Comments regarding HostasDirect Inc.

This was the second time I have ordered from this company. One of the items I ordered was supposed to be a mini hosta, but when it came it was already 9" tall. I emailed them with a picture and the customer service rep said that what I had seemed large for that variety (Little Sunspot) and that they would send me another one. It came yesterday and is a bit smaller although still too large for my mini collection. I will use it elsewhere. They were great helping with my problem, and I would definitely order again. Plants came in good condition even in the heat we had lately. Packing method is excellent (although the plants ARE a bit hard to get out of the box). Very satisfied

HostasDirect offered feedback to all my questions regarding the plants I ordered. They were packaged well and all very healthy, large plants. Their help enabled me to keep my plants alive during this very hot summer we are experiencing. An excellent company.

Posted on September 9, 2010, updated July 20, 2011
My order arrived quickly and in beautiful shape today (Sept.10) - nicely packed. I couldn't be happier with my H. Spilt Milk!

Posted on June 1, 2011, updated June 17, 2011
I had a great experience with Hostas Direct.

I ordered two Heuchera plugs on 5/6/11 (Ginger Ale and Midas Touch) and they were delivered within one week.

The plants came with instructions for planting Hostas. I contacted Hostas Direct via email asking for instructions for Heucheras and received an immediate reply from owner Tom Carlson. He was very apologetic for the confusion and gave me great instructions about Heuchera planting and care.

I was a little nervous about ordering plugs, thinking they might require special care, but it turned out to be nothing beyond beginner gardening. The best part: the plants are very healthy and in much better condition than the same plants I see at local nurseries.

Between the great customer service and the high quality of the plants, I am now a loyal customer!

So far so good. I must admit my experince is a little different.
I decided to conduct a little experiment.
I didn't bother to ask the vendor this but I live in an apartment with very little light. I just love hosta touch of class and decided to try and grow it indoors as a house plant.
IMPOSSIBLE you say!!!
I had a feeling the vendor would say the same thing lol.
Hostas need a dormant period.
After much Googling I found out that hosta enthuiasts in Florida and California are cutting off the leaves and throwing it into the fridge for a few months to trick the plant into resting.
People are reporting much success with this.
Yeah, I know, don't believe everything you read on the web lol.
I know, but I love this plant so much I just had to try it.
It's in a six inch pot and I will repot as necessary.
As for the vendor themselves?
Love them.
Fast shipping.
Very nice folks.
Packed perfectly.
When I finally do get my own home I'll definitely do business with Hostas direct again.
Until then.......wish me luck with the fridge method, I'll let you know after the first "dormancy" if the plant comes back.

"On Jun 10, 2011 7:53 AM, HostasDirect Inc. responded with:

Thanks for taking time to write and for your nice comments about our company. I can assure you, we try very, very hard to help our customers.

I might be able to help you with your situation - growing hostas indoors or in pots. Most hostas need to go through about 30 to 60 days of dormancy, depending upon which study you need, where the temperatures are 42 degrees or less to trigger a dormancy and also give the plant the time needed to be vigorous the following year. I have read the longer time the better. We do have customers in CA and FA in zone 9 that we order plants from us but we always try to catch their order to make sure they have read the following info on our website about plants that do the best in southern area - zone 8 or zone 9A.
http://www.hostasdirect.com/hosta-info/growing-zones/ Keep

in mind that the original 40 or so hosta species plants that all of the other 8,000 cultivars evolved from grew in a range from range from south of Shanghi to the southern islands of Korea. Thus, some are more heat tolerant than others. See http://www.hostasdirect.com/hosta-info/fragrant-hostas/

We provide a lot of information on our website and more info will be added to try to help with this interest in growing hostas indoors. My suggestion is to try to mimic nature as much as you can with morning and later afternoon sun, moisture, and then chilling for dormancy

Thanks again for your business and nice posting. Please contact me through customerservice@hostasdirect.com and request our customer service staff forward it to me. Tom Carlson, Owner

"

We have benefitted from purchasing from HostasDirect for 5 years as our hosta addiction has grown to over 100 hostas. They have exceptional, quality, disease-free plants priced lower than other vendors. They are the only vendor we know of that offers plants at three different price points for what they call maturities.

Not having to worry about hosta virus x, foliar nematodes and other plant diseases gives us peace of mind and saves us a lot of money on chemicals, soil contamination and plant loss. My hosta friends have experienced the same quality. HostasDirect also packages their plants exceptionally well and the leaves and roots arrive full of moisture. Our hostas have taken off fast in the gardens and survived every winter, including the inexpensive starter TC the sell.

Their website is by far the best commercial hosta website. Unfortunately, it is addicting. My wife and I enjoy looking at the 6,000 photos and reading the detailed information. And, we love their free HostaSearch database. The entire website is very easy to navigate. We benefit from the way we can sort out what hostas we really want to buy by using their wish list and compare features. And, we can search for all plants by 70 different plant characteristics. We know enough about hostas to know it pays to buy from specialists like them. If we can't find what we are looking for in their over 500 varieties, I think we better stop buying! LOL

We have purchased from other suppliers in the past but when you add it all up, quality information and pictures on by far the best hosta website, disease-free, well-packaged plants at low prices, and plants priced at three different levels – it is the the best place to buy hostas (we also love their heucheras too and nobody can touch their prices).

I recently was browsing the web for hosta and came across the new and improved website of Hosta's Direct. I was surprised at the new look and ease of using their website. I sent a very brief email to them to let them know I was very pleased. Today I received a note from the owner Tom Carlson, thanking me for the compliment. I was pleased that the owner of a company took the time to say thank you. Thumb's up!

I ordered from Hostas Direct for the first time last month. The plants arrived quickly and were in beautiful condition. Their sale prices were excellent!

I think that HostasDirect is one of the finest companies to deal with. Any time there was an order placed, the items arrived well-packed, very timely delivery, and more importantly, representative availability if needed for clarification or assistance .
I recently asked about garden markers which were previously offered in WHITE- and now were not available . I received a very prompt and courteous note explaining why. THIS IS SUPERB customer relations .
KUDOS to this concern !!!! Carl T. Kokes Peru NY 12972

Posted on June 16, 2010, updated July 25, 2010
Posted on June 16, 2010, updated June 16, 2010
Posted on June 12, 2010, updated June 16, 2010
Posted on June 11, 2010, updated June 12, 2010
Posted on June 11, 2010, updated June 11, 2010
Posted on June 4, 2010, updated June 11, 2010
I ordered a dozen mature divisions and advanced starters from HostasDirect on May 29 and happily received 10 of them on June 3. The plants were huge; very well packaged; and in great condition. I emailed the company that two of the plants I ordered were missing and received a response today. The two missing "kids" will be sent out early next week.

I understand that oversights can happen and was delighted with the plants and with the company's response to my not having received two. I will definitely order from HostasDirect again!

"On Jun 11, 2010 3:22 PM, HostasDirect Inc. responded with:

Congratulations. I think you ruined our perfect rating on Dave's Garden and I am not so sure it was appropriate or fair.

I appreciated your glowing remarks about our business and the quality of the plants you received. I am sorry two were missing. We seldom mess up but it is possible. We also make things right. I am glad someone responded to you immediately as you stated.

It is late Friday afternoon so I do not know all of the details. I did get an email that two plants shipped out Wednesday but I am not sure if they were yours. I will know more Monday when our shipping crew comes in.

We do not ship plants every day of the week as noted on our website. We do not want them to get stuck over a weekend and potentially dry out. So, we try to ship on Monday and Tuesdays and sometimes Wednesdays.

I am sorry we are not Home Depot. I frankly can not afford to have all of the staff I would like. There is just not much money in hostas. My hard working, dedicated team still manages to serve our customers well. However, at times, computers or webservers can go, people can get sick, and then we are SWAMPED right now as this is our busy season. In spite of all of that we run a good business and are respected nationwide.

I am sorry about your unhappiness. We strive to do the best we can. Someone will be in touch with you Monday.

Tom Carlson President

I ordered the IDeal Garden Markers in green. I was very pleased with my purchase. They are different than any other garden marker I have tried. I ordered the marker with the 45 degree angle for viewing. They look very nice in between all my hostas. They are VERY sturdy and will last for many years without having to worry. No more losing the tags over the winter. You hosta lovers will be very pleased. I HIGHLY recommend purchasing these.

outstanding in every way. healthy plant superior packing fast shipping great customer service!

This is the second time I've ordered from HostasDirect. I've been more than pleased with both orders. They take extraordinary care in packing the plants and I was so pleased to find the divisions were more generous than I was expecting. Additionally, whenever I've had a concern, the customer service dept. has responded with a REAL response within a day.
I am now a customer for life - highly recommend!!!

I had completely forgotten about posting my rating for HostasDirect until going outside this morning and doing an inventory of all the "babies" I had ordered from them last year. Then I remembered that I never let Garden Watchdog know how happy this company had made me, so here I am to do just that!

I placed two orders last year. My first ordered was delayed a little bit and I have to admit that I was a nag about it (sorry guys). Since I knew what to expect with TC's, the size of the hostas didn't bother me at all. Honestly, cost was more important to me and buying the TC's allowed me to get more for my money. Lots more. I also bought quite a few heucheras for dirt cheap and all of them are HUGE now and not even a year old yet.

From my first order last year (13 hostas and 6 heucheras), one hosta died right away and was promptly and courteously refunded, no questions asked. This morning I noticed one hosta from my second order of18 hostas that did not come back. I emailed them and am awaiting a reply, but have no reason to believe that they won't make good on it. The rest are doing wonderfully.

Much of the enjoyment of gardening for me comes from watching my "babies" grow into mature plants. I also enjoy saving money. Buying from HostasDirect allowed me to indulge both. Kudos to Tom and company for a wonderful way to expland my garden without putting me in the poorhouse!

I pre-ordered plants in Oct of 2008. They were shipped May of `09. I believe i ordered divisions.

Packaged very well. and quick shipping from when i got the email that they were shipped.

I ordered 2 of every hosta - so I could have [what looked like] larger plants. I also gave a few as gifts to a friend.

I was very surprised to see each hosta was only 1 eye, and when planted, none of them did well.... just sort of limpy. I have to admit I was disappointed. [as was the guy I gave 4 of the varieties to] BUT - I figured i'd give it a year and see how they all did.

For every single plant - they are up [not unfurled yet] and they all have multiplied. Some are 2 eyes and one of them is actually 5 eyes.

I can not wait to see them as the season progresses.

I would not hesitate to buy from this company again.
**thumbs up**

I placed an end of season order, which included a "clump of 3 mature divisions" of Fragrant Bouquet for just $33.00. I didn't realize the "clump" I received would require division, but it was so large and healthy that I honestly think I could have divided it into 4 or more plants. Everything was packaged nicely and arrived in good condition.

I made my first order last summer and was very pleased by what I received. They were small (as stated at their website) but healthy and they did well after being planted. I definitely will order from them again. Next time I am in the Twin Cities I will stop in to shop.

I would have to agree with the previous comments.
I had viewed HostasDirect website, looked at the slideshow to get the idea of what I was ordering (TC plugs). All the pictures were showing nice big plants growing out of the little cell packs.
On August 2, 2009 I had ordered 19 different varieties, spent $218.
Couple of days later I got an e-mail announcing some 15%off on all hostas August sale. I was a little "bummed" to say the least.
My package arrived couple of days later. When I opened the box everything was nicely packed but the plants were really small. I was very disappointed, but potted them up into little quart containers.

I then decided to write an e-mail to let HostasDirect how I felt. I even sent some pictures later. I wish I could post them here. The response I got from Tom shocked me. He did not understand what my problem was!

After couple of weeks of back and fourth the conclusion was I could send
the hostas back, and I would get a free plant next time I place an order.
I felt it was too time consuming to ship them all back so I decided not to do that, and the free baby hosta was not good enough incentive. Not long after that I got their hosta e-newsletter announcing end of shipping season 25% off all the plants sale. I gave up after that.

I am a little surprised at myself for even writing this, but reading those two neutral comments brought back the memory of MY bad experience. At the time I ordered my plants there was no "Post your comments" site, and believe me I sOOO wanted to!


Anyway... Maybe Tom should ad more videos on his website showing EXACTLY what the plants they ship look like, or link a picture by the hosta description saying " the actual plant you receive is going to look like this". So there is no bad surprises when your plants arrive.

How is that for concise posting... ?
sorry :(

I think this should be in a negative posting... I am kinda on a fence about that. I am sure Tom is not a bad guy he obviously likes plants, but he didn't handle my case very well.

"On Feb 22, 2010 11:26 AM, HostasDirect Inc. responded with:

Hi Paul,

Thank you for your nice compliments about our top notch packaging and the positive reviews on Dave’s Garden we have earned. As I will explain, I totally disagree with your posting.

Of the thousands of orders we process, we receive a complaint on one or two out a thousand. Often times it is a beginning gardener. We try very hard not to misrepresent ANYTHING on our website. I would rather not make a sale than have an unhappy customer and my name and company tarnished.

I responded to your complaint promptly in a professional manner last fall, even though we were swamped. After your inquiry, we inspected the remaining stock we had on hand from where we selected your hostas and found good sizes, healthy hostas! Per our request, you sent us photos of your plants. My staff and I reviewed your pictures closely and agreed the hostas we sent to you were healthy, had great roots, many leaves (I believe some had 7 to 9 leaves) and were of appropriate size. If I recall correctly some of the hostas we sent had more than one eye. Yes, I wish we could post your pictures here as well for others to see. We offered to refund your money if you sent the plants back as that is our normal policy. It is simply a matter of soaking them, wrapping wet newspapers around the roots, putting them back in the box, taping and adding postage. We offered an additional free hosta for your trouble. You elected not to do it. I do want all of our customers to be satisfied.

Paul, as I mentioned on our websites over and over, and I emailed to you, I can not send you plants that are “exactly” like the pictures because plants are living things. The 500 different varieties we offer can all be a little different in their genetics which shows in plant’s structure, growth rate, how many and where they send leaves out, the amount of sun they need and more. Depending upon the time of year, the age of the plant (maturity) and the grow rate of the plant (slow, moderate or fast) plants change – they are living and growing. The important thing is that you get a good, disease-free plant, with good roots, packaged well, and of an appropriate size – which is what we sent you. Do you realize how fast hostas often grow once they are in your soil and outside of our shade cloth?

Every one of our customers is important and we care that people get good value for their hard earned money. I feel your situation was handled professionally and courteously.

As for our sale that you mentioned you missed, I think you are being unfair and unrealistic. Am I supposed to call you to let you know we might be having a sale at some point and not to order? Most gardeners know that vendors might put plants on sale in the fall if they have extra inventory. I have to try to figure this out myself with other items I purchase. As an example, will shirts go on sale and if so, what and when? What if they sell out before it goes on sale and I end up with nothing? Is it better to have it than to not have it at rock bottom lowest price and miss not having it? How much time do I have to shop?
"

I was able to visit the HostasDirect retail site and found it to be very organized and easy to find my way around in. The best part was being able to meet Tom and sit down and talk hostas with him. He answered so many of my hosta questions! He is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. I was also able to visit the business site and after observing the "operation", I will be comfortable purchasing hostas at HostasDirect. The instruction sheet I got with my hosta has more useful information on 1 page than any hosta source I have previously used. Thanks again, Tom-I'll be back!

I am very pleased with Hostas Direct! The website has great information and is easy to use. I was very impressed with the size of the plants I ordered, as well as the careful packaging and super-fast shipping. I will be ordering from them again!

I had a wonderful experience with this company. The owner Tom provided important and interesting information about hostas in general and about my purchase in particular. He really goes the extra distance to make sure his customers are satisfied. I intend to buy all my future hostas from this company and recommend it to others who are as crazy about hostas as me.

A wide selection of nice-looking plants, but they are very small for the price and not at all the great deal that they're advertised to be.

Service is very good, starting with good quality stock items and well educated staff providing a comfortable shopping experiance.
I have purchased several plants over a period of three years and all plants are doing just fine. All are healthy and disease free.
Having the choice to purchase divisions or tissue culture plugs is a plus.
Highly recommand.

David

I have mail ordered from hostasdirect before, I had an opportunity to visit their retail site and was very pleased with their selection and pricing. The owner Tom Carlson was at the site and invited his customers to check out mature plants at his home. Several of us took him up on his offer.Had a great time with Tom and did end up taking home several very nice plants. Will definately be making return visits!

This company is very organized and customer friendly. We bought a new house last year and had NO plant material. I found HostaDirect while searching for Hosta sources online. I ordered both TC and divisions all of which arrived in a timely manor and were healthy. Best of all I filled out a customer survey and won a hundred dollar gift certificate, YIPPEE. So, now I am shopping for this year.

Have order hostas and plant labels and have been very happy with all purchases

I loved all your hostas I had purchased from you.But the Tiarias,I'm not too happy with, They do not want to stand up high in my Hosta garden,Like the others do well in. Maybe I didn't dig a big hole for them. Its not the sun either ,It has been slight sunny here,Temperature has come down a bit. .they are just dragging.I hope maybe next year,They will come up (perk up ) better. I can't wait till I buy more Hostas from you. I started to collect Hostas last year and seeds. I also grow mine from seeds, But due to gnats, lime.I cant get them to grow, So Thanks to You.I can buy more and more of your Excellent Beautiful Hosta's. Thanks.
Lori =)

"

Hi Lori,

Thanks again for your business and writing here. I want to reassure you your Golden Tiaras are going to look great next spring. If not, please contact me. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM with the Golden Tiara's I transplanted in my yard about the same time we shipped your order - the plants have not stood straight up - yet. I attribute this problem to the following

Golden Tiara has a petiole (stem) that is inbetween the diameter of martini straw (I have never had a martini by the way!) and a Mac's straw. So, when those hostas with thin stems go through shock, as in transplanting, they might not bounce back as fast.

The time of the year may also have been a factor. Your order was later in the season.

Golden Tiara is one of my favorite plants, as inexpensive as we sell it. I have it in 70 foot border in the front of my home. It multiplies fast, I love the leaves, it has a beautiful bloom, and tolerates the sun quite well. And, it was hybridized right here in Minnesota!

Feel free to write or call if I can be of further assistance. Thanks again for your business and nice compliments here. Please don't worry about a thing - just keep your Golden Tiara moist til winter and consider covering it the first year with mulch or straw or a garbage bag full of either (which prevents covering from blowing away and makes clean up easier in the spring!

Thanks again!

Tom Carlson - Owner HostasDirect, Inc "

I have purchased hostas from Dave's retail sight and by mail. I was impressed with both purchases. Of all of the hostas I have purchased (close to 50), I have only lost one. All others are thriving, including the minis that I purchased last year. They made it through a cold Minnesota winter just fine! I recommend Dave's sight to all that are interested.

I ordered several of the TC value hostas and I am quite happy with them. They are small but are exactly what I expected since the website described them accurately. Although the hostas had only a couple of leaves when I received them, they are growing fast & several of them flowered within a month of being planted! The plants were carefully packed & shipped quickly. There was even a handwritten note included with my hostas which was a very nice personal touch. The website itself is informative & easy to use. The pictures & descriptions are wonderful which makes researching easy. Order with confidence from hostasdirect.com! I will definitely be a repeat customer with this company.

I enjoyed the large selection of hosta available and ordered plants twice and also ordered great looking labels. I highly recommend this source for the best and newest hosta.

I recently placed my first order with HostasDirect. To say I am extremely impressed would be understating my feelings by several orders of magnitude!!
The variety of hostas offered is extraordinary, the database outstanding, the plants are excellent value for money, the packing and shipping designed to get the plants to you in the quickest time possible in the healthiest condition; and the customer service is some of the best ever!
I have become an obsessed collector of hostas and HostasDirect is now at the head of my list of hosta suppliers!
I would recommend this company without reservation.

Wonderful plants and the best customer service anywhere. I have been doing business with Tom for the past three seasons and will continue to do so in the future. The quality of the hostas are wonderful, pricing fantastic and the selection can't be beat. The hostas always arrive in wonderful condition because of the careful packaging that is done. Customer service is wonderful, great, fantastic. I highly recommend Hostas Direct. Tom is very hands on with his business and is making sure he provides an excellent product.

I wish Hostas Direct success in future years of business. Without Tom / Hostas Direct my hosta collection would not number over 200 varieties with the majority being the small to dwarf varieties.

HostasDirect is simply the greatest place ever! Besides having great plants at reasonable prices the website is awsome. The pictures and information about all the hostas is very complete. You can even look up information about hostas that they do not sell. Can you imagine that? I hope to order some plant markers too, if I ever slow down buying plants!

My plants were all healthy and have started to grow. Some were small, but they were priced accordingly. All in all I am very happy with Hostas Direct and will order again.

My name is Anthony, from Central New Jersey
I found your website to be easy to navigate, the information and photos of the plants were just great. The details of each plant next to the photo were very helpful in deciding which plants to choose. When I did order it was very easy and I was very pleased with how quickly the plants did arive. They were in good condition I followed the simple instructions that came with the plants and all of them a growing just fine. This was my first order with your company and I was very pleased with every thing. I put you on my favorites list and I will be back to order more of your hostas. Thank you,

The website is fantastic with great photos and descriptions of an incredible variety of Hostas. The website also allows you to search by size, color, etc. which makes shopping for hostas a more efficient process. The packaging is great and the plants are extremely healthy and take off as soon as they are planted. Tom Carlson is very easy to work with and is very customer-oriented. I've already recommended this site to others.

Great selection. Robust, healthy plants at a good price. They are all doing well in the garden. Informative website.

Everything about my experience has been fantastic. Plants are great and growing fantastic. Service was great, shipping was great, price was great, I'm very please with the news letter and all the information that it is possible to get on this web site.

I ordered several hosta offered in a special last summer/fall. They came and looked great. I planted them in pots as I really didn't have a place ready for them. They were put in a cage in a wooded area with other shade plants that were waiting of a place to be planted. In October I moved them into a larger area( 48' X 18' cage, we have deer and rabbits that eat everything off) that has raised beds. I put them, pot and all, into the raised bed for the winter. I wondered how they would look in the spring. In spring everything was great. Hope to get more hostas from Hosta Direct next year once I get all my plants into new beds this year. I bought both TC and divisions. Service was great too.

wegarden