Comments regarding White Flower Farm

I received a 25 dollar gift card for subscribing to a magazine from White Flower...The catalog has beautiful plants, but they are very expensive when compared to other companies. And overall, I didn't think my butterfly bush did very well this year. I am hoping it will do better this coming year. Their packaging is very good (much better than foam peanuts!) Don't know if the plants are worth the extra cost or not after just one experience, but my guess is not...

This company offered Forsythia 'Golden Times' and a combo of daffodils plus this Forsythia for autumn planting in 2006. My entire order was for just the Forsythia. When the plant arrived, its leaves were not variegated and the attached label was for 'Lynwood'. Customer service explained on the phone that they had deemed the plants of 'Golden Times' to be too small to send. They refunded the cost of the plant, but I wound up having to pay shipping for a plant that neither I nor any of my neighbors (we all grow 'Lynwood') wanted. I would have been satisfied if I'd been given the opportunity to cancel my order since they couldn't provide what I had ordered.
Perhaps some who bought the combo of bulbs and shrub thought there'd just been a mixup, but to me this felt like "bait and switch."
Two years later and I'm still peeved. I will never order from this company again.

I do so look forward to receiving the WWF catalogue because it's so luxurious, but because it's so expensive I have always reserved WWF orders for when I wanted something really special. Last summer I ordered the Sambucus Black Lace from "gift money" that I received from my mother in law. Much to my disappointment, it arrived nearly dead and then died completely within a couple of days. I sent an email with a photo to WWF and received no response. I sent another email a few weeks later and again received no response. I notice that in others' comments, WWF has responded that they should email WWF to resolve the problems. Well, the problem is that they don't respond to emailed problems, and as far as I am concerned, they reneged on their published "guarantee."

I have ordered several times from WWF, and overall have been pleased. Most of the plants have thrived, and they promptly replaced those that did not (ie the achillea, which disappointed me because it was promoted as being so easy to grow, and then promptly died the first winter.)

Now my brother and sister give me WWF gift certificates for my birthday, and have to suffer through my e-mails with all my plans and results!

I ordered two amarylis bulbs which arrived on 1/22/08. They looked puffy and wet and by the next morning one was definitely spoiled. I emailed WFF and received a response from Jay Potter the same day. He wrote: "We are sorry to say that it sounds like that bulb got too cold in transit. Please throw it away. We will ship a replacement." By the next morning the other bulb had also spoiled so I sent another email and the response was the same. From many years of buying from this company, I know I will receive two great replacement bulbs. And by the way, nobody has better amarylis!

I purchased close to 300 bulbs from WFF this past fall, including 50 fall blooming crocus. Despite many people telling me I was crazy to expect bulbs to bloom 3 weeks after planting, they came up as promised. At one point I counted 46 flowers-- thats a pretty darn good percentage! Strangely though, even though I ordered a mix, all but one of my flowers were lilac colored. I e-mailed WFF to find out if this was a mistake or a mis-order. I think the response came that same day! They offered me a credit, refund or replacement, even though I really wasn't looking for it, after all almost all the bulbs came up and looked beautiful. I called later that week and the rep I spoke with was extremely helpful. Since the mix had sold out for the season, they will be sending me 50 more bulbs in September 2008. More than I could have asked for-- hopefully the rest of my bulbs come up as quickly and healthy as my crocus.
They will continue to get my business!!

I have been an on...and mainly off...shopper of this company for many years. Their prices have always been extremely high and their quality nothing special and sometimes below par. However, their customer service is outstanding. I have received an amaryllis for Xmas for several years. This year the delivery company left the bulb outside at below freezing temperatures. The bulb is being replaced at no cost. The amaryllis bulbs I have received are large and beautiful. I put them in my vegetable garden in summer, and they have flowered for many years! I have a collection of 15...and as a bonus....DEER DO NOT EAT THEM :-)

My order of red amaryllis bulbs arrived and were properly planted. Half produced stunted flowers on eight inch stalks. I sent an e-mail to White Flower Farms with an attached photo. Several days later I received a condescending response saying this was a normal condition and there was not a problem. Inferior product and a terrible response.

Last year I ordered some of the amaryllis bulbs in baskets. They were so lovely when they bloomed and they are still alive. I have also ordered some of the forced bulb baskets with tulips and they all have bloomed wonderfully and were very pretty.

A couple weeks ago I ordered the orchid trio. They came in full bloom. More buds were on them with more flowers quickly following. They are actually much prettier than they look on the website. I LOVE them! I am happily surprised with how many flowers they have and they are still in bloom. I especially am enjoying the semi-alba.

I ordered from White Flower Farm for the first time this August (2007). I ordered two 'Red Hot Returns' Hemerocallis Daylilies that I had been unable to find locally and found few online retailers that carried this particular cultivar. I was quite happy to find that White Flower Farm had them for fall shipping. My invoice indicated that the flowers would not be available until September 10th, which was fine and only a few weeks away. On September 10th, I received an e-mail notice that my flowers shipped, right on time. The next day, I received my daylilies.

The daylilies were bare root, as expected, but in very healthy looking shape and even larger than I expected. The flowers had been very carefully and well packed, were moist, and also included very detailed planting and care instructions. My experience with White Flower Farm was completely positive and I would definitely order from them again.

I have purchased everything from tomato plants to birch trees to bulbs, and lillies from WFF for a long time. I also purchase from a local nursey in Massachusetts. And yes, there are times when WFF plants or bulbs don't thrive. Yet, that seems to be a function of weather and soil and pests - not a function of WFF's quality. Overall, my experience with WFF is very positive from the variety of plants to their beauty.

Bought some pink lavendar..very healthy -packed well-arrived quickly. Would recommend them

i have been ordering plants from WFF for some 30 yrs and never hesitated to reccomend them to friends. they were more expensive but worth it because of the fine quality of their plants.
over the last 2 years i have found myself quite disappointed by their new lack of quality. i, too, have received puny little excuses for plants that died upon arrival. i have also received lily bulbs that did not produce true-to-variety blossoms. last fall i received 2 "red magic" peonies that are blooming right now - not at all red - some kind of deep pink variety.
i can guess that the downfall of WWF as i once knew it has to do with the new expansion of their business into a larger, mass market corporation and away from the smaller and excellent nursery that i once loved.

catsup:(

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We are sorry about your disappointment with our plants. We guarantee our products 100% and would be happy to issue you a replacement, credit your account or issue a refund for the plants that arrived in poor condition. Please contact our customer service department at custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com or 800-411-6159 so that we can resolve this to your satisfaction.
Thank you, Customer Service


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I have bought thousands of bulbs and plants over the years from White Flower Farms. I recently ordered hundreds of bulbs in early June that will not ship until October. My credit card was immediately charged the full amount, including shipping. I have cancelled the order and will never purchase from them again. I understand reserving an order, but why not charge a deposit. Why should they use my money for 4 months? Incredibly poor practice that should be discontinued.

This is my first year of ordering from White Flower Farm. I ordered Astrantia Star of Snow, Hemerocallis Black Plush and 3 Chocolate Delphinium. It's true the plants are expensive and very small upon arrival, but they have interesting "must have" plants that every gardener is looking for to display in their garden. The Chocolate Delphinium was the "must have" for me. I ordered 3 and was excited upon arrival. They were small, but looked healthy so planted them within the hour. They grew tall and to my surprise..purple, not chocolate. I called WFF and after talking to customer service, then a supervisor, I was told they were shipping me chocolate delphinium to replace the purple ones and that they were arriving 2nd day UPS. When I realized UPS messed up the 2nd day delivery and the plants were in a hot box over the weekend, I called WFF and a supervisor apologized and said if they weren't okay to call and they would take care of it. I was happy with that. When they arrived they were completely yellow with no green and soil completely dry. I called and spoke with customer service and told them the story and what I was told. They offered to refund my money or replace them. I told her I wanted plants, but not the delphiniums, just to send 2 tikki corn flowers. I figured they would handle shipping better than the delicate delph. The customer service person was annoyed and didn't quite believe me about the delph. experience and said ok we will send them out and promptly said good-bye without giving an order #. I felt bad about having to even call to say the delph. didn't live because of heat in the box for 5 days. I am hoping the corn flower arrive sooner than later. Will I order from them again....? Yes, because they will have more "must haves" next season, but I will be concerned about calling to replace any mishaps.

This was the first year that I had experience with the company. I did not see any problems. The plants I ordered were a bit expensive, but then again, they were shipped to me, all I did was look online. No traveling expense, etc.
The root content in the containers were acceptable and they have taken well, for their first year.
I would recommend them.

Ordered 3 Diascia in April...Arrived 5/17. Three brown clumps of nothing...still nothing. Why did I do it again? Same
thing happened a couple of years ago....No point calling customer service..don't want a credit or more brown clumps.
Lesson finally learned...I will never open that catalogue again!

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We are sorry about your disappointment with our plants. We guarantee our products 100% and would be happy to issue you a replacement, credit your account or issue a refund for the plants that arrived in poor condition. Please contact our customer service department at [e-mail:custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com] or 800-411-6159 so that we can resolve this to your satisfaction.
Thank you, Customer Service
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I recently received a large order from White Flower Farm. One of the plants, a Platycodon, was marginal upon arrival. It died almost immediately when planted. I wrote to the company about this problem. The next day they apologized and sent me a replacement. They really stand behind their products. It's a great company.

My major complaint is that the first (and last) time I ordered anything from WFF my plants were delivered way too early. I ordered 6 Agastache plants and 12 Campanulas that I had to keep indoors for 7 weeks without the proper light or space. This was incredibley inconvinient in my small living quarters not to mention cruel to the plants. It took them half the summer to recover. I really question WFF's knowledge and concern for their Maine customers since they claim to deliever when your zone is ready for planting. I'm happy to report all but one of my plants is doing well this spring but I chose not to order from WFF this year.

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We are sorry to hear about your disappointment with our plants. We guarantee our products 100% and would be happy to issue you a replacement or credit your account for the plant that did not thrive. Please contact our customer service department at custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com or 800-411-6159 so that we can resolve this to your satisfaction.
Thank you, Customer Service

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I recently ordered 3 plants from White Flower Farm. I placed the order on 5-3-07 and received 5-9-07. They get high marks for the speed of delivery.

I loved their packing. No mess! The plants were dry by the time they got to Indiana, but it was extremely warm too. They were also smaller than I had expected.

WFF will not be my first choice simply because of their prices. The plants I got were Agastache "Acapulco Orange". They cost me $28.95 plus $9.95 for shipping for a total of $38.90. To expensive for what I got.

I, too, ordered an Echinacea "Coconut Lime" from WFF this year. I have nursed this Lilliputian cutting in a sunny window because I was afraid of planting it outside. I measured it when I got it and it was literally 1'' high. I was aghast with disbelief when I opened the package. Price? $18.

The Hellebore x. hybridus "Hansen's Shamrock" I ordered had 2 very small solid yellow leaves with green veins, an obvious victim of too much sun or water/fertilization problems. The cost for this beauty was $22.

A lavender plant in the same order was healthy and thriving, thank goodness. But $40 for two tiny plants that will probably not survive the season?

I will never order from this company again.

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We are sorry to hear about your disappointment with our plants. We guarantee our products 100% and would be happy to issue you replacements or credit your account. Please contact our customer service department at
[e-mail:custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com] or 800-411-6159 so that we can resolve this to your satisfaction.
Thank you, Customer Service "

I have ordered from WFF many times over the past few years. I agree with some of the other reviewers that I don't understand all of the negative reviews, since my experience with their plants at least has always been positive. I have found their bulbs to always be top-notch and well packaged and they've always performed well. Ordered some perennials this year and they are growing very well and were of good size...was a color and type I could not find anywhere else. I have ordered some rose bushes from them in the past which performed better than any others I have purchased. Their products at least are high caliber. I wish they had more stuff for southern gardeners though - most of their plants are geared towards nothern climates.

I have been ordering from White Flower Farm for for over 20 years. I agree they tend to be a bit more expensive on some items, but the quality of the stock and customer service is outstanding. I have agapanthus that I bought from them at least 10 years ago, and still going strong, beautiful blooms every summer, hardy plants that I have divided and given out to many of my gardening friends. I have purchased at least 2000 daffodils for naturalizing from them (I have a large piece of property) and they are beautiful, reliable, large healthy bulbs. Can I get bulbs cheaper elsewhere? yes and the results have never been as good as from WFF. I have had the occassional problem with a plant, but customer service has fallen all over themselves to make it right. I haven't found that to be true with other mail order or even local nurseries. They are a great company with good products. And if you are ever in the vicinty of this garden center, it is worth a visit!!

I'm happy to say I seem to be bucking the trend in dissatisfaction with WWF. I placed my order this spring without trepidation, as I've ordered from them before with no problem. The plants I received, although expensive, were an acceptable size compared to other mailorder nurseries'--smaller than some, but bigger than others--and in excellent condition. Their ingenious packing is the best I've seen--no peanuts, shredded paper, or other filler flying all over the place! In my experience, their customer service is also excellent.

I have been ordering from WFF for a long time, close to 25 years. Through 1999, they were the best, always sending me beautiful, healthy plants. They went downhill starting in 2000, sending me the wrong plants, poorly packed plants, dried out plants, etc. But last year and this year they have really improved. I ordered 6 milkweed, and 12 verbena from them for this year and received really large bareroot milkweeds that have all come up, and large healthy verbenas very securely packed. So, based on my experience, I would recommend them.

I know, I KNOW!!! Did it before, know better, did it again. Fell for the slick hype, just had to have it, paid way too much for it, can barely see it, will have to pray over it.

I'm just not going to open their catalog again, I'm just not going to do it. Never. Again.

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We are sorry to hear about your disappointment with our plants, we guarantee our products 100%. Please contact our customer service department at custserv@whiteflowerfarm.com or 800-411-6159 so that we can resolve this to your satisfaction.

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I've been ordering from WFF for 5 years and I've had consistently good results. So far I've planted several hundred daffodils, tulips, ornamental grasses, beautiful zinnias, and numerous shade-loving plants...everything has flourished! Plants/bulbs are top quality compared to those available at the outdoor departments of the local retail "big box" stores or from the local nurseries. Great company!

I just happened upon this website and was surprised to see so many negative comments about White Flower Farms. Now I don't feel alone. Last year a friend gave me a $100 gift certificate and so in the Spring I ordered two Butterfly Magnolia trees through the website. They were advertised as coming in 2 gallon pots. When I received the trees they were in 1/2 gallon pots and not more than 12" high at $49.95 each! I e-mailed my dissappointment to them and promptly received an note back saying they would be happy to refund 50% of the price and I could keep the trees, explaining that there was a misprint in their catalog. I accepted the offer but am very hesitant to order anything else, even though I still have a $50 credit with them.

I ordered several double-flowered amaryllis bulbs in wicker baskets to be delivered as gifts for this past Christmas. My friends reported that they produced big plants with beautiful, large blooms that kept on flowering until late-March. I thought they were worth the price.
I should add that I have also had only good experiences with the bulbs and plants I have ordered over the past two years, in terms of their packing, as well as their performance in my garden.

I just received the new 'Coconut Lime' Echinacea from WFF. I realize new cultivars can be expensive, and I was willing to pay the $18 to get it, but I was expecting to receive a healthy, well developed plant. What I got instead was this tiny plug that had so recently been put into a 3" pot that it hadn't even had time to develop a proper root system. After finding it cheaper at 2 other mail order nurseries, I aked them about theirs. They both said they just got them in and wouldn't be shipping them until later in the season because they weren't properly developed yet! I emailed WFF but so far no response. Looks like I'm gonna have to call them. This will be the last time I order form them.

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Thank you for your recent correspondence. We apologize for the size and quality of the Echinacea Coconut Lime you received. We will be happy to replace or refund the plant for you. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and want to thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please let me know if you'd like a full refund or a replacement on the Coconut Lime.


Sincerely,
Michelle
mtranquillo@whiteflowerfarm.com
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I just got my 3 tubers of border dahlia Melody Allegro from White Flower Farm. For the OUTRAGEOUS price I paid ($30) I expected something more than 3 half-dried clumps wrapped in brown paper bags with only one small tag. No extras, not even a new catalog. (Not that I need a new catalog. I want some of their coleus cultivars, but at $10 a plant, um, no thanks!!!) They also shipped far earlier (March 15) than other tuber shippers, so that was risky, especially since they were only packed with paper. The smaller dahlia farms from which I have ordered have all sent me bonus tubers with my "over $25" order, and they are carefully wrapped and labeled.
I'm sure the tubers will grow and produce lovely flowers, I just was expecting better presentation and more carefully selected tubers, not the same clumps that you can get in any bulk-pack.
In my opinion, you can purchase top-notch plants at your best local nursery and still save money versus buying from White Flower.

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We are sorry to hear of your disappointment. Our tubers are of top quality and are packed in wood chips and paper bags to keep them in good condition. We ship our tubers early so that customers can start them inside and thus get an earlier start on bloom. Please call our customer service department at 800-411-6159 if you are not satisfied so that we can rectify the situation. Sincerely, Customer Service"

First I should write that I've lived close-by to WFF for some 30+ years and love to just visit the grounds in order to get ideas and/or to choose something with my own little hands.
Truthfully, but rarely, I have gotten a mislabeled variety. This is probably an unavoidable consequence of the public reading labels and shoving plants around.
Any complaints have always been dealt with in a fair, respectful manner and I look forward once again to scouting out the display gardens.
The staff is unfailingly courteous and knowledgeable.
Their web site has more varieties than the catolog and is quite beautiful and easy to use.
In fact, I have WFF to thank for the development and elevation of my gardening ability and enjoyment.

White Flower is probably one of the priciest plant companies but they have some great plants and unusual plants. Their catalog is easily one of the most beautiful and informative ones out there. I order every spring and fall from them and have nothing but great things to say about them.

I recently ordered a clivia miniata from WWF and it arrived beautifully.

I have ordered from this company a few times this year. The mos recent was in the past week. They are a little pricey, but I have received excellent plants. The past week, I ordered Jasmine on Monday night, 8:00PM. I recieved e-mail that it shipped on Tuesday and I got it today, Thursday. I don't know what else you could ask for. Good healthy plant, excellent packaging. Thank You, White Flower.

I purchased three plants as a birthday gift for my partner. When they arrived, I was embarrassed for two reasons. First, the plants were tiny. The astilboides tabularis was soft and on the verge of rot. Second, I was embarrased that I had paid so much for these sad looking little plants- particularly the achillea-10.99 for a plant that wouldn't have been sold in a 2 inch pot at the local nursery. The achillea and the baptisia, struggled all summer with lots of attention. The astilboides simply continued its path toward rot and disappeared. I called for a refund on the astilboides (19.99) and was assured I would get a full credit. I got $17.59. Wierd.

I have been ordering from this company for several years, and I have had nothing but good experiences. They have recently been running a daylily special that is out of this world. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is into daylilies but doesn't care if they have the named ones or not. I have, thus far, bought EIGHT of these $65 daylily specials- there are supposed to be 18 daylilies in each group, but there is often 19 or 20, and some of the roots are as big as my hand with the fingers spread completly apart! I bought the first one early last spring and the flowers popped up almost immediately - WOW. Ruffles, bi- colors, you name it. I have bought mixes from other companies that take 3 years to do this well. They claim this mix is the rejects from some hybridizer who wants to remain nameless - well, I'm thrilled with his rejects! As for the other plants, I've always had good luck with their clemetis, their pulonaira is the only one that didn't die on me (I live in 8b) and in fact, they are one of the few companies that are consistent in listing their plants in the a/b zones- a blessing for us here in the Gulf Coast. They further carry very large bulbs, and also carry the smaller, landscape type bulbs at a reasonable price. I'm sure that like every company they make mistakes, but they've never made one with me. I give them an A+. PS- my husband says the daylily roots are more like the size of HIS hands with the fingers spread apart!

I have placed two orders with this company.
The first was via a gift certificate I got for my birthday and got two Clematis. They arrived awful. Reminded me of a dried out twig I'd find on the floor of the forsest or something. I planted them both anyway. Oddly enough, one of the two has started growing, albeit slowly, under and up my climbing New Dawn rose. I ordered 3 Clematis plants from another company in CA which arrived in much better shape and each plant was about $7 less than the $20 per Clematis at WFF.
My second order was recent and I went with bulbs. The fall bloom variety are all growing but one (5 of 6). Those that are coming up are beautiful and I am hoping since they went intop the ground not even a month ago, the last one will bloom next year. The autumn bloom crocus is starting to sprout so we shall see. I also have 50 lily bulbs that I need to plant this W/E from them so let's hope they grow!

I recently ordered two "Going Bananas" Daylillies from WFF. They arrived about two weeks ago, the perfect time to plant here. They were bareroot plants, with just a bit of sprouting on the top. The roots were huge compared to daylillies I have received from other mail order companies, and they are growing beautifully in the garden already. I am very pleased with the purchase I made. (On a sidenote, several years ago I ordered some Foxtail lilies from WFF and had some problems with them blooming. I was willing to give them some time, but all along the way WFF was willing to work with me to make it right if I requested. They did bloom after two seasons of not blooming, but to the credit of WFF, I did not plant them in an ideal location.)