Comments regarding Direct Gardening

My credit card was charged $142.85 on August 16, 2007 for plants I had purchased online from DirectGardening.com.

I had ordered a bunch of American Arborvitae to plant as a privacy screen across 180 feet of our property. I also ordered a dozen firethorns which I planned to space out across 120 feet in front of the arborvitae, since the firethorns are very showy with their red berries.

All except 10 of the firethorns arrived dead. We soaked the plants in water overnight as directed, and then put them in small pots so they would perhaps get stronger and then we would plant them. Of course, our water will not bring a dead plant back to life. Meantime, three more of the firethorns have died, and the others are on their way to dying.

When I contacted the company, the person with whom I spoke said to send back the original shipping label and we would get a credit. A few days later my husband had a question for these people, and he was told at that time he did not need to send back the label; he just needed to email a copy of it.

By this time we were past the time when we could get a refund, according to the company's "policy." I called the company again yesterday to clarify this "credit." We were eligible for a "credit," for either replacement merchandise or different merchandise. However, the "credit" could not be used to shop online.

I mentioned that I had read the 179 negative reviews at the DavesGarden website, and the person with whom I was speaking got very testy with me. He informed me that the company had been doing business since the 1930s, and that didn't seem like very many complaints to him.

At this point I decided I did not want to run the risk of getting replacement merchandise or getting different merchandise. I would not like to receive a bunch of dead plants a second time.

Today, I called my credit card company. They credited back my $142.85 and are disputing the purchase for me. All I have to do is send back the dead plants to DirectGardening and when they are shipped, get proof that they were sent. This is easily done by sending the package certified mail, with return receipt requested.

My credit card company also told me to gather as much documentation as possible, including the negative comments on this web site, and pictures of the dead plants.

As far as I am concerned, DirectGardening is not the place where I want to buy plants. I am just glad my credit card company is on my side, and I will not have to absorb the $142.85 for a bunch of dead plants.

I read the reviews on this site after placing my order, and they made me nervous! I ordered a large quantity of bulbs, privet, maples and ground cover about a week and a half ago.

Well, my order arrived today and everything looks great. The two items that were supposed to arrive bare root are, of course, bare root and look as expected. The bulbs look great - no mold, no mush. Everything that is supposed to have live growth does, and looks very healthy.

Since I haven't planted these things yet and won't know until next spring how well they do, I'll come back and edit my review as needed - but overall, I'm pretty happy with the experience so far. My order came quickly, everything is accounted for, and the plants are a good size for the price.

This is an update to an earlier comment posted back in April this year by berlyann, from Texas. I am she. Well it is now mid August. More than 4 months have past since the first comment. They say that time heals all wounds...Well I beg to differ...My gosh...As I stated in my earlier comments that I was gonna go ahead and plant all of the plants that I received dead or dying anyway, as directed by the provider. I did...And as expected every single one of those plants...Except for one lone honeysuckle died and went to that plant place in the sky..What a surprise. EVERY ONE DIED. I AM VERY UPSET STILL THAT THIS HAPPENED. So BUYER BEWARE...This company has 172 NEGATIVE COMMENTS POSTED HERE ON WATCHDOG...THAT SHOULD SPEAK VOLUMES...BEWARE...THEY ARE A SCAM...AND FOR THE FEW...LITERALLY, THE FEW, THAT HAD SOME SUCCESS...CONGRATS...YOU ARE THE EXCEPTION...YOU MUST BE NEXT DOOR, AND WALKED YOUR PLANTS HOME... Because that would truly be the only way you would have had any success. Because everyone else on the planet GOT TRASH..LITERALLY.
BUYER "BEWARE"

Dead Plants I brought 21 plants and spend $80.99 to only having the 2 Almost black rosas doing ok. The rest didn't come up or was dead when I got them. I have just sent out my letter to them with the mailing label, I also emailed a copy of the letter to them. When I first got my plants I emailed them to let them know that half the plants arrived dead and I was told they were not dead that I had to soak them then plant them and wait 6 weeks. I waited four week becase by then they should show sometime of life I even dug them up to check the plants only to find out that they were gone not where they were plant, must of rotted away or something. Buyer Beware don't buy from them spend the money and get the good plants form a different Gardening catolog.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! First order arrived of destroyed butterfly bushes, they were dead looking when i opened them. Direct gardening told me to plant and send back in 6 weeks if they didn;t make it. They didn't make it a week, despite constant vigil, Silly me ordered AGANI and Received two packages today shoved in my mailbox! 90+ degree weather in GA/ Send Via DHL. Called Customer service very agitated - here we go again! Supervisor rude - told me I was SAD asking for them to pay return shipping for the plants they sent me. I offered to send pictures of the box (damaged) and the plants (shriveled, pitiful.) to show the condition they arrived. "They do not accept attachments." He informed me they aren't responsible for how the plants or box arrive! He told me to call DHL! What a joke/ They DO NOT stand behind what they say in their catalogs or online. I am sending my plants back ASAP and with certified mail to confirm they got them so I get my refund. I am SO SORRY I ever shopped with them. Wish I had checked them out first.

This company is a total scam. Save yourself a huge headache and do not buy from them. All the literature tells you to give the plants 6 weeks in the ground. But guess what - no refund then if you keep them more than 2 weeks! All perennials/water plants ordered arrived dead or dying. I called and they required me to plant them anyway for 6 weeks. After doing that I was supposed to return the original shipping label (also required) and ask for a refund, which I did. They sent back my label and said that a refund is only available if I return the plant in 14 days with the label and the plant attached. (Well, it is already over 6 weeks now). They told me to plant for 6 weeks and then return the label if they don't survive. Well, that's what I did the first time. Total scam!

Although Direct Gardening has great prices. Quality is poor and service is worst. I definitely would not recommend this grower. It is not worth it!!!

About 2 months ago, I ordered a peach tree and a weeping willow. The willow died and the peach tree is one it's way out. I recently received my order for 20 hybrid willows (you'd think I learned my lesson) and put them in water for 24 hrs. per the instructions. Planted them with Miracle Gro soil to give them a good start. So far, half are dead. They arrived as pitiful, extremely small, one branch trees to begin with. I wouldn't buy from DG again.

Do it right the first time and buy from Jackson & Perkins or another reputable company.

the stuff arrived too late for ideal planting, half didn't grow. lLearned they expect you to keep the "original shipping label" as your only acceptable proof of purchase. then when they accidentally (and in email) granted me an exception to that (I had plenty of proof of course, as did their own records) they then refused to fulfill it and started me over on the process with form letter saying they just "look dead" and as if I hadn't planted them. but then they added that I had to return the dead plant (hard to find a plant that never grew when it's under ground!)
Do NOT DEAL with these people

Before I found DG here, I ordered the oriental lilies mixed bulbs from DirectGardening.com. The first time they sent ones that were rotting so bad that my husband thought some animal died in the garage, even after I threw the pussing oozing mess out in the trash can. I called and the company sent replacements a week later but this time it was crackling brittle dry. Touch and the entire thing starts falling apart. Third times the charm right? They sent again. This time it's very moldy, ready to mush in at the slightest touch in most cases. I put fungicide on it and hoped for the best. Finally 5 out of 16 grew. But low and behold, it's not oriental lily. It looks like white trumpet lilies instead. Not fragrance at all. I gave up on the company. Obviously, they're horrible with bulbs. (Don't even mention the other plants I purchased. According to my friend that used to own a garden center, all dead not dormant like the company said) So, be warned. Don't buy from Direct Gardening.

As for those of you defending this place, just count yourself one of the lucky ones. You had a very unusual experience with them. If most people have bad experience and you have a good one, that doesn't make them a good company. All of us who gave them a bad rating gave our best and then some to the plants and bulbs. But if you plant crap, you end up with crap. No matter how much TLC you give the crap, the sticking smelling crap will not turn into a healthy plant. So, please do not refer to us negatively. All we are doing is sharing our painful experience with other people in hope of helping them avoid our painful mistake.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE COMPANY. AVOID THEM AND ALL THEIR SUBSIDIARIES (houseofwesley.com, eburgess.com, etc.etc. You can find the complete listing on this site).

I recently ordered about $300 worth of items from them, only to have to try to track someone down at customer service (I say "track" them down because "customer service" consists of a pay-call number that is often busy) just to find out if the order I'd placed 2 months earlier was even processed. I had been charged for it immediately, yet received NO e-mail or otherwise acknowledging it or to let me know they had any intention of sending my products. Two weeks after that call, I received the first of two shipments I would eventually receive over a four-week lapse in time. Half the plants were already dead (not "dormant" as they tried to assert. I assessed viability with a simple bark-scratch test), and the others were in BAD shape. Filthy, messy packaging, by the way, with dirt and mud seeping out of it on delivery.

After another month and numerous calls, I received a second shipment similar to the first, but I was curious as to why I was still short 22 plants. After yet another runaround-attempt to contact them, I was told all of those 22 plants were shipped with the first package. I guess I just "overlooked" 22 plants!? The "service" operators and "manager" I spoke to were rude, condescending, and uncooperative. I never did receive either the remainder of my order, or a refund of any kind.

Needless to say, I will avoid this company and all their subsidiaries and encourage anyone to do the same. I wish I'd known about THIS site and all the negative reviews before ordering from them.

This spring, my wife and I purchased land and looking to put in some shelterbelts and cover from the road at the lowest price possible. We ordered 60 Hybrid Willows and 30 Norway Spruce from directgardening.com. From the comments I read on sites like this I was really nervous about the quality of product or if we would even receive anything at all! Well, we ended up having a great experience. After 2 months in the ground the willows are 90% leafing and the Norway Spruce are all alive with new growth! One complaint was that I did not receive the free gifts. But at this point, we don't have much use for them anyway.

I ordered 4 butterfly bushes and only recieved 1. Upon contacting customer service, I was told that I needed to return the shipping label in order to have the missing items shipped. I mailed the shipping label to them, which they returned. After waiting over 2 weeks, I still do not have the missing plants. I contacted them again and they said they have no record of the issue.

I also ordered 36 Iris Bulbs. These bulbs were apparently left in pastic bags for some time. Smelly and soggy. At least half the bulbs turned to mush.

I placed 4 orders with them this spring. So far only one plant is showing a hint of life. The customer service is incompetent and non responsive. Do not do business with Direct Gardening.

This company is by far the worst i have dealt with in any form in my life. I tried to be open minded when ordering from them (prior to reading all of the negative reviews about them). They have some of the rudest customer service reps I have dealt with ( with the exception of yhe DMV.) I would like to go into detail my story but it seems useless. This company has several complaints with the BBB and they have not fixed their practices yet. I would just like to let everyone know that the possibility of your experience with direct gardening being any better than the others who have sent negative feedback are highly unlikely. I am stilll just trying to get a tracking # for my order.

Recieved my order just last week. I ordered trees and my wife ordered flowers. Everything looks to be doing well so far. I can't say whether or not the bolbs will live because we just planted them over the weekend. Specifically I wanted to comment on the Walnut trees I ordered. They were strong and are already showing signs of budding. Everything arrived healthy looking except one lilac, and it looks like it got broken in shipping. Not DG's fault. Overall I am happy with Direct gardening.

I received several plants from Direct Gardening within the last 3 weeks, all in a dormant state, as promised. Four of them were trees (small ones), which I soaked overnight and put in pots until I could plant them outside. All four have broken dormancy & leafed out. They are healthy, small plants and should do well.

Placed a substantial order in January. It is now May 1st and I have not received my order. Everything was held up for ONE backordered item AND I wasn't even informed of the back order problem until I called for the SECOND time wondering where my stuff was. Not only that, they REFUSE to split orders so customers can at least get SOME of their stuff in the ground. Now everything is going to go in almost too late, if it isn't too late already. Stay away from this Schlock outfit. If you don't, you WILL be sorry. They have NO concept of customer service.

Never again!
If only I found this site sooner... I ordered $75 worth of plants, including their two different fern collections. The "ferns" turned out to tiny, dried out root clusters packed into ridiculous little plastic bags. Most of them were covered in foul-smelling mold, a couple more turned to dust when I tried to touch them. It looks like they just sell collected wild plants that were sitting in their facility for ages.
After reading other comments I am not going to waist my time on their customer service. I'll just write this whole thing off and move on to better nurseries and healthier plants.

I made the mistake as an inexperienced gardener to order from this company. It's been six weeks since I ordered and I have nothing yet except a hit on my credit card right after I ordered. After a month I asked them where my plants were and I got a very curt reply telling me it was in their shipping department. Well, it's been 2 weeks and either everyone in their shipping department is asleep at the wheel or they deliver by pony express. After reading others comments lets just say I'm not depending on what they send me to make a real impact on my garden...if it ever comes.

Last fall I purchased about $40 worth of plants from them. All were bulbs and bare root plants. All came rotted, soft and soggy. I went ahead hoping against all odds and planted them. Of course, they were all dead and rotted in the ground. I called and emailed the company. My calls were answered by very rude representatives who basically told me "not our problem". Finally spoke to a manager who said to send in my receipt for credit. I did and have heard nothing back and it has been a month. Had I been a member of Dave's at the time, I would not have ordered from them. I will never order from them again. At this point, even if they resolve my problem (short of a refund) what do I do then, order more soggy, rotting plants with the credit???? I now check all company ratings before placing an order and wish I would have known better before I placed this order.

Early in March 2007 I placed an order with DG. I ordered red sedum, periwinkle, and snow in summer. When I placed the order I was told that it would take 10 to 14 days to process the order and my card would be billed at that time. And that upon processing the order would ship and take 7 to 10 business days to receive. Okay Lets add this up? They must not have a calculator! Ok 10 to 14 days to process, takes 10 to 14 days. Ok 7 to 10 days business days to receive takes 7 to 10 business days. Total being conciderate and expecting delays we have reached a wopping 24 days right. Not counting weekends. I placed the order March 3, 2007 and guess what guys I got it !!, April 20, 2007. Yes yesterday! That was a grand total of 35 business days and 14 weekends. It was sent by regular mail. Delivered to the mailbox out front DEAD! I called them on March 29, and 30 they said the order had not left processing. This was the 3 week after I ordered it. Business days not weekends. I called them on April 2, and 3 it had not left processing. I called again on April 4 and they said it shipped the 2nd of April. But on April 2 they said it was still in processing??? So almost 4 weeks after they said, "IT SHIPPED" I did get it smashed in the mailbox in a green bag stapled shut. So I rush right in the house open it and am horrified at what I see. The snow in summer was rotten not only molded rotten. The red sedum was molded and smelled. The periwinkle was crunchy and the roots had dried up and broken off of the plant sticks they sent. And owe yeah I forgot I also ordered halls honeysuckle from them It is molded but I think it will make it. Well not all of it. I ordered 18 plants and I think 6 or 7 may live. Well see!! I am sick to my stomach that this happened. Although I didn't spend much , about 39 dollars that they took on day 3 after the order. Not when it was sent to shipping like they stated. I guess I learned my lesson. I have ordered many plants and seeds online from many companies and have had great luck until theses guys. Now I did call and harress them at lenght. I was angry that they misrepresent themselves to make that sale. They basically lie to the consumer to get that money. The customer service reps are smart asses and need to be slapped. #$%&*. I would love to do it. If only I could reach through that dag gum phone. PLEASE BEWARE. I would NEVER ORDER ANYTHING FROM THEM AGAIN..I hope people stop here before they give them a try. I'm not going to fight them on replacing plants and or refunding money. It is a hastle I really don't need. Anyway, if I got lucky and they replaced them it would be next winter before I got them anyway!! They are a miserable online nursery and I wish the BBB would do something about it. I did make a claim with the BBB. So I hope my experience helps somebody out there not to make the same mistakes that from the looks of this sight has been made by many before me. Going several years back. So this is a practice for them and not the exception. Concider that before you purchase. HAPPY SHOPPING...Springtown, Texas 2007...

Everything I ordered was delivered as expected. The bareroot trees and bushes were small (as advertised) but are all growing well. Bulbs and seeds have sprouted in respectable percentages. I plan to order from them again soon.

Last year I purchased 250 privet hedges from Direct Gardening via their website. It is clearly stated that plants will be shipped when it is appropriate for planting in your zone.
My privets arrived in a semi-dormant state and were nothing more than 1-2 foot long sticks. I planted all of them and some of the smaller ones were combined to make one (Iwas getting tired of digging). Throughout the summer all of the privets leafed out very nice. They grew quite fast but I kept pruning them back to about 1' to encourage a fuller bush. I watered them regularly and sprinkled a 3 month time release fertilizer around them after planting.
I spent less than $.50 a piece for them and feel that I more than got my moneys worth. You definitely do not get full grown plants as you would from a local nursery but then you are not paying those prices either.
I am a landscaper at a golf course and if the need arises again for a mass planting of any kind, I will definitely order from them again. Sometimes a lot of patience is easier to come by then a lot of money.

With this place, you get what you pay for -- small, dormant plants in root or rhizome form that need a bit of attention. If you're not comfortable with this, you won't get far. I've had good luck with bulbs, liatris, roses, and many of their products. Haven't had to deal with the customer service, so no comment there. I'm a bit suprised at a negative below from someone who didn't even order from them, just posted a negative because of the comments here? Not fair!

I placed an order in 2005 for $157.89 worth of dead plants. (2005? I don't even think I've had a relationship that lasted this long.) The only thing that survived was one rose bush that has yet to bloom. Yo, Direct Gardening, do actual roses grow on your rose bushes? I sent them a letter in 2005 along with the original packing slips (another joke) to have plants replaced. Surprisingly, they did replace those plants which again all died. The following spring I sent another letter to have the rose bushes replaced, I had given up on everything else. I couldn't send original packing slips (definition of a Direct Gardening packing slip-a sticker slapped on the outside of the crappy bag they ship your dead plants in) since I had already sent them previously but I had the presence of mind to make copies of them (hey, DG, see even I know how to make copies).

They sent my original letter back to me along with my envelope and computer printouts of my order. A notice was also included asking for a packing slip for one of the rose bushes that they had already replaced. I couldn't find it and must have thrown the package away before cutting it off. I should have given up right there when I needed the same rose bush for the 3rd time! The other 4 rose bushes were circled in red on the computer printout so I mistakenly assumed that they were at least sending the other 4 rose bushes. I eventually forgot about them as I was getting plant replacements from other companies and was busy with them. After taking inventory of my garden this spring of 2007, I realized that they had never sent them to me. I e-mailed them the other day asking why they were never replaced. They responded that they could find no correspondence requesting replacement in my file. They sent my entire letter plus envelope back to me and didn't even make a copy! I have worked in an office environment most of my life and we always make copies of everything, especially customer correspondence. I have an all in one printer, fax, copier in my house. They probably still use typewriters and carbon paper. I let them know that they sent my letter back to me and literally alluded that they were a bunch of idiots. They replied back that my guarantee had expired and I would be receiving no replacements. I just finished making a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

So, in the end I spent $157.89 on a rose bush that grows leaves but no roses. I also spent countless hours bending, digging holes in the hot sun and getting filthy while I planted and wasted water on plants that were probably dead or dying before I received them. I then wasted more of my life fighting with these people to send me more dead plants. I'm sorry I hadn't thrown the packages away without cutting off the packing slips, it would have been a lot easier.

Hey Direct Gardening, with all the money we sent you how about buying a copy machine? Also, that person named Customer Service that keeps e-mailing me probably deserves a raise, I've been giving them a really hard time. Hey, Customer Service? Take a tip out of my $157.89, you earned it.

As an inexperienced gardener, I was also fooled by their catalog. I wish I had found the Garden Watchdog before I ordered.

Last spring, I ordered daylilies, a bulb garden and hydrangeas. My order took many many weeks to arrive. I had to call the company twice to find out where my order was. I should have cancelled it then.

All the bulbs arrived mildewy and several of the daylilies. I returned both, foolishly asking for a replacement for the daylilies and a refund for the bulbs. The replacement daylilies arrived several weeks later covered with mildew. Rather than waste more money returning them again, I just threw them out. Only 2 of the 5 hydrangeas I ordered made it through the summer. The few daylilies that I planted were pitiful looking.

Since then, I have ordered from several reputable companies I found on the Watchdog and the difference is amazing. I would never waste my time and money ordering from this company again.

Hi, I ordered plants from this clearing house about a few years ago and I considered buying more, but I decided not to. All the woody pine and strong natural lilly all were alive but none of any flowers, I believe one of the free bulbs grew. I wounder how this center houses, I beleve 7 nurseries, really come together.

Wow, I am so happy that I did some research before ordering from this company. I had over $500 in my cart and was getting ready to check out and decided to google "direct gardening" just to make sure and this forum was the 2nd listing that came up. I read about 2 pages of comments and feedback from the company and was so disgusted by this companies practices. I am definatly not ordering from them and will be spreading the word around my gardening club in Ga.
Thank you so much for this website, I would have been extremely upset to be out of $500++ .

I will defend Direct Gardening it is one of the best places for bulbs trees and shrubs there is. The daylillies I bought two years ago have overgrown the bounds of their beds. The paper bark birches are tall, 7' in one year,sure some dead but wal mart flowers die just as much. The lilacs I ordered are growing huge and blooming profously. Just grow up you stinkin babies and learn the plants just need more of that so called "babying" you should provide them with.

I have purchased $100's of Dollars of merchindise from Direct Gardening and there affiliates, 4 seasons, burgess etc.
I have been extremely pleased with all the trees I have purchased (except and order the US postal service trashed) And even then the order was replaced when I sent in my shipping lable with order.
The bulbs and roots stock items I have not had 100% sucess with as some come molded or to dry to save.
So I have decied to buy the magority of my flowers, bulbs and plants grown locally from a nursery. Seed, well I have never had much luck there anyway.
THE TREES ARE WONDERFUL. almost every tree I have ordered has lived. The one I am most proud of is a pink smoke tree. When i recieved it, the little thing was more of a stick then a tree. But faithfully I planted it, water and loved it through the first season. The next season to my suprise a tree grew it is almost 4 1/2 feet high and stronger every day. The popular and the hybrid willows for fast growing have also arrived a bit shell shocked from shipping but with a little love (and love from me is stuck in the ground and watered) they have grown suprisingly well. But one great Tree is the rose of sharon, it takes off like a weed. i guess it depends on your view of gardening, not everything you buy on line or locally is going to live

Dont bother saving your shipping label from this company. I returned one for replacements and they said they never received it. My second shipping label was sent signature required and they still claimed it was never received even after I told them who signed for it. This company is a waste of money. Everything I bought from them arrived dead or died shortly after. Be weary that this company uses several different "names" on their catalogs trying to get more orders. If its too good to be true, it probably is. Always search the company in the watchdog before ordering. It will save you a lot of heartache and wasted time.

As an inexperienced gardener I was lured to their products by the many catalogues I received and the low prize. My advice never buy from them it is just not worth the money. Plants arrived in a very poor conditions some obviously dead or close to it. The only ones that made it well were the lavender and creeping flox. Non of the ferns ever made it.

I recently ordered some carolina cross watermelon seeds. I got ready to experiment with the germination periods of these seeds. When i opened the packages ony half of these overly priced seeds was worth starting!!!!!!!!!!! Most were BROKE IN HALF . YES BROKEN ! THE REP I TALKED TO ON THE TELEPHONE SAID HE HAD HEVER SEEN A BROKE SEED . I bet he has never seen a garden either he thinks a garden is a grocery store produce counter. JUST take my advice an avoid this place THEY SELL OVERLY PRICED CULL SEEDS!!!!!!!!!!! The rep said i need a shipping label to warrant my guarantee but he could pull it up on his computer to see when i recieved them. I WOULDN'T BUY A PISS-ANT A WRESTLING JACKET FROM THIS PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! This company has prices that are too good to be true and I found out why the hard way. I ordered several daylilies, and some ground cover plants that nearly all arrived dead or moldy. A couple of the daylilies looked like they might make it so I'm waiting to return my shipping label to see if I get more poor quality plants as replacements. I just want to warn everyone to not get caught up in the prices because you are wasting your money! I am not a beginner gardener and I frequently order plants by catalog or on line and have never seen worse quality plants.

Direct Gardening
1704 Morrisey Drive
Bloomington, Illinois 61704

Re: Order number 32003028 –

Grace Avery,
On October 22, 2006 I placed an order with Direct Gardening for $167.19. The order was processed on the October 23, 2006. I contacted customer service via phone to ask how long shipping takes as it is not posted on any website. I was told that there were 3 packages and the last to be processed were package #3 “Angel Trumpet Collection”. On November 7, 2006 I sent an email regarding the shipping. I contacted customer service again via phone because only one package had arrived, the “Angel Trumpets”. I was told that the packages were ALL shipped on October 26, 2006. On November 12, 2006 I sent an email to customer service regarding the packages #1 & #2 not arriving. It was over 14 days. I was sent an email back from customer service telling me to just be patient. I was told I had to wait 30 days to have the packages tracked to contact customer service on November 26, 2006. On November 27, 2006 I emailed customer service, asking for the package to be traced & if not traced tell me how to get a refund. On November 28, 2006 I called customer service & requested the items to be found or a refund for items from packages #1 & #2. I was told that my info was put into “The System” to be tracked & that I do not want items shipped in the spring. If items could not be found & delivered now to give me a complete refund for all items not received to my Visa card the order was placed on. December 4, 2006 I contacted customer service I was told that “the system” said I requested items to be traced but had no info that I was requesting a refund. She said “besides, you have to request it in writing”. She stated it takes 7 to 14 days to trace an item. Then why was I told to wait 30 days? Why not 44 days? I requested the tracking number & was told I could not have it nor could I speak with anyone who did. I requested a supervisor & was told no. Then the customer service rep told me she would give the phone over to a “Supervisor” who would just tell me the same thing. The “Supervisor” said she was the one I spoke with on November 28th & she was only in a call center & could not make the process any smoother. I told her if package was not traced within the 14 days from requested I would dispute it on my credit card.

I understand the items should be traced to see if the customer is a liar or not and did or did not receive the items however, this is getting out of hand. I have gotten the run around since my order was first placed. I simply wanted my plants! I did not get them, apparentaly it takes an act of God to trace them so refund me my credit card back for the items I did not receive. That simple. I have never encountered such unorganized & poor customer care. It has shown that customer satisfaction is not a priority of this company & never again will I do business with Direct Gardening or its affiliates. I have been patient, done things in which I was told I had to do it & still I have no plants nor do I have the money!!! Your website should state the following: 24 Hours to process your order in computer. 7 to 14 days to process where ever. 7 to 14 days to ship…or maybe longer, just be patient! Must wait 30 days from whenever we said we may have shipped it to track it. Wait another 7 to 14 days to process your request to another department you can never talk to or know about. Another 30 days to actually refund your credit card. We will however charge your card INSTANTLY!!!!!

I AM REQUESTING A REFUND! In writing as I was told.

Order Total was $167.19 - $8.95 for Shipping = $158.24 - $19.75 angel trumpet collection received =

TOTAL REFUND DUE = $138.49

REFUND $138.49 ON VISA THAT IT WAS CHARGED FROM.






CC: Watch Dog

I recently ordered several items, including strawberry plants, honeysuckle vines, trumpet vines, among a few other things. This was the first time i have ordered online or mailorder for that matter, so i was a little disappointed when my order arrived and the items were so sickly looking. But i planted them just as they indicated. Today is 2 weeks since they arrived and were put in the ground. I was anticipating the long wait for them to come out of dormancy, but to my surprise, everything is looking GREAT! The vines are all getting leaves on them, the strawberry plants are growing like crazy! I am happy with the service and product, especially for the prices they offer. I emailed them prior to the arrival of my order to find out an estimated date of shipping and they responded curteously and quickly. Thank you very much.

Order number: 31936922

I spent $75.34 for frustration. The item number and description pertaining to my order are listed at the end of this email. The low quality plants arrived either with fungus on them or completely dehydrated (literally crumbled in my hands). I rinsed off the fungus (on the plants that had fungus) and planted the all the items. I nurtured the plants watering when the soil was dry and waited the recommended 6 weeks for them sprout. Short story only the Orange Glory made it.

Waiting for the 6 weeks takes you out of the refund range. So now I am stuck in a bizarre exercise trying to receive credit for dead plants. I am not particularly excited to receive credit and order from this company again however once I receive my credit I plan on ordering and hopefully will terminating this relationship.

For the last two months I have corresponded with Direct Gardening three times. Each time I detail the plants that have died by Item#, quantity, price paid while including the original shipping label as Direct Gardening requires. Each time "JS" returns my correspondence asking for information already included.

It is my opinion that Direct Gardening intentionally makes refunds and credit requests for poor quality plants as difficult as possible on the customer. They wear out there customers who get feed up and move on.

I will remain persistent until they satisfy my credit request and subsequent re-order. I will update "Garden WatchDog" as this situation develops.

By the way I am not a beginner gardener. I have been gardening for over 25 years and this is without question my most unrewarding gardening experience!


Item # Description............................. Quantity Price

6919 Perennial Garden Grab Bag, 6258 Fig Dwarf,
6755 Daisy Shasta, 6826 Butterfly Plant Orange Glory,
7720 Grass, Blue Oat, 3437 Valeriana, 5103 Walk-On-Me,
7612 Willow, Corkscrew Red, 6159 Daisy, Black-Eyed Susan, 7675 Daisy, Crazy, 7258 Geranium Collection Sampler, 8637 Free Oriental Poppies, Free Gifts as Earned
Free

TO: TAMMY
ON 8/24/06 I CALLED DIRECT GARDENING ABOUT MY ORDER I WAS TOLD IT WAS SHIPPED ON 8/16/06 AND I WOULD RECEIVE THE PLANTS IN 7 TO 14 DAYS. WHEN I DID NOT RECEIVE THE PLANTS I CALLED AGAIN. PLUS E-MAIL.
OUR CONVERSATION ON 9/12/06 WAS ABOUT ME NOT RECEIVING MY ORDER, I WAS TOLD I HAD TO WAIT 30 DAYS BEFORE I COULD PUT A CLAIM IN. AFTER THAT I WAS TOLD IT COULD TAKE TWO MORE WEEKS TO TRACK THE MAIL PROBLEM BEFORE YOU CAN REACT TO THIS PROBLEM. TODAY IS 32 DAYS STILL MY ORDER DID NOT ARRIVE. OUR CONVERSATION WAS THAT I CHECKED WITH THE POST OFFICE AND THEY SAID IF YOU SHIP 4TH CLASS MAIL IT WOULD TAKE MONTHS TO REACH PUERTO RICO BY SHIP. I ALSO SAID SOMEONE IN YOUR COMPANY I WOULD THINK CHECK CONFIRM THE ZIP CODE WITH THE POST OFFICE PRIOR TO SHIPMENT ON LEAD TIMES FOR LIVE PLANTS BEFORE SHIPPING A CERTAIN CLASS MAIL ORDER. MY CREDIT CARD WAS ALSO CHARGED ON 7/28/06 FOR THE PLANTS I DID NOT RECEIVE. THEY WERE TO BE SHIPPED BY UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE. DG WOULD NOT TELL ME HOW THEY WERE SHIPPED. WHAT CLASS MAIL.
.PRORITY MAIL IS THE WAY IF THEY WOULD HAVE CHECKED FOR ME TO RECEIVE IN 7-14 DAYS.
I WISH I SAW THIS WEB SITE BEFORE MY ORDER WAS PLACED. STILL HAVE NO PLANTS AT THIS TIME. STILL WAITING TO HERE BACK FROM DG. I WILL LET YOU KNOW THE OUT COME ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. FIRST TIME HAVING A PROBLEM WITH ORDERING ON THE INTERNET. AND I HAVE BOUGHT MANY THINGS OVER THE INTERNET INCLUDING PLANTS. DAVE

"

The customers order was shipped on 8/16/06 as he states. The customer contacted us via email and phone at the same time he made this posting that as of 9/18 he had not received the plants. Our tracing procedure was done and a refund was issued on 9/21/06. "

On 5/10 I ordered 2 miniature hollyhocks, 20 hardy gladiolus, 10 hardy gladiolus, and 25 periwinkle from DG. As free bonuses I also got 5 exotica (peacock orchids?), 4 flowering shamrocks, and (thanks to a coupon from one of their affiliates' online catalog) an asiatic lily.

The miniature hollyhocks arrived on 5/30 - faster than I expected since, at that time, they said to allow 3 weeks to process the order before shipping. These were small, growing in seed-starting cells, but they were alive. They also had good root systems, but were not rootbound. I took a picture of them after unpacking them:
//i52.photobucket.com/albums/g18/Thomas521/2006_miniature_hollyhock_Elsia_Heug.jpg
As you can see, they didn't exactly look like something I would have gotten from a local nursery, but then again, a local nursery would probably charge at least 5 times as much for these plants - if they sold them, that is.

The rest of my order arrived on 6/14. Most of the bulbs were showing signs of sprouting, a sure sign of life. The free asiatic lily had sprouted enough that it could be considered a drawback (since you need to plant it shallowly at first, then replant it deeper after it goes dormant). The periwinkle plants were bareroot. They were bone dry, and their leaves had died back partway. They were alive, however. A bigger problem is that they only sent 15.

Of those 15 periwinkle, 8 survived. The others might have survived if I had babied them more. Some of the survivors appeared to die, but then put out new foliage. The majority of the bulbs were indeed viable; only 3 hardy glads, 1 orchid glad, and 1 flowering shamrock failed to grow. (This is a much better success rate than I had with the summer bulbs I got from Wal-Mart!)

Both miniature hollyhocks bloomed this year. Unfortunately, they were purple with a white eye, not pink as described. While this particular incident is not a big problem to me, it makes me wonder whether anything they sell as a certain variety is really that variety. One of each type of gladiolus bloomed this year, as well as all of the flowering shamrocks that grew. None of the exotica bloomed. The asiatic lily produced 2 flowers.

On 8/4, I sent back the original shipping label and a list of what didn't live (or never arrived), requesting 2 Purple D'oro daylilies and a packet of White Beauty tomato seeds as replacements; these have a similar value to the items that didn't live. On 8/28, I received the daylilies. One package that was supposed to contain a bareroot daylily contained 3 tiny sections of daylily roots; I don't think any of these have survived. However, the other package had 2 decent-sized root systems with some green showing, and these are doing fine. They also sent me another freebie: a packet of ground cherry seeds. I received my packet of tomato seeds on 9/5. The seeds were sent in an unpadded envelope, which is fine for tomato seeds, but I hope they don't send pumpkin seeds and other easily crushed seeds that way.

Overall, I'd say my experience is positive so far. They do stand behind their guarantee as long as you follow their instructions, the plants have a pretty good survival rate, their prices are great (with a few exceptions), and they send freebies with every order. The only things that remain to be seen are whether their seeds grow, and whether their daylilies and tomatoes are the right variety. It is these things that will determine whether my experience remains positive in the end, and whether I will order from them again.