Comments regarding White Flower Farm

Pretty catalogue; nice customer service agents; crappy prices; "so-so" plants/seed; Look somewhere else for better deals....these people have too much invested in appearance than plantsmanship.

Have had so far very good results. (Agree with prior comments on them being pricey, but WFF offers a fantastic cataologue!!!)

Ordered a Japanese tree peony last Spring and the directions said that it would take up to 3 yrs to bloom. I was thrilled when the tree flowered in early summer!!!

Also purchased a lavender collection at the same time -- it did _very_ nicely (and much better then some other lavender I purchased at Hick's, in a "plantable pot", which was supposed to do be better then plants transplanted from a pot to the ground. The WWF lavender plants were larger and more lush.)

Have a lilac from them which faithfully blooms twice a year. The shrub is over a decade old and was able to sucessfully devide it last year.

Ordered Spring bulbs from them last Autumn. Bulbs looked healthy, precise planting instructions packed with them. Will report on the results this Spring!

Preprinted markers are a nice touch.

Today I received an order from White Flower Farm for 3 Lily Ariadne bulbs, which was shipped at least 2 weeks after the Lily bulbs I ordered from Scheepers and Van Engelen. The largest of the 3 bulbs was barely 1.5 inches and the other 2 were at best 1 inch, the SMALLEST Lily bulbs I have ever purchased. Each bulb cost over $8.00 and is supposed to grow a plant anywhere from 4 to 6 feet tall. I consider these bulbs to be seriously undersized at an extremely high price plus $6.95 for shipping probably 1 oz. via US Priority mail (a stamp is $0.34). I have sent a complaint and will see how this is resolved, but at this point I would NEVER order from White Flower Farm again!

I have also ordered from WFF and I have mixed reviews. I ordered: daffodil bulbs (The Works) - they arrived healthy and in time for planting peonies - they arrived very late and some were mislabeled, but they replaced them with no problem. One beauty bush - it was so small and at $30, it was very Disappointing. I would only order daffodils from WFF now. I found another great source for peonies and shrubs.

I ordered the "Works" in 2000. The daffodil and day lily bulbs arrived late in October past the Colorado Springs planting season. I managed to plant them anyway. Only about 20% of the bulbs came up and were scrawny and hardly anything like the pictures. I will see what happens this second year. I also tried to obtain some information about a cactus dahlia I had received years ago. I was only given information about a current dahlia and evidently no one was concerned enough to look into past catalogs to uncover the name of the dahlia. I also thought I had cancelled an order because of the enormous shipping price, but I received the order anyhow. WWF is just another big business that is hardly representative of the hype that it pretends to be. Great catalogs, however. Would I order again? I am hesitant and will shop around. For example, like Consumer Reports I have been more satisfied with some bulbs from Home Depot!

White Flower Farm is the Tiffany's of the mail order plant business. Their catalog is educational whether you have been a gardner for 1 day or 50 years.

I'm fed up with these folks. A couple of years ago I ordered standard roses for a client and they arrived with the stems cut and the tops placed beside the bottoms so they would fit in the box. They were very apologetic and replaced them, and sent coupons. But everything I've ordered since has been tiny for the price, often infested with aphids. And the last straw was when they sold my email address to a spam outfit - I know for a fact because I ordered with someone else's card and the spam came to my email with his name. No more orders from me!

I agree with the "pricey'' assessments. I usually look at their catalog to decide what I want and then spend my money elsewhere.

I responded to an advertisement form them for crocus sativus (saffron) bulbs. The bulbs were healthy and grew but the saffron I tried to harvest was impotent.

They sent a postcard a few months later stating that they sent the wrong bulbs.

Beware Autumn Crocus Colchium Autumnale is toxic! Although they claimed the bulbs sent were Crocus Cancellatus which is edible I don't trust them to properly identify anything they send anymore.

Their daylily collection "Unique 50" and their hosta "Emerald Isle" collections are outstanding buys from a company that I think is otherwise expensive. However, for anyone who is willing to try out unnamed daylily varieties or looking to fill a large space with daylilies, I highly recommend the "Unique 50." The Emerald Isle hostas are also a great buy and come labelled, but you won't know what varieties you'll get until the package is received. However, all plants in these collections (which I've ordered several times) are thriving.

Fairly pricy but very high quality. Superb catalog with many fine varieties and very complete and informative descriptions. Orders arrive promptly and in excellent shape.

Plants are high quality, variety very good, prices very high. However took four calls before a gift subscription to their mag was straightened out.

everything I've ever ordered from them has been great,prices are a little steep, but love the selections

Agree with paulgrow. Lived in the area. Very professional staff. Healthy plants, if rather high cost. If you can afford it, buy there

I ordered a brug for my mother from them for mother's day, and it took 3 shipments (?) before they finally got one to her. I don't know if it was UPS or their fault, but finally they just credited my account and sent it free of charge. However, I ordered specialty garlic bulbs, and some saffron crocus bulbs for myself recently, and they were great! I LOVE their catalog... very informative with a lot of detail, suggestions for companion plants, and great photos. A good friend has visited the gardens and said they were the healthiest she had ever seen.

I have made numerous requests to White Flower Farm to stop sending unsolicited email to my account. They refuse to comply. I would encourage other to do business with more reputable and ethical companies.

The bulbs were nice size and very healthy. If you buy the ones on sale, the price is very good. The Oriental lilies were higher from them, but the bulbs were huge and very fresh.

Plants should be top quality because they're prices are at the top of the list. Their catalog is a dream book and way out of my price range. They have some special plants but most of them can be found much cheaper elsewhere.

Great size and quality of bulbs, shipped at appropriate planting time.

Overall I would rate this company one of the best suppliers for perennials in the US.

If nothing else get their catalog as a reference book; the most complete catalog I have ever seen.

Top quality Plants and Bulbs.

I went to White Flower when they were having a bulb sale a couple of years ago. While it could have been my own doing, many of the bulbs never came up. I contacted them via e-mail and they responded that they would be back to me. They never responded. White Flower gets darned good prices for their products--as a consumer, I'm not happy they didn't offer me some recompense (even if the negative results of their bulbs might have been traced to planting somehow). Nope. I'll maybe try them one more time. And I'm from the area. Sorry. White Flower is not my favorite place to shop (but it is a beautiful garden and if you're in CT, you should visit).

I want to report a very positive internet purchase from White Flower Farms. The website was easy to navigate, and the ordering process was straightforward. Their computer listed me in an incorrect planting zone. When I telephoned later to correct it, they were very pleasant and even followed up with a handwritten postcard acknowledging the change. My order was delivered in a timely manner, and the tulips and peonies that I received were larger than average. I made an error in ordering the wrong plant supports, and they made it very easy to return the merchandise and make the correct order. The total order was $150, and I will certainly be doing business with White Flower Farms again.

Was poking about on your site and saw the various comments on White Flower. I'm a (relatively) new gardener, and I took advantage of several of their "package" deals (both the standard and miniature hosta collections, the astilbe collection and the "Fabulous 50" daylilies), all of which have done wonderfully and really helped me jumpstart the long neglected yard in the house we just moved into. The materials arrived promptly, the planting instructions were clear and well organized and so far, I'm happy with the growth of the entire purchase. While I'm sure people have had other experiences with individual plant purchases, newbies like me - or, really, anyone whose trying to get a lot done with not a lot of money - would do well to look into the collections that White Flower makes available.

White Flower Farm has a great catalog which I use as a reference tool but I no longer buy from them. Poor response from customer service and substandard products have added up to a negative experience. Also, when you order form their Web site it is not tied into their inventory system so you have no idea what is available and when or if you will receive it.

Having read all the good comments about WFF, I ordered 50 narcissus 'The Works' and 50 tulips 'Pastel Stretch Mixture' last fall. The daffodils came up great- truly 'the works', many with multiple flowers on each stalk. The bigger ones were huge, and the variety was amazing. The tulips were spectacular too- enormous showy blooms. However only 35 or so came up in spite of being very well protected and pampered. I contacted WFF by e-mail and they agreed to replace the entire thing in the fall of 2001. I was impressed by the customer service. I have ordered 50 Asiatic lilies this spring and plan to order their Siberian irises in the fall. I will be back with an update on the tulips. I think I would definitely recommend the spring bulbs to everyone- they are a cut above. You get what you pay for.

I ordered the "Unique 50" this spring. That is a day lily collection of 50 plants for $39.95. The order arrived promptly, and to my surprise, they had lowered the price by $10 and had sent me a certificate for a $10 refund! That has never happened to me before! The tubers were as large as my hand and larger, so I ordered another 50 using my $10 certificate. The next 50 were equally as fabulous. All are growing enthusiastically.

It's run by Alice Flores, who is a "regular" on the rec.garden.roses newsgroup. I was leery about ordering, because it seemed like a small outfit, there was no post in the PBM, and there was no phone number on the website. BUT, since Alice appears to be well-respected in the newsgroup community, I figured it was worth a try. (That, and the fact that I couldn't find the rose I wanted to order ANYWHERE else.) I placed the order on May 4 (printed out the web order form and sent it along with my check in the mail). The rose was around $10 and the shipping was also $10 (seemed high to me, but what do I know), so the total was around $20. The check was cashed May 30 (according to my bank statement). I waited, and waited, but no rose came. I tried emailing, but got no response. Then on 6/24 I posted a message to rec.gardens.roses, explaining the situation, and asking if anyone had a phone number so I could call and inquire. I didn't get any response on the newsgroup, but someone forwarded the post to Alice, and she emailed me directly. She was very apologetic, and explained that she'd been laid up with a foot injury for some time, and was having trouble filling orders. She asked if I still wanted the rose or a refund.I did a search and found that her last post was on 3/23/2000, which seemed consistent with her story of being "laid up". I emailed back to tell her I'd still want the rose. So I waited some more. Never got the rose, or any other emails about it. So finally on 7/19, I emailed back and said that I'd like a refund instead. She replied immediately, apologized again, and said she send a refund. So here it is, 8/17, and I still don't have a rose or refund. After all this back-and-forth, I still can't get my $20 back. I'm not sure what to think. I don't want to tarnish a good person's reputation. This person appears to be well respected in the "online rose community", yet I can't help but wonder why on earth they would cash a check when they didn't even know if they could fill my order? If I was a business owner holding money from customers, I'd hire some temps to get in there and get the merchandise shipped out, and return any orders that come in.I can't help but wonder if I'm just not being sympathetic enough, or if I've really been taken on this one...I'm guess I can just be glad that I didn't place a BIG order.

They could not believe that my three daylilies did not grow, and required a soil sample before reluctantly refunding my money! Talk about the Spanish Inquisition!

Have ordered three times, and have always been delighted with the bulbs and service I received. My last order was for 100 daffodils and 12 oriental lilies. The daffodil bulbs were the LARGEST I've ever seen, and provided me an almost two month season of continuous bloom. Lilies did great also, but the daffs amazed me!

I am a new gardener. I excitedly ordered 50 different daylilies and 100 daffodils from White Flower Farm in September. I was told they would arrive by October 15. I called on the 20th when they still hadn't arrived, and was told they were being shipped that week. I heard this story every week, until I finally called to cancel in disgust on NOVEMBER 30!!!!!! Funny, once I cancelled the order, I had my plants 5 days later. Of course, at this point it was December and FREEZING here in Delaware. I refused the shipment, and am still trying to get my money back. STEER CLEAR OF WHITE FLOWER FARMS!

I too love the catalog, but wasn't that impressed with what I ordered in '99. Fair enough quality but at top prices. I think I'll stick to other vendors this year.

Like most people on your site, I was dazzled by the catalog for White Flower Farm. I have ordered several items from them, with varying degrees of luck. The viburnum X burkwookii that I ordered began to die immediately after Iplanted it. I called CS and the woman offered to ship me a new one. Then she patched me thru to their horticultural expert who told me that the plant was dying from too much rainfall, and that if I left it alone and did not water it, it would be fine. She then cancelled the replacement order (though I asked her not to cancel it, as I had little hope of the originalplant surviving). The plant never recovered. I called CS again and again was patched thru to the Horticultural expert who again told me not to water (this was during the drought!) and that the plant would bounce back. By this time, the plant had black tips and no leaves, and everyone who saw it told me it had a fungus problem...but the woman would not believe me. I went to their web site andsaw why I was having such trouble with CS. This item was completely sold out, and they had no replacement to send me. Eventually, after several more calls and chats with the optimistic horticulturalist ("This is an x-shrubbery!!!" "Oh, no, it's just RESTING!") I was able to get a refund, and bought a MUCH less expensive (and larger) specimen from a local nursery.The new one is thriving!In addition to my Viburnum woes, I also had trouble with their Clerodendron Trichotum (sp??). It arrived DOA. I had a chat with the horticulturalist about this one as well, and she told me to just let it go, it would be fine.It never came back. They said they'd send a new one. They never did. I called to see when the replacement would arrive (I always plant bareroot plants immediately and try to make sure I know when they're due) and they told me that they are out of stock. I eventually got a refund, and the item is not being sold again this year.The other items that I've ordered have all been exquisite (especially the roses and irises).

I have created massive perennial gardens at the last 6 of my homes. WFF has been one of my sources for years. They do some things well, and others not so well. I would hesitate to order bare root stock from unless it was a rose. WFF's daylily prices are outrageous. Gilbert Wild is the best source and sells to WFF. So does Kleim's for peonies. On the good side, all potted plants are lush and better than most. Their bulbs, while expensive, are often unique. Lilies are the best. I highly recommend their Strawberry/Cream combo. I have over 1,000 and every one a thrill. The best thing about WFF is their catalog. It is truly the bible. I have used it for years as the benchmark and often find better prices elsewhere, especially with the original growers. In exchange for this, I have always ordered about $500 worth of stock from WFF each year.

Alas, I had a very disappointing experience ordering (for the first time) from White Flower Farm. My order arrived several weeks later than expected and two items were not enclosed. When I called them, they reported that one type of allium I had ordered was "sold out" and that I'd get a refund. No one contacted me to inquire if another item could be substituted for them. Another item, 50 narcissus bulbs , were also not shipped and when I inquired about them, I was told they'd be shipped the next week. Guess what??? They never arrived either and I, once again, had to call THEM to find out what had happened. Now I was told I would not be receiving those bulbs at all and that I'd get another refund. But, again, no one called or E-mailed me to ask if I wanted to make a substitution. Well, I won't go back there again. The worse on-line service I have received to date.

I am probably one of the few who can say they have visited the nursery and ordered from the catalog. It's a fabulous place to visit any time from late spring through summer! I was very disappointed in my first and only order from the catalog. The 50 daylily collection, described as each plant unique and covering the entire color spectrum of daylilies, turned out to be about only 10 different varieties, so I had multiples of the same plant. After they had bloomed (several didn't make it) and I called to complain about the lack of variety, the customer service rep brushed me off and said the best she could offer was a credit equal to about 20% of what it cost me. Take it or leave it, basically. Their catalog is beautiful, but unless you can buy in person at the nursery, don't waste the considerable money it will cost you to order by mail.

Since I started gardening, approximately 8 years ago, I fell in love with their catalogue. I am a Canadian gardener in a zone 4. Every order I placed was at least $300-400 U.S. I was never disappointed. The bulbs were huge, the plant roots healthy and absolutely no problems. Their customer service was excellent. I had one occasion with a Kalmia shrub that was shipped that didn't look overly healthy (2 weeks at the border due to problems on our side of the border). When I called WFF, they insisted I plant it and soak it well, and if it didn't make it, they offered to replace it. It survived. Everything is thriving. My one and only grief now is they no longer ship to Canada! If you happen to be a "new" customer or thinking of being a "new" customer of WFF, I can't recommend them enough.

I have to put in another good word for Whiteflower Farm. Their bulbs were the largest, up to twice as big as other bulbs I received, and I didn't have a single bad bulb in my entire box of 100+. Their mixed collections -- the pastel tulips and pink daffodils -- were an excellent value, and I can't wait to see what comes up next year. I won't waste my time with other bulb companies in the future -- I'm going to be going directly to Whiteflower farms. I ordered via the website, and had no troubles whatsoever.

I had the very same experience with double bloodroot - no more White Flower Farm.

I just recently requested a catalog via e-mail for White Flower Farms catalog. It came within three days and I was so excited at their complete line of perennials. Got ready to place an order and read that they don't ship outside continental US. Since I live in Alaska, that includes me. So why did they send me a catalog? What a tease they are!