Comments regarding Four Seasons Nursery

I ordered 6 sub zero roses and 96 creeping red sedums out
of my order we have 2 rose bush's the other 4 dead
out of the 96 sedums we have 0? When I emailed the customer service about my order they responded in 3 days saying they needed more information, I provided the information. I have heard nothing from them. I have emailed them so many times only to get no responce. All in all I spent my hard earned money with them and have nothing to show for this. Even the "Free Gifts'' they sent were dead! In one of my many emails to them I said the Best or Worst sales come from word of mouth, until I found this site. If I knew what a waist of money and a hastle this was I would Never made my order .
Save your Money ! As far as Customer Service they are a joke.

I ordered and received a Magnolia and a Mock Orange stick.They both looked dead. I planted them, but they didn't grow. I contacted the company and they sent replacements -both were dead. Why bother!

Out of my entire order, only one thing survived: a "Matues" daylily. When I opened the bags for the 2 Daring Deception daylilies, the contents were moldy and smelled like alcohol. The Mock Orange I received was little more than a moldy dead stick in a bag. I also received 3 coneflowers, 3 black-eyed Susans, and 4 Purple D'Oro daylilies, also all dead on arrival. I sent in my shipping label as instructed with a request for replacement plants, and that was about a month ago. I haven't heard anything since. This company has received my first and last order.

I ordered trees and flowers for me and my mom. we got the dead things and i have been trying every sence to get my money back. this place is a ripoff. i will never order anything for this company or anyone who is connected with it again. this is a very bad company and do not know anything about plants or how to ship them.

This is the second time I have ordered from this company. I received 18 bare root rose bushes. They looked like they had been in the packaging a little too long, but otherwise I was very happy with them. All were a nice sturdy size and had good color. At these prices I think the quality of plants is very satisfactory. These plants sure beat the bare root roses I have gotten for a similar price at places like Wal-Mart . I will continue to order from Four Seasons.

I had ordered several plants/seeds/bulbs in August of 2004. After I placed my order I found a website "Garden Watchdog". When I found 4 seasons listed with positive and much to my surprise negative comments as well. I said to myself "Oh Sh__" my husband is going to kill be for one ordering over the internet and two for choosing a negative, poor managed nursery. Well, let me tell you my order did arrive on two different days and so what, JC Penney/Sears catalog arrives the same way. The roots look good and healthy. I do believe the persons who are complaining are either one lousy gardeners or two they may not know that roots are of brown color and look dead. Four Season Nursery thank you for being available to me and to my neighbors and friends , we enjoy ordering from you and look forward to doing more business in the near future. When my garden is aged and blooming I look froward to sending a picture of my garden to four season nursery to show what wonderful quality plants they sell. Gardeners out there that had negative problems perhaps brought it on themselves.

I consider myself to be a pretty good gardener! especially when it comes to shade gardens. I've had a really good experience with most online orders I've gotten, especially from Springhill! At this point I can't complain about Four Seasons, and like others, I just found this site which list all the complaints? I ordered about $50 worth of goods and received my first items about 3 days ago. It only took two weeks to get them, which isn't bad, and they came in fantastic shape!!! I was actually impressed with the packaging and the condition. I'm still waiting for the remainder of my order and will respond with additional comments when those items have come in! I hope the rest of my order comes in timely and in good condition so I don't have to come back again with a negative comment...HOWEVER! you can't complain too much if you hardly spent anything for such a large assortment of goods! Every single dormant online twig/root looking product I've ordered has survived except for half the stuff I received from the Arbor Day Foundation??? I may have just gotten a bad bunch/or the way shipping is going? You have choices! either spend very little and take your chances with a dud or a Great outcome! or go spend a good chunk of change some where else and hope that it takes as well with a more mature plant. Know your zones, know your plants, know your soil! Don't expect everything to look like the picture! and read the information given! This is no different than that BBQ Cheeseburger that looks so great on the tv commercial, but when you go to buy one, it's like nothing you've seen before? but it sure does taste good! and these prices in some cases may be surely what you pay for!

Growing Great in Texas!

I am a new gardener and placed an order with Four Seasons before reading all of the negative remarks. I was very nervous about how my order, however, I decided not to cancel it. I am so happy I did not cancel. Everything arrived looking dead and my friends laughed at the product I received. However, a couple weeks later, I was the one laughing. Everything is growing beautifully. I have contacted Four Seasons a couple times, once to question whether the hedges I ordered were hardy to my zone and the second time to let them know I did not receive my free gifts. Both times the customer service personnel were very pleasant and knowledgeable. I got through on the first try with both calls also. I have had such wonderful experiences with this company I will definately order from again!

In August of 2003, I placed a $37 order for daylilies. When I received my daylilies some were rotted and some had a little good growth on them. I planted the good ones but they did not winter over. This year I asked for replacement plants. Four Seasons didn't want to send my replacement plants till fall but I was afraid they would also come rotted. I promptly asked for a refund for the $29.30 that my order was before shipping. Instead of receiving a refund, Four Seasons sent me more rotted daylilies. I called them on the phone tonight, trying to get them to send my money back but they only do that for 14 days from the day you first get your plants. It seems I am not only out my $37 but I also don't have any plants to show for it! Don't make the mistake I did with this company--don't buy from them no matter how good their prices look. It isn't worth the hassle!

I had wanted to reserve judgement until I had seen whether or not the dormant trees and shrubs came to life and they did! Everything looked like sticks when they came, but I put them in a pail of water with just a bit of Miracle Grow and they all sprouted buds and leaves within the week! I was very relieved. The roots on them were very large as well, much better than those from the Arbor Day Foundation. Of the free bulbs I received, one packet had some moldy bulbs in it, but the other two packets of bulbs were in good shape. The two little hollyhocks I received were quite wilted, but have since perked up under that shade of a nearby tree. Not the best company I've ever ordered from, but for the cut-rate price, it was still a good deal.

I placed order on March 20, 2004 I ordered 2 Flame Grasses, 3 Blue Oat Grasses and one soil analyzer. Their catalog states garden supplies are shipped promptly. The soil analyzer arrived in a second package at the same time as plants four weeks later. Secondly, did not reply to 3 emails and sent in replacement on May 26th for 3 Blue Oat Grasses which were in poor condition upon receipt and showed no sign of growth after planting. Poor customer service and I will not order from them in the future.

Ordered blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes, and a few shrubs. The plants arrived in a couple weeks. They looked pretty sorry when I took them out of the bag, but when planted, they took right off. Four weeks later, all are looking great. They're much healthier than the expensive plants I bought from the local nursery. My only "complaint" (not really much of a problem for me) was they substituted some seeds for the "free gift plants" I was supposed to receive.

I ordered some Asiatic lilies, tulips and poppies in October 2003. I planted them upon arrival, marking each place where I planted. The tulips were fine, but none of the poppies appeared. Two of the Asiatic lilies didn't come up, and in the spot where I planted the third lily, I have a day lily that is about to bloom! (At least I got something for the $15 I spent on the lilies and poppies.)

Only received partial order. Was told hedges were on back-order and would receive them within a few days. Two weeks later, no hedges. I was told by Jason in customer service that my original order had been shipped in full. There was no record on hedges being put on back-order with my account. I have to jump through the same hoops as all these other people have stated. Write a letter, send in credit card statement, blah, blah, blah. I have filed a complaint with the BBB. The plants I received seem to be doing well, but it's not worth the headache. They are dishonest and will take your money if they can.
BUYER BEWARE!!!!!

Although I didn't recieve all of my order on the first shipment and had the same misgivings as a lot of the people who have given negetive responses, when I planted my hedge I found that the seeming dead twigs sprang to life within a day.

I live in IL and have visited this place. Don't buy from them their products are no good, and they don't know anything about what they are selling.

I consider myself an educated and enthusiastic garden hobbiest and I am very pleased with the plants I received from Four Season Nursery. My neighbor is quite the gardener and when I asked where he had procurred so many nut trees (because they as SO expensive at local nurseries) he gave me the catalogue for Four Seasons. He did so with the caveat that I needed to be aware that all the stock would be very small on arrival. I told him I understood. (And I actually appreciate that, because dirt, pots, etc. are rather pricey to ship and can really add to the bottom line when ordering mail order.) I placed my order with the knowledge that the plants would be bare-root and dormant (it says so in their catalogue) and that they would arrive at their designated planting time, not strictly by ordering date.

I was very pleased when they arrived about 2.5 weeks after I ordered them. I think part of this was I ordered right about the optimal planting time for my area. I recieved my entire shipment (2 almond trees, 1 rose bush, 75 assorted strawberry plants, 3 raspberry bushes, 1 blackberry, 2 seedless grapes, 1 indoor lemon tree, 1 indoor orange tree, and one indoor banana tree.) They were small. Yes, the almond trees do look like sticks to the untrained eye, and yes the strawberries look like a bundle of roots. But just follow the enclosed instructions. Within a few days, my June bearing strawberries are sending up some leaves, and my almond trees are shooting out some little leaf buds. My blackberries have lots of new growth too. I actually anticipate survival of nearly all, if not all, of my plants. They just need a little babying (and isn't that the fun of gardening anyway?) and they will do nicely. I have also seen a lot of the stock that my neighbor has used from Four Seasons, and it is all magnificent at about 2 years out.

I am very pleased with my experience and will order again when I have the need for more plants. My advice is to read the instructions when you get the plants and follow them. You won't be disapointed (but you have to be patient!)and you will save yourself a LOT of money over your local garden centers.

I ordered some plants from Four Seasons Nursery in March. When they arrived in April it wasn't what I ordered. I called the company and they said to send a letter requesting new plants or a refund (they couldn't do it over the phone). I wrote the letter and received a reply from them that they couldn't replace the plants or give me a refund! I spent almost $125 and only received some dead twigs and dead roots in plastic bags. I was shocked. I'm going to report this company to the better business bureau. I only wish I had visited Garden Watch Dog first.

I've dealt with Four Seasons Nursery and Burgess Seed for many years. Overall, my experience has been a pleasant one. If immediate gradification is sought, I suggest going to your local nursery where you would spend five times as much. You get what you pay for in both instances. At times Four Seasons or Burgess have substituted items I've requested and other times, sent more of a particular item than what I ordered. Still, for what they charge, I consider it a bargain. Following the instructions included with the live plants, I've reluctantly planted what looked like 'sticks', only to be pleasantly surprised, especially the following season. One year old field grown plants are really that. In some cases, expect a full grown and blooming plant the next year. I've been amazed at the results. I've driven by houses I've moved from where I had planted what I purchased from them, and the flower beds and gardens remain lush. Their catalog and planting instructions are guidelines. For example: it's impossible for the seller to predict the nature of your soil. It's up to the gardener to check it and amend if necessary. Five years ago, I opted to get a $5 Kwansan Cherry from Burgess rather than spend $50 locally. What came looked pitiful. Although it leaved out, it didn't bloom the first year. The second year, it was covered with double blossoms, but still not the large specimen I hoped. I just drove by the old house. That once spindly tree is now the knockout beauty of the neighborhood. I just got my second order this season from them and anticipate the same remarkable results.

Don't order anything from this Nursery!!!! The quality is terrible, and the wait is not worth it. I receive the catalog, but refuse to order anything after receiving my order of $79.00. The blue spruce trees were black and moldy, the hedges and the shrubs were dead from dry roots, the small items were nothing what the description was. I was very disappointed. The Company is farce.

I recently ordered from the four seasons nursery and I received everything that I had purchased. I had read this sight before I ordered and I told them about their mostly negative rating. I promised to write a good review upon a successful transaction and here it is. By using Four Seasons I was able to put a privet hedge along the perimeter of my entire property. If I had purchased them elsewhere I would not have been able to do that.

I placed an internet order with Four Season's Nursery in early March 2004 for over $100. When I received my plants (as least they call them plants) everything was in very, very bad shape and 90% dead. I almost thought the package was a joke. I couldn't understand this since Bloomington is very close to where I live and shipping would only take a day or two at the most. I'm writing a letter to them requesting a full refund. I don't want replacement plants and have to go through this again. I would discourage anyone from dealing with this company.

I had originally posted the following with the "Plantron" feedback, but thought I should re-post here for those who may not know of the connection. My recent Four Seasons experience was not good, and I'd advise against patronizing them or their affiliates, especially when there are many other highly-rated companies one could choose.

"I happened upon this site one day afer placing an internet order with Four Seasons, a Plantron company. I sent an email immediately, stating my wish to cancel, and followed-up by phone the next morning. I was told that the order was in process, so any cancellations must be in written form, delivered snail-mail (though they will take orders via phone & email). I sent a certified letter of intent to cancel, and was given a ridiculous runaround for two weeks.

The day after they received my certified letter , I got an email message from them stating that my CC co. had denied authorization, which was odd, as I had just used it that day. Fishy.

I got off relatively easy: a certified letter and 2 weeks of hounding Four Seasons "customer service" by phone and email. I experienced much of the same treatment described in these postings; there's definitely a recognizable pattern here.

I would advise avoiding Plantron in all its incarnations; it is an unsavory outfit."

I placed an order about a month ago after looking through many catalogs. Four seasons had most of what I was looking for and the best prices so I bit for about $80 in products. After 2 weeks I was going to check my order stat but ran across this site instead. Well after reading the posts here I got very nervous. I then emailed the company about my order stat and they said it was shipping soon and it would take about 7-14 days. I wrote back saying I've traded many plants and I make sure to send on mon using priority mail so they are in route a max of 3 days. They wrote back that most of my order was bare root (my suprise) and it would be fine. Well I got it about when they said I would. Most in individual baggies, most still moist, and some actually coming out of dormancy.
I think what we have here is a business that knows exactly the minimum amount of care and size that it takes to get a plant to a customer. Its high volume and some losses are acceptable. I won't know for sure how my order is until they grow out some. I suspect a few won't make it and some may be the wrong plant but maybe not.
I can recommend the company if you have a big yard to fill with lots of plants but if you have a very specific need perhaps you should go to a boutique nursery. So far I think I got my moneys worth and if they all make it then maybe even more. Its hard to tell with bare root but I think most are alive and cust service was fairly prompt. MAybe this site has put pressure on them. I'll try and let you know more in a few months.
Hope this helps out, Damon

I ordered some hibiscus, bleeding hearts, and sea holly from Four Seasons in mid-March. Subsequently, I found this website about a week later, and immediately regretted my order. However, I like to keep an open mind, and decided to wait and see how they handled the transaction. I had a question about the delivery date, since I planned to be away in April and May, and they responded promptly to my email inquiry.

Today my plants arrived, and, as stated in the catalog, they are bareroot. To a novice gardener, they do look like sticks or dead plants. However, close inspection reveals that all the roots look quite healthy, and the hibiscus even look like they're starting to come out of dormancy. So far I'm pleased with the order, but will follow up with my results after planting.

I was skeptical about ordering online from 4 Seasons after reading these comments, so I decreased my order to only $35 . .instead of $100 . .I anxiously waited and when the plants came I was very surprised . they were in great shape . .the roses were about 1 gallon each, and the other plants (burning bush, forsythia, and spirea ) were small yes, but were in good condition. I planted them and less than a week later they were all getting new growth on them. IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING ORDERING FROM THIS COMPANY KEEP IN MIND . .PEOPLE WHO HAVE GREAT EXPERIENCES DON'T GENERALLY PUT IN FEEDBACK !!! . . The only people that put in feedback are those with negative experiences , ,I was very pleased and actually just placed a second order with them . .I live in TX, so if you live in the south, GO FOR IT !! You can't beat the price, and at least place a small order just to check it out, you'll be a customer too.

All I ordered were one packet of seeds, some peat pots, and some peat seed starters. After weeks of waiting, I got my original order form back in the mail telling me the credit card company refused to process my order. Strange, I've been using that card and no one else has had a problem. Maybe it has something to do with the complaint I filed with the Illinois state government regarding a different Plantron enterprise in Illinois.

Wish I also had seen this site before ordering! My order was shorted when sent three months after the order which was charged to my credit card right away. (not sure this is legal) Companies I ususlly deal with do not chrge my card until items are shipped? When shorted, I was told it would be another six months before the items could be resent. I asked for a credit on my card. They refused to do so. I asked to speak to someone in authority and was told it was impossible. Today I received a "credit certificate" good for the purchase of other merchandise in the amount of the shortage,BUT with the stipulation that I would have to pay the shipping again - which would be as much as the credit. BIG DEAL! Again it was signed "Customer Service" - NO NAME. The telephone is not toll free - It cost you to even call and complain. Of the items that I received in my orginal order - about half have survived and are blooming. I did report this company to the FTC.

It took over 13 months to get one order, and still many plants died and the company only gave me a token refund. Be strongly advised...NEVER do business with 4 Seasons or PLANTRON, INC.

3 times plants that look like sticks have been sent to us. And all 3 times they have been just that. Sticks. Other items have also been ordered and not grown. Shame on you for your poor plant stock. I can see once in awhile but when it is repeated. Shame on you. And if I ever order from you again, it will be shame on ME.

I just after a three month wait received my order (6 Dwarf Cherry trees, 1 Persian Lilac, a Bargain tree or two, and some flower bulbs) from them in good condition and the plants are doing well. But I did only get the order after contacting them and telling them that I had heard all kinds of bad things about them!! hehehe! Don't know if I will order from them again or not-probably not even though they have really reasonable prices. To wait such a long time and then like some people maybe get moldy, no good plants and have a hard time getting the situation corrected is not worth the cheaper prices!! Well, SOME of their prices are cheaper--others are quite expensive.

i've been ordering plants/flowers/roses/shrubs/trees and everything else for years from 4 seasons and have had nothing but the finest shipped to my home and in execellent condition!! there plants are extremely moist, plenty of new growth on them, alive and well and thriving! 4 seasons is the best mail order nursery i've found!!

This is a letter I sent to this company. I wrote them within 3 months of receipt of the plants. Out of a $70. some dollar order 2 plants survived. I found through this site that I had been dealing with alot of Plantron companies, without knowing it. No wonder everthing kept dying! They send dead moldy plants! Buyer BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!

I am rewriting regarding my order that you failed to reimburse me for upon receipt of my original letter of July 23, 2003 because of lack of the “Original Shipping Label”. Enclosed is the original label. I again request that you please replace these plants that have failed to come out of dormancy at a time when they will be able to substantiate survival.

I have found that, in the past, I have been a loyal customer with many of Plantron’s holding companies and have been cheated in this manner before. I can assure you, that my preference is such that future plants purchased will not be supplied by such a rude and unprofessional organization.

I choose how and with whom I will spend my money, and I prefer not to spend any more of mine with you.

My co-workers and I ordered quite a few plants and bulbs last winter and received them this past Spring in pretty good shape. I was missing a couple of plants and a few of the plants didn't make it, so I called. I was told me I didn't have to send the plants back, just write a letter and sent the original invoice. I called back this morning and the replacements are suppose to be in the mail as I type. On the BBB website it gave me this number 800-544-8200 and they answered first ring :) Now, I hope the replacements will get here and they will do well!!!

The first part of September, I ordered merchandise from 4Seasons. A few days later I was searching the web and found this site. After reading all of the negative comments about this company, I immediately decided to contact the company to find out the status of my order. I tried numerous times to phone the company and I received a busy signal each time. In this day and age, what company doesn't at least have an automated phone system so that you can leave voice mail? I had ordered from two other companies and had no problem in getting through to them and finding out when my order was to be shipped. At this point, I began to realize that I had made a big mistake in ordering from this company. Finally, I decided to e-mail them and I couldn't even get an e-mail through to them. By this time I was pretty furious so I called my credit card company to see if the charge had gone through. Of course, it had. I talked with my credit card company and they were quite helpful. They asked when I was supposed to receive the order and I told them I had no idea since I couldn't get through to the company. I explained there had been numerous complaints regarding this company on the web and that it was obviously not a reputable company. The credit card company told me to wait until the following Monday (I called them on Friday) and if I hadn't received my plants by then, they would credit my account. Of course I hadn't expected to receive my order that soon but I guess the credit card company had to come up with a good reason to give me credit for the charge. I tried again to e-mail the company (this time from your web-site) and my e-mail went through. I told them I wanted to cancel my order because I didn't feel I was dealing with a reputable company. I complained about the fact I couldn't get through to them by phone and told them that if I was having this much trouble before I got the order, there was no way I would get any satisfaction if I had a problem with the order. Immediately I received a response, which was to tell me that customer service couldn't handle my request and that I would have to write to the company headquarters. Now I was really mad! I e-mailed them back and told them I wasn't going to play games with them. I told them my credit card company had given me credit back for the charge and that I was only trying to be courteous and contact them before they sent the order, if in fact they ever did send it. I also made a few other threats regarding filing complaints against them and told them this was the last time they would hear from me. I told them if they wanted to send the order, then fine, but I wasn't accepting it and by the time the merchandise got back to them it would probably be dead. The next day I received a response telling me that they had forwarded my request to cancel the order to the appropriate department and that they would cancel it. Just wanted to tell you how I resolved my dealings with the company and suggest that you might want to try talking with your credit card company if you have a problem. My son is an attorney and he said the credit card companies are usually fair when it comes to a situation like this.

I wish I had known about garden watch before I ordered from these guys. I ordred from three different catalog companies over a month ago, four seasons was the first of those orders. I have received the other orders and my plants have been in the ground for weeks now. Still waiting for my order from Four Seasons, given the feedback here I'm waiting for a box of twigs. Can't wait, I will post when/if I actually get my order.

THESE PEOPLE ARE CROOKS! THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS DO NOT NEED TO BE SPEAKING TO ANYONE - THEY ARE TRAINED GUARD DOGS AND KEEP EVERYONE AWAY FROM ANYONE WHO CAN HELP - I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET ANYBODY TO CONTACT ME BACK - NOTHING THEY SENT (MOSTLY BULBS) CAME UP YET THE ONLY WAY THEY WILL REFUND MY MONEY IS IF I CONTACT THEM WITHIN 14 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE - HOW WOULD I KNOW IN 14 DAYS WHEN I ORDER BULBS IN OCT THAT THEY WILL NOT COME UP THE NEXT SPRING????? SO MUCH FOR THE FALSE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE - I WILL THROW ANYTHING AWAY ASSOCIATED WITH FOUR SEASONS OR BURGESS OR ANY ONE OF THEIR OTHER DECEPTIVE COMPANIES.
HOW CAN A COMPANY LIKE THIS STILL BE IN BUSINESS??? I GUARANTEE ANY POSITIVE FEEDBACK IS FROM SOMEONE EMPLOYED BY THEM......NOBODY WOULD GIVE THEM ANYTHING EVEN RESEMBLING POSITIVE......

I bought a total of 72 lavender plants from this company. I bought the first 36, then read all the negative comments on gardenwatchdog. I waited in fear for my order to arrive! When it got here, and it took surprisingly little time, the plants were healthy and moist. If they had spent a great deal more time in shipping, I might not have been so lucky. So I ordered another 36. The mini field I planted is doing exceptionally well. I don't expect them to flower this year, but they should be wonderful next year! I'm quite satisfied!

I am another person who is a victim of fraud from this company. Have placed many phone calls, several e-mails, and written letters requesting service, then cancellation of my order, finally a refund. People I have spoken to were pleasant but not knowledgeable about procedure and apparently have lied to me about everything every step of the way. Based on the websites I have found, this one and plantsbymail.net, which offered a testimonial from Savannah Miller, a former employee, who among other things indicated that the name of the office manager, Grace Avery is a fraudulent name (the same name given to me to write to), something should be done about this company. I am lucky to only have lost $22.95 for "shipping & handling" of a product I had cancelled, had been told was not shipped and would not be shipped (it was, I returned it unopened). I have lost much time and enough money on this venture to pursue it to the next level - ie., bbb, attorney general, FBI, parcel post fraud, etc. The addresses were conveniently provided by all those other nice people who have also suffered fraud at the hands of this company. Imagine how many people do not complain and simply chalk this up to another bad experience? I almost did and then decided to try one more time to find an acceptable solution to my situation and write a letter for the silent majority who would not.