Comments regarding Wildseed Farms Inc.

I have purchased seeds from Wildseed Farms for more than 20 years and have never had any problem

Posted on March 21, 2011, updated May 7, 2012
I have bought wildflower seeds from them before and I was happy. My seeds this year are already sprouted and sturdy and the wildflower patch is going to be (again) spectacular, I can tell. Fast shipping, great germination rates, they are terrific!!!

This is at least the 3rd year I have ordered from this company. I love their seeds and prices. The germination rate is very good. If I have a problem or need an adjustment in my order, they are great!

I have been a customer for several years, although my last order was in October 2009. I use Yahoo's disposable email addresses for all online orders of items and these addresses are each used for one site only. Yesterday I received a solicitation from a political site that was addressed to the email address I used only for Wildseed. That means that Wildseed is either sharing their email database outside of their company or they have been hacked. I can simply delete that particular disposable address and use a new one if/when I order from Wildseed again. If you are a customer of Wildseed and have recently gotten political spam you might consider them as the original point of your leaked information.

I tried to report this to them on their contact site, filling in my contact information and describing the problem, but clicking on "Submit" does nothing.

Posted on May 4, 2004, updated April 5, 2011
I've had only good experiences with them - excellent germination, reasonable prices, and I got a great mix of wildflowers. Most of the varieties listed in the seed mix bloomed for me and there was a nice show of color the first year (annuals, some of which self-seeded) and for years afterward once the perennials got going. I also loved their seedling identification pictures.

I have ordered seed from Wildseed Farms for over 10 years. I have never had a problem nor a complaint.
I received the seeds this year 3 days after ordering. Everything was as it should be.

When living in California I tossed the wildflower seeds where I wanted them. The first year in Idaho i tried tossing the seed, but I had very low germination. Since then, I plant the seeds in flats and grow them in a cold greenhouse and the germination is near 100%.
I'll continue doing business with Wildseed Farms.

I ordered seeds last year and had great germination last year and now this year. Petunias were beautiful all summer!

I've been ordering from Wildseed farms for about 10 years now. Their customer service is first rate. Just got my order for this year, and although it is about a month early to plant wildflowers here, everything was packed well, and they included a new catalog and a free pack of Texas Bluebonnets.

If you make it down to San Antonio, it is worth taking a detour out to their showroom/fields near Fredricksburg. We did it a couple of years ago while there for Fiesta in April. Although it was a rainy day, the place was friendly and a lot of fun.

I order from Johnny's (Wildseed) every year, they've always been GREAT. Service is fast, germination rates are fantastic (and fairly represented in the catalog, in fact they tend to UNDERrepresent the percent of germination and time to germination); they are super easy to get in touch with and have always been polite and friendly and if there's a problem, however small, apologetic and quick to rectify it, AND they send you a free mix of wildflowers without even mentioning they do this, it's just a little thank you from them. If you have had a bad customer service experience I urge you to try them again, if fact, call them, ask for a supervisor and TELL them you had a bad experience, and see if they don't pleasantly surprise you.

I had contacted the company last year, about the seed Dame's Rocket(Hesperis matronalis) in their Northeast Wildflower Mix. //wildseedfarms.com/northeast_mix.html I asked them last year, if they'd be so kind as to correct it, by removing Hesperis matronalis from the seed mixes and state that it is prohibited/banned in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

In Massachusetts after the listed 'propagation ban' date; the sale, trade, purchase, distribution and related activities for Hesperis matronalis is prohibited. They never corrected it. I contacted them by phone and in writing about this.

When I talked to the lady on the phone she acted like I was stupid. She got all snooty and stated that their botanist checks every month, to see if any plants have become banned/prohibited. I told her that he was slacking in his job, because the plant was prohibited as of 1/1/06 and this was 2007. That's when I decided to write them about it. I never got a written reply. I tried email as well. No reply.


Hesperis matronalis is Prohibited in Massachusetts as of January 1, 2006. Here is the link to the Prohibited Plants: //www.mass.gov/agr/farmproducts/proposed_prohibited_plant_list_v12-12-05.htm

It is also Banned in Connecticut as of 2004. Here is a link to the Connecticut Invasive Plant List: ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CT/invasives/WordInvasivesListCommonNameW-Authors4PDF.pdf

And here it is listed in the USDA Plants State and Federal Noxious Weeds List: //plants.usda.gov/java/noxComposite?stateRpt=yes

Well, I ordered several types of seeds and one of the seed packs was not what it was supposed to be, I called them immediately and they said they would send out another package. But, after reading the negative comments below. I guess I just have to wait and see. The seeds in question were Red Flax, instead they sent me what appears to be some type of poppy seeds. They were very pleasant and I will wait to hear from them.

FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS I HAVE BOUGHT SEED FROM THIS COMPANY. THE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN GREAT IN ALL WAYS. I HAVE A 100 FOOT HILL RUNNING ALONG MY HOUSE LOADED WITH FLOWERS ALL SUMMER LONG. THE PRICE IS VERY REASONABLE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY.

Great price, fast shipping, no problems

I have ordered from this company (for the first time) twice this year. The first time, I ordered via the website. The package arrived within three days (I live in a Denver suburb). I decided I needed more seeds and ordered again about three weeks later, but had to order through customer service since the website was down. The second package seemed to take a little longer to arrive so I called customer service to find out when it was going to be delivered. The individual I dealt with was very helpful and friendly and gave me a UPS tracking number and told me that the package was scheduled to be delivered that day. I did receive the package that afternoon. I will be planting the seeds directly into the ground this year, but so far I am impressed with customer service and the quality of the packaged seeds. It's also of some comfort that the company includes the packing slip with each order marked off as to what was ordered and packaged so you are assured that they have not just thown anything in with the order. I have hope for my wildflowers this year, but based on my experience so far, I would recommend them.

Service was ok... Product was supposed to cover a certain square footage and well, it fell short. The product did arrive fairly quick. To be honest, if I order wildflower seeds again, I'll probably try someone else.

DW

I ordered the Sunflower collection and the Firecracker Mix in 2005 and had kept the catalog for future use. I logged in to their website on 3/14/07 and found it updated. I ordered just a few of the sunflowers this time, the ones the finches enjoyed the most. I also ordered the Firecracker Mix again, since another local annual mix that I used last year disappointed me. I also ordered other seeds and asked for an updated catalog, since their catalog has all the planting instructions and shows pictures of seedlings (rather than on the packets, or enclosed in the package).

All arrived in good order on 3/19 via USPS Priority Mail, in a box. All are packed for 2007 - 2008 and I don't anticipate any difficulties other than those associated with planting wildflowers in general.

I odered seeds from this company for the first time. It is the only place that offers Petunia 'Laura Bush'. I also ordered red dwarf Coreopsis tinctoria. The portion is most generous. I am positive the seed count is a lot larger than the number of seeds printed in the catalog. The price is also below average. Therefore, the seeds come up as a very good bargain. I am looking forward to my garden full of these flowers this summer.

Wildseed Farms is my favorite wildflower source! Most impressively, their catalog is a planting guide, so it's helpful to read it and learn a lot about the wildflowers before even getting them. Unlike most catalogs, they list planting conditions, growing conditions, shade conditions, and much more. A customer is able to get a good handle on whether or not a flower will grow under available growing conditions.

In our family's years of buying from them, we have never received a wrong packet of seed, and the shipments have always been extremely prompt. While we have a lot of seed that never comes up, that is only to be expected since we have poor growing conditions and very limited space. Besides, at the price of packets, you really get an exceptional value when compared to purchasing live plants.

Beautiful flowers. We bought the SE wildflower mix and planted this past spring and had gorgeous roadside wildflower garden! Many compliments and several people asking where we got the seeds. Just bought more and trying several other flowers and mixes they have to expand the bloom and colors next year.

I've done business with Wildseed Farms for years and never had a real problem. The arroyo lupine did not germinate at 88%, not even 50% of 88% but other than that, I've been happy with everything. UPS does overwrite their numbers -- a UPS representative told me that over the phone. It's a shame you didn't get a response back from Wildseed Farms. I have had good experiences for more than a decade.

I have found this company to be very good to deal with. Excellent seed at excellent prices. To be able to buy by the pound at a reasonable price is a real bonus.

I had an absolutely horrible experiance w/ this company, and do not reccomend them in any way DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY. Their customer service is appaling, I have no complaint w/ their product, but my experiance w/ them, was so bad it will be a very long time before I order any seeds, from any vender via the internet again! The enormous inconvenience they caused me, and all the problems they caused, I had to "freeze" all my acounts, and contact the banks, credit cards, ect. Below are a few excerpts from the letter I sent their company president on March 10th, I have had NO response from them.
"On March 5th, 2005 I placed an internet order to be charged to my credit card.. On March 8th I e-mailed a request to your company to be provided with a UPS tracking number. I was advised by your company that my order had processed, and “UPS” would be e-mailing me a tracking number “in a few days”. Well I found this odd, knowing that tracking number are available after shipping & provided by the shipper. I also knew I could go to the UPS web site, after, I had been provided the tracking number, and request e-mail updates. I had never heard of UPS e-mailing the shipee the tracking number directly. On March 8th, as I had not received any tracking number I e-mailed again requesting the tracking number, and here is the response,
----Original Message-----
From: Wildseed Farms [mailto:orders1@wildseedfarms.com]
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 7:48 AM
To: Emerald Park
Subject: Re: Wildseed Farms Order
1Z 356 332 03 0002 840 2
Here's the tracking number however UPS is overwriting some tracking numbers and this number will only show you a package which was delivered to CO back in 2005. We are working with UPS to over come this issue.
Gary
This response concerned me and raised several alarm bells. I know of 2 people that have been victims of identity theft, their information was captured by an “Opaque” site, while they were ordering from another site. The “Opaque” site then captured all their credit card information. I have never heard of a tracking number being provided that was over a year old, and delivered to another state, when I was in California. I called UPS directly, explained what had transpired, and UPS advised me that I should call my credit card company and put a stop on my card, they felt I was a victim of fraud. I called my bank and my credit card company, and they both advised me, that I was a victim of fraud. I asked them to place a hold on my accounts.

There were further e-mails, (I now know), from your company, but @ the time, I had know idea “who” was e-mailing me, since they continually addressed me by the wrong name. I have attached all correspondence for you to review. I ask you to put yourself in my place, and honestly tell me if you would have reacted any differently. Providing a year old tracking number to the wrong state, and referring to the customer by the wrong name, is the poorest customer service I have ever encountered. It is absolutely appalling. Of course I would be concerned about internet fraud."

I ordered from this Co. for the first time this year. My order arrived promptly, in excellent condition, and was all correct. The seed pks are well made and have fantastically detailed instructions. The prices are very reasonable and they offer a great selection of varieties.

I will be ordering from them again really soon.

Last year I ordered cosmos seeds that were not true to their description. The company was great about sending replacement seeds. This spring I planted "Solar Flare" cosmos, from them, in a brand new bed. If you've seen how striking the solar flares are, you can imagine my dissapointment when golden orange and yellow cosmos began blooming instead of fiery orange/red solar flares. I informed the company and have had no response. Since that time one or two of the solar flares have bloomed - only to make me more dissapointed that the entire seed stock wasn't what it was suppose to be. I hate to give Wildseed Farms it's first Negative ranking - but this time around I give them two green thumbs down!

I have ordered by mail in previous years, but I always try to make a trip there at least once a year to experience the visual delight. This is an experience not to miss! We made a one day trip to Fredricksburg last Friday to purchase peaches and stopped by Wildseed Farms first. Well needless to say the car was full of plants and we had little room for peaches. I bought three large, gorgeous plants. My favorite is the "Dynamite" crape myrtle which is a beautiful red. I also bought a "Moy Grande" hibiscus (has huge blooms) and a Brugmansia. I did go inside and visit the seed displays and bought over a dozen varieties. Their plants are very nice specimens. I found at least half a dozen more there that I wanted terribly (bluebird hydrangea), but there was no room. The brug took up the whole backseat (laid on its side). Order by mail, but try to visit if you are anywhere around that area. Right now they have a very large field of zinnias blooming. Striking!

Ordered seeds, seeds arrived promptly. Planted seeds, most of them germinated well... Would order from again...

Last year I ordered a mix of seeds designed for my area of the country. I was very pleased with the results to say the least. I had a very high rate of germination and the "show" was quite spectacular. I decided to make the area larger this year and I've ordered more seed blend. I had non stop color from early summer to fall. It's a very economical way of beautifying an area! I would highly recommend their seeds.

The catalogue is full of helpful information, most important for me were the photos of seedlings. I was able to differentiate between the wildflowers and weeds.

The staff is professional, curteous, and very knowledgeable. The seeds arrived well packed and within a week last year, I expect the same this year. Ordering from Wildseed Farms is a pleasure and I plan to do business with them for a long time to come! I highly recommend this company, you will not be disappointed.

Ordered 8 lbs of wildflower seeds for a local park that needs some help. All the seeds are native to my area. Prompt delivery and excellent prices. Will add to comments based on germination rates.

One note for all wildflower seed companies: many volunteer gardeners use wildflowers for parks, local gardens, schools, etc. Shorter, easy to plant/grow, annual variety mixes might be big sellers to those of us in those groups.

This is a great Texas based seed company for those in warmer climes or for those that like that wildflower/native plant look. Quantities are generous and service is prompt.

They have an interesting and varied cosmos collection that is a good value.

I also ordered seed in bulk from them, and again the quantities are generous.

I purchased their Zinnia Collection, which included ten different seed packages, each a different type of Zinnia. The shipping was very quick and service professional. Their website is very easy to use and has alot of information on the different flower seeds and wildflower mixes. When the seeds arrived I was very happy with the amount of seeds in each package. I will be purchasing from them again!

I have purchased seeds and plants from them since 1998 and have had outstanding success with their products. When I first began gardening, I really appreciated the seedling identification on the back of the seed package. It was great to identify the "babies" as they emerged. I would recommend this company to anyone and everyone!

In the past month I've ordered 10 to 15 packets of seeds twice and on both occasions I received my packages within 5 days. Both packages were securely sealed to keep the seeds safe.

That was nice enough, but since I'm starting a bunch of plants under lights I germinated about 10 of the varieties I'd ordered and I've had VERY impressive results. Using the coffee filter baggie method I had 100% germination with Salvia Coccinea, Desert Marigold, Purple Prairie Clover, and Blanket Flower. Of the others I've had many germinate and am waiting on the remainders of these. On top of that, all of this germination has occurred within 3 days of putting them into the baggies--and some of these are supposed to be stratified.

Needless to say, I'll be doing business with Wildseed Farms in the future.

I ordered form them in the spring. The seeds arrived quickly and they had good germination. I would be glad to do business with them again.

Excellent. Lots of different seeds; good prices. Have used for about 8 years and have always been satisfied.

I give this company two thumbs up -- limited only by the number of thumbs I have! I love the catalog, lots of very helpful information. The prices are unbelievable, and you get a good number of seeds in each packet. I have had terrific results - their germination rates beat store-bought brands by a mile. If anything, I wish they'd expand their product line, but maybe it's best not to mess with a good thing.

I have ordered from this company for 3 years, since I moved to Billings, Montana. The pictures they show of seedlings are a tremendous help to me as I try to reestablish a wildflower, wild prairie setting after having disturbed it building our home. I have also found their information about germination percentage from seed helpful and accurate. They have many varieties that are xeroscape friendly, a must out here. Martha Rhoades

Excellent company. Their catalog is gorgeous as well as informational. If you ever get a chance you MUST visit their farm. It is beautiful - great selection of seeds, also plants, and many gardening items and decorative items. It's a real treat to go there. Bring your camera! (Especially if you go during spring and early summer wildflower season.)

Love this company! Good selection and quality. Great prices. knowlegeable and professional staff. Good cultural info in catalog.

I love their prices and their seeds. They are a great company to order from. I have even traded some of my seeds on a garden club site I am apart of. They give you a lot of seed for a cheap price, they are great!