Comments regarding Bluestone Perennials

Bluestone has a great selection. My plants arrived quickly and in great shape and they look healthy.

A++++ looking plants are big and bushy. Very well packaged and some were blooming upon opening. With all the bad weather here, I haven't gotten them in the ground, but they are doing well in their containers and still growing. Very pleased with this company. The best catalog out there.

I've ordered from Bluestone more than five times over the last two years. The plant quality is superb. I did lose a few plants during our last harsh New England winter. When Bluestone was notified they responded to my email and sent out replacements within a week. Futhermore, I appreciate their efforts to recycle the packing materials. I spend $3 - $4 on postage when returning packing materials and in return I get free shipping on my next order. Perfect.

For the last two years, I've been trying Bluestone once again. I had ordered from them a few years ago, and gave up after their plants died over mild winters in Texas. Now that I have moved to Massachusetts, and need to re-establish a garden, I have tried them again.

All of their plants are tiny, especially compared to those from other nurseries highly rated on this site. I was surprised to discover extra protein in the box, in the form of slugs. In my case, about 90 percent of their plants (even including hostas)died over the winter. I don't know that I would consider them "negative", but there are definitely better suppliers to be found for mail order.

Simply outstanding. The plants were very healthy and large (6 Achillea, 3 phlox, 3 painted daisy). Much better looking than most nurseries actually. The plants are thriving and already flowering. I am extremely impressed and will use them again.

They have healthy plants at reasonable prices. Plants packed well. They recycle their packing material.

I was underwhelmed by this company.

My order arrived on a timely basis and I knew to expect small plants, but I found the packaging third rate at best. The creeping jenny in particular had taken a real beating. Only eight of the 12 plants I had ordered survived transit. The four plants were promptly replaced, but a little less of a new age attitude towards the use of modern packaging would have made the frustration of asking for replacement plants unnecessary.

Companies that are much less highly thought of on this sight such as Spring Hill and Gurneys routinely send their live plants in specially designed shipping boxes with snug fitting plastic lids to prevent the plants from getting dehydrated and crushed if UPS or the U.S. Postal Service decides to play volleyball with the order.

Bluestone had jammed all 40 of my plants in their flimsy plastic pots inside one large cardboard box, cushioned only with some biodegradable plastic peanuts they kindly asked me to return to them if I placed another order. No wonder my plants arrived quite dry and in a beat up state.

This post is for newbies to mail ordering like myself. You may read how small Bluestone plants are and think that's fine, but be prepared, because they are really small. Often, if there is no sale, a three pack is nine dollars. That's three dollars for a tiny plant. Unfortunately several of the plants I ordered also look close to death. I think part of what you pay for is variety, more to choose from than at a local nursery.

I ordered and received from Bluestone for the first time this spring. I don't have any other good thing to say about Bluestone that has not been expressed many times before by many.

I don't mind the size of the plants at all. As long as the plants are good quality, they would catch up in no time.

I learned about Bluestone from Garden Watchdog. I would order from them again.

i've been receiving blustone catalogs for years but have never ordered from them. living in a four story walk-up in new york city didn't offer me the opportunity to order many plants from them!

i moved to the country recently and ordered over $300 worth of perennials from bluestone. they arrived on time, and for the most part, well packaged. one box was smashed and consequenlty many of the plants inside were also snapped or smashed as well.

overall, i think this company is great. but i must admit, once i unpacked the whole lot, $300 worth of plants didn't look like much. i am aware that they will all grow up into big healthy plants and i constantly tell myself "these plants come from good stock!" but to say that i wasn't disappointed would be an understatement.

the particular things which disappointed me were the size of some of the plants, the clematis were absolutley miniature, barely 3 inches tall! additionally, some plants (rudbeckia, persicaria, saponaria, gaura) were rotted in their 6 paks. having worked in a nursery, i know that a "dead cell" in a 6 pak can easily be popped out and replaced with a viable plant specimen - this should have been done at bluestone instead of mechanically fulfilling the order.

i'd hate to tell folks that they should simply go to the corporate DIY store, because I truly believe in supporting the independent grower. But for basic plants, i think i will buy at my local independent nursery and worst case scenario at the corporate DIY store in my area and get only the unique, hard to find plants at Bluestone.

i haven't yet contacted bluestone regarding my order. i will shortly and update this entry with their response.

Just placed my fifth or sixth order with Bluestone (a second one THIS spring) - needed a few fill in plants and took advantage of some half price specials.

Sure the plants are small, but they are well rooted and ready to grow.

I will continue to order from Bluestone - and consider them to be one of a core of mail order sources I will use consistently.

I have ordered from many mail order companies over the years (Wayside, Jung, Park to name a few) and experienced so many disappointments--spindly plants, poor packaging, orders that never showed up--that I had vowed to only go to local nurseries. However, Bluestone (with their impressive catalog) had several particular plants that I could not find locally, so I made an exception to my rule. I am SO pleased that I did!! The perennials arrived beautifully packaged, and in superb condition. After only two weeks, some of them are blooming already and all are thriving. With their extensive selection and, most importantly, quality and attention to detail, Bluestone has restored my confidence in mail-order nursery products. I would not hesitate to order from them again!

sorry to say I'm not impressed. Bluestone's idea of optimum planting time and mine aren't in agreement.I would much prefer to plant perennial in 70 degrees as opposed to 85. I ordered $250 worth of plants and shrubs and knew from this website that they would be small. No surprises there. I was, however, not so pleased with the packaging. Some 70 odd plants in one box. Some of them a half inch high and some six+ inches high. Unfortunately the box was only 7 inches high and with the pots and packing the taller plants were bent so badly that 2 of the 3 black papaver were broken at soil level as was one of the knautia. The artemesia frigida were very spindly from insufficient light and 3 of the six were rotting from over-water. The purple-leaf honeysuckle had mostly black leaves and neither the seven sons or the kalmia elf look well. Really not too bad for the size of the order or the overall price. average price for a three-pak is $3.00 and for shrubs $5.00. Have mixed feelings here.

I spent $140 on 6 each of Rudbeckia, Shasta Daisies, Packera, Oenethera, Hollyhocks, 2 different Yarrows, Phlox subulata & Wonder of Staffa Asters. The plants took a couple of weeks to arrive, and were well packed and very healthy. They did seem small - $140 barely filled a small box. All the plants are growing strongly in the cellpacks they arrived in (2 weeks and counting) with no problems except a bit of rust on the hollyhocks (my fault - afternoon watering). I'm not sure I will use Bluestone for "usual" plants I could pick up at the local DIY place as they were so small, but I will use them for the unusual plants I take a fancy to.
BTW - if you send them back the cardboard box and the packing pellets they will give you a voucher for free shipping.

When my first time order arrived my first impression was "these plants are tiny", but after watering them they perked right up. Thier roots are healthy and they are thriving fine (I even have blooms just 3 weeks after arrival). They offer many selections which are hard to come by. I will definately use them again for all my hard to find plant orders.

Received ontime and in good condition. Size was as expected. All were healthy and have adapted well. Would readily place additional orders with them!

This is the first time I've ordered from this company and placed an order based on the raving reviews from this site. I ordered 3 dianthus, 3 goblin gallardia, 3 scabiosa, 3 black eyed stella D'oro daylilies and a jackmanii clematis. I received email confirmation of the order and another confirmation with a UPS tracking number once it shipped. As others mentioned, they were a little quick to charge my credit card. I had also given them instructions on when to ship my plants because we were out of town during April. This they followed to the "t". My order arrived 2 days after it was shipped. Everything was green, well packed and very moist. And super good root systems! The roots are the most important as far as I'm concerned. A fertilizer tablet was included in the box. I didn't know what this was for so I called customer service (they answer the phone quickly) and was told to use that with the clematis vine. The daylilies are of flowering size. They've been in the ground for over 3 weeks and all are sending up new growth and developing flower buds! This impressed me because I've purchased daylilies from local garden centers. For the same price you get smaller plants that don't bloom till the following year. The gallardias and scabiosas (one of the scabiosa's had flower buds on it) had been cut back, probably to fit into the box better. They are now sending up new shoots. The clematis had it's vines tied together with 2 stakes in the pot. Another point I want to make is that we had several hard frosts, with pretty windy days after I put them in the ground and this didn't bother them one bit! I just recently placed another order with them for their northern lights azalea's and a butterfly bush. I know these will be small when I recieve them as that is what they state in the catalogue. Overall, they send very healthy plants, excellent packing, you get coupons to use for future orders, they have a great selection and I will place orders with them in the future. I also like their "buy 3 get one free" deal. A very good company to do business with.

My experience with Bluestone has been the best I have ever had with on line plant buying. The quality of the plants is excellent and so far all are thriving.

Plants arrived one week after placing order online. Sent emails letting me know how order was going, when it shipped, and with tracking number. Plants arrived in perfect condition. Now planted and waiting to see how they do. Will order from them again.

A GREAT COMPANY TO DEAL WITH. I WILL ORDER FROM THEM IN THE FUTURE. GOOD QUALITY PLANTS,WELL PACKED WITH QUICK DELIVERY. RESPONDED QUICKLY TO EMAILS. HONORED THEIR GUARANTEE.

I ordered from Bluestone twice this Spring -- but in effect only paid for shipping once due to their wonderful recycling credit program. Their plants are wonderful -- healthy, strong, and well packed. My second order had a couple of problem plants in it -- but that was the fault of UPS, for screwing up my delivery -- not Bluestone. The one thing that did happen that I'm not completely thrilled with, was the one plant I had they were out of stock of, they enclosed a note with the shipment saying that it would come in the Fall instead -- I wish I had been informed by email or something beforehand, rather than having that come as a surprise. But overall, for quality, selection, and price (especially once you factor in their 'buy 3 get 1' discounting), Bluestone will probably be a staple of my garden for years to come.

Received my order 1 day after the email stating to look for its arrival. I have not purchased plants from a better vendor. They arrived perfectly packaged, green and healthy, some were already starting to bloom. The soil was even very moist around all the plants. I highly recommend them and the prices cannot be beaten for the quality of the plants that are received.

Wow, what a great company! I requested a catalog from Bluestone after reading about them on this site, and I've been very pleased with them. The prices are reasonable, and these have got to be the largest plants I've ever gotten from a mail-order company. This was my first order from Bluestone, but it definately won't be the last!

spent about fifty dollars. all plants arrived in beautiful condition.thanks bluestone

I ordered from this company on the recommendations of the customer's feedback. I was not disappointed. The email communication was great. The plants I received were the best from any company from which I'd previously purchased.

Plants arrived ontime and looking healthy except one coreopsis (out of a three-pack). I was a little surprised by the size--they are fairly small--but then their prices are fairly small, too.

I bought 6 Scabiosa "Butterfly Blue" from them via their 2-for-3 sale. I expected to receive medium quality plants late in the shipping season due to my having ordered late. I didn't. They came on time and were all very healthy. They are now doing quite nicely, so if they die at this point (a month after receiving them) it'll be my fault. :)

There isn't a better company out there to do business with than Bluestone. The plants arrive in good condition. The prices are reasonable and the customer service is exceptional. I will certainly order from them again.

Ordered in mid February. Was charged the next week (almost $100). Order did not arrive until April 30. I was surprised by this (maybe I missed it on their web). I am glad they waited to ship because I am in Ohio, but it would have been nice not to have been charged until April. Very Healthy plants. Great packing. But, unless I am looking for something I can not find locally, or the price is outstanding, I will think twice about using them again. I do like the idea of their recycling program.

How's this for an endorsement? My shade garden collection arrived in bad shape because I missed two attempts to deliver. Finally my friend accepted delivery, left the plants wrapped for two days, and overwatered. Arggggh. By the time I saw them the whole thing looked like a crime scene. I sprayed them with kelp, picked off the damaged portions, planted them, and hoped for the best. Within a week they showed signs of new growth. That says an awful lot about the vigourous state of Bluestone's stock. It appears that I won't lose one plant. Yayyyy!

This is my first time buying plants on-line. I placed an order with Bluestone Perennials for more than 100 dollars. Plants came at the perfect time for planting. All specimens were beautiful and strong. Keep up the good work!!

Bluestone is great - beautiful catalog and website, great prices plus specials and coupons, friendly and informative customer service, and, most importantly, healthy plants! This is my second year ordering from them and I'll continue to as long as I have space in my garden...

Bluestone is the best. Their selection is very good; they may not carry the most rarified cultivars, but a solid group of proven plants. The prices are extremely fair. And I've always received strong, healthy plants, shipped promptly. I've started three new gardens over the last ten years, and Bluestone is always my first stop for the "workhorses."

It is hard to go wrong with this company .The prices are great ,the specials are out of this world and if it isn't right ,they will MAKE it so.Tamarava

Last fall I ordered 36 Lamiums. When I received them 12 of them were not in good shape. I emailed them and told them I would wait until this spring to see how they fared. The 12 did not survive. I called them and I received the 12 in 2 days.

I will definately order from them again.

I've ordered from Bluestone several times, including this spring. My most recent order -- of 50 or so plants -- arrived in fine shape, as always. Only a few were dry on arrival. Despite planting during two windy days of near-90 temps, all the plants look great. Bluestone's recycling program is a Godsend when looking for ways to order plants at a fairly low cost.

I Love Bluestone Perennials!! They are the best source I have used for mail order perennials. The selection, price, and quality of the plants is better than any I've seen. Within the first growing season my perennials grew and filled out wonderfully, and I was equally impressed the second year when they reached a more mature size. This being year three, I can now even divide many of them up (and thus, get more plants!) Bluestone is a sure bet for mail ordering!

I have ordered from several on-line nurseries in the past few months and find that Bluestone lives up to its reputation. Everything I ordered was well packaged, of a good size, and looks very healthy. With my other on-line orders there were some plants that were healthy and some that were not (roughly a 60 to 40% ratio), the packaging was not good and I did not know when to expect my order. Bluestone informs you every step of the ordering process and even gives a rough delivery date. Bluestone is a sure thing, while the others are a gamble, so, for my time and money, it is a much better value.

After seeing so many wonderful positive comments about Bluestone I decided to order. The plants arrived as expected, however, they were dry and some of them were very rootbound. Maybe it's different if you order 'non-sale' items.