Comments regarding Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee)

This year, for the first time, I purchased plants and seeds by mail rather than waiting for my local garden centers to get their stock. I ordered from 3 companies: Burpee, Bluestone Perennials , and White Flower Farm. I've reviewed all three.

I ordered tomato plants, annuals, seeds, and a sunlight gauge all on-line, late at night, from Burpee. They called me early the next morning to alert me to a potential problem with my order (not even remotely their fault) but I tried repeatedly to return the person’s call and did not get a return call until very late in the day. When I contacted the other companies to alert them to the potential problem, I found they had not yet processed my orders, which made me feel good that Burpee was already on theirs. But I found that sometimes he who starts first can still finish last.

When I rec’d a shipping confirmation for my order – missing the annuals and the tomatoes – I sent Burpee an email asking for the status of those items. When I did not receive an answer, I had my admin asst call and she was told that everything else was shipping on Friday. On Friday, I rec’d my White Flower Farms and Bluestone orders along with half my Burpee order, but late on Friday I rec’d an answer to my email saying - not when my Burpee plants would be shipped - just that I would receive them in two weeks. This wasn’t going to do since I was leaving on vacation in a little over a week. I continued to email (and not hear back) and my assistant continued to call to try to get them to hold the shipment so that it did not arrive while I was away, and if they could not do that to simply cancel it.

Despite all this, I rec’d an email stating that the plants had been shipped and it appeared they would arrive the day I left on vacation. Not pleased, I called, asked for a supervisor, and explained the whole situation. She apologized and offered to credit me for the plants and told me to try to salvage them anyway. I did feel better then, as before this I was never going to order from Burpee again. It just wasn’t worth the hassle.

The plants arrived, sat here for about three weeks and just got into the ground two days ago. It looks like over half might survive.

I really wanted great plants and great service, not a credit in lieu of, but it was upstanding of Burpee to offer the credit. I may try them again if they have something I want, maybe just seed. I gave them a neutral rating because they caused me a lot of aggravation, but in the end tried to make it right.

Placed large order back in March which was sent over 3 shipments. Seeds were great. Perennials were great. Last shipment was vegetables and annuals. Pepper plant was broken, Tomato plant was dead (big pink), and the Gazania's were on the verge of death.

Just found the Caladium bulbs were rotten on the inside as well.

I emailed Burpee from their website days ago and got no response.

I'd order seeds again, but as for plants, I'd probably look locally.

Posted on May 22, 2010, updated May 25, 2010
Ordered 3 kinds of tomatoes seedlings, Tomande, Brandywine and Bush Big Boy. The B'wines showed up broken and shriveled and did the Big Boys. I followed the instructions for hardening them and the B'wines all promptly died, though I didn't have much hope since one was broken and the other was snapped in half. I am now currently watching the Big Boys shrivel and die as well. The tomandes appear to be doing well.

I also received : San Remo basil which are also dying, California Wonder bells, one of which was snapped, Anchos that are doing well and 25 Albion strawberries, of which 5 are actually growing. The bush sting bean seeds I planted last week still haven't broken earth, but I'll give then time.

To their credit, I called about the B'wines and the broken pepper and they credited me for the peppers and re-sent the B'wines. The thing is, they screwed up the shipping and instead of getting the plants yesterday like I should have, they're sitting in a warehouse for the weekend in Manhattan since they shipped them on a Friday. I don't have a whole lot of hope for this batch, either.

I'm sure others have had good experiences with Burpee and I know that they'll make good on this, the experience has been an unmitigated disaster. I could understand one or two things going wrong, but most of it? Sorry, but I think next year I just may get my plants at a big box store.

Posted on July 12, 2009, updated May 21, 2010
My first buying experience with Burpee was positive. I ordered 3 packs of Marigold seeds and sea magic. The order arrived very fast. I ordered from 2 other companies the same day and i'm still waiting for there items to arrive. If I order again in the future, i'll let you know how it went.

"On May 25, 2010 12:36 PM, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:

The Burpee Company is listening. We take our customers' comments and concerns very seriously.

We had tested both corrugated and recycled plastic containers. The results have shown that the corrugated containers wicked out moisture from the plants, while the recycled plastic clamshell containers helped retain the moisture in the container . The recycled plastic clamshell container also has breathing holes in the area around the foliage and is more rigid; therefore, it helps to protect the plants from being damaged while they are in route to the customer.

Another positive development of the clamshell was the snap buttons. All of us are frustrated when we buy a product that is wrapped in plastic that is very difficult to open. During the design, we selected a snap button that opens the container with minimal effort.

We do recognize that we cannot control the temperature, or any unforeseen delays with the shipping company, but we are doing our best to ensure that our plants are healthy and are packed to arrive in good condition.

Marsha
Customer Service Department
W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
"

My order was perfect and while the price on some items is a bit higher than I could find elsewhere, I have found them consistent in great service. Turn around was quick and the order was well packed.

Posted on May 7, 2010, updated May 7, 2010
I've ordered plants from Burpee oncebefore and was pleased. However, earlier this week I received a large shipment that was in terrible shape. 15 plants in 4-inch pots arrived with the potting medium knocked out. Because I had to repot, I could see that the salvia were essentially plugs. It looked like the plants were plugs that were hastily potted up but not even watered in, because the potting medium was completely dry and loose - obviously why it fell out of all the pots in transit. I ordered 3 gomphrena two of which arrived decapitated. Then I had two flats of impatiens -- 1 flat arrived in a separate box with each plug popped out. Half of the impatiens were broken. I immediately sent an email to Burpee customer service the day after the shipment arrived, but I have had no response and as of today, the broken plant have not revived. I cannot imagine purchasing plants from this company again.

Last year i ordered the Burpee catalog three times on-line. I never received a catalog or any explanation as to why not. This year i'm getting catalogs and e-mails. If this is the kind of consideration you show for a simple catalog request, what could I expect if I ordered seeds or plants? Sorry Burp, but I've moved on to companies that show me some respect.

"On May 24, 2010 2:06 PM, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:

The Burpee Company mails thousands of catalogs every year. Our 2009 catalog was extremely popular because it featured the world’s first ‘Sweet Seedless’ Tomato. It may be that you had ordered your copy at a time when our supply had been depleted.

We are happy to hear that you had received a copy of the 2010 Burpee Catalog. When one requests a catalog via http://www.burpee.com, there is an option for signing up to receive the Burpee Newsletter. Our site also allows you to remove your email address from the newsletter list.

"

I've ordered seeds on-line from this company every year for 5 years or so now. I've never had a problem with germination or the ordering process. Recently I even went cheap and sowed some seeds from the previous year and germination was still excellent. It's great to have so many more varieties to choose from than the local nurseries offer.

I bought the Seed Starting Ultimate Growing System for the first time. I followed the directions, planted my seeds on a Sunday evening, and Tuesday morning many of the seeds had already sprouted. I could not believe it. By Thursday only a few seeds were left to come up. I look forward to transplanting the seedlings and using the system again next year.

Ordered a grow light and seed heating pad. Pleased with their products and quick service. I would definitely order from them again!

Posted on April 9, 2010, updated April 9, 2010
I've never ordered from Burpee before due to their shipping prices, my preference for smaller companies, other customers experiences and the Heronswood dismantling & relocation. However, I REALLYwanted Dianthus Chomley Farran (Inferno) and the only other source was on the west coast which would have been just as expensive and harder on the plants. I also bought Broadway Lights daisies.

My plants arrived timely and very well packed. Not the least bit squished together with plenty of head room. They hadn't had to be pruned back to fit in the box. The root systems on the daisies were so phenomenal I took pictures! I wish this app had a way to show the photos. The dianthus looked like it had been kept a bit moister than necessary over time but the plants were extremely healthy looking, there was no root rot, and each had several eyes which could have been divided if I were being stingy. I had a little bit of trouble entering the discount coupon code but they figured it out. I'm very pleased w/ my order and would order from them again.

Posted on March 13, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
I ordered tomato and pepper plants in January. Burpee sent an email this week telling me that GA law would not allow them to ship the plants (although they sent the same plants last year with no problem). When asked, they said they did not know the statute number and I should call my county entension office, where I was assured there were no regulations prohibiting Burpee from shipping live vegetable plants into GA. Burpee then said they had chosen not to comply with the GA regs. I understand that explanation, but I am annoyed that it took them two full months to let me know and then they tried to shift responsibility to GA.

"On Mar 22, 2010 9:40 AM, Burpee (W. Atlee Burpee) responded with:

The W. Atlee Burpee Company is equally disappointed in the series of events that has led to our company not being able to ship our vegetable plants to Georgia. Specific to your order, there obviously was a mistake that allowed your order in January to be processed; vegetable plant restrictions to Georgia were entered into our system in mid-December.

W. Atlee Burpee ships plants under approval of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture. Annually, PA AG officials review all states for their regulations, and in 2009 found a Georgia regulation that we cannot, and have no interest in complying with. Georgia requires that all vegetable plants entering Georgia be treated with Imidacloprid to control whiteflies.

Burpee grows vegetable plants using state of the art techniques, which does NOT include the use of Imidacloprid. Our growing practices rely heavily on best cultural practices, including the use of Integrated Pest Management of early detection of any insects and the growing of plants outdoors, where whitefly populations are non-existent.

I have had conversations with Georgia Dept. of Agriculture officials concerning their regulation, and have suggested that they change the requirements to allow companies like ours to ship plants into Georgia without the use of a chemical, as long as the plants meet the rigid inspection of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture.

W. Atlee Burpee is respectful of all states and their regulations and we hope that by 2010 through communications between the Burpee, Georgia Agriculture and Pennsylvania Agriculture, we can resolve this issue.

Dave Devine
"

I usually don't comment on a company but Burpee amazed me. They shipped on time and every product I bought was exactly as described or better. Great company !

Posted on December 13, 2009, updated March 12, 2010
I bought 5 Raspberry Ann plants back in May of 2009. The canes looked ok when they arrived. They had no new growth at the roots or leaf buds but I expected them to be dormant. I planted them just hours after their arrival. Not one of the plants lived or grew. I called Burpee about a month after planting the canes and told them about the lack of growth. They said give them some more time. I called back in July when the canes were brittle with no growth on them or at their base. Because Burpee's did not have any replacement plants so late in the planting year, they agreed to refund my money or replace them. I wanted the plants so they said they will send them out next year during planting time. I will just have to wait and see if those arrive and if they grow or not. I also planted 5 canes of 2 other varieties of raspberries that I obtained from 2 different internet vendors and only lost one plant each of those. At this time I am giving Bupree's a neutral rating for now until I get the replacements and to see if those plants grow or not. In defense of Burpee's customer service department, they were very helpful and courteous. I am just hoping they follow through with the promised replacements and that those are health plants. I usually buy Burpee seeds and have had good success with them. This was my first experience with buying live plants form them. I am a little disappointed that the plants were not as high a quality as I had expected.

Posted on March 9, 2010, updated March 9, 2010
Posted on February 16, 2008, updated March 9, 2010
I have ordered from Burpee for a couple of years now. I have to say that their prices are a little steep. Sometimes I am willing to pay the higher price if I am really intrigued by a new variety - otherwise I wait until someone else carries it at a lower price. I have had trouble with one item having a very poor germination rate and Burpee quickly sent a replacement. I tried "Toy Pak Choi" for the first time last year and absolutely LOVED it! Additionally, customer service has always been a pleasure to work with!

Their catalogue this year was fatter than all the other seed company catalagues I received. I got online to place my seed order, and it arrived quick and complete. I would recommend to anyone for seed orders. Will post again at planting time.

Posted on February 23, 2010, updated February 23, 2010
The best possible seed company you can order from. I have ordered from them time and time again. This time I decided ordering onions sets and potatoes along with veggie seeds. Boy, did the onions and seeds ship fast. I planted and now about 4 weeks later new shoots and roots are growing. I love you burpee! :-)

I have been ordering seeds and supplies from Burpee for a number of years. I have never been dissapointed. This year I did not want to risk back ordered seeds so I placed my order in early January and my order came complete in 7 days.

I have always been impressed with the quality of Burpee's

Posted on May 18, 2009, updated January 20, 2010
Used Burpee for years and years. No problem with their products, but their shipping charges for seeds are just ridiculous. Almost $8 for shipping a few packets of seeds, which arrived for under $2 in postage. And they are local to us besides.

I understand handling charges, but it seems that the larger the seed order, the more you are "penalized" by high shipping costs. They need to provide a shipping charge specifically for seed orders, as I have seen other companies do.

I have been ordering from Burpee many years. They have had some very nice and unique introductions (those white marigolds!!). Love the Sweet Tangerine tomato and will try this years introduction Tye-Dye. I never had a problem as to germination rates. But I find the prices a bit on the high side so I go else where for items that are more generally available.

This is my new Seed Company. I ordered for the first time last year and got everything I ordered and they were all true. I am a Master Gardner and have been doing this for many years. Nice to find a company I can trust. Most of the troubles people seem to have with Catalog companies are when ordering plants. I only order seeds and buy plants locally. Great Seeds, Great Service, beautiful Catalog.

Had a nice experience lately with this company. I ordered a couple small items and as with all seed companies I am appalled by the shipping charges. However, two days later I wanted to add another small packet to my order. I wrote them a note to see if they could include the packet with the first order and save the additional shipping fee. The first order had already been sent but I received a nice note that they would ship it separately without an added fee. I was pleasantly surprised.

I have ordered from Burpee for my garden off and on for about 30 years. I grow mostly from seed and my favorite lettuce variety of theirs is the "Simpson Elite". It has performed excellently over the years. My garden is near Tampa, Florida and I grow lettuce only in the winter when it is cool enough. I sent a picture of some to Burpee. I got a very nice response the next day and would order from them anytime.

I was really surprised at all the negative comments about Burpee. I ordered live tomato plants for summer 2009. They were beautifully packed, but one plant in the container was broken. I emailed customer service, and they promptly mailed me an entirely new package of plants at no charge. I didn't lose a single plant during the wet/cool weather, although most of my neighbors lost their tomato plants to the blight that was so prevalent last summer. I also ordered Burpee's tomato cages, and they are the best things I've ever purchased from any garden catalog or retail garden supply house. They fold flat for storage and are so sturdy that they will last for several seasons. They still look brand new. I will continue to order from them.

Two years ago I purchased Plum and Big Boy plants for my small 10 foot by 2 foot patch. I received a moderate amount of tomatoes, the 2nd year, I planted the same, after regenerating the space, and doubled my crop. This year, I purchased the same and within 3 weeks they started producing tomatoes. I have had a bumper crop. I can eat them off the vine, but have furnished others with this succulent red produce. Now, it is a few days until December and I just harvested more ripe tomatoes, with more on the vines. I know I am about to harvest what is left and have some great "fried green tomatoes". Next year I will start again and see if I can best this years 7 month production.

Posted on November 15, 2009, updated November 21, 2009
they keep changing the names of the varieties, --and when you call to get some more of the seed you have planted last year, --they give you the run-around, --but still not available-- for a seed CO. --- pathetic, ----I will be shopping else where

I have been a Burpee mail order customer for over 50 years. I have never been disappointed. All plants and products I have received have performed as advertised. I have been thrilled with the quality of the packing of live plants which gives me plants which arrive in a condition similar to that I would find if I were shopping for them in a quality nursery.
When I have had questions, such as, I ordered a recycler years ago and didn't finish putting it together. I emailed customer service and they researched the product and sent me assembly instructions. I would strongly recommend Burpee to the novice gardener as well as the person who has years of experience. One will always find a plant or a product that they haven't seen before that they can't resist adding to their garden.

I only bought seeds from burpee, so I can't comment on the plants. Their seeds are great even though the price is a bit higher than the other vegetable seed companies. On the other hand, their selection is very good and the seeds stay viable a long time. I have had great success with 4 or 5 year old tomato seeds.

I had bought the Burpee Burpless Cucumbers and have had a bountiful season . The cucumbers are absolutely delicious . I have shared these with the neighbors , since I have had so many cucumbers . These are absolutely fantastic and will continue to buy Burpee Products as well as recommend them .

I am very happy with the new seedless tomato. It is seedless and with a great balance, one of the most delicious tomatoe I ever ate. It is great for me since I can not eat any seeds due to medical problems. I buy many Burpee's seeds, some from the catalog and many from Hardwares, Walmart etc, I never had a bad experience, the plants always produce what Burpee advertises for.
Franco Martiradonna

William Beuckman Sr.
1058 Rudder Ave.
Manahawkin NJ 08050
8/8/09

To whom it may concern @ Burpee Signature;

This letter can not really express how I feel about your product or how well it really works. It has worked so well that I’m going to expand another garden just for this product all by itself. The product that I am referring to is Wildflowers, rainbow colors mix, bar code #041530960501.
My yard is 75 ft by 150 ft. I like to garden and do themes in my yard to make it interesting and fun. My yard is a certified Animal Habitat and a certified Monarch Relay Station. I am very specific and cautious in what is in my yard and what does not go in my yard. I’ve tried a lot of products to attract and keep wild life in and around my house, and some of the products on the market are rip offs just to get your money with little return to you. I bought your product being skeptic of just what it was going to do. Needless to say it has greatly surpassed anything that I have used before for many years that I have been doing this.
Preparation was minimal. I cleared an area that I wanted to plant. Shook the seeds out of the can onto the dirt. Used a leaf rake up side down, once, to lightly cover the seed and than lightly water. The rest was up to mother nature.
Results was nothing less than fantastic spectacular. The variety of flowers and colors seemed endless and constantly changing. When you think that you have seen all the flowers you had put in your can , there are more, and then more. It seems as soon as one type of flowers bloom and die there is another set just starting to blossom. The height variation and thickness of the garden keeps getting higher and fuller. People who have come to my yard and see this are absolutely amazed at what they see and can not believe how I had done it. Look at the date on this letter and it is still going strong from spring. I have taken pictures of this from the beginning to present, just to show my friends what was going on with this product, who have the same interest as I do.
The application started next to my fish ponds as a garden, and then some flower pots mixed with bulbs, then to the flower boxes on my arbor. I had a little left over and a spot in the front yard that needed a cleaning and planting, so I finished it up there as a filler till I get some perennials in it. So as a filler, or a garden it does great.
This product is everything it should be and more. It adds lots of colors and lots of varieties to any garden or pot arrangements project that you are doing. One can does cover a lot of area and I was surprised at this. I thought that I might have planted too much and kind of backed off in shacking the seed out. It was more than enough and the results are fantastic. The product does bring the nature to your yard in living, colors by way of butterflies and humming birds.

Thank You ….Bill Beuckman Sr.

I was a first time Burpee customer this year. I ordered 8 varieties of tomato seed from them. The order arrived within a week and the seed germinated well. No problems at all with this company.

This spring, for the first time ever I purchased tomato plants from Burpee. In my garden I have 27 tomato plants, 6 from burpee, 9 from a friend, and 12 from a local north Jersey nursery.
To my amazement the Burpee plants are my most vigorous and productive . I will next year buy all 27 from them and to my usual delight their California Giant Zinnias seeds are a heavy provider for our cuts flowers. Bravo Burpee.
Clifton NJ

I have been a Burpee customer for about 30 years. This year I ordered tomato plants. One set of three came through just great. ONe set of three was broken and showed the inward signs of the outward box being crushed on one side. When I complained to Burpee about this, they were so kind as to replace the 3 tomato plants that were destroyed in shipping. The new shipment came within days and it was fine. I am a happy gardener this time and will continue to shop with you. I think Burpee should seek other shipping options besides United Parcel Service. They don't seem to be able to read the "THIS SIDE UP" words on the outside of the box!! Thanks again, Burpee!!

I am so pleased because I feel the courtesy with which the folks at Burpee treat their clients is with old fashioned respect. That's how I like to do business, and will remain faithful to Burpee because of that.

Recently, I placed an order for tomato plants. Since we live VERY far off the beaten path, the UPS delivery person often leaves packages in a neighbors shed in town, and when we pass through town every couple of weeks, we check for mail. Well, with a box that said, "Live Plants," I would have assumed the delivery would have been made all the way to our remote ranch, not left in the neighbors shed. But it wasn't, and the fault is mine as much as anyones for not checking up on this. So of course, weeks later when we found the package, the plants were dead.

I was sad, but knew I was as responsible as anyone for this mishap. But just the same, I wrote the folks at Burpee and told them this story. Rather than just a quick, "oh well, sorry," as I assumed they might say, they gave me a full refund for the tomatos.

That's honoring their word.
That's how I like to do business.

If I had read all the negative comments I would've been afraid to order from Burpee, but I had a fantastic experience with the company.
I ordered Little Mama tomatoes, Big Beef tomatoes, Banana Peppers and Pinot Noir Peppers, Eggplant, plus cucumber seeds, bean seeds, swiss chard seeds and lettuce seed tape.
The seeds of course, came first and then the plants arrived on or about when they were supposed to. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well they were packed. One package had two tomatoes that were damaged, but I called customer service and had plants at my door in 3 days. I call that fantastic service.
I've planted everything and they all look great. The seeds started sprouting within three days!
You've made me a very happy gardener!
I will always be ordering from this company.
Thank You

I just received 9 tomato plants and 6 pepper plants. Most arrived in good shape in the green packages that kept the plants from moving around too much. The Pinot Noir peppers, however, lost most of their leaves, and some of the tomatoes looked a bit tired out. It all looks like it will bounce back with a bit of care, and if this foray into mail-ordered plants turns out well, I'll give it another whirl next year.

I will ALWAYS order with Burpee! I just recently purchased a LARGE order from 4 Seasons Nursery & received a bunch of dead roots in baggies & I was missing items from my order. Customer Service was terrible & rude. They wouldn't do anything unless I paid to ship everything back with a note of what was missing & what was dead & then they would reship the items (if they have them), ALL MY HASSEL for something that is their fault! I placed an order with Burpee within days of ordering from 4 Season's & received beautiful, green plants (in dirt)! They exceeded my expectations & their customer service is wonderful! VERY FRIENDLY! Thank you sooo much!

Your now, loyal customer

I have ordered plants from Burpees for many years. This year I was pleasantly surprised with the new packaging on the tomato plants - not only did all of my tomato plants arrive in perfect condition, but the plastic containers they were put in were also recyclable!! All plants are doing well, and I plan on ordering again from them next year.