Comments regarding Willis Orchard Company

Posted on February 25, 2010, updated April 10, 2010
I originally placed my order last June, a little past the cut-off date for shipping so I knew up front that I had to wait. The order showed up about a month ago, and I am generally happy with the whole experience.

I ordered three Halls Hardy Almond Trees, they arrived in beautiful condition, better than I had expected.

I ordered three blueberry bushes (2 Climax and 1 Delite) and they arrived in absolutely perfect condition, they look even better than the blueberry bushes I hand picked from my local nursury.

I also ordered two Paw-Paw trees (one Collins Select and one Eastern Seedling). My only disappointment in them is that no older trees were available to purchase at the time I placed my order, so I got what was available, which was the 1-2' size and at that age they look like little more than a stick. But I do understand that there's really nothing Willis Orchards can do about there being a high demand for Paw-Paw trees this year.

Overall I was satisfied, I will say that there was very little communication from the Orchard between the time I ordered and the time they showed up, but it didn't cause me any problems. But as a suggestion for Willis Orchards in the future, a call or email to let me know that they were on their way would have been nice, just in case I had been travelling or something like that which might have left them sitting in the box too long I could have made arrangements to have a neighbor pick them up. But like I said before, it didn't cause me any problems this time, so no harm done and I'm generally very satisfied with the whole transaction. I got what I paid for, and then maybe a little extra in the quality of product.

Sweet as Candy when placing an order & friendly on the first call..but when it gets down to the nitty gritty they have never read their own "FRIENDLY GUARANTEE" If you are young and don’t mind wasting a lot of time you may eventually find something they have that is worth purchasing, just beware if it doesn't grow, don't expect a lot of customer service from them.
My experience with them: I bought a premium PLUMCOT from them. I had just moved to a new home and purchased 11 trees from a variety of suppliers, they were the only one to have the Plumcot I wanted. Their tree arrived well packaged, the main stem was over an inch in diameter and well branched..The root ball was almost non-existent and showed little life if any signs of life it appeared as if it had been ripped from the ground..I called the customer service and was ask to give the tree a chance (late march 2009), mid may I called again, the other 10 trees had all leafed out and were doing well. Customer service connected me with "JASON" who said it was now beyond their shipping season and ask that I leave it in, in hopes it would catch..with a promise to replace it that fall if it didn't..I commented to him that because I was kind enough to give the tree all the chance in the world, I was losing an entire growing season..First sign of problems yet to come.."we only replace with the size that was purchased”..ok see you this fall. The tree was left in all summer with pictures taken several times thru growing season of the other 10 trees & the Plumcot. Tree was dug out early October, close up pictures taken & Emailed WILLIS with the invoice ref. & all the dates that I had spoken to them. They Emailed back a week later stating as per their policy I had to ship the root back to them. I called Jason to remind him of all the earlier conversations & finally got him to agree to replace the tree..transferred to customer service to arrange replacement where I'm told that the shipping cost is just a dollar less than the original cost of the tree..still wanting a Plumcot, I grudgingly agreed and give them my credit card info for billing..two weeks go by, now mid November 2009, no tree, call to customer service were I reach a very snippy (for the lack of a more appropriate word) “person” who informs me that they haven't shipped the tree because the only form of payment they will accept on replacement trees is a check??? I inform her that I did care to business with them any longer, and to place the tree where the sun seldom shines. I’ll write the experience and the $64.00 off as a learning experience...I wish I had taken the opportunity to read up on Willis before I had even thought of doing business with them..live & learn.

We placed an order for two chestnut trees in March. We were told that they would be shipped next week. After waiting for 3 weeks, no tree came. So we decided to cancel the order. We called twice. Each time, the cancellation was confirmed and refund was supposedly processed. We thought that would be th e end of it and we would receive the refund in a few days. However, yesterday the trees were delivered to our home. We do not want them any more. We called to return. Willis could not confirm that the order was cancelled!!! We had to pay for the shipping to return. Thanks a lot for the service :(

I ordered 2 fruit trees (1 bing cherry and 1early elberta peach), 15 gal blueberry shrub, 2 raspberry and 2 blackberry, 10 fungi and pruner. The parcel arrived in about 2 weeks but did not have the fungi and pruner. I called and talked to someone and he said he will look into it (hope they send it soon!!). The trees were well packed with the gel. I was very pleased with the bing cherry 1.5 " EZ pick and was happy to see small leaves sprouting from the 1.25 " 6 ft peach tree. Since the leaves were sprouting in both trees, I planted them in the yard. The 15 gal. blueberry seemed to have taken a shock since they shipped it bareroot. I have potted it and placed it in a shaded area and it is showing signs of recovery - it looks like it will survive. Like the previous reviewers, I was a little disappointed with the 3yr raspberry - since they were 6 foot long twigs - but are showing signs of life. From the 2 nos of 3yr blackberry I think atleast 1 will live.

In general, experience was positive especially due to good cherry and peach tree. I would recommend this place if interested in fruit tree but go for the greater than 1" caliper and atleast 5 -6 feet size. The 15 gallon fruit shrubs should be sent with some soil as bare root they seem to experience severe shock.

Will order more fruit trees, once they complete my order and send me the 10 packets of fungi and pruner from my first order!

I order yellow raspberries 2 years ago. the first plants I received were the size of a tiny dowel with no roots at all. I planted in fall and all died through the winter. when I called to report I was told to return plants. Received next shipment and they were returns from somewhere else. they were much larger and had already leafed out. of course, none made it. I am now told too bad, only one time replacement. I have a difficult time taking all the responsibility, since I own 2 acres that have prolific red raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc. I did request a refund at one time but was told replacements only. I will order elsewhere!

I ordered some 3-year old "fruiting size" raspberry plants last year. When they arrived, the bareroot plants were fully leaved out and wilted. The packaging was bad--the roots were just wrapped in newspaper and plastic. The caliper was smaller than the 1-year old plants I have received from other nurseries in the past. I planted them as they instructed, and they died. When I called to request a replacement, they said I had to wait until the next year. When I called this spring, they refused to replace them. Needless to say, I am taking my business elsewhere.

Thank God I didn't order from this company. I just called them to inquire about their cherry trees, a man answered the phone with ab attitude. I thought he would want to be as helpful as possible in order to earn my business, but he was very short with his answers and made me uncomfortable to ask more questions, I felt like I was botherinf him. After reading all these reviews I am glad I didn't do business with this company.... Whew....

Posted on April 4, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
Posted on April 4, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
Posted on March 14, 2010, updated April 4, 2010
Posted on March 14, 2010, updated March 14, 2010
Posted on March 14, 2010, updated March 14, 2010
I wish I saw this website earlier. I just put an order and my order has not been shipped yet. After reading these feedback, the 45%negative rate really concerned me.

What should I do and what can I do? I know.

The online nursery business should look at eBay to see how the good sellers do good business there; how to be a trusted online seller and how these can positively impact their business by a 99%positive feedback or higher. To consumers, even 97% positive is not enough. 45% is simply a NO NO. Play for long.

Over one year ago, I ordered several strawberry plants and an "Ice Cream" banana plant. The strawberry plants were bare root and completely dry. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that those dried up twigs were not going to produce quality fruit anytime soon. The fact that I paid extra for the "fruiting" strawberry plants made it all the more irritating.

The banana plant was a dried up stem. I planted it and was surprised to see it start growing. However, one year later and it is now fruiting at 3 feet tall! An Ice Cream banana plant is over 10 feet tall! How in the world do you even confuse the two????

I don't know what is going on in Georgia, but it seems you cannot trust any nursery based there. They send the wrong plants and in poor condition to boot!

Last September I ordered fruit trees from this company: 1 Pineapple Guava tree, 1 Angel Pomegranate tree, 1 Sugar Pear tree and 1 Pineapple Pear tree. Of course, as bare root trees do, they came as 4 "sticks" with roots at the end all in the same box in I believe late October/early November (as expected as they're shipped in their dormant state). I had never been so excited to get a box of sticks in my life!!!

Anyway, I planted them all and kept them watered... Well, I forgot to mulch them over the winter which was especially long and cold this year in Charlotte.... but lucky for me (perhaps I should knock on wood here) all of the trees survived regardless! The pears are JUST starting to come out of dormancy and the other 2 are still just sticks, but I scraped each tree with my thumbnail after the last snow out of fear and anticipation of death to discover that they are all green inside and quite alive!

Last month I went back to Willis Orchards again to buy an apple tree and ended up getting one of those grafted 4-in-1 trees. It arrived a couple of weeks ago and each branch had a teeny leaf just barely sprouting out of the top. Since planting it, the leaves are filling in. Of course, I can't say anything yet about the fruiting of any of my trees... but I am very optimistic and VERY happy with the company, with the products, and with the promptness of receiving my orders (in the fall it was a little longer because of dormancy, but this spring the apple tree came within 10 days of my ordering it).

So far, this is the best experience I've had so far with an online nursery!

Greetings,

I recently visited the several websites after a long quest for trees / plants in the S. Georgia / N. Florida area.

Several nurseries were recommended to include TY-TY and Willis Orchard. After visiting the BBB (Better Business Bureau) website and Dave's garden, I noticed that all had their fair share of complaints.

I have made several calls to various nurseries, but none has provided the customer service I expected as the service received from Willis Orchard's "Joy B."

After reading all the negative comments on Dave's Garden about poor customer service, bad attitude at Willis Orchard, I automatically got on the defense and kept my guard up while awaiting for the negativity to begin. A few mins into the phone conversation I thought I was dealing with a long time friend who had my best interest in mind. I asked the questions I had in mind and she provided me with the answers. She gave me advise against some of my favorite plants as they were not for my zoning area, which saved me hundreds of dollars while offering a suitable substitute. After several phone calls and call back from Joy, I was at peace with the selection made and had no misconception of what the plants or packaging would look like.

So, back to my original comment about the negative comments. Its impossible to please everyone, but I do believe that Joy, Jason and the rest of their co-workers are doing the best they can.

People If you don't ask the right questions you won't get the right answers about the transportation of plants.

I am pleased with the plants I received and I am completely satisfied with the service rendered by Willis Orchard...

Richard C.

Posted on March 8, 2010, updated March 19, 2010
Posted on February 25, 2010, updated March 8, 2010
This company is highly recommended. I am very Please with my order and experience with them.

Posted on March 9, 2010, updated March 18, 2010
I ordered 2 "3 year" blueberries, 3 "3 year" raspberries and 5 "3 year" grapes of different varieties last spring. Upon arrival some were in bad shape:

1. Climax blueberry "bush" was butchered to 1/3rd of the mass of the Tifblue also received - as in a single stalk with a cluster of nubs where it was hacked up - but since it survived I'm stuck with it.

2. Tifblue was total necrotic upon delivery and died soon after planting so I lost a year on this one.

3. All of the raspberries were DOA.

4. 4 of the 5 grapes were good to go with the one that died being very skinny for "3 years" and almost no roots to even plant.

Advise: do not reply to the email from Willis because they don't read any replies to their 'sales@' address. Also, the moment you receive your plants photograph them and upload them for doing a return without being out more money shipping dead twigs back to Willis.

After waiting 6 weeks for a reply and giving the plants time I called and got replacements (using uploaded photos) which arrived in November and were planted immediately...

REPLACEMENTS:

1. Tifblue blueberry - gorgeous and full... makes the butchered one look worse as it is dwarfed by the new plant.

2. Raspberries - I suppose 2 out of 3 is acceptable? 2 of these "3 year" plants had a diameter about the size of my pinky and had small leaves upon arrival and today are leafing out nicely. However the "3 year" Fall Gold arrived at about the diameter of a shrimp skewer and with little root mass to plant and today its a no go.

3. "3 year" Red Flame grape - this replacement arrived slightly skinnier than my pinkey finger with all of LITERALLY 2 roots no longer than 2 inches so its dead. Compared to the living Red Flame it was double the diameter and I had to use post hole diggers to plant it because the roots were 2' long. I put "3 year" in quotes because I don't buy some of these are that old...

So I'm done with Willis Orchard because on 2 occasions it seems pretty clear as to the lack of quality control due to the impression of filling the order and shipping it whether the plants are sick, dead, diseased, mangled and butchered or undersized/underaged. I'll just eat the losses and replace them locally or with any of the 3 other online vendors I tried last year in addition to Willis Orchard where I had NO PROBLEMS such as Gurney's, Sooner Plant Farm and Garden Crossings.

For the record:
I waited a year to post this review and give Willis the opportunity to redeem themselves and 'more of the same' substandardism was their choice. I was plenty disappointed last year but restrained myself from reviewing them to allow them to satisfy their customer even if in a very untimely manner but shipping kindling to a customer already inconvenienced was the CHOICE they made.

It goes without saying that I won't do business with Willis Orchard again.

"On Mar 10, 2010 10:34 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

If interested in what people think about product and service received, check this out:
[HYPERLINK@customerlobby.com]"

The mulberries I ordered arrived very quickly and are obviously healthy--great roots! This was my first order with this company; I'll certainly order again. I hate to see the negative reviews, but when I tried to create a review on their website, I couldn't get the star rating to work. Maybe some ratings aren't getting posted.

I bought 18 trees from this company, all > 7 ft. tall. Had 3 trees die. One of them never leafed out and the other two were my fault. Company has said they will replace them all with no shipping charge to me for the new trees. Everytime I called, I have recieved excellent service. The trees are beautiful

This spring, I ordered and received for the second time a shipment of barerooted nursery stock from Willis Orchards. In both cases, I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and size of my plants! Last year, I got several apple trees from them. They were all beautiful except one, which had an unusual graft site. It actually broke at the graft site. I called Willis and was immediately credited. No return necessary. The remaining trees have done great, are growing well and have a head start on some other apples I planted at the same time. Just this month, I and a neighbor combined an order which included 20 Blueberries, several seedless grapes, 4 apples and a fig and blackberry. All except the blackberry were exceptional plants, sized better than advertised and with wonderful roots. The seedless grapes, in particulary, were fantastic plants with strong vines and great roots. The service was good and arrived when I wanted them. The shipping always seems too high when you get the box ($69 from Ga to NC), one small and not too heavy box. You can put a lot of bare rooted trees and bushes in a small space! But the plant prices were better than local nurseries so maybe it works out. So not sure why so many negative ratings here, or why an F on the BBB website listed in the comment below. Maybe just the nature of the business. Or maybe I have just been lucky. But I would order from happily again until proven wrong!

Expecting to order virus and disease free raspberries from a
reputable nursery, I ordered online from Willis Orchard Nursery after seeing their ad on Google. The plants were advertised as 3 year size and arrived in an acceptable time and well packages, but surprisingly all three raspberry plants were dead on arrival with tiny stem diameters, about ½ the width of a pencil. No way were they 3 years old!
The alleged, 3 year old, Heritage raspberry plant had previously been sprouted, but the leaves had dried up and turned brown, the same color of the moldy brown stem that was covered with green and blue fungus. The roots were covered with a white dusty mildew that smelled terrible. The fall gold raspberry and the September red raspberry plants were also obviously dead from top to bottom and the stems were dry brittle and snapped in two when I removed them from the package.
The 3 blackberry plants were received alive and the 3 year Apache plant did actually appear to be, in fact, 3 years old, but had already sprouted out leaves up and down the stem with 4 inch suckers growing up from the root -base of the plant. The Black Satin thornless and Navajo thornless blackberry plants were acceptable in size but infected roots with mildew and wounded stems oozed with red-purple streaks. I'm afraid to plant these in my Garden to spread disease to my other bushes and trees.
Contact with the BBB of Columbus, GA
(www.bbb.org/columbus-georgia/business-reviews/nurseries-plants-trees/paradise-palm-company-in-moultrie-ga-91800692/)
revealed that Willis Orchards has an “F” rating, and they don't even
answer complaints apparently. I'm going to also try to contact the
Governor of Georgia to see if he can help me get a refund from this
order and most horrible mail-order that I've ever experienced.

"On Feb 15, 2010 4:16 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

I've not heard of such ridicule or such a claim made by any customers here. Nor have I received any notice from the BBB or any other agency. I believe this is another competitor slander (notice the most horrible statements all come from the Atlanta area cities where my infamous competitor's college student employees live). I'll definitely keep you posted if I indeed receive any such notice from the for-mentioned agencies. This is a bogus claim. Go to [HYPERLINK@customerlobby.com] if you want to see real customer reviews.

Over the last two or three years, I've placed at least three orders from Willis, for Apple trees, Blackberry bushes, Muscadine and Bunch Grapes, Peach trees, Pear trees, Jujubes, Mayhaws, and I believe a couple quince trees.

Not all of the plants survived, but this was my fault, because they were planted in a low, swampy area. I did not try to get a replacement or refund on those that died, because it was my fault, not theirs.

I honestly can't say that all of their named cultivars are what they are said to be, because many of the plants haven't fruited yet, and it may be several years before I know, but what I can say is that everything arrived healthy. I'm happy so far.

last year i ordered 3 fruit trees from willis orchard 1 died i told them about it,it was to late to ship a replacement that that year, since bare root trees are shipped to each area at a certain time of year,they told me to send the dead tree back and they would send me another one next year.THEY DID i recieved it sat 1-24-2010 free of charged and planted it sunday, free ticket signed by mr.willis... thanks mr. willis you will always have my business, and to be fair with willis orchard the tree that died was planted in a low area,not good, needs to be in high ground, i transplanted all the trees out of that area, things like this happen, not the orchards fault.so mr.willis you will always have trees coming back as we all make mistakes.i am sure there is someone out there planting a bucket of fire ants, they would all die on them after reading the instructions....james st. augustine florida

Just received my 3rd order from Willis, all trees were as described or larger, exceeded my expectations. Great folks to do business with, will order again.

I received my order in exactly 1 week. 2 pecans, 2 plums, 2 persimmons, 1 fig, 4 blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and a very thoughtful free gift that was obviously chosen for my zone. The trees are as advertised and some are even larger. There is green under the bark and plenty of buds ready to swell in the spring. I'm very well pleased with my order, the packaging and speed of delivery. Considering this was the week of the horrendous cold weather, I really didn't expect them so soon. I'm already plotting my next order from these fine folks and highly recommend them.

order twice from co and satisfied with their service and plants qualities.

ordering was pleasant and individuals were very helpful.They provided pictures and answered all my questions.
Trees arrived ,packaged very well.Specimans were more than expected.
I would definetly use Jason and his team again in the future.

Jimmy Robberson

"On Jan 7, 2010 11:21 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Thank you very much for your support, Jimmy. And remember, if any of the 120 trees do not live this summer, to let me know and we will replace them for you this Fall. Best wishes, JW."

I just joined here - what a great resource this site is! Anyway, I was quite surprised to see some of the negative comments about Willis. I have spent several hundred bucks with them over the past 6 months & I've not had any complaints. From my perspective they do what they say they will do & I've gotten some beautiful stock from them. I had one order with an issue (they shorted me 2 scuppernongs) & they fixed it immediately when I alerted them. I use several online companies, but currently Willis is my #1 choice.

"On Dec 25, 2009 12:09 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Thank you for your support. You're in the same boat as 99 plus percent of our customers. For example: As of now, Our review history since we started here 3 years ago on D.G. is 76 positive, 7 neutral and 47 negative. Yet in the past 1 year alone, we have served nearly 20 Thousand customers. This 'statistical fact' supports the gist of your comment. That Willis Orchard Co. does right by its customers in service, quality, and honors our promises. Despite these few angry comments or competitor smears that are posted at this site. So again, thank you for supporting our company. We will do our best not to let you down. J.W.

I took a look at there website.
I wasn't real amused I think if you want to sell something you should offer as much information as possible about what you are offering. There is no mention of suggested growing zones and I just don't think I should have to go else where to find that information. You know like growth habit, size, ect... I gave up within a minute or 2 at there website.

"On Dec 24, 2009 11:44 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Actually, every single item page has its own customized map of the U.S. that shows the growing zones for that particular tree/plant. The growing zones are clearly highlighted and numbered on every tree's page. Hard to miss. But we welcome any helpful suggestions you may offer by calling or writting. Best wishes to you."

Posted on December 12, 2009, updated December 12, 2009
Posted on December 02, 2009, updated December 12, 2009
Ordered 19 trees/plants from them late summer of 2008. Received shippment that December. I was concerned with the condition of most of the plants. They arrived bare-rooted in a bit of jelled water. Most of them had very few and mutilated roots. I planted them the next day. It was evident by April that 8 of them were not going to make it and all but two of the others were growing very slowly. I have grown many trees over the years and knew those plants were very retarded. I wrote the company in May of 2009 and informed them of the status of 8 items which had failed. I was told that I could return them and they would be replaced in the fall. I decided to give the plants more time and hope for the best. Recently, I reviewed their "friendly" return/replacement policy and missed the part in there that tells the buyer that the dead items must be returned in order to get a replacement. I receieved a letter from them stating that they would be able to accept an emailed photo of the dead items but that I would have to pay the shipping charges. I guess their intention is to make you pay shipping charges one way or the other, not so much to have proof that their plants died. That does not sound so "friendly" to me! If you happen to buy plants from them that are not woody or are essentially twigs about the diameter of a toothpick (ie. raspberry) and they decompose before the summer is over, then you will be out of luck as far as replacements. Expect none. I did not even get offered a partial credit. Some will call me foolish for complaining here before I get my two out of eight items replaced, but I just needed to add my complaint to the long list you see here. Wish I had seen this section of DG last year. Good luck and look at other nurseries for your nursery needs!

"On Dec 23, 2009 3:55 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

TO ALL NEW ONLOOKERS: Isn't it interesting how this reviewer went from some rather unfair negative comments and even advising to look elsewhere for your trees to a "Way to go, Willis!". As I have said before, take very little stock in the hateful comments made on this website, as they are 99% just hot air and untrue. Just like this fellows original comments were. However, he at least had the integrity to rectify his error. Unfortunately for our society, most people do not anymore.
We are fair, honorable people and if you are as well, then just give me a call if you have a problem. I am 100% confident we can work it out together.
***
We at Willis Orchard Co. wish you all a Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless you this New Year. Sincerely, J. Willis.
***
***




"

I placed my order on December 4, 2009 and received the plants (6) plum trees two (2) days later. The plants were in excellent condition and they were larger than expected. I planted them immediately upon receiving them. I just found the Garden Watchdog site and was dismayed by the number of negative comments. I found the company to be what I expected: Professionals, who deal primarily with experienced gardeners. I intend to order from them again. It was a pleasure dealing with Willis Orchard Company.

I received two trees: an Angel Red and a Persimmon.

The Angel Red "tree" consisted of a number of thin dry branches with no leaves, no buds and short roots resembling the miniature roots of an old onion. After planting that tree, its branch tips dried out and turned black.

The Persimon tree consisted of a Stick (!), transversely sawed off at its upper end, with no leaves and no buds. Its roots were so small and thin that I first thought that there were none.

After planting these trees, I saw no sign of life.
I, therefore, e-mailed them about the condition of these trees but have received no answer.

Very disappointing and Costly mistake.

"On Mar 4, 2010 10:16 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Unfortunately, it sometimes occurs that inexperienced customers will mistake dormant trees as dead trees. Often after ample explanation of the natural state of a dormant tree, they still have an impossible and unreasonable expectation of leaves on a persimmon tree or pomegranate in December, as is the case here. All our trees are routinely inspected and certified by USDA inspectors and we only ship live plants. "

Posted on February 18, 2009, updated October 25, 2009
I recently ordered a SPRING SATIN plumcot (plum-apricot hybrid) and a GOLDEN NECTAR plum from Willis Orchards. When I placed my order, I expressly asked for trees with very low branches so my young children could pick fruit as they grew up in the years ahead. I was told that a special effort would be made to satisfy my wishes ... and then I prayed (and hoped for the best). The trees arrived a couple weeks ago and exceeded my expectations! I ordered "orchard-ready" trees and a huge well-packaged 9-foot tall box arrived. The Spring Satin plumcot was one of the most beautifully branched bare-root fruit trees -- that I can remember in 15 years -- that I have ever received from an internet-order or mail-order fruit tree nursery. The Golden Nectar tree was also nicely branched and very healthy-looking with attractive pinkish flower buds that started popping several days after I planted it here in Arkansas! The GN tree also has a uniquely-attractive golden-green colored bark. I have placed several orders for a variety of fruit trees this season, from several different growers around the country, but these two trees will most probably be the nicest additions to my orchard this year.

I had nothing but a pleasurable experience with the Willis Orchard Company. I ordered a large crape myrtle (size specification was 6-7 feet). I received the plant 8 days later and was completely satisifed as I received my order extremely quick, and I received a small tree LARGER than the size they specified! The tree was anywhere from 8-10 feet. Although shipped bareroot, I can honestly say that it was very healthy and the roots were gelled thoroughly. I will without a doubt be doing business with them again. I've ordered from many nurseries, and can honesty say that this was the FIRST time I received a plant LARGER than specified. I've found that the SOONER PLANT FARM, and RAREFIND nursuries are top-notch when it comes to quality & shipping, and absolutely have to include WILLIS ORCHARD.

I purchased 2 Paw-Paw trees from Willis Orchard in Feb 09. I had no success and called the company regarding this in Sep 09. The representative told me that they had not had a good experience with this years Paw-Paw's and if I would like replacements, to select two other plants from their inventory. I mailed back the remains and a copy of the invoice and selected 2 Austin blueberry bushes. I offered to pay shipping for these because of the size and weight difference. Yesterday I received two gorgeous blueberry bushes over 4 feet tall with a great root ball. The bushes were shipped free of charge. I really wish that all companies took their warranties this seriously. I will purchase from them again.

On September 23, 2009 I placed an order with Willis Orchard Company for 3 Kwanzan and Yoshino Flowering Cherry Trees. I was told the plants would ship next day and I would have them by the weekend so I could get them in the ground for my wife's birthday. Several weeks later after many unsuccessful calls I still didn't get my plants. Finally they arrived three weeks later.
I ordered these trees to specifically fill in gaps in my landscape to extend lines of Yoshino and Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Trees. After arriving two weeks late, I was shocked to find that they sent me 4 Flowering Cherries of the same but wrong variety. The buds of Kwanzan and Yoshino are distinctly different and any trained botanist can identify flower tree cultivars by the form, shape and color of the flower bud. Fortunately for me, my wife studied horticulture.

Willis Orchards was very uncooperative when I called them back and were in total denial mode demanding that I take photos and send them of the buds and other extensive “run around”. Do not order from this incompetent and unreliable company. I'm going to return the trees and take my losses on shipping charges, but I can charge back on my credit card and be happy I cut my losses with a bad experience with Willis Orchard.

I ordered a Giant Fuyu persimmon tree (8'-9') last Sept. 23 (Yah, a year ago) from Willis Orchards, but waited for a long time no delivery. After several emails and phone calls - you can hardly find people answering phones - they told me it will be delivered around Jan. 12. I emailed them on Jan. 15 as there was NO sign of delivery and ask for refund. Of course no response. Finally the tree was arrived in early Feb. 2009, it was more than 20 weeks after I made order and the soil was hard frozen in MD. I called them for "advice" - a guy answered, Thank God! - and told me use some hot water to break the ground and dig a hole, then plant that tree. I did as what he said, with doubt, but I had no choices. Spring came and gone, summer came - there was NO single hint that tree was alive. And I emailed them again ask for "advice" or refund - of course NO response! My fool. This is the WORST service I had EVER experienced with a nursery. So, guys, think twice if you want to order from Willis Orchards Company - they deliver dead tries in dead season!

"On Sep 25, 2009 10:12 AM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Sure, he also has ocean front property for sale in Kansas. We answer 8 phone lines from 8 a.m. to at least 5:30 p.m. M-F and often until 6 or 7. Also half a day on Saturday.

Record high temperature Saturday Feb. 8, 2009 at Dulles.
The high temperature of 65 degrees Saturday at Dulles International Airport set a new record for the date, topping the old record of 59 degrees, set in 2005.
At BWI, the Saturday high of 62 degrees fell just short of the record - 64 degrees, set in 1904.
Today's record high temperature at BWI is 70 degrees, set on this date in 1965. The forecast high for this afternoon is 67 degrees. It was 64 degrees at noon"

I ordered two citrus trees from Willis and am thrilled with the quality of the trees. (It appears that they came from an associated supplier: Saxon Becnel.) After reading so many of the negative reviews, I was hesitant to order. I ended up purchasing an Improved meyer lemon and a valencia orange tree and both are very healthy and larger than expected. They were supposed to be 2-3 feet. Instead, they were over 3 feet, one being almost 4 feet. My tree lemon (the smaller of the two) arrived with 5 lemons on it.
I realize that most of the people motivated to write are those that have had a bad experience. I just wanted people to know that this was a very good one!

I received a quince and a persimmon tree in JAN 09, both in very nice condition - good form, substantial size, packed well. I did enough research to know that these would grow well in my zone. The quince took off and has been exceptionally comfortable since it was planted. The persimmon was bare until August, but has leafed out with enormous vigor and even flowered and started fruit (which won't make it through the season, but I'm happy to see it try.) If you're thinking of buying a persimmon tree on-line be aware that these trees hate to be transplanted and will likely be shipped bareroot. Just hang in there with it; keep watering, scratch the bark to see that it's still green and alive; and you'll be rewarded. I've used fish emulsion occasionally as a mild root stimulant. I like the people at Willis; we've spoken several times, and I trust them. I recommend that they emphasize persimmon trees' dislike of transplant to their customers so that they prepare for a long wait till the first leaves come out.

I had placed an order with Willis for a number of fruit trees. They were very pleasent and helpful. I had been burned in the past by Ty Ty and was leary about buying online again. I received my order when I expected it, and everything was in beautiful condition. I placed another order recently, but then I found this site which spooked me about the order I placed. I called Willis to cancel the order, but it had shipped immediately. I was upfront and told them I got spooked by the reviews I saw, and without hesitation I was told they would be happy to refund my credit card along with shipping. Again they were helpful and a class act. I kept the order, and the plants arrived in great condition. Too many people have an ax to grind. Lighten up! I should have went with my feelings from my first experience. I'm sorry I let myself get sucked into the bitterness of some of the posters here. It is obvious to me that this is a company with integrity.

I ordered SO many trees from these people, and I think two have survived. I have to admit that they are VERY good about returns, but what good is it if most of your plants arent making it?

95% of my trees from them didnt make it, while 95% of my locally purchased trees DID. I just dont want to order bare-root anymore, ive had so many problems with the bare root trees.

Also...be very careful about your growing zone. Many of my willis trees died up until the rootstock, now I have lots of shoots coming out of the bottom after the MN winter. Trees raised in Georgia just arent going to adapt to a northern winter, I dont care what the zone recommendation says.

They have good grapes, and both of my lemons from them are alive, but be very wary.

"On Aug 21, 2009 4:03 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

Actually, our trees are grown all over the United States. However, none are grown in Minnesota. We are appreciative of your compliment about our honesty in following our guarantee policy and are sorry you were not very successful growing the trees you received. If you want potted trees, we do offer them but they are typically more expensive because they must ship via freight.

Wow, I wish I'd read these reviews before dealing with this company. The trees I ordered didn't grow. Eventually after a few phone calls and several months ("wait till fall..." they said) they were replaced, but 2 of the 4 still didn't grow (and I had the help of a horticulturalist and did all the care and watering prescribed, religiously). I had been clearly told they WOULD refund if they didn't grow, but on the next call the woman didn't even let me finish the sentence in which I was going to ask for a refund, saying, "Ma'am" with a petulant tone, "we don't refund". I talked with the owner, Jason (hard to get hold of, I think he's there just avoiding, but eventually I did get him) and he also mounted a strong defense (sometimes by means of mounting an offense). He did say at one point he'd work out a partial refund, and send more trees, but the partial refund never was mentioned again and now 9 months later when I called to ask for a refund on the replacements that didn't grow, I was told by the same woman flatly no refunds: "Ma'am, this is agriculture, we don't refund." I can tell she talks to unhappy customers all day long. She gets on the offense to beat you to the punch. I had put off this call a long time because my contacts had been so unpleasant before, and before calling this time I resolved not to get upset. I expected them to say they would replace, but not refund, and I wanted a refund. I had already put too much time and effort into the failed project and wanted to call it quits. I was in for $300 for the two trees that didn't grow. I was hoping to get some portion of that back. But she surprised me by saying they replace once and that's it, you're on your own. I got mad and said "so I guess I've flushed $300 down the toilet?" and she said that I was "spewing venom". I said that Jason, in an earlier conversation months ago had said he would give me some money back but didn't say how much, and she demanded, "Well, if you had already talked to Jason why didn't you say so?" (a side note: they don't mention people's names unless you've already learned them somehow) I told her I thought she'd have notes accompanying my customer information since there'd been much discussion.. I asked to talk to Jason and she said he wasn't there, and with forced and phony politeness she took my name and number and said he'd call on Monday. I don't expect a call and will just have to take the loss. They are petty and rude, and they have a good racket going to get your money and keep it. I would say, those who have written positive reviews were lucky to have ordered products that grew. Yes, they were very nice BEFORE and WHILE they took my order...but if you get something that doesn't grow then you get to see what their "service" is really like. Don't order from these folks. (Also, someone else noted that they recommended things that were inappropriate for their area..I encountered this also. Best to go local for many reasons.)

"On Aug 17, 2009 1:52 PM, Willis Orchard Company responded with:

It's worth mentioning that our ratings with Google customers is currently 4.2 out of 5 Stars and this from 253 reviews in the past few years. However, Dave's website, with a much smaller number of reviews, seems to reflect an entirely more negative tone that in no way reflects the true experience of 95% of our customers. (I tried to copy and paste the 1st page from our Google review page below.)

4.2 of 5
1 - 20 of 253 Reviews Next »
Rating Comment /Item Customer Order Date

5 *****, took care of an order issue really fast.
Drake Elm Tree (2); Collins Select Pa... more »
huy le / lovely nails 330582838787700 Jul 20, 2009

(no comment given)
Dwarf Myer's Lemon Tree more »
Sam N Guarino 934124218016789 Jul 12, 2009

I was so happy I sent them a e- mail. That I would send them a picture of my palm tree, out in front of my water feature. Great Job Willis Orchards.
Windmill Palm more »
charles crespi 840725549993675 Jul 4, 2009

(no comment given)
Pisang Ceylon Banana Plant more »
Sharmil Desai 651711773683853 Jun 29, 2009

Great experience. Received the fruit trees in just a few days.
Improved Myer's Lemon Tree; Persian L... more »
Addie C Wilheit 414237414201737 Jun 14, 2009

Fast shipment and exactly as ordered.
Improved Myer's Lemon Tree more »
John Strong 407655847680019 Jun 13, 2009

(no comment given)
Improved Satsuma Orange Tree more »
Michael V. Reynaud 272750452495266 Jun 5, 2009

(no comment given)
White Kadota Fig Tree; Montmorency Ch... more »
Peter Speros 610133927003208 Jun 3, 2009

I've dealt with Willis Orchard twice and both times received excellent service.What I like about them is they send you via email a link to Fed Ex so you can track your shipment.
Improved Satsuma Orange Tree more »
Michael V. Reynaud 120462338783884 May 27, 200

I ordered 22 fruit trees this spring and received shipment in late March. Most of the trees were larger than expected as I'd ordered the smallest sizes. So that was nice. Most of the trees also had very little in the way of roots, so that wasn't nice. I had no experience planting fruit trees though, so I went ahead, hoping they had enough root to make it.

I don't entirely blame the trees for their failure. I have a new house in a new addition and the soil where the trees went in was unimproved. We had a terrible spring here with a month of heavy, heavy rain followed by a month of average temperatures around 95. Although I watered (when it dried out from all the rain) and mulched and did what I could, 16 of the 22 trees failed. Some budded out and then shriveled and died. Most of those that failed didn't bud out at all. I believe though that they would have done much better if they'd had better root condition to start with.

When I ordered from Willis, I was aware there was no refund and only replacement, so I wasn't surprised or disappointed by the policy. In July I sent the trees back with a letter explaining what made it and what didn't. Today I called them to verify they'd received it. They were nice and said the replacements would ship in November. I hope that fall-planted trees will do better.

I don't know if I will order from Willis again. They had a range of varieties that allowed me to get nearly everything I wanted from one place, but the survival rate was very disappointing. I liked their price, but Lowes had about the same price for their container trees after they went on clearance. Admittedly, a clearance tree isn't the best - but then again neither is bare root with very little root. I suppose my continued patronage depends on the survival of the fall-planted trees. If they do well, then I simply won't buy in the spring in future and I'll buy in the fall.

I have improved the soil where the trees didn't make it, so they'll have a better chance next time.