Comments regarding Jackson & Perkins

I haven't ordered any of their other perennials but I have ordered their roses. I got a really excellent price. Four of their grand prize rose bushes for $26.95 including shipping and handling. These bushes had an excellent root base and great looking stalks. I have yet to see their blooms though, but I have two 2-year old love and peace rose bushes bought at walmart (jackson & perkins), and they are the most beautiful roses I have ever seen. They are definitely the rose company to order from.

I ordered bulbs which came undersized compared to lily bulbs I ordered from another company. I ordered a tree in Feb. I waited and waited. I called them June 9th and they said they ran out and they were shipping it next year. Why would I want a tree next year? I was never notified and since I ordered it that early I should have been a priority. I ordered dwarf goatsbeard and never recieved it. I also told them, when I called, and they again said they ran out and I was scheduled to received in a year from now (next May). I could have ordered these items elsewhere and now I have empty spots that were prepared for them. They said they didn't know why I wasn't notified. The only notification I got was for a plant that I already cancelled and they told me they were unable to ship it. Unable to ship something I cancelled several months ago? They have no explanation for any of this except they ran out. They are grossly over priced to begin with on these items. I will never order from them again.

I don't think the company is really a "bad" one, but my personal experiences with them have been less than stellar, and I do not order from them any longer.

For example, I ordered specialty daffs from them, but what bloomed were basic yellow trumpets. Mistakes do happen, but when I called to point this out I was put through a bit of a wringer, and finally very reluctantly offered a replacement. In addition, I found their roses to be less than grade 1, despite their claims. I have to wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that I'm in a colder zone that receives later shipments of bareroots, since I've heard so many reports from people in the warm zones, professing to the impressiveness of J&P's roses.

Otherwise I've found their plants and bulbs to be of good quality, though their prices are higher than I like.

I bought 3 oranges n lemons bare root from this company a few weeks ago....they are all sprouting leaves like mad so I am pleased with that but, 2 are very small and thin stocked only one is very nice. After reading the other reviews it seems the final test will be seeing if they gave me all the right bushes

I've ordered from J&P for years and have yet to have a bad experience. The roses I ordered this spring arrived on time, were in excellent packaging, and are thriving! I do agree that their shipping charges are a little much, but am stuck when they offer such quality products!

I ordered 3 bareroot roses from Jackson and Perkins this year, and it was my first experience with them. I also ordered 6 others from another company. My order from J and P had a close encounter with the US Postal Service and the box was mangled, to say the least. A couple of canes had been broken off and some of the roots had been damaged. I planted the roses and called Jackson and Perkins to let them know what had happened just so my experience would be on file in case the roses did not do well. I spoke with a lovely and efficient employee who insisted on replacing the roses free of charge as she was concerned the particular roses I had ordered might be sold out by the time I realized they were not flourishing and she did not want me to lose out on having the roses. I received the replacement roses and am thrilled to say that 6 weeks after planting they are ALL flourishing and are budding out. I could not be happier with the service I received. Even though they might be somewhat pricey, the quality of the roses was well worth it. I also received a check crediting an overpayment before I even received my roses. No other company I have ever dealt with has ever done this!! Needless to say, I'll have more Jackson and Perkins roses.

I'm a novice gardener and this year I mustered up the courage to try to grow a rose. The Jackson and Perkins' rose that I ordered came in at the time they said was right for planting it. There were clear and helpful directions on rose care included in the order. I followed the directions and am very pleased that the rose has sprouted MANY new leaves and looks very healthy.

I ordered three bareroot roses and several perennials from Jackson & Perkins this year by phone. The roses arrived in early May, as expected, and the perennials arrived the week that they had been promised. The roses were a little smaller than I get from other mailorder suppliers, but they have taken off well in the garden. The plants are doing well too. My only complaint is that they charge your credit card at the time of the order instead of when the order is shipped, like most other companies do. Their prices are a little high too, but they have good sales every once in a while.

J&P is a bit expensive, and does charge a lot for shipping - but the rose I received is wonderful! I chose the potted version rather than bare root, and it arrived with 4 buds on it. They have all opened beautifully.

The only problem I had was that my shipping email stated that the item was shipped USPS and could not be tracked, when it was indeed shipped UPS. I would have liked to have the tracking number just in case.

I will not order from them again. The plants they send are tiny and their shipping costs are exorbitant. They appear to be one garden company out to make an added profit off of their shipping charges.

I ordered 2 tree roses, 7 bare root roses, 9 day lilies and other assorted bulbs. All arrived in very good shape with good planting instructions. The roses broke out of their dormant stage quickly and all survived. The daylilies are growing very quickly. Very happy with their plants and service.

I've had trouble with J&P in the past, when I ordered Christmas gifts, but I decided to purchase some perennials from them this year. I have been SO pleased.

I like their shipping containers. I ordered many plants, and only one arrived dead. J&P replaced it right away -- with two plants instead of one. Then I planted six bareroot perennials which failed to thrive, so I called to complain. No problem! I was immediately credited the full amount, PLUS I was given a 20% discount on my next order.

I also like J&P because my calls are always answered by a live human being who is always very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I just wish they carried a wider variety of perennials so I could order more from them.

Report from my coworkers--I placed my last (in a chronological sense) order with J&P in 1995.

J&P's bare-root roses are always satisfactory. That was my experience, as well. I just don't currently have a good place to put roses, which is the chief reason I haven't ordered from J&P lately.

J&P's perennials are another story, however: overpriced, undersized, and of poor quality. That was my overall impression in 1995 also, but things can and do change. My coworkers report that this has not changed, based on this spring's order.

The neutral rating is because the roses are so good, and the perennials so poor. I figure if you average the two together, you get neutral.

I have ordered from Jackson & Perkins for the last time. Year after year I have been disappointed; as one of my teachers once said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. No more insanity for me.

First of all, a telemarketer called me, which should have been a red flag. But I was a sucker and ordered several things. As with years past, the perennials were so tiny they looked like they'd been started from seed about six weeks ago. Plus, they sent the wrong things. And the packaging! They tossed a bunch of misshapen pots into an overly large box with no packing material. The plastic they put around their pots is nearly impossible to remove without damaging the spindly, light-starved seedlings. Calls to their customer service line are useless. The employees have no idea what the plants are or even how to pronounce the names of them, and tell you that most people are incredibly satisfied with their products and they've been in business for years, blah blah blah. Well, as long as there are suckers like I was, sure, they'll be in business. But this sucker has had it with this terrible company.

This was my second year ordering from them, and the second year that I've been very pleased with my entire order! All my plants (mostly roses) were very nice sizes with sprouts already growing, they took off with leaps and bounds once planted. I also ordered for a friend who couldnt believe the size of the plants with very healthy roots! Also the people who answer the phones are very nice and willing to answer your questions. I will continue to order from them yearly!

Beware the J&P gift certificates! They are not redeemable online, only through snail mail. That means that by the time your order is mailed, finally opened and then processed, they will probably be "out of stock" on the items you wanted. I want to be able to order online and know right then and there if the plants I want are really available.
On another note, their prices are quite high on their perennial plants. I've found the same items much cheaper at other sites.

First order was okay, but later called me to solicit, BAD IDEA!
Second order arrived incomplete in late June after calling them twice, planting time is mid-late May in my area. Called them 2 weeks later about remaining order, was told its being mailed tomorrow, two weeks later I called again, was told it was mailed a couple days ago. Lo & behold the next time I see anything about my missing order is when I get my visa bill for full purchase. Again call the company, was then told they could not get anymore plants from the supplier so will send plants next year. !!WHAT!!
To their credit they did refund the missing order after I told them I'm not counting on remembering all this next year. I would rather spend my time planting than tracking, calling, recording.

I am ever so glad that I did not read these comments prior to our placing our orders from Jackson and Perkins as we would have missed out on some spectacular plants the last two years. We have order thousands of dollars of plants from Jacksons and Perkins and we are thrilled with everything. In the thousands that we spent there were less than six plants that did not flourish ... these we received replacements and/or credits without any hassle! Our plants are spectacular ... maybe we were more realistic, as we have ordered plants previously and know the size etc of mail order plants ... I don't know, all I know is that I AM EVER SO GLAD that we placed our orders both last year and again this year, and we have plans on continuing our relationship with this delightful company!!!

The 3 bareroots I ordered arrived quickly, looked good and were nice sized. No problems yet so I guess it's OK!

I have purchased a handful of roses from J&P over the years. Some via mail order and some purchased locally. They have all been mediocre performers. I suspect one had the mosaic virus but I'm not sure. I have purchased cheap ($5) roses locally that have out-performed the J&P roses. J&P roses are ridiculously over priced in my opinion. I will not order from them again and I wish they would stop sending me their catalogs. I just shake my head and wonder who would be foolish enough to pay their prices? There is better quality available at similar prices, or even cheaper.

I have been ordering roses from Jackson and Perkins for 13 years. Some have been mail order, some have been from local shops. I have lived in Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. NEVER have I had a Jackson and Perkins rose fail to flourish... not just grow. And I've lived in zone 10, 7, and 4.

I have easily over the years ordered about 70 roses from them and they have all come in fantastic shape. Fat, healthy canes, great rootsystems and in dormat but ready-to-grow shape. The packaging is some of the best in the industry that I have seen.

My last rose garden had over 130 roses in it, and they by far outperformed the competition. I have never had to ask for replacements for poor merchandise. It has always been the right product at the right time in great shape.

Yes, they're more expensive. Yes, they do charge you for advice, but I would say this: if you are going to make an investment in your garden, know what you're getting yourself into. Invest in a few good books to guide you, and if you still have questions, call your local extension office (they're experts, too... and they're free).

Flat out, hands down, in my opinion the best rose company going.

My first -- and last!!! -- order from J&P was a "collection" of 1 tree rose & 3 groundcover roses (prominently featured in 2002 spring catalogue). I ordered 2 collections of Baby Blanket roses = 2 tree roses with 6 matching groundcover roses.

I should have cancelled the order when I tried to place it and the order department did not have that "item" in its database, but I was naive then -- I actually thought that the "collection" depicted actually existed.

Admittedly, I did not plant the 1 tree rose & 2 groundcover roses that I initially received, as I [fairly reasonably, I think] expected that the rest of the collection would show up in a day or two, and it seemed silly to plant something only to have to dig it up again to replant it when its "container-mates" arrived!

When I called J&P to inquire, they said they'd send out another(?) shipment -- but they'd charge me again for the shipping (wrong answer, dude). By the time the remaining items (1 tree & 4 groundcover roses) showed up 3 weeks later, the "first" shipment was a goner (although I'd watered them every day, thinking it would only be one more day, surely, before the rest would show up).

And then, of course, there was the "order follow-up" call that I received, not long after placing the order, but well in advance of the stated shipping date on the order, the email confirmation, etc. "Did you get your order? Was everything OK?" (The answers, of course, were: "No. I did not get it, because you're not shipping until next month." and "Is it OK? What am I, Carnac?")

Bottom line: I may buy J&P roses again...but only at my local garden center -- after all, I can trust them.

In 2002 I purchased about $300 worth of perennials, annuals, and hanging baskets from Jackson & Perkins. I had nothing but problems with the order. Many items were shipped too early for my location (shipped early March to the DC area). Many items arrived in terrible condition. The annuals were almost a complete loss. The hanging baskets (containing verbena, petunias and other plants) were tiny plants and arrived dead. I ordered other verbenas, all were dead. J&P could not replace until late May. I opted for a refund. I ordered the "Deeresistable" Perennial garden for sunny areas. About half the bareroot plants were dead. J&P told me to give them several (6??) weeks. When they were still dead and I called for replacements, I was told replacements were back-ordered and wouldn't arrive for months. When the replacements came they were also in bad shape or in some cases replaced by different plants, so my plantings don't match. I gave up on it finally, after many phone calls and much irritation. I'll NEVER order from J&P again. What a waste of time and money.

I have ordered for 2 years from J&P, versus paying retail. I mark my calendar for the "warranty" period. Out of 30 Roses I have had 3 that did not grow. Calling the day prior to expiration - - my replacements came no questions asked the following season and have done wonderfully!

I order 500 bulbs, they looked great, but not all of them came up. I called they refunded me my money no problems. I am new to this area and I guess moles like to eat them so I am wondering hmmmmm...... My mom and I have ordered other things from J and P and have always gotten good service! My Mom's entire rose garden is J and P.

If you enjoy getting small,dead bareroot clematis in dried out saw dust in the mail ...this place is for YOU! Called. replaced,,,with more dead. Ofcourse by the time you get ths things too, it could be another season. Pretty phamphlet. Same lawn trinkets year after year after year.Have since decided to save on postage and support my LOCAL greenhouses instead.

I have to give a neutral here simply because 50% of the plants I've ordered have done great, but then again the other 50% have failed miserably. I've ordered roses from them four different times over the last year. Out of the two tree roses I ordered both have been very disappointing. I went to a local nursery and bought two others with the Jackson & Perkins label on them and they have done better than I could have expected and they were about 40% cheaper once you took into account shipping. On the other hand twice I ordered some of their smaller rose bushes and they have been very impressive.
Last Spring I also ordered a preplanned garden for the sun. Out of the 53 plants only the roses and lilies, about 25% of the total plants, have survived a very mild summer for us. In addition I've gotten some various other perrenials last year and only about 50% have done well or survived at all. The plants that did well though did very good for such young plants.
Next Spring I probably won't be ordering anything from them, I've had much better luck and with more consistency from other nurseries such as Yucca Do or Plant Delights.

I hadn't heard anything negative about J & P when I first got their catalog and ordered, so I had high expectations. I ordered 3 bareroot roses and they arrived ok. None of them will be blooming this year as promised but they are still alive and sending up shoots. I'll have to wait and see if they deliver the 5" blooms as advertised. I sent my Mom a basket of 3 mini potted roses from them and they got rave reviews.

I've had good and bad experiences with J&P. But considering I've been ordering for the past 15 years and still manage several a year. Possibly a little more expensive by catalog but the bareroot do so much better than their boxed counterparts. The combinations bring the price down as well.
NOTE their warranty is short. (60 days) Make sure you notify them early on if the plant is weak or not doing well. By the time you give up on it (or it gives up the ghost on you) the warranty is gone. When I've called in the past early enough-no problems on replacing.
Occasionally an order has been mixed up/misslabeled etc. I have a beautiful Outrageous growing with a Double Delight tag on it. ;-) Oh well.

I ordered some small roses and potted plants. The small roses arrived beautiful, healthy and blooming. The potted plants arrived small and fragile, and died quickly. Seeing as they are rather expensive compared to other mail-order companies, I doubt that I will be ordering from them again.

I ordered a 5 plant rose bare root special. I wanted the Gemini, and the others were a bonus in my book. Several weeks later I received the 5 bare root roses. Excellent packaging and the roots were all large and healthy looking. Only problem was, there was no Gemini in the package. They 'ran out'... and substituted Diana, Princess of Wales.

So I received, 2 Diana's a JFK, a pearl essence and a Sweet Valentine. I soaked in water, and planted.

There is lush growth on the Sweet valentine, it is happy and doing well. The others are pathetic. One bud eye sending up a short shoot. Nothing on the JFK at all.

All of the J&P roses I bought locally are doing very well, will not order mail order bare roots again... just too iffy.

I ordered a J&P treerose for my Mom for Mothers Day 2001. I visited her in July, and while there was some buds, it seemed to be slow, but it was not dead. So the 60 day period had expired, which I did not know about.
J&P only guarantees their product for 60 days, not like Lowes or Home Depot. Even these box stores guarantee J&P longer than J&P does.

Anyway I visited her this past Mother's Day. The rose is dead, even though they moved it into their Florida room for protection over the winter. I proceeded last week to contact J&P to see what they could do about this, (my dad had saved everything even the shipping box). That's when I learned about the 60 day guarantee period for replacement.

I had also ordered last year their deer resistant shade garden package. Last year the garden was pityful. Based on their policy, I should have returned the entire shipment. However I don't give up on my plants. I fed them and waited patiently. So far this year I have 4 foot foxgloves and all of the plants have survived as a result of my care and persistance. I don't think 60 days is a long enough period to assess the health of any plant.

I will no longer purchase roses or any other plants from J&P. All I can state is, "Let the buyer beware."

Shortly before March 14th I ordered 3 bare root roses from Jackson Perkins thru the computer. When I did not receive them by March 27th I contacted. I told them I had not received the roses EVEN THOUGH MY card WAS CHARGED ON MARCH 14TH. She said to wait the rest of the week - which I felt was a 'put off'. I again talked to someone and he was able to give me a date as to when to expect them - again it was a full 2 1/2 weeks AFTER the charge to my card.

Everything I have ever ordered from Jackson and Perkins has been excellent. I have never had a problem with arrival and the thriving of their plants.

My parents raised me to forgive and give everyone a second chance, which is why I ordered perennials and roses from Jackson and Perkins from 1998 to 2001. Shipment dates were a joke, every one arriving 2-3 weeks early. In Missouri, one doesn't plant perennials before May 1st unless you really like throwing money away. We can have a frost as late as May 1st. I put up with this for two years. When the third consecutive shipment arrived a month early, I refused every box and sent them back. I won't even go into how long it took them to credit my account for the full amount.Of the 10 roses I ordered, not one made it through the winter to the second year. In 1999, the quality of the canes was much worse, with one arriving dead and another being not what I ordered. The replacement they sent was the exact same rose sent by mistake. A rampaging case of black spot and mold trashed the 2000 shipment. I did everything they told me to do with no luck. I pulled the canes and destroyed them. So much for J & P roses. While the majority of the perennials arrived in good shape, approximately 40% of them died AFTER the 60-day warranty expired. I would not, under any circumstances purchase another item from J & P.

Two Christmases ago, we decided not to put up a tree. This so distressed our youngest daughter that she ordered a very pricey tabletop tree for us complete with decorations and a string of mini lights. Had we known she was doing this I would have stopped her. I have had a few experiences with J & P over a very long period and feel that they often have a cavalier disregard for both their customers and the truth. Sadly, the little tabletop tree did not make me a believer. It was pathetic.

I ordered a year or two ago, and the plants weren't true to name. They refunded my money no problem. I was disappointed that I didn't get what I ordered. They were out of stock and couldn't replace. I don't think I would order from them again. Too expensive.

I rate them about 50/50 - over the years about half of the items received looked great upon arrival and prospered; however, the other 50% did not fare so well. The shell plant was DOA and was an expensive item (not replaced or reimbursed) have had numerous tubers that were never again seen after planting. Seems as though the more recent years have been the most displeasing. Perhaps management has changed or they have just gotten too large.

For perennials, try Jackson & Perkins because they send very impressive plants (J&P is higher priced…worth it, though.) These places are so honest and they deliver on their promises.