Comments regarding Sunshine Farm & Garden
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Comments:
| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | Patch1313 (1 review) | On Apr 4, 2024, Patch1313 South Bend, IN wrote: Highly recommended for Hellebores seedlings. Two years ago, in the Fall, I ordered the 10 one year old Hellebore selection for $45 (still the same price I saw recently.) A sudden cold snap, and then rain, meant that mailing was delayed. Each time I emailled Barry Glick and he emailled right back to let me know the issue. |
| Positive | TyroGardner (2 reviews) | On Oct 4, 2021, TyroGardner Bethesda, MD wrote: I ordered from Sunshine because none of the local native plant nurseries had Allegheny spurge (it is not local to this area, but is the best option for a native ground cover for our conditions). I had not read the reviews here first and I'm glad I didn't because I might have been discouraged from ordering. |
| Positive | MaryNeedsSleep (5 reviews) | On Jul 14, 2021, MaryNeedsSleep Morgantown, WV wrote: I ordered hellebores, ferns, and several other plants. I received healthy plants. Will definitely order again. |
| Positive | brianaucuba (22 reviews) | On Feb 6, 2018, brianaucuba PEQUEA, PA (Zone 6b) wrote: I have bought plants from Sunshine Farm & Garden both by mail and in person at the Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville University. I have also attended Barry's lectures and propagation workshop at said conference. I have found Barry to be very entertaining and informative. Yes, Barry is eccentric, but aren't we all? |
| Negative | pelectra (2 reviews) | On Jan 8, 2016, pelectra Metairie, LA wrote: Barry was very friendly and helpful on the phone prior to my order. I explained that I lived in Zone9b (New Orleans) and that it was very hot and humid here in the summer. He encouraged me to order bare root divisions of his Helleborus giving me a "great deal" 743.00 for 100 of them. My order was placed 1-5-15. When they hadn't arrived by mid April, I contacted him with concerns about planting bare root plants that close to summer. He assured me that they would do fine. I planted the same day as arrival in early May. It was already in the high 80's here. By June 8th a majority of the plants were dead. I contacted Barry and sent photos as he requested... His first response was that they were overwatered...next he told me to test my soil, when that came back fine he suggested I contact a master gardener here in town. I did and he said that May was too late to plant bare root plants in New Orleans. Barry responded "Hi, we shipped you perfect plants, I know as I am the one and only person that does the divisions, you can't expect me to be responsible for the weather in New Orleans." I asked if he would consider a partial replacement at no charge and he said "no, but he would give me special pricing." Lesson learned for 743.00 and hours and hours of work- I don't recommend doing business with this company. |
| Neutral | Midd (1 review) | On Mar 11, 2015, Midd Carmel, IN wrote: Many years ago, I came across Barry listed as a source for unusual plants. It said he had a catalog, which I ordered. |
| Positive | Patty57 (27 reviews) | On Feb 8, 2014, Patty57 Wake Forest, NC (Zone 7b) wrote: Rec'd some nice hellebores from Barry with a couple of extra little goodies that tagged along; always an incentive to be a return customer! Communication was positive prior to the order and would deal with Barry again. Had a chance to visit his place a couple of years back and it too was a positive experience. |
| Negative | gergardener (1 review) | On Sep 26, 2013, gergardener Springfield, PA wrote: We placed order July 26 with Sunshine Farm & Garden, explaining our Master Gardener group desired to buy the retail sampler plugs to grow on in our hoop house for our September plant sale/fundraiser. |
| Negative | winghaven (1 review) | On May 18, 2013, winghaven Charlotte, NC wrote: I am sorry that I did not read the reviews of Sunshine Farms on this website before I ordered nearly $600 worth of native plants. It took me over a month and a phone call to receive a few plants and they were most pitiful little things. I have planted them but it was too late because summer has arrived in Charlotte. I am babying them but already some have wilted. Had the plants been shipped in a reasonable time frame this would not have been a problem. |
| Negative | comaroon (4 reviews) | On Jun 1, 2011, comaroon Morehead, KY wrote: A negative review of Barry Glick and his business would be kind. I've ordered plants from numerous companies over the years, and this is by far the absolute worst experience I've ever had. I discovered this company while doing an online search for a specific plant, Spigilia marildandies (Indian Pink). After checking out his plant list, I placed an order for 24 plants, after which I was informed that several of the plants I'd ordered were no longer available despite being listed on his website. I eventually found out his "list" was several years old and outdated. After about a month, and many days after my check had cleared the bank, I emailed Mr. Glick to inquire as to the status of my order, since I hadn't heard anything in the way of a confirmation from him. After several emails assuring me that he personally was taking care of my order, it finally arrived. Instead of the 24 plants I ordered, I received 10 very pathetic looking plants. They arrived in a USPS flat rate box -- the medium-sized flat box, which was half filled with "popcorn". The plants were very small and sad looking. After several hours of looking at those plants, and knowig how much I'd spent, plus the fact the order was less than half complete, I emailed Barry to let him know I was not pleased and that I wanted to cancel the remainder of the order and have my money refunded. Let me say this: if you ever order plants from this guy and you have a problem, you will NEVER see your money. Despite repeated requests by me for a refund, that never happened. Instead, Barry assured me he "would make me smile" by replacing the plants that had died and the ones I didn't receive plus lots of "goodies". This dialogue went on for over 2 weeks. All I wanted was a refund and to move on. That was not to be. Of course, on more than one occasion, he insinuated that I had received all 24 plants, and that his ordering department had never made a mistake in 38 years, etc., etc. Finally, I just gave in because it was obvious he was not going to refund my money. I received another box with the missing plants from my original order, but without the Indian Pink that he was suppose to replace with "5 inch" plants from his private collection" and none of the "goodies" he had promised. Needless to say, I wasn't smiling. I had to email him again, several times, to remind him to send the missing Indian Pinks. Also, one of the plants in the second order had no name tag. All in all, this was the most unprofessional gardening experience I've ever had. I would never order from him again, nor would I recommend him or his business to anyone. He may be the guru of Hellebores, but his business/customer service is borish at best. This is not about "pleasing all the people...:, this is about plain, lousy service. On Jun 1, 2011, Sunshine Farm & Garden responded with: "On Jun 10, 2011 9:20 AM, Sunshine Farm & Garden responded with: I've agonized for over a week now as to how I would answer this review and part of me said "leave it go, and the other part said, " you have to defend yourself here". |
| Neutral | yehudith (6 reviews) | On Jul 2, 2010, yehudith silver spring, MD (Zone 7a) wrote: Posted on June 22, 2010, updated July 2, 2010 On July 2nd, 2010, yehudith changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: My order came today. To say the least I was more than pleasantly pleased. When I opened the box I was greated by bunches of beautiful healthy robust green baby plants, well to be honest, these were more like teenagers than babies. They were well packed and not a broken leaf to be seen. They're now in my outside fridge waiting to be potted up so I can grow them on to be planted in the fall. They're big enough to go out now, but since they're bareroot I like to pot them first. Barry you done good!!!! I'm changing my rating to a neutral because while I'm very pleased with my order there were still the other issues we had to contend with. |
| Positive | JiminRingoes (19 reviews) | On Jun 18, 2009, JiminRingoes Ringoes, NJ wrote: I've ordered from Sunshine Farm & Garden about half a dozen times over the past four years and have always been happy with the plants I've received. My latest order was for a Euphorbia 'Jessie' and a Fraser's Sedge (Cymophyllus fraserianus). Fraser's Sedge is nearly impossible to find elsewhere, so I was thrilled when Barry confirmed by e-mail that he had some. Barry asked to speak to me before accepting the order, then called me to describe the plant and its cultivation requirements. The plant that arrived today was large and healthy. At Barry's suggestion I divided it into three generous clumps before planting. They look great now and in a few years will be amazing ... more highlights in my garden from Sunshine Farm & Garden.. |
| Positive | Bitzie (1 review) | On May 4, 2009, Bitzie Yorktown, VA wrote: I ordered some of the double Hellebores earlier this spring. When they arrived I was very impressed with the packing. Each plant was carefully packed in its own pot and the pots were then taped together in pairs. The plants were placed in the box and the box then filled loosely filled with packing peanuts. There was no shifting of the plants in the box. They were easy to remove and are now happily growing in my garden. |
| Negative | esofa (1 review) | On May 4, 2009, esofa Marion, NC wrote: Wow."Negative" doesn't begin to describe it.When my order arrived it was supposed to contain 50 hellebores in 2" treeband pots but instead had a fistful of single hellebore stems, each with an inch or so of root attached...I'm being generous to call them "bareroot", they reminded me more of thinnings from a lettuce patch.As there was no packing slip,receipt,or explanation for the lack of potted plants, I emailed Barry Glick to discuss it.He insisted on calling me on the phone rather than respond to my email,then instead of hearing me out he spent half an hour interrupting me to brag about himself, his plants,his business,and his satisfied customers.He said the potted hellebores looked bad and weren't healthy,and the "bareroot" plants were "top-size".He was not interested in resolving the actual problem-that his plants were not even close to what he advertised and were absolutely never going to be worth the price I paid-but he was interested in cheering me up with a "goodie bag" of free plants.I told him I was not looking for something for free and that my problem was I paid for a product that was very different from the one I received,and bareroot plants wouldn't work for my purpose.Again,he interrupted me and began talking on and on about how the potted hellebores are no good.He offered to exchange the bareroot plants for potted ones,but since he had just told me over and over how the potted ones were even worse I declined.I decided to return the bareroots to him for a refund, and I emailed him when I shipped them out.I only wish I could post the full content of our email exchange here; I will gladly share it in its entirety if you contact me through DMail.If you want to order something from Barry Glick I strongly recommend you read these emails first.I think the worst part of my experience with him is the way he has constantly tried to manipulate the situation.I had a simple problem and I asked for a simple solution.I did not ask for anything special, I paid for my own return shipping, and I double-checked his website to make sure that I had not overlooked something or misunderstood the product descriptions and policies.But instead of dealing with my complaint in an honest way and getting it resolved quickly,he pulled out all the used-car salesman talent he could muster....at one point he literally accused me of taking food off his table by asking for a refund, and also claimed that he WOULD refund the money except that he didn't have enough money in his bank account to cover it. For the record, we are talking about a $100 refund,which is a lot of money to a working mother with two small kids, but not to someone who claims to be a coveted lecturer all over the world.And "Mr"Glick still has the money, though I sent the plants back to him on April 7th.I emailed him a few days ago to remind him that he still hadn't returned my check and he responded by claiming that the plants all arrived dead and that I had "ignored his email". He has never tried to contact me since the plants were delivered; my email provider uses permanent archives and to claim that he sent me something and was ignored is a complete lie....you really have to read these emails to get the full effect.Another reviewer called him a "huckster" and that's not far from the mark.I have worked in the horticulture industry for ten years and I am shocked and awed that this man is still in business.It's one thing to have a company policy against straight refunds, that wasn't the case here.His reasons for not returning my money were all pathetic attempts to convince me that he was broke.Speaking of broke,it has apparently cost me $100 to learn that SFG- and Barry Glick in particular-are not worth my time and definitely not worth my money....although that won't stop him from keeping it. On May 23rd, 2009, esofa added the following: ***Still waiting for a refund from Barry Glick, who has simply stopped answering my emails. Ridiculous. On May 4, 2009, Sunshine Farm & Garden responded with: "On Jul 14, 2009 6:30 AM, Sunshine Farm & Garden responded with: You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. That said and accepting that as a reality, skipping the gory details, let's just say that this customer has been COMPLETELY satisfied. I've been growing and selling plants for over 30 years now and my record speaks for itself. ALL of my customers have access to my home and cell phone numbers and I am available 7/24 to help with any gardening or plant questions even if the plants didn't come for me. I LOVE my job!!!" |
| Positive | irislover2 (1 review) | On Apr 2, 2009, irislover2 Mobile, AL wrote: I received my order promptly and in excellent condition. The plants bloomed soon after being planted. I'm really pleased! I'll be ordering from this source again. |
| Positive | kellerj (1 review) | On Dec 5, 2008, kellerj Lake Bluff, IL wrote: Plants arrived in very good codition. The proof will be next spring when the expected blooms arrive in my woodland garden. |
| Positive | Tanager_Gardens (1 review) | On Dec 3, 2008, Tanager_Gardens Raleigh, NC (Zone 7b) wrote: Not only was I completely happy, no, ecstatic with my plant order, the careful packing, the inclusion of just enough labels - not too many - I've raved about my order to my husband - okay he got tired of hearing the raves - my friends, and neighbors. Turns out several already knew about you because, as astute gardeners, they already know Dave's Garden. Of course DG is where I found recommendations to order from you. |
| Positive | pmarrone (1 review) | On Dec 3, 2008, pmarrone Davis, CA wrote: Late summer, I ordered plants for the first time from Sunshine. I am all the way in CA but I like the different plants he has that I would not normally get here. The plants all looked good when I got them. We'll see in the spring how they do! Barry is very responsive and I like his informative email newsletter, photos and links. |
| Positive | lablover (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, lablover Wilmington, VT wrote: I have ordered twice from Sunshine Gardens and I have been very pleased each time. The plants arrived very promptly and in very good, robust condition. I would certainly not hesitate to order from them again. |
| Positive | lady2bug2 (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, lady2bug2 Half Moon Bay, CA wrote: I ordered double hellebores and received healthy plants in a timely manner. Yes, a 2" pot is small, the plant within tiny; however, they have thrived and grown in the shady places in my garden, and I eagerly await their bloom. I did plant them directly into my garden rather than repot them. I don't think that doing so harmed their growth in coastal northern California with its humidity and overcast days. I will definitely look to Sunshine Farms and Gardens for future plants. |
| Positive | wdtb2rev (2 reviews) | On Dec 2, 2008, wdtb2rev Duluth, MN wrote: I have been purchasing from Sunshine Farm & Garden for several years. It has been a place to find the unusual and not available anywhere else. When I discover or read about a new species, the first place I go to find it is Sunshine Farm. I have always been pleased with the quality of the plants received. |
| Positive | SwimmingJewel (6 reviews) | On Dec 2, 2008, SwimmingJewel Southold, NY (Zone 7b) wrote: Can't say enough about how much I love Barry's plants and ernormous plant selection. |
| Positive | suunto (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, suunto Sinks Grove, WV wrote: Barry is a great salesman - he could sell the proverbial refrigerators to Inuits! He also is a good source of advice when trying to decide what plants would be suitable for specific locations. Our last order was for native asters to naturalize in a dry, shady area. The shipment was exceptionally prompt, but the plants were smaller than anticipated (basically short portions of underground stems with established roots). However, all appeared healthy, showing new growth. |
| Positive | rohdearube (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, rohdearube Swarthmore, PA wrote: Barry had the carex I wanted but which I had difficulty finding. Being a good salesman, he recommended several other relatively obscure sample plants for my particular garden's culture. They were also ordered, were grown up in larger pots this season and I look forward to planting them out in the coming year. Being a refugee from the farm boy and a propagation nut, I prefer trying small plants at a good price that I can experience during several stages of growth. If they work out, then I subsequently get a larger quantity for a serious planting. Barry is an excellent source for the type of gardening I do. |
| Negative | thecollector (3 reviews) | On Dec 2, 2008, thecollector Farmville, VA wrote: Here's what I wrote to Sunshine Farm and Gardens in response to their request for feedback: On Dec 2, 2008, Sunshine Farm & Garden responded with: " On Dec 2, 2008 11:50 AM, Sunshine Farm & Garden added: I've tried in vain to contact Bill Shear, "collector" to see what I could do to please him. His negative commentary is incorrect as my pot size is 2" X 2" and this is stated on EVERY offering I email as is the term bareroot if the plant is shipped that way. Sometimes you find a better deal somewhere and sometimes you don't. I would have appreciated a call or an email from Bill alerting me to his dissapointment before he placed a negative comment. I guess you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but................ |
| Positive | jlghertner (2 reviews) | On Dec 2, 2008, jlghertner Sodus, NY wrote: I have been ordering from Sunshine Farms for only three years, so the end result of the plants I received can't be told yet. But, I received 20 helleborus in an unusual heat wave for upstate NY decimating my "crop" despite watering, mulching, and tlc. These were heartily replaced with no questions asked but with a lot of personal advice. |
| Positive | Melania100 (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, Melania100 Iowa City, IA wrote: I have ordered plants from Sunshine Farm and Garden on a number of occasions. I have been pleased with the condition of the plants. Barry was lots of fun and informative on the phone. He seems eager to please and very helpful. I plan to use him in the future. This is a great source for plants that are usually difficult to find. |
| Positive | usukinik (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, usukinik Rockville, MD wrote: I have found that the owner Barry is easy to contact, quick to respond and very helpful. When asked, his insights are valuable and the plants are accurately represented his listings. I will do more business with him. |
| Positive | Peggyh09 (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, Peggyh09 Norwalk, CT wrote: I enjoy reading Barry's excitement in his descriptions of his offerings. When I have had questions, he has answers. I focus on hellebores, as they have great beauty as well as the key characteristics my property needs: deer resistance, love shade, and low care. He has some real beauties. |
| Positive | kathy1126 (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, kathy1126 Dallas, TX wrote: I have purchased hellebores from Barry on two separate occasions and have been very pleased with my plants. They arrived quickly, were packaged carefully, were very healthy and good-sized and were at a good price. And I received the added benefit of Barry's expertise when inquiring what would grow in our hot Texas weather. His knowledge was very valuable and helpful to me. |
| Positive | Pinkle (1 review) | On Dec 2, 2008, Pinkle Alexandria, VA wrote: My plants arrived with plenty of instruction on what to do if circumstances for planting were not optimum. An email concerning the plant was responded to quickly. I would order again from this company. |
| Positive | frwohl (1 review) | On Oct 28, 2008, frwohl Marlton, NJ wrote: We’ve been happy with the stuff we’ve ordered from Sunshine Farms over the years. All plants have arrived as promised. I love their website. It is full of info and pictures.Owner Barry Glick is very responsive to questions and has never steered me wrong. We are signed up for email from Barry and recieve monhtly updates with pictures and particulars on species we may never seen before. Some of those specials have done very well for us. |
| Positive | nolanaomi (1 review) | On Oct 15, 2008, nolanaomi New Orleans, LA wrote: I found Sunshine Farm & Gardens from another website posting. I contacted Barry by email, telling him I live in New Orleans, and concerned as to whether hellebores can make it here. He immediately contacted me, and explained the best planting to get some going. When I saw the low price for seven, I decided to take a chance. I placed the order, noting that the heat can turn mail-order plants to jelly. The plants arrived the end of September, during a cool spot, packed very securely in small pots and "peanuts". Each had several leaves, healthy, with good roots. I planted them that afternoon (once the sun was low), and watered them thoroughly. I haven't needed to water them since (this is New Orleans), and looked at them yesterday morning, and they are already bigger, with more leaves. I've told several friends about Sunshine Farms, and will order from Barry again. A good guy! |
| Positive | acmeplant (1 review) | On Sep 18, 2008, acmeplant New York, NY wrote: I just received 10 Saruma henryii in perfect condition, well-packed, and at a very friendly price. This plant is hard to find in the NYC area and I was thrilled to find these well-rooted young plants. They were so well prepared for shipping, not a leaf was torn or a root out of place...and these were bare root plants! Also, I specified a tight shipping window (needed to receive them within 3 days of my order) and they arrived exactly on time. |
| Positive | Logangal (1 review) | On Sep 12, 2008, Logangal Logan, WV wrote: Barry Glick is easy to communicate with and very helpful. I dealt with him and him only- not some recording or secretary. I have ordered many plants through the mail and have never received plants in such healthy condition or packaged so lovingly. It shows in every aspect of communication that Barry enjoys what he does and serves the community well! The plants came with very helpful tags, which was nice. They told me where to plant and special needs of the plant, they helped me to remember what I ordered and why I ordered it. I also really liked that shipping was included. I didn't feel like I was getting the shaft on "handling" charges. The world could use more folks like Barry Glick! Hats off to his success in doing what he loves! |
| Positive | moranp (1 review) | On Jul 10, 2008, moranp Oregon, WI (Zone 4a) wrote: What a great experience! I ordered a sampler from Sunshine Farm and Garden and was very pleased with the ordering communication and the delivery. The plants arrived in the time promised and were very healthy. I am starting my woodland display garden and I will definitely continue to order from Barry Glick. |
| Positive | tmaloney (1 review) | On Jun 23, 2008, tmaloney Lambertville, MI wrote: Barry Glick at Sunshine Gardens is always helpful and informative. He has made me aware of several native species that are thriving in my shady yard. |
| Positive | ggardens (2 reviews) | On Jun 9, 2008, ggardens Mason, MI wrote: I am delighted with the sampler and 2-year old bare roots I ordered from Sunshine in late May. As a new customer ordering in the midst of the busiest time of the season, I was not surprised that it took two weeks to arrive. Well worth the wait. |
| Positive | bcleaver11 (1 review) | On May 30, 2008, bcleaver11 Howard, OH wrote: I have ordered from Barry twice within the past couple years. The first was a very large order of hellebores that we were doing with our garden club and some for ourselves too. This totalled about 3 flats of hellebores. They arrived ON TIME, and in EXCELLENT condition. Fresh as the proverbial daisy and we didn't lose even 1 plant, nor did any of the garden club. We kept over a flat of these for ourselves and everyone bloomed this spring, just beautiful. This spring we ordered a few of the double hellebores. These plants were OUTSTANDING! And they came packed so well that it was all we could do to get the little gems out of the box. They were shipped in little pots that were carefully sealed so that the dirt would stay in the pots, then carefully packed together with shipping peanuts under the leaves so that NOTHING could possibly hurt these plants in shipment. I have NEVER received a better packed shipment of plants from ANYONE! And we buy hundreds of plants yearly! I would recommend Barry's company to everyone, and have! |


