owners who get the crap beat out of them for committing fraud against hard working people this place is who you should think of.

I ordered a Blue Girl Rose last year and it took so long for the plant to ship, I had completely forgotten about it when I arrived home to a plastic shipping bag on my front step. I opened the bag to find the smallest bare root rose I have ever seen in all my years of gardening. It was a dry, brittle twig wrapped in a plastic bag with mold growth on the roots. I followed the crumpled, torn and dirt covered planting guide to the letter and of course, the dead little twig did nothing. There where sales flyers in the bag, but nothing that even remotely resembled a packing slip, so of course when I called to tell them I was unhappy with the twig, they indicated I needed to put my request for a replacement in writing and include the packing slip. With no slip to send, I was never given a replacement. Truly very disappointing plants, shipping and customer service.

"On Sep 29, 2010 8:38 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

This customer placed their order on 5/1 and it shipped on 5/12. Perhaps the package was a long time in transit??

All of our nursery stock products are covered by our one year replacement guarantee which states that "If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt.

The shipping label is on the outside of the package and since it has the customer's name and address is used to deliver the package. It also contains a list of the items included in that package.

We have contacted the customer by dmail, but have not received a response."

Sadly, I did not find this watchdog site in time, and I ordered from Direct Gardening.com. The fruit trees which arrived were merely thrown into a plastic bag and arrived dry, brittle, and smaller than twigs! The trees were half the size of a pencil, and only about 18 inches tall. It took over a month to receive a replacement. I just sent off another replacement request (which must be done IN WRITING WITH THE ORIGINAL PACKING LIST FROM THE SHIPPING BAG). I will update with a posting to see if they will honor a copy of the original because I've already had to request a replacement using the original. The only good thing I've experienced thus far is the phone operators I've gotten when I called have been nice and polite. But what a shame, with 254 negative comments posted on this site alone, they haven't done anything to improve their operations. But, why should we expect anything different? Most companies have learned they can get by with cheating their customers without suffering any consequences. It seems to be the way to do business nowdays! DirectGardening.com--you should be ashamed of yourselves!

Posted on April 12, 2008, updated May 17, 2010
Well, I am one of those who've had a very positive experience with Direct Gardening. To be honest, I'm having a better experience with Direct Gardening than I did with Four Seasons Nursery.
You can read my review for FSN if you're interested, I'm not going over it here, because this is to comment on Direct Gardening.

Anyway, I know (knew) that DG doesn't have the best reputation around these parts, but since I had decent luck with FSN last year I was going to order from FSN again this year, but when I got their catalog they didn't have half of what I wanted listed. I even checked their website - alas they didn't have them there either - so I decided to place my order with FSNs parent company Direct Gardening who's website did have everything I wanted listed, and ordering everything from DG saved me on shipping. If not for DG I would have had to order from at least three different companies to get everything I wanted and would have had to pay multiple shipping costs. ;)

Anyway, I placed my order in early Feb and since not all of the order was plants it was divided into separate shipments - three to be exact. The first was for peat pots and those arrived before the end of the month. The second shipment (March 15, 2008) involved shrubs, bulbs, and four live plants.

On a side note, I'm sure I saw on their website that they didn't begin shipping live plants until April. Not that I'm complaining, not really, but three of those are starting to look very bad - I may have to test DGs replacement policy on these, though I haven't given up on them yet, because while they aren't looking healthy, they ain't dead yet.
(After they started looking less than healthy I decided to put Miracle Gro dirt and feed to the test. I'm not sure, like I say they aren't dead, but they don't seem to be recovering either - they may even be a bit worse.)

To be honest, I'm a bit stunned, because these looked best of everything when I got them. They were alive, moist, and in great condition. And for the life of me I don't know what has gone wrong here. I treated them exactly the same as I did the ones of the same that I got FSN last year (better in fact, because the three from FSN stayed in the green bag for several days - I removed the ones from DG right away), and while the ones I got from FSN were a bit slow to take off they never looked as bad as the ones from DG are looking at the moment, which is interesting because upon arrival the ones from DG looked better than the ones last year from FSN. So go figure.

The other live plant was a Houttuynia, which also arrived alive and moist. There were a few broken stems (not a big deal) but the plant itself was a bit wilted, and the pot it was shipped in was very very small. It seems to me that this plant would have benefited from being in a slightly larger container, because despite the small pot size at some point it is clear this thing was growing like a weed because one of the stems (not one of the broken ones) was actually growing outside the "pot" though a drainage hole.

Anyway, I left it in the small pot for several days (which was a mistake, but), because I thought it might be suffering from ship shock. I finally decided to put it in a bigger pot, and now it is healthy again and growing like a weed. The downside is - the roots stink very badly, and mine doesn't have any pink on the leaves (it was pictured with green and pink leaves) at the moment all the leaves are two-tone green with maybe just a touch of a pink outlining some of the leaves. It's not ugly, just not what I was expecting. Maybe they'll turn pink(ish) later. Who knows? I'm just happy it is healthy.

The five Red Twig Dogwood arrived bare root, obviously. But except for one runt they appeared very healthy and they were very well packed, actually even the runt looked okay. The roots were nice and damp.

Of course, the problem was that I wasn't sure what to do with them, because I usually wait until the last of April to plant anything, because we can have frosts and even freezes in April, and sure enough it appears that it is going to turn off cold again this week - there will probably be at least one night (if not more) of frost.

Anyway, a week after they arrived I decided to plant them - I knew if I waited they would end up dead. So, three of them ended up in pots because in those cases I didn't have the garden ready. Funny enough two of the three potted are starting to bloom already while the two in the ground don't look any better (or worse) than the day they arrived. Weird, because I was actually more worried about the ones that I was putting in pots. Still, as mentioned, I am a bit worried because now it is looking like it might frost, so I can only hope the ones already budding will survive it.

As for the bulbs - two I ordered the rest were freebies, and I think at least two (eight bulbs) of the freebies won't do very well in Zone 6, because from what I've been able to tell with my google-foo they are tropical plants, but hey they were free, and I have had some tropical plants do pretty well here, just have to remember to bring them in for the winter.

Anyway, it may be sheer luck that those arrived in great (good) looking shape. Granted they were in separate plastic bags inside a larger plastic bag inside the large moist green bag, so being in separate bags probably helped. ;) Still I admit when I saw how moist everything was I feared that the bulbs would be wet, dead, and useless. To my surprise when I unpacked them I discovered all of them (except the ones I ordered strangely enough - I've fixed them up, and hope to plant them soon) were dry, firm, and seemingly in great shape, even four that had spilled out into the slightly larger plastic bag (not the green one) were dry and firm, despite the fact that there was a bit of moisture in that slightly larger clear bag.

Some of those freebie bulbs are small, but for all I know they aren't supposed to be large, because the two I actually ordered are the size they're supposed to be. But hey even if they're supposed to be larger I can't complain cause the small bulbs were the freebies.

Finally, last week I got the rest of my order, and I was surprised. There were two items, one was a 3-in-1 Citrus Tree... It wasn't exactly large, but was a bit larger than I was expecting. There were (of course) a couple broken twigs - the box should have been marked with which side was supposed to be up, because I opened it upside down, and there's no telling how many times it ended up upside down during shipping. However, the dirt had stayed in the pot (both of them), and DG had even braced the stems with a plastic stick, which no doubt kept it from being even more damaged.
(Don't know how it will continue to do, but right now it looks healthy and happy.)

The big surprise (for me) was the Black Magic plant - I was expecting a bulb, and so I admit I was a bit confused about why it didn't come in the second shipment. Well, now I know, they shipped a live plant, which was a nice surprise. It arrived with two good leaves (one completely black, one green with some black), and one dying black leaf. Honestly, I don't believe the leaf was damaged in shipping, I think it was just naturally dying. Of course, it was in a very small pot - the smallest pot I've ever seen a company ship in to be honest, but that doesn't seem to have hurt it. Because I've had it less than a week (repotted it the same day I received it) and in that short time a new leaf has come in. Of course, the leaf come in green, but I'm starting to suspect they come in green and then turn black later.

So right now I'm pleased with DG, even if I do have to end up getting replacements for the Festuca Grass, and three of the RedTwig Dogwood - the ones that haven't yet broken dormancy, they still could, so I'm playing a wait and see game for the near future. And, obviously, while the two I just received seem good at the moment I have seen seemingly great looking plants just up and die - hopefully that won't happen but you can never be sure.

If you know what you are getting into , with bare root trees, and longer ship times are fine by you then they are all-right. They surprisingly seem to have longer ship times than other Plantron companies...

The good:

1. Their prices are very low
2. Their website is easy to navigate and find plants on
3. Unlike a few of their competitors, they typically clearly label what they are sending you and it is typically what they say they are sending you (Had a problem with one of their competitors mis-labeling pecan trees as Dwarf asian pears)
4. Everything I have gotten from them has leafed and is growing
5. They respond to email inquires typically within one day
6. They have a very wide selection of plants

The not so good (Annoyances- not deal breakers):

1. Their packaging stinks. It's a green plastic bag. They spray it down before they ship it and it kinda smells a little of mildew. The trees labels are affixed by wrapping them onto the plants with packaging tape several times. It is difficult at times to remove the packaging tape without damaging the plant
2. The plants I received had just come out of dormancy when I received them.... This could be very very bad with bare-root plants. They took 6 weeks to ship me the plants I ordered, and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and will assume that this is not normal, and will give them another shot
3. They bill you first (almost the day of the order) and then ship later. This has been my experience with all online nurseries though
4. Their free gifts, especially the shamrocks, are hardy zones 8-10 (I'm in zone 5- I could grow them in a container I suppose- but couldn't they offer a choice appropriate to your zone??)

The bad (Deal breakers for some):

1. No way to see the status of your order online. They don't notify you when your plants ship
2. I am going to assume that this is not normal, but I ordered my plants in March and did not receive them until May. I am going to give them another shot. I have ordered through other Plantron companies- 4Seasons in particular, and they did not take that long to ship
3. Their phone is always busy. Every time I called it was busy. I was never ever to reach a live person despite attempting to call them on 3 different days. I made at least 5 attempts on each of these days. After 15 attempts I emailed them. I finally called 4Seasons, whom I could contact by phone, and got them to check on my order
4. Although this isn't a problem for myself, it is probably for many people, they need to do a better job describing what exactly bare-root trees are (They look like pathetic dead sticks- you plant them in the late fall or early spring and water them regularly and will leaf out into a tree with a certain assumed degree of failure in the spring) and the advantages they have in terms of being both more economical to ship, as they weigh less and require less packaging, and a higher chance that they will survive the shipping process through standard shipping. The trade off is they require a bit more care and don't always survive. Their planting guide that claims you can plant bare-root in the middle of the heat of summer is questionable... I have planted many bare-rooted shrubs and trees and it's been my experience that bare-root plants planted after the end of April in my area tend to struggle, even with a lot of TLC, and any planted after mid-May in my area tend to die- I have only gotten one tree planted after the end of May to ever survive more than 1 year

The Ugly (Deal breakers for almost everyone):

1. The lack of empathy and caring from the customer service person. I spent 30 minutes each on 3 days trying to call these guys, and finally sent an email. I started calling and emailing at about 4 weeks and I still didn't have my plants. The first email gave me some story about how they were shipping to my area but something about trees in the fields delaying the shipment. The second email said they would be shipping soon. Keep in mind at this point it was getting into the end of April (At the end of, in my experience, when a bare-rooted tree is likely to thrive when planted in my area-- and I had already had a clear demonstration that contacting them by phone was not likely, if the plants were to die).... I am going to assume that the time it took to ship my plants is not normal.... The customer service rep never once apologized nor gave me a clear answer of when the plants shipped nor did they follow up. Worse yet when I gave them my order number they required that I send them my name, address, and email address (which was odd as I was contacting them by email). I finally called their sister company in the first week of May and got a straight answer that the plants left their facility on the last day of April and to expect 1-2 weeks for shipping. I would have felt better if they at least followed up, apologized that they had larger than expected shipments or some other reason for the issue, and/or at least offered one of their cheap 40 cent Ditch Lillies, Extra Shamrocks (That don't grow in my zone anyhow) that they sell/give away, 10% off your next order, or something to make it right....

We ordered 12 Heritage Raspberry plants. When they arrived, we were immediately concerned because 10 of the 12 looked completely dead. Only 2 of them seemed to have any life at all. We made a tiny scratch through the bark on some of them, and saw no sign of green. Nevertheless, we planted them immediately in a well-prepared bed, kept them watered, and hoped for the best. Six weeks later 11 of 12 are nothing but dead sticks. We have no interest in doing further business with a company that would ship 10 of 12 plants that were probably nothing but sticks by the time they pulled them out of their warehouse and shipped them. Certainly not the kind of stock I thought we were getting.

"On Sep 29, 2010 8:50 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We have contacted this customer by dmail, but have not received a response.

We are sorry to read that so many of the customer's raspberries did not survive. All of our products are covered by our one year replacement guarantee. We hope that the customer has taken advantage of this."

How anyone could give this company anything but a Super Big Negative is beyond me. The plants in my order were so, so tiny, in some cases it was nearly impossible to find the plants at all. One thing I ordered was two clematis plants. They sent me two bare root pips that were dried out and about 1/4" of dead pip and 3" of dried up root. Though this was the worst one, everything else in the order was just as disappointing. How they can get away with charging money for these things is beyond comprehension. I would relate this purchase to ordering a grass plant and receiving one dried up blade with a single tap root. Stay away from this company.

"On Sep 29, 2010 12:00 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We do not show an order for clematis and are wondering if the customer has us confused with another company. We have sent a dmail to the customer, but have not received a response."

It's too soon to know about the plant quality. The reason why I will NEVER buy from directgardening.com again is their extremely poor customer service. They charged my credit card right away, but it took me 6 weeks to get my plants. There is no way to check on the status of your order or to get a projected ship date. Each time I asked I got a generic response of "We have received your order, which has been scheduled for spring shipping. We are currently shipping to your area and are sending orders out as quickly as possible. We are still getting a lot of nursery stock in from the fields and are shipping as soon as the plants are prepared." Even after they shipped it they still provided no notification that they shipped. They just showed up one day. They showed no compassion or empathy ... its like they don't even care.

I wish I had found this site before I ordered flowers. I ordered my item on April 1st. After I contacted them by e-mail, I finally got Gaillardia 'Fanfare'.
The flower is very poor condition and very tiny about 3" tall baby flower, I don't know it will survive or not. I paid $5.99 for this poor flower. For this small poor flower $5.99 is very expensive. It is really wast of money. So far I haven't received other items I ordered.
I would not order from them near future.

"On Sep 29, 2010 10:18 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We have contacted this customer by dmail, but have not received a response.

Horrible experience! Save yourself a lot of trouble and take your business elsewhere!
I placed my order mid-February, and here we are in May and I have not received anything yet. They said they mailed it in March, but couldn't track the shipment for 30 days and then the package came back to them as undelivarable, but my address was correct on the printout of my online receipt.
When you try to call their phone, you only get busy signal.
Even if I get the plants (more than 3 months after I ordered them!) I don't think they'll survive, it's too late to plant them now. We are already in the 90s, it's too hot for a poor plant that travelled dry for 30 days to make it!

"On Oct 4, 2010 2:08 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We have sent a dmail to this customer, but have not received a response. It sounds as though there was an issue with delivery on the order. We do use a variety of shipping methods (as stated on our order forms and at checkout on the internet) including Fed Ex and the Post Office. Perhaps the address given was only good for one or the other. Or perhaps there was just a mistake made on the part of the carrier. We would normally try to reship the order to the correct address or using a different carrier. We would not resend the same plants, but new plants."

I placed an order on April 8th. After not hearing anything for 3 weeks I tried to call the company and could not get an answer. I sent an email and got the this is spring we are busy we will send it when we can. After a month I got the seeds I ordered but am still missing four trees and 2 bushes I ordered. Of course I have no idea when they will show up.Do not use this company unless you like giving your money away.

"On Oct 4, 2010 11:51 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

The shipment of seeds was shipped 2 weeks after the order was placed. The nursery stock was shipped 5/10 and tracing shows delivered 5/14. We have not heard from the customer and have not received a response to our dmail inquiry, so assume that the package was received. "

I have ordered from Direct Gardening many times. I always received my plants, usually was my card was charged a week before I received my items. KEEP YOU SHIPPING LABEL for replacement. I have used this option couple of times and ALWAYS received my replacement plants. I will have to admit, it seems like I always have to call in order to get my order shipped to me, after my phone call it usually takes a week. Sometimes I have a hard time getting a hold of someone on the phone. But they are much cheaper than anyone else.

I was sent the wrong product and only noticed it when I went to use it. I ordered and paid for a 5'X30' Trellis Netting and was sent a 5"x15' Trellis Netting. When I contacted them I was told that I had to send back the incorrect product at my expense along with the "packing list" that was taped to the outside of the package and had not kept because it was attached to the package and I do not keep boxes and junk around once it is opened. I then asked to speak to a manager and the lady I was given was very nice and told me to send an email with a copy of my credit card statement pasted in since they do not accept emails with attachments, along with the information that I had not saved the packaging and what it was I received and what I had ordered. I asked her what I was to do with the one I had received and she said to just keep it since it was their error. I did as she asked and was sent another email saying they would not do that and that I had to send the incorrect item back at my expense - even though this whole thing was there error - I wrote an email and told them I would not spend my money to send it back and if they wanted it they should send me a pick up slip and I expect to have the correct product sent out. They have refused and I told them I was going to post this and I am also going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I realize that there is not a lot of money involved here but it is the principal that they can make the error and the customer has to pay to have it corrected. I will never purchase from this company again and would strongly suggest anyone seeing these posts also not purchase from them - they are not an honest run internet company.

"On Sep 20, 2010 3:27 PM, Direct Gardening responded with:

We are sorry for the confusion regarding this customer's order. A replacement of the 5 x 30' grow net was processed on 5/10 and shipped 5/15. "

I ordered two japanese blood grass and two japanese forest grass plants. The blood grass plants arrived dead. Two weeks later I called to get them replaced and they are now out of stock and the method for getting a refund is so cumbersome that I have written it off as a loss. The process was designed to discourage replacements. This company is disreputable. I wish I had checked with DG first - I would have avoided them. Live and learn.

"On Sep 29, 2010 7:35 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Our guarantee on nursery stock is as follows:

If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt. Replacement guarantee is VOID unless the ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL is returned. For a REFUND of the purchase price, RETURN THE ITEM AND THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL, with the correct postage affixed, within 14 days of receipt.

We do stand behind this guarantee. From his posting, it appears that the customer would have been eligible for either a refund or replacement/credit voucher at the time he contacted us, but did not wish to follow our guarantee. At this time the Bloodgrass has been discontinued and since we are not able to issue a replacement, we would send the customer's choice of a substitute, credit voucher, or refund instead of a replacement. We have contacted the customer by dmail but have not received a reply.
"

{SIGH} Well... I really wish I had found Watchdog before I ordered from these folks. Just add me to the list, I guess. Maybe I should count myself among the fortunate ones because I *did* receive *something*... Placed an order March 11, received my order April 14. My order arrived in a green plastic bag which had been stapled closed at the top. There was no padding inside the bag to protect the plants I ordered at all. I ordered three Pawpaw trees. What I received were three dry, brittle, dead sticks with no discernible root system at all that looked like they had been thrown in the bag as an afterthought. They weren't placed in any sort of bag or container, but were actually just placed loose in the main bag, had nothing to retain any moisture they may have had at the "nursery," and really didn't even look like trees - they were just sticks. I probably wouldn't have even known what they were except for a small white tag taped to each that optimistically proclaimed, "Pawpaw tree." I ordered a pound of jerusalem artichoke tubers - I received three tubers (better than nothing, though, right?). I ordered 8 Siberian Pea Shrubs. I received 25 Jumbo Hemlock. Yes, they say they have the right to substitute - they say so on their website (so, buyer beware on that one, too), but they substituted the drought-tolerant shrubs I ordered with "shrubs" that require, according to their own website, "plenty of moisture." If there had been plenty of moisture in the location I had chosen for the Pea Shrubs, I would have picked something else... bottom line, if you don't have your heart set on a particular plant, don't mind surprises and are willing to gamble with the possibility of maybe receiving nothing at all, feel free to order from these folks - I mean, their prices *are* pretty low and that's what suckered me in - otherwise, find another online nursery to meet your needs.

I ordered $60.00 worth of "Plants" from them and what I received were dried up weed-like twigs or mushy overly wet tiny pieces to plant. Nothing came up. I complained they sent exactly the same things as the first shipment. Would never order from them ever again. Wasted money

My husband ordered a Dwarf Black Pussy Willow for my birthday on1/13/10. The shipment was supposed to arrive on March 1. No shipment . I e-mailed them five times. They could not find my order. I tried calling them to no avail. Their customer service is horrendous. We are now without my tree and the $49.98. I will never order from them again.

You get what you pay for.....

I ordered my plants in February and was told they would arrive in April or May. I called 2 or 3 weeks ago to check up on it. They said I would receive them in May. I requested that an email be sent to me notifying me of the shipment so I can be prepared to plant close to 200 trees. Well, they show up at the end of March with no notice.

I couldn't plant the plants for a week so I called and explained my situation to customer service and got nowhere. I spoke with a supervisor, Matt, and said I wanted to mail them back, then receive a new shipment in a week. He said no problem and that that was understandable. However, he wanted ME pay the return shipping for 200 trees. I said I should not have to because I was incorrectly told of the delivery date. He said only shipping and accounting can authorize a shipping label for me. I asked to be connected. He said I can't talk to them. So I asked him to ask them. He said their phones don't make outgoing calls. I said to send them a letter. He said the plants will be dead by the time he gets the authorization. He said to wrap them in wet newspaper and they will be fine. They were already dried out in the bag and not sure if they will live. I kept them and planted them. I'll update in 6 months.... Hopefully this one year warranty is as easy as they make it sound....

Remember, you get what you pay for.....

"On Sep 29, 2010 7:51 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Most of our trees are shipped dormant and bareroot. So if they are unable to be planted right away, they can simply be stored in a cool, dark place and kept moist until ready for planting. They should survive just fine for a few weeks in this condition. Then before planting, soak them overnight in water. Trees can also be heeled in to store them before planting. Instructions for this are included in the planting guide that comes with every order.

The customer did request a replacement of 29 trees and 3 flame grass on 6/14. The replacement shipped 6/17."

My husband and I are new home vegetable gardeners and wanted to try some fruit trees and blueberry bushes. We were one of the lucky ones to receive our order, but we are so disappointed in the health of our sticks (we figure these are the trees) and twigs (blueberries). In lieu of forking out additonal cash and head ache for a return and total loss, we are going to try some of this "TLC" others wrote about and hopefully have fruit before grandchildren (kids are in middle school). Lesson learned.

"On Sep 29, 2010 7:57 AM, Direct Gardening responded with:

Most of our trees are shipped dormant and bareroot, so they will look like "sticks" when they arrive. We recommend that the roots be soaked for a few hours or overnight before planting. Make sure they are kept well watered the first year while they are getting established. Within 6 weeks, the plants should come out of dormancy and show signs of life.

Should any of the plants not surive, they will be covered by our one year replacement guarantee "If any item you purchased from us does not live, for a FREE REPLACEMENT just RETURN THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING LABEL along with your written request within 1 year of receipt."

"

I ordered 12 Purple Leaf Plums from them. They shipped and when they arrived 1 1/2 weeks later they were dry and looked dead. They were bareroot so I gave them benefit of doubt and planted them. 11 never did anything. 1 grew but just went straight up never branching out. 1 was not going to accomplish what I wanted so I gave it away. I will not order from them again. The shipping package was horrible. It was no wonder they all died and it took too long to get here and there was NO moisture in the package to help keep them alive while in transit.

This the second year that I have ordered from them. Last year I was shocked at what came in the mail. (first time doing mail order). I followed the instructions with the order and planted my plants. Most are starting to wake up for the spring and are double their size from last year. I did lose some of my plant but that was on me. A few I still have not put in the ground. Like my Red Maple, He is just to small. So He will remain in a 5 gl this year as well.
I will say this to any gardener that orders from them the plants will be small and do require TLC the first year. But for the price I can wait for the garden they will become. Oh if you go onto their web page you will see whom they supply, so you know what you will get from those companies as well.

This is the third order I have placed with Direct Gardening, I must say the first time more due to my fault some of the plants did not survive. It does take some getting use to bare root planting the plants do look half dead or dead, but with a little now how and care they grow beautifully. I live in southern/central florida and now have lilacs,hydrangea, delphiniums,and others that where put in by bare root and have suprisingly thrived....in climate they are not expected too grow. Please look at shipping schedule for your area before ordering as my first order was placed to late for that seasons shipping so I had to wait. The next orders where shipped within 2-3 weeks of placing the order. Also if purchasing bare root trees I soak for a little bit then plant in old containers or pots for a while until established before transplanting to yard.......to eliminate the threat of weed wackers and lawn mowing !!!!

I just order 2 plant - the Blueberry Top hat last October 13 , 2009
i shop around for the cheapest price and I found Direct Gardening. My pleasant surprise is that it come one week after after I order them online . I did not expect it too soon.It came in perfect condition. I have tried several site. Some are terrible and the quality is bad and I did not even bother to ask for replacement and the nerve of some to ask for a fee to ship them back and some are great but you pay a hefty price but Direct Gardenig send me healthy plant. i plant them on a pot and enjoying the weather before it gets too cold . Just like one previous review - new plants are very fragile . They need a lot of TLC. I am going to take photo of these plant like a baby and chronicle their growth .I am really sorry for those who had bad experience but these things happened even to the most reputable firm. the difference is 5-10 dollars in addition to s/h . They came in a box while my purchase from Direct gardening came by Fed Ex in plastic envelope.
You get what you pay sometimes but i don't mind it .

In the spring of 2009, I placed an order for Angel Trumpets by regular USPS mail with a money order for payment. When I did not receive them within what I thought was a reasonable amount of time, I sent an email with a request to check the status of my order and was told it was being shipped. Lo and behold I did receive them the very next day. Happily, they were not puny sized plants by any means. I was a bit concerned about the shape they were in upon their arrival, however. They were a bit mushy and I had to trim some of the stalk. I placed them in water for a couple of weeks and they bounced right back and rooted. They are now happy and healthy plants and have bloomed beautifully.

I placed order on 8/21/09 totaling $90.76. I printed out the receipt from their website indicating that order will ship by September. They charged my credit card on 8/25. By 10/10 I had not received any items. Contacted company to cancel. They refused. Many e-mails ensued. I told them that if they wanted to ship the plants that I could no longer plant due to the date that I would ship them right back, but that they should pay for the return. They are rude, they refused, and fortunately my credit card company reversed the charges.

The "plants" arrived 10/21. They were in terrible shape. I am sending them back tomorrow.

I contacted the BBB, but based upon the reviews for all of the affiliate companies it seems pointless. I'm sorry that I wasn't aware of this website before I became involved with Richard B. Owen and his terrible company.

Last year growing season(2008)I order from direct gardening, only part of the order was filled. I had to call them to receive the other rose that was missing (rockin robin rose). They sent me some time in the fall (2008) a new propagated rose,I freaked. I didn't know how to care for it, it was very small, with the amount of money i payed for it, (i payed for a bareroot hybrid tea) i could have gotten exactly what i wanted from Edmunds, or Garden Valley!! Anyways, i took care of it. It was able to be grounded this season(2009).But when my rose began to grow i noticed it is a climber, not a hybrid tea, which is what i payed for! I have 6 climbers in my backyard, i have no room for another. I dont even know what type of rose it is because its just climbing no blooms this year. Seems i will have to wait til next year to see if it is a rockin robin climber!!! I didnt bother to call the company cause I have no paper work to backup my complaint. This company has no idea what they are doing. Not only did i have to wait 6months for a rose they forget send with my order, when i finally get the rose it was not what i ordered. I will never order from them again!!!! Beware!!!

sent in an order mid may now its october and my order has not arrived but they cashed the money order right away i emailed them several times only got one reply saying that on october 1 my order would arrive which it did not as far and i am concerned they were rude and they owe me every last dollar and cent back including the cost of stamp and ink and envelope and money order and my wasted time so many other websites to order from and all better than direct gardening