Comments regarding Direct Gardening

I did not find out about your website until after I placed my order. I placed an order on May 20, 2003 for bulbs & bare root trees (total of $38.30). I contacted the company via email (phone # is always busy)to ask about delivery & shipping info. I requested notification when the items shipped along with a tracking #. Customer Service was unable to provide this info. They charged my credit card after I sent the email. I waited 2 weeks & 1 day and I still do not have my order. I called a different # for this company from one of the complaints on your website, but they would not take my call, so I sent an email requesting the order be cancelled & my credit card be credited. I also disputed the charge with my credit card company. So far Direct Gardening has not responded to my email.

Jackie

I waited nearly three months for my order and each e-mail I sent them they said it was in the shipping department. I finally told them to cancel the order and they said they didn't know if they could catch it in time.Well they must have been right about being in the shipping department for three months, the plants looked and smelled like they had been in the plastic bag for nearly three months. They were dead and some were mushy. I returned them in their plastic envelope with a note saying I did not accept dead rotting plants and I haven't heard anything from them nor has my charge card been credited.

Like most of the other hopeful buyers who've posted their comments here, my experience with Direct Gardening, was one of extreme dissatisfaction. My credit card was charged 2 days after placing 2 separate orders and after waiting for over 5 weeks, none of the plants arrived. I called up their customer service number several times and was given a variety of excuses, such as "It's being processed" to "It will be another week....... another 2 weeks" etc.
Finally I decided to cancel my order by email. 2 days later a small packet with 2 incredibly tiny stem cuttings of Angel Trumpet plants each with a few very fine hair-like roots arrived in a plastic bag. one was DOA and the other was almost dead. The one that survived. grew fairly quickly to approx 8" in height and is now completely dormant inspite of following the instructions carefully.
Several days after the first package, a second one arrived , all those plants quickly died. In the meantime I was writing almost daily emails reminding the company that I had cancelled my order.
Their email response was always that my requests would be forwarded to "the appropiate dept" and still the packages kept coming at roughly 10 day intervals. I refused acceptance of all except the first 2. Since they had been sent to me via UPS, I was able to track their return back to the company.
I'm still waiting for over 6 weeks now, to have my money refunded as they later promised to do. I have heard nothing from them since. My experience led me to the conclusion that Direct Gardening, practices purposeful fraud.

The plants I have received appear to be seconds or rejects from other companies. The variation in size was more than would be expected for plants of the same type. Only one of four plants survived and I think the company does not care if they do. They are selling plants that would at best be sarter plants for a nursery and charging high prices. They can afford to replace anything five times and still make a proffit. I could get a potted five year old tree from Wall Mart for $14.99 and they sell a 1 yr. bare root might grow if not damaged plant for the same price and hold your money for up to a year before you know you have been swindled. Never buy from them unless you enjoy being swindled.

I placed an order with Direct Gardening several weeks ago. Since the order never arrived, I called the customer service line and was informed by their VERY RUDE agent that they had recieved my order and it "was processing" but, that it would take ANOTHER 7-10 days to process - since they had received it a month ago, that will be a grand total of 40 days "in processing". If that's not enough, she also said it would take another 7-10 days in shipping. 7-10 days in shipping is FAR TOO LONG for live plants and flowers - when I told her this she frankly couldn't have cared less. Assuming that they DO arrive in the time frame she gave, it will be almost 2 months after the original order was sent. Pathetic. At the very least the rep. should have apologized for the delay but, she acted as if I was out of line for questioning their time table. Even if my order arrives is stellar condition, I will NEVER order from this company again.

I wish that I had found this web site before spending $80 at Direct Gardening. After 3 weeks of waiting for my plants I received 1 package. In this were 7 items, 3 of which were in very bad shape. I told myself that I would wait on the 55 other items and mail all the dead ones back at one time. (Postage is high when you insure and send certified) After waiting a week and not getting the rest of my order I called the company, not a toll free number to be discouraged when it was constantly busy. When I finally got through I was told my whole order was in stock and it should ship that week. Over a week went by and still no order has arrived. I call back. After numerous tries to get through I finally get a live body who tells me again that the stuff is in stock and should ship this week. Well, you told me that last week. Where are my plants? I would like to give them a chance to come up before the temps reach the 90's around here. I get the runaround from the first person so I ask for a supervisor. Now there is a joke. She was less than knowledgable and ruder than the first 2 people I spoke with. Don't bother asking for the name of the company president from the supervisor, she won't give it to you and there is no one else you can speak to. I called back after talking to my bank to see if they could help me get a refund and/or cancel the order. For those of you who haven't found this yet they have another hidden clause about canceling an order. You can only do it through snail mail. They do not accept cancellations over the phone, by the internet, or by fax. I did send both a fax and an email regarding the order telling them how much they owed me. At the very beginning in very large letters I stated this was a cancellation and that I was taking a copy to my bank and was sending a copy to the BBB.

Being a single working mom with 4 kids I expect to get good service and goods from the people I choose to do business with. I would definitely say that this is not a company that I would ever do business with again. I'll be at the bank tomorrow to see if they can help me get my money back. Thankfully I used a charge card so that might get me some extra help but I don't hold high hopes. I have the feeling that I will never see my plants nor will I see the money they owe to me.

For those of you who are planning to purchase live plants or bulbs go to the local hardware/lawn store and get ones that you can see before you buy. While you might pay a little more for them from the local stores you will see what you are getting, not have to pay shipping charges, you will get the items now, not months from now and you will have a whole lot less headaches. If you do decide to take a chance with the plants, make sure that you read very carefully what you will get. After talking to customer service I found that most of what they had planned to sell was bulbs, tubers or bare roots plants.

Good luck to anyone who purchases from one of these sites. If you look closely most of them have the same phone number so calling another office won't help, I tried. I wish I had found this site first. I would have gone locally and bought my plants which is what I will end up doing if I want any flowers this year.

Boy do I wish I had found this site before ordering from this company!!! This was my first time ordering from them and I ordered the same kind of plants that I've ordered from another company. I had no problems with this other company, but was unsure about them after changing ownership. My credit card was charge immediately and it took awhile for my order to arrive. When it did arrive, it was in a large plastic bag. A lot of the trees, bushes, and vines were broken (probably during the shipping). I planted everything according to their directions and the majority of the plants didn't grow at all. A few of them started to grow and died. Of my whole order, only about 4 of the vines are still alive, but not growing the way the company claimed. What a disappointment! I will NEVER order from them again!!!

dealing with this company leaves me with a foul taste in my mouth. everytime i call their service causes my hyperacidity to flare up.
i ordered $130+ worth of plants from this site last April 15 and my credit card was charged right away and I got the first partial shipment which is about $23 worth after 2 weeks. there's still no word on when the rest of the shipment will arrive. of the first shipment of 13 plants 6 are dead already. they were also not what i was expecting. i got the run around when asking about my remaining shipment. a representative told me there was a delay in purple coneflowers but that they arrived several days earlier and that it would be shipped soon. calling the next day the lady told me the delay was secondary to the painted daisies i ordered. when I called again later the next week, a lady told me the story again about the purple coneflowers but that they just recently arrived. when i told her somebody told me that they arrived 1 1/2 weeks earlier she said that was not true. obviously one of them is lying. i tried cancelling my order but was told i had to do it by accepting the package first before i could return it for the refund and to clearly state the reason. the next time i called to cancel my undelivered order they said it had to be done by snail mail since it would have to go directly to the nursery and they were just an answering service for them. you can't even do it through e-mail. all attempts at making it most difficult to cancel are being thrown by this company. i get the distinct impression that their resorting to this tactic as most people would rather roll over than to have to continue dealing with their customer service. i've resorted to instructing the credit card company to dispute the charge. I haven't even attempted to get a replacement yet for the plants that died already. i'm sure that will be another pleasant experience...THIS IS THE WORST SHOPPING EXPERIENCE I'VE EVER HAD.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY...THEY ARE TROUBLE!!!

On February 3rd, I placed an order with House of Wesley, dba Direct Gardening. Two days later my account was debited for the total amount of the order, which was considerable. On May 5th, I finally called and after several attempts, received a live customer service rep. She was rude and not very helpful. I explained that I needed my order and she could not tell me when it would arrive. I finally told her to cancel the order and refund my money. She explained they could not refund via telephone, fax or email, that I had to send them a letter. That same day I sent them a letter. I had no response and today, May 20th, my order arrived. What amazed me was that $250 worth of plants could fit in such a small package. All in terrible shape, some completely dried out, some wet and moldy and for items I ordered that were out of stock, they sent off the wall replacements that I have never heard of and do not know if they are suitable for my zone.

Terrible experience. I will never use these people again!!!

Fraud. Plain and simple. Similar to others, my credit card was charged the minute I placed my order in early February. What arrived were not plants, but rotten roots, dried (not dormant) twigs), and rootless seedlings. Ridiculous and not even close to the website description. With 30+ years gardening experience to my advantage, I gave it my best shot.
The Warranty. More Fraud. After 6 weeks ago waiting for my replacement, countless long distance telephone calls where I'm given the runaround, customer service claims the items are now out of stock. But, the website store continues to offer the items.
Save yourself precious gardening time. If you're on a budget, don't be tempted by the appealing prices. Save your money and buy a little bit at a time from a reputable local nursery.

I ordered 3 bargain trees. 2 yuccas and 2 rose of sharons....my money was taken from my bank account 4 weeks ago. When I've sent them an e-mail I have gotten a response. They told me last week 05/06/03 that my order had been sent out, when enquiring what my trees would be ...I was told they couldn't tell me but they would be labelled. I was then reminded that the shipment had JUST been sent out 05/13/03. Hope they're not fobbing me off...after reading some of the e-mails I'm not so sure. Will keep everyone up to date....or I'm letting the bank sort it.

I , like many before me, ordered from this company before finding this website. I placed two orders within two days of each other. My credit card was charged right away on both and roughly half the poducts came in about four weeks later. 100 vinca(they looked cuttings with root hormone added. I will be lucky to get 25% to live. Bundles of twenty-five tied together using one of the vinca plants.) were shipped in a green plastic bag and so were my bare root trees. Could of broken easy. I thank the postal service for keeping the plants in great shape not the company. Four hydr.vines were sent in boxes and they were packed wonderful. Very small but green and alive with great root systems. I expected the plants to need a lot of love but I expected to have the plants. The 100 pots I ordered never came in along with other plant stock. I would not order from this company again. It may be okay for inexpensive bare root stock but there is a great risk it will get broken during shipping. So far,I do not have any problems with moldy stock being sent to me.

I had a terrible time with this company. I placed an order and waited for a long time, so I cancelled it but they were a hassle to deal with, lied to me, et.c etc. I had to phone them several times and write them letters and e-mails. I finally put a chargeback on my visa and filed a complaint with the BBB. I do NOT recommend this company. They also send out catalogs under the name of "House of Wesley". Buyer beware!

Based on what I've read, I've been very lucky. I have ordered several times from them or one of their sub-companies. Each time there were either product that I didn't want or didn't grow. I returned the product according to their rules and my money was refunded as soon as it was received. They replaced the product that didn't grow or did not look great, quickly and without hassle. I saved the slip and sent it along with what needed replacing. The truth is the material they replaced it with was larger and grew wonderfully. I have no complaints.

ordered several shrubs, bare root; three did not make it; sent them back. No response. I finally contacted them. They would replace them next season. they did, but one was pretty much dead from the start and never made it. the others did. these folks are too much trouble. I wont even bother requesting a replacement for the one that did not make it. i will not order from them again. save yourself time and money and order from someone else.

Ordered March 20th, was told they were on their way after inquiring 2 weeks later, still have recieved nothing (but a charge on my credit card bill). Have asked to cancel my order and credit my account, we'll see what happens! After reading this site, I think I'll call my credit card company and make sure they don't get paid.

I bought a lot of merchandise from this company - only TWO plants remain alive. Most of what I ordered I never got. They send DEAD plants labeled as "dormant" in plastic bags. I would catioun anyone fooled by their slick ads, but they are a good place to get ideas then look elsewhere for the plants. Absolute shysters.

I have yet to receive my whole order, and what I have planted so far hasn't shown any signs of life, the bulbs are shriveled, the potatoes rotted. The most pathetic assortment of plants I have ever seen. I would never order from this company again.

It took 5 1/2 weeks for my $100 order to arrive. Everything is identifiable as plant material, but the bittersweet vines weren't even wrapped in plastic, just loose twigs, now broken, throwing around the pillowcase sized plastic bag. The dianthus plugs were moldy. The creeping juniper, not identified by variety, look okay, except for the moss growing on top of the plugs. The mother of thyme in bags looks fairly alive. Everything else is bare root, so only time will tell. I'll try planting everything, and I've cut the shipping labels off in case I need anything replaced. It does say clearly on the labels to keep them for the warranty.

The prices are cheap, as is what you receive. I won't order from them again, although for the price I am not violently disappointed.

I don't know why so many have complained about this company. They have exceeded my expectations, just waiting on the plants to grow now.

I placed my order for over $80 worth of plants in early February and called in March to verify the ship date. I spoke with someone my first and only time calling. I was given an "ideal shipping time" response and when I sent an e-mail toward the end of March, I was told my order was being assembled and would be shipped toward the begining of April. I received my shipment in three parts and received the last shipment (the bulk of my order) today.

I would have no problem ordering from them again. They do appear to be a reasonable value and worth a try. Start small if you're intimidated. I'm just glad I didn't read these postings before I placed my order. ;)

Frankly, I'm glad that I placed (and received) my 1st (and 2nd) order (approx total $150 for both) before I found this web site; otherwise I probably would not have ordered.

Because of the extremely low prices I was skeptical but decided to give them a try. Again, due to the extremely low prices, I had very low expectations. However, when the order arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. I placed a 2nd order right away and am planning another.

It seems to me that these people are offering a "discount" alternative. Just as I would not compare WalMart mdse to that from Sax, I don't expect premium size, quality, and packaging at the prices Direct Gardening charges.

Most of the items arrived bare root and were not as well packed as those I've received from elsewhere. But All ARRIVED ALIVE and in good health which is all that I could expect at those prices.

I have to admit that the bare root items did not look that great when they arrived - they looked like a bunch of twigs. But, all of the items lived. And one of those "twigs", a flowering almond, actually bloomed this year (only weeks after being planted)!

I have been happy with the items I've received. I consider Direct Gardening a good low cost alternative. I will order from them again.

I am not in any way associated with anyone from this or any other garden supply company.

I have ordered from DirectGardening.com for three years now (I am not associated with them in any way!).

My orders arrive on time and bareroot and the plants sometimes have to be resuscitated by immersion in water for 8 - 24 hours. I have had no problems whatsoever with what they have sent me, even the most recent order, which arrived the week _before_ our April 7 snowfall. I had planted them immediately and they are now budding leaves.

The plants I have received from them include daylilies, rugosas, carnations, daisies, clamatis, lilies, hollyhocks and climbing roses. In only one case was I disapponted - the "Blue Moon" climbing rose bloomed deep pink. I mailed the original shipping label back to DirectGardening (as instructed) and within a few weeks I received a replacement that is now in my garden. When it blooms we will see if it is 'blue'!

The plants need a bit more care and tender love than something I might find at a local nursery, and the 'instruction guide' is simplistic, at best. But the price is right - about 1/3 1/2 what I would pay locally, and that is worth the extra effort. I enjoy researching and learning about my plants so instructions are not a problem. (Hey, you can get any information you want here at Dave's!) The freebies are fun for my container plantings and/or food for the squirrels!

I ordered tigridia bulbs from this company in late spring 2002 after being unable to find any left in stock at companies I usually do business with. The bulbs were temptingly cheap, I confess - and most of them were moldy. I think 2 bloomed. I did not attempt to ask for a refund, figuring any company that sends out product in such poor condition is not worth the effort of dealing with - and my lesson was learned.

I received my first batch of plants from Direct Gardening. I have not yet received my main order and have complained a few times and may cancel and then dispute the charge on my credit card. I'm hoping that it will arrive soon or the plants will definitely cook in transport as our temperatures are in the 70s and now 80s in zone 8. Their shipping date has not been as promised and I will update this site on my results with cutomer service and if I ever get the main order of plants and what shape they are in.

Anyway, my results with the creeping phlox that I ordered (after placing my main order in January which has not been received) has been good.

The plants arrived in a plastic envelope with small plastic bags inside of what looked to be completely dried out dead plants which were very warm. I immediately put them in a weak solution of Superthrive and Miracle Gro in a bucket and let them soak for two days. These are obviously plants that would normally go to the nursery trade to grow up into sale-size plants (very expensive, I might add. One quart-sized creeping phlox at Home Depot is almost $5. I got these 36 babies for $13. I potted them all up with Miracle Gro potting soil in 16oz. plastic glasses that I buy in bulk and melt drainage holes in at the bottom. After soaking, the plants became plump and obviously alive. The roots were very healthy and white, the foiage was nice and green and plump and were much better than plants that have been rootbound for ages with brown roots at the nursery which frequently die from root rot.

These plants were not nearly developed enough to put directly into the ground and I will grow them up until the fall and then put them in to become established over the winter which is usually warm here in Houston. If the other plants arrive, I will do the same with them. I am used to buying plants from the Dept. of Agriculture and I usually pot those up in February and summer them over, watering every day in our extreme heat, until they have a larger root system and plant them in the fall or following early spring.

It would be better if this company shipped on the timetable they state (they said March 1 for my area) with better instructions for planting. As of Friday, my order had not shipped and no amount of complaining helps.

Wish I would have read these comments before I ordered. Shipped wrong items, took forever to send replacements. Very little sprouted last year. Maybe they will be okay this spring? "It's not dead it's bare root"???? looks pretty dead to me. And I have planted bare root a few times in the 5-6 years I've been gardening.

I didn't know they are on such bad terms, uh! I ordered many times from DG and I'm satisfied in general. 20% of the plants arrived in bad condition, mushy or dry,customer service is awful, I know, but the rest of the plants and especialy trees were very nice and took off well. There is lots of room for improvement but it's up to the management to pick up the tab!

If you buy cheap, you get cheap. I have ordered three times from this company, mainly because I'm from a gambling state and enjoy risk. The plants that I have ordered include bush cherries, gooseberries, a banana, roses, elderberries and Manchurian apricots. All plants arrived during a blizzard and were pigmy-sized. I treated them kindly, so as not to frighten the little ones, and planted them out when the weather warmed up. The survivors are the elderberries and apricots, who are ornery enough not to take any lip from blizzards. The cherries didn't take, the gooseberries were just pitiful, and the dead roses are covering Old Yeller's grave. Meanwhile I'm coaxing the remaining midget plants to grow, and I still look like Paul Bunyan in that corner of the yard.

This past fall I placed an order thru this company for 6 hibicus plants, some asparagus and hydrangea tree, I website stated "shipped at the proper time to plant in your zone". I received this order in the middle of November, I live in zone 7 and I have looked thru various resources and can not find one that says that the middle of November is the proper time to plant anything much less asparagus. I still don't know if the items will make it or not and if they don't I suspect getting replacements or a refund will be like pulling eye teeth. I will not be shopping here again

The trees that I bought were all good quality stock. They grew more than I'd expected. They bloomed and fruited the first year but the frost killed the fruit before it was ripe. The strawberries I ordered were excellent quality and grew wonderfully. I ordered 15+ lbs of garden seeds CORN and Beans they grew and beared better than any I had ever used before.

I am not affilaiated with any competitor and think maybe the only positive comments are people who work for directgarden. What a terrible experience! After ordering and trying to get any idea of when the plants would come since I had some vacations coming up, and of course no response from them. I finally cancelled the order through another email. 2+ weeks went by and then they said they wouldn't cancel my order! I got my [plants much later, most dead and maybe of the 65+ plants 5 survived. TERRIBLE customer service!!!!!

I just had a good experience with this
company. The Mountain Laurel & English
Walnut arrived within weeks along w/some
free bulbs. My only advice is to print
the invoice. They will not email a
copy or send a copy w/the plants. I will
order from them again.

I'm having a terrible and frustrating experience with Direct Gardening. I ordered in August for fall delivery. They called me on September 30 to advise their order was returned by the post office because it wasn't labeled incorrectly. Verified address and they said they would re-send my order. Called several times to inquire and kept getting told it was still being re-processed. One customer service worked told me I just ahve to be patient. They finally confirmed the order was re-sent on November 30, a full month from when it was returned! My order arrived on November 14, and it was threatening to snow. Not great weather for planting. Besides about half of the order was missing. I called again and was told I will have to return the original package label and they would re-send what was missing, in the spring.
I will definitely never use these guys again.

I liked the plants mostly. I ordered many shrubs of variety. Flowering plants and evergreens, also a few trees. My order took a very long time however. Almost three months. The plants are of good size and pretty healthy. They however substituted two plants for an ornamental grass that I would rather of had because I do not like the two replacement plants. I did not want a replacement. I would rather have my credit back. I will see if all or any survive and let everyone now come the new season. Hopefully they will all live.
Debbie Andrews
Allentown,PA.

I wish I had found this website prior to placing my order with DirectGardening.com (a division of Plantron, Inc.)!!!

I placed an order for $116.98 on or about May 5, 2002. I waited several weeks for delivery as they instructed on their website. I then called the company to see when I could expect my order. They told me it should ship very shortly. I waited another few weeks and then a partial order arrived about 6 weeks from my original order date. In the package was 1 of 75 items I had ordered. I made several more phone calls to the non 1-800 number betwwen the time I recieved my partial order and Sept. 7, 2002 (please keep in mind it is now 4 months later) to see when I could expect the remainder of my order. I was never able to get a straight answer. I would ask to speak to a supervisor and there was never one available. I then said that I would like to cancel my order and I was informed I had to cancel it via regular mail in writing. Now, they had taken my order online in May 2002 and charged my credit card the full amount at the same time and now they were telling me I had to send a letter to cancel my order. On Sept. 7, 2002 I sent a certified letter which was received by them on Sept. 12, 2002. I waited another couple weeks and watched and waited for a credit to be posted to my credit card account. This never happened. So I then called them again and they said that my order was in the process of being canceled, but I needed to wait 30 days for the cancelation and credit to be posted to my account. I told them I would give them until Oct. 12, 2002 to fulfill my request, but the remainder of my order better not be shipped in the meantime. Unfortunately, being a busy fulltime working Mom of 4 girls I was unable to contact them exacly on Oct. 12, 2002. Wouldn't you know it my flowers arrived yesterday Oct. 23, 2002. I contacted the company to complain and inquire whymy order was never canceled, but again no one had any answers. You are given many excuses i.e. That is not done in this dept., there is no supervisor available, No you can not have the owners name, etc. I was then informed that I can mail the package back AT MY EXPENSE I might add. I asked if I could refuse the shipment and have USPS return it to them and they told me I would not get credit for the items and they would intern refuse the order on their end and it may even get LOST!!!

I just can not believe the poor customer service I received from this company. Buyers please be EXTREMELY AWARE of this company. I have contacted the Better Business Bureau, The IL Dept. of Agriculture (Their packaging states their Nurserystock Dealer License has expired), and the IL State Attorney Generals Office. I will not get treated in this manner and I suggest anyone who may experience this or any other type of poor service from this company do as I have done.

This is not a company I would do business with again. Their plants are poorly packed and very few of them--about 6 out of 35--grew. Most were DOA and not even soaking/planting in rich compost revived them. The prices are cheap, but their plant descriptions are inadequate and care instructions almost non-existent. For inexpensive plants, go to Home Depot, Lowe's, Orchard Supply or even Wal-Mart/local drugstore chains. We replaced our entire garden area with new soil this year and what we bought from other mail-order and local sources grew like crazy, unlike this company's plants. Direct Gardening should definitely be avoided by the serious gardener.

Based on my experience with this company, the negative comments posted on this page seem biased and very unfair. It makes me wonder if the commentors might just be jealous competors or customers with unreal expectations.

I have placed three recent orders with Direct Gardening and am very pleased with their service and price. It is true that plants arrive in a dormant state and need revived --but that is what I expected. It also seems safer for shipping and the guarantee is as good as any.

It bothers me that a few bad comments could negatively affect the future of a such a valuable source of new plants for my home garden. I hope others will take the time to support this business.

I've ordered from them twice --the first time there was no problem. The 2nd time, they sent the wrong items. It took nearly five months to get this corrected -- customer service was awful. They don't respond to email and getting ahold of them by phone is a major pain --- its a long distance number, its almost ALWAYS busy, and then when you do get them on the phone they are not helpful at all.

The plant were helthy and are still going great ( nothing was dead or has died), they sent it in a timely manner. packing was not the best but I will buy from again.

My initial order was for 12 Canadian Hemlock trees. The order took several weeks to arrive, and if it hadn't taken so long I would never have made the mistake of placing a second order. The Hemlocks finally came and were all dead or dying, I have just one remaining that is still struggling. The second order was for fairy roses and an astilbe collection. The astilbe are in good shape, but the roses! There were 9 roses, and at least 7 are going to surive, I think, maybe all 9 will, but they took emergency care on my part by rushing them into a tub of water, severe pruning of dead, black, withered or moldy branches and daily pampering to bring them around. They ship their plants in plastic bags; small ones around the individual plants then the entire order into a larger plastic bag, providing no protection from crushing or breakage during transport, and they came sloooow mail. After the Hemlock trees had arrived in such poor condition I contacted them by e-mail to try to learn if the second order was enroute, because if it hadn't been shipped I wanted to cancel it. I received an automated response saying I would receive a personal answer within 2-3 days. I never heard from them again, and the second order arrived 3 weeks later. I won't do business with them again.