Comments regarding White Flower Farm

Looking at [the 1999 catalog], you'd swear it was Daffodil Mart - illustrations, catalog text (although they've expanded it a bit, mostly by insisting the descriptions use complete sentences), pricing structure -- but "Daffodil Mart" is never used, and the Daffodil section is now a Narcissus section. This is now "White Flower Farm: The Bulb Book 1999". The website lists both companies, and has the title of "The White Flower Farm and Daffodil Mart Bulb Book". It claims that the entire bulb book will beonline as of April 11, 1999; other than that, all that's there now are links to the White Flower Farms and Shepherd Seeds web pages.Incidentally, I can find no mention of a minimum order amount in the 1999 catalogue, so it may well be that the $50 minimum is no longer in place. As a tradeoff, the 800 number for faxes is gone Another change: the catalogue is four pages shorter, and cultivar lists seem a bit shorter -- Amaryllis and Iris reticulata are down three, Erythronium is down four. I also couldn't help but notice that every single Amaryllis went up exactly a dollar for single bulbs.I don't know if you'll want to combine the Daffodil Mart and White Flower Farm entries or leave them separate with a pointer from WFF to DM for the bulb book. Obviously, WFF believes that their name has more pull than DM.

I also had trouble with White Flower Farm's customer service. I'd ordered a Phlomis plant, and a plant was indeed shipped to me. The only problem was that when it bloomed months later (that same year), it was a tall spike withsmall yellow flowers on it, not a stem with whorls of yellow flowers. It basically looked NOTHING like a Phlomis blossom. When I called WFF customer service, they said I must have been mistaken, that, according to their records, they'd sent me a Phlomis plant. I insisted that the blossom was a spike, not a whorl, and that I had photos to prove it. They asked me tosend them one of the photos, and if they deemed it was not a Phlomis plant, then they would return my money. I was in a good mood, did what they said, and a few weeks later received aletter from WFF with my photo enclosed. They said my photo was of a common Mullein, and that I must have killed the Phlomis plant they'd sent and that the Mullein plant was a weed that had sprouted and grown close to where I'd planted the Phlomis. OH PLEASE!!!!! Gimme a break!!! I'm an experienced gardener in southeastern North Carolina, and had not once seen Mullein in or near my gardens. Besides, I know my garden well, and that was the exact same plant they'd sent me, not an imposter weed! When I called WFF back to get a refund, I mentioned that I'd never seen Mullein growing in my area, but that I appreciated them identifying the plant in the photo for me. Interestingly enough, the customer service rep who was helping me remarked that they had a lot of it growing in the fieldsnear WFF. I just kept my trap shut, accepted my "store credit", and silently vowed never to order from White Flower Farm again. Gee, I wonder if the WFF horticulturalist who wrote that "encouraging" note to me ever considered that Mullein seed from THEIR area might have gotten in with their plants and sprouted. Both plants have "fuzzy" leaves, so it's a shame I had to wait till it blossomed before I figured out the mix up. Otherwise, I might have been able to get my credit card reimbursed instead of receiving "store credit". Sorry, y'all - I'll have to agree with the opinion that dealing with some of WFF's reps is sort of like being put through the Inquisition!

As a novice gardener, I have enjoyed hearing feedback on WFF before using them for the first time. Sticking with bulbs, they were wonderful, as advertised. I am interested in trying roses this spring. My primary issue with WFF is their website - it times-out frequently. Every time I go on-line to order, their website cannot be located, is timed-out, or (when it finally appears) loads very slowly. I HATE this and it frustrates me enough to look elsewhere since I know what I want and plants are commodities.

I have periodically ordered plants from WFF. Nothing I've ordered has ever done well; much never even came up. WFF customer service made me feel like the problems with the plants were all my fault. I've been gardening here for nearly10 years, have ordered from numerous nurseries and have rarely had problems. The WFF catalogue is attractive, but so are many others. I won't be ordering from them again.

I have had wonderful, large healthy plants from WFF that have always grown well. My only complaint has been shipping dates. This spring, my plants arrived very late and this fall when I explained upon ordering that these were for a summer home on an island that I couldn't get to after a certain date, I was assured the plants would be there on time. Not only were they almost too late, but several times I was told they had been shipped and upon calling two days later was again told that the plants had been shipped "today". Just don't lie to me!

I also felt like I went through an inquisition when I called WFF for a refund for a 28.95 Double Bloodroot that never appeared in the spring. First the woman on the other end insinuated that I did not mulch it enough and then when I reminded her that we had just been through the warmest winter in recent memory she decided that I rotted it with too much mulch! Grudgingly, she gave me a credit after much back and forth. The catalogs are great and I save them from year to year as well. I figure the prices are inflated because of their guarantee but if the stuff I put in this fall doesn't make it and I have to go through another hassle I won't order from them again.

I have ordered lilies (oriental and asiatic) from White Flower Farms when I lived in Alaska. The customer service and products were beyondexpectation. Any Alaskan knows there are few companies who will ever ship to Alaska…White Flower Farms has always been accommodating with my orders. I gladly paid the upscale price for the products (as well as twice the cost to ship to Alaska) because of the quality of bulbs Ireceived. Even in Alaska, the not quite so hardy oriental lilies came back year after year. I was barely in zone 4 (zone 3 was actually moreaccurate) but by planting the lilies in a protected area and mulching in the fall, they somehow survived. Winters are very long and dark there and a person anxiously waits for summer and the blooming of flowers. The lilies were such a treat and the fragrance a delight. With the cool days, the blooms remained for days. I too have many back issues of their catalog and going through them still helps get me through winter months. I didn't know until today that Amos is fictional. I always knew if I ran into insurmountable gardening problems I could call him for a quick fix. I visualized calling him at midnight with a crisis and he would answer his phone in soothing voice and patiently walk me through the steps to plant recovery. Good bye Amos, I'll miss you.

I have ordered small quantities of plants and bulbs from White Flower Farm for years now, and my experience with their customer service is afar cry from what many others have reported. This past year, for example, I had ordered some begonia tubers from them. I gave one to my mother for Mother's Day, and when it bloomed, it wasn't at all what had been ordered. I called customer service, and they were most apologetic. They asked about the other tubers, and I told them I hadn't seen any blooms yet, because they had been through a tornado at my house before they could bloom, and had not yet come back from the tuber. They offered to replace all of the tubers, even though they obviously had no control over the tornado! There was no interrogation, just a willingness to set things right. I'll definitely keep using their service.

I think that the service may differ depending upon where you live. So if you live in a Zone that doesn't see the end of winter until well into April, read on. Three years ago, I lived in Zone 2 in Montana and dreamed all early winter about what to order from each catalogue. I finally narrowed down my choices and ordered two different plants from (the pricier) White Flower Farm. I keep a gardening journal, so I can tell you exactly what happened. WFF was so-so. The Malva Zebrina was beautiful, but the foxgloves had already bloomed and gone to seed. Could have been due to the fact that WFF did not send my plants until May 25!!!! WAY TOO LATE. Even for Montana.

I have spent about $1500.00 at this place and I find them the best. For instance, I bought 15 different Paeonia from them in the last 3years. The roots are big and each plant has 5 to 10 eyes on them. They flower the next year. I have tried others and don't think the quality is as good as White Flower Farm. Their catalogs are a good reference and have great pictures. The price I find acceptable. 90 percent of my plants in my garden are from White Flower Farm and I've never had a problem. It is the only place I shop.

Check out my postings in rec.garden for the full story. Do not order Amaryllis from WWF unless you enjoy the challenge of Red Spot. They regularly ship diseased Amaryllis and admit doing so. They have done it to me with two different orders over in the last two years. Every one of the four plants I received has been infected. I have finally learned my lesson. I will not do business with them again.

I had mixed results with a White Flower Farms order. They mislabeled a Hosta and sent me a couple runts and some ferns that never made it. But I was impressed with their customer service. They were apologetic and willing to replace the runts if I was unsatisfied with them at the end of the year. Given the number of factors that can go wrong beyond THEIR control after it leaves their gardens, it seemed a fair way to handle matters.

I have ordered from WWF 2 years in a row, and for the most part am satisfied. Their prices are certainly high, but some of the plants I got from them were among the best performers I've ever had. However, I wasn't happy with their replacement guarantee. When I called to get 2 items (out of a $150.00 order) replaced, I felt like I was in the Inquisition. I don't mind explaining myself, but repeated questions along the line of "what did you do to kill them" are ridiculous. I will pay top dollar for plants if they are top quality, but I will also seek a refund if I didn't get my money's worth.

I have only placed two orders with White Flower Farm, but I have been very pleased with both orders. My first order was for Cum Laude daffodils. They were priced at 5 for $9.95, which I thought was kind of pricey, but I wanted to try this company out. When the bulbs came they were bigger than a baseball; almost the size of a softball. I would have paid $3 or $4 for the size of bulb that I received. No other company that I had ordered from at that time had daffodil bulbs close to the size of these. My next order was for a begonia tuber, and when the tuber arrived it was almost twice as big as a begonia tuber I had ordered fromanother mail order company, and the begonia tuber from White Flower Farm had started growing about 1 week before the other begonia bulbs, even though I planted them at the same time. I realize that this company is more expensive than most other mail order nurseries but I feel that I have gotten my money's worth so far.

Nice catalog! Ordered a clematis and got a wonderful plant that grew vigorously from the outset. Also received a Japanese iris that is growing well. Had always considered them too high, but if all their plants are of this quality, I'll have to rethink. Will order a tree peony next.

I ordered 6 Campanula from White Flower Farm, in the spring/summer of 96. The next spring none of them came back (novice gardener--I wasn't sure if the fault was mine, theirs or both). I called them and they were GREAT!! They replaced all 6 plants and gave me tips on the phone for helping them survive. I'm happy to report that they are doing beautifully and blooming like crazy as I type. I'm anxiously awaiting my latest order from them. I've been very pleased with their service.

I "signed up" to receive their catalog because of their GREAT pictures. I've kept every single one of them over the last 4 years and evenordered plants and bulbs. The daffodil bulbs I received were almost as big as baseballs and the tulip bulbs weren't far behind, but I sure didhave to pay for them! The bareroot plants I ordered came way too early in the spring. They sent about 10 bareroot plants to me in EARLY April, shipped to Zone 6. I'm in Zone 5. It's really not that hard to look on the "Chart" and figure out what Zone people are in. C'mon WWF!!! Anyway, what was I going to do with about $150.00 worth of plants until I could plant them? I thought of a few creative things Ishould've done, but decided to be nice. I called and complained to the WWF Customer Service department, but they wouldn't replace the plants because they were still alive. Ok, I can play that game. I called again AFTER they died and was treated like an idiot, like I was the first person EVER to call WWF and ask for replacements! Evidently that just isn't done! It's not worth the extra price or the customer NONservice! I'll stick to local nurseries and the few reliable mail-order sources I have who replace without the hassle. However, I will still keep their catalogs because those pictures are really the best!

I don't find their bulbs as "healthy" and large as Daffodil Mart (which they imply is their source!) Prefer to order from Daffodil Mart

I have purchased plants and plant material for several years from White Flower Farms at this point I intend to continue to order merchandise from them, thought I will admit that the last two times I ordered Crambe's from them I have never had any success with them for what reason I do not know as they have been planted in different places in the garden. Anyone who orders should not be afraid to do so their stock comes in great condition and usually of decent size, but always healthy

WFF is still one of my all-time favorites. I have received excellent quality plants every spring & fall for the past several years. The only problems were from an order placed through the 1996 holiday gift catalog. I ordered 2 strawberry jars that were supposed to ship in time for the holidays with plants to be shipped in spring and a basket of 'Angelique' tulips to be sent to my mother. Only one strawberry jarshipped & I had to call for the 2nd one. They sent two! I notified them, but they said to keep it if I wanted it (of course I did). In thespring, I never received the strawberry plants or potting soil until I called them. They had to locate my order or some other nonsense and callback before they could start to resolve the issue. Hmmmm. My mother's tulips never did bloom & they were given full sun & tender loving care.They sent a refund promptly. It is strange that an entire order was unsatisfactory, but the problems were resolved. I think they still careabout quality and I am extremely happy with subsequent orders placed this past growing season.

White Flower Farm's catalog certainly is a pretty one, as most here have acknowledged. But they are in Connecticut and they don't understand gardening in the Southeast, even though they now publish a "southern edition." The southern edition offers delphiniums, heaths, heathers, and other plants that suffer a slow, agonizing death here in hot, humid Virginia. And there's plenty of gardening country farther south than Virginia. Also, I have received some plants from them that were not well upon arrival and did not live. I should have called to complain, but instead I simply stopped ordering from them about four years ago.

I have been VERY pleased with all of the plants I have received from the White Flower Farm, however. The iris bulbs are big and quite healthy, as are the lilies.

I ordered from them for the first time last fall - some special poppies. They sent me a confirmation notice, saying the poppies would be shipped at the proper planting time for my area, which the notice said would be late September. I called customer service and told them that was way too late and that the plants would certainly not survive the winter. They said they could not send them any earlier. Sure enough they didn't make it. The poppy that I bought at the local garden center (for 1/3 the price) & planted eight feet away, in August, in the same bed bloomed last week. I called CS back this spring & they said they would replace the dead ones, but I had to tell them to re-register me as a zone-6 to get the plants sent any earlier. They have beautiful stuff in the catalog, & when the plants arrived they were in good shape, so I'll probably order from them again, but they need to work on their shipping dates/policies. I believe they think anything south of theMason-Dixon line is a tropical paradise.

White Flower Farms: Count me as another big fan. I've ordered from White Flower several times and have consistently received top size bulbs and healthy plants. I recently ordered one of their oriental lily collections (24 bulbs) and every bulb had sprouted within two weeks. The only drawback - they sell out very early on popular items.

Last fall I ordered from Van Bourgondien and White Flower Farm. Van Bourgondien is a lot cheaper than WFF. I ordered crocuses from both of them. But the bulbs from WFF are three times as large as those from Van Bourgondien. All the bulbs bloomed in spring. The bulbs from WFF had 4 blooms each. I also ordered anemones and ranunculus from Van Bourgondien. Anenmones are all coming up. But I had no success with rananculus. All the bulbs caught some kind of fungus when I planted them in planters. Needless to say none came up. I ordered some begonias and a tree peony from Van Bourgondien in spring 97. Begonias are pretty good. They are all coming up. Tree peony is quite small (at $12) 1 year old. I saw at a local nursery a bigger one - 2 year old for $15. Overall my experiences with both these mail order companies has been good.

Pretty pictures don't make up for poor customer service. I suggest you catalog lovers buy a book-- White Flower Farm has really let me down. I thought my plants were a little small last year, but this year they shipped during 20 degree temps. A cell-pack sized plant had fallen from a 3" pot; the roots were totally dried out. When I called to complain about the quality and condition of the shipment, it was suggested that I stick the plant in the ground and let it go at that. The gal in customer service didn't even agree to note my records until I explained that I am a Master Gardener with the Hardin County Extension Service. She finally decided that I just might know what I'm talking about. I'm still supposed to wait for a couple of weeks to see if the plant recovers -- then they'll decide what to do. I assure you, if it does recover, the plant will certainly not be able to leave the protected environment of the greenhouse anytime soon. Argh! I don't pay their prices to get this type of service. No more!

I adore WFF's catalog and continue to order a few plants periodically just to make sure I continue receiving it. Last spring I planted a half-dozen phlomis, all bare-root, and only a couple came up. I called, and even as I starting pointing out that I may have messed up on planting depth or watering, the customer service person was entering the information to send me replacements. I've also planted roses and lilies from WFF, as well as a handful of relatively unusual perennials, and I've always been very satisfied.

In the past, I have been pleased with the root stock which has been sent from White Flower Farm. In 1996 I order Adenophora confusa for ~$7.00 and received a 4 inch pot. I was not pleased. I expected a bare root cutting for this cost.

I have had good quality from White Flower Farm.

I ordered a few annuals from White Flower Farm and was unimpressed with what I received, especially considering the price of these items.

White Flower Farm sold me plants that are NOT true-to-name! After purchasing Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red', I discovered that the leaves were green, not the characteristic red. According to the Perennial Plant Association, green plants are the result of seed propagation. 'Husker Red' should be vegetatively propagated to get the real thing. After several phone calls and letters back and forth, one of which included a sample of the "Husker Green" leaves, WFF said they couldn't give me a refund unless I could produce my original invoice. Of course, that was long gone. Refund aside, why are they selling seed-propagated plants under the cultivar name? I understand that they do not grow all their own plants. They clearly need to raise their own standards before they palm off inferior plants on a trusting public.

I plan to order from them this fall for the first time, so can't comment on the merchandise. I get the Southern version (don't know if there's a Western, etc. version yet or not). As a mail order connoisseur and technical writer who has a degree in creative writing, I can't say enough good things about this catalog. The layout, charts, etc. are top-notch, and you're absolutely right, it is fun to read. The most beautiful and interesting garden catalog I've ever seen. In addition, the southern version has been reviewed by a southern gardening columnist from, I believe, Greenville, SC. So they are making a significant effort to improve in terms of accurate regional information and admit to past shortcomings in this area. I'm sure they would welcome comments from experts in other regions as well.

Since I live on the East coast, I find White Flower Flower Farm's catalog a valuable reference. The first spring at our house, my husband (who has previously lived west of the Rockies and in Alaska) asked me to find iceplants. What a search. I located both pink and yellow Delosperma in White Flower Farm. I was very impressed with the size of the plants Ireceived. So the following year I ordered again. Asters--Monch. I received bare root in early June, much too late for my area, which washaving a hot dry late spring. I don't have a problem with bare root plants, I have a problem with nursery people being ignorant about climates and zones.I called WFF that year. "We sent them at the right time; the computer says you are in zone 5." Without consulting me or a map, some one atWhite Flower Farm decided that since Harpers Ferry is in West Virginia, it is in zone 5. If that someone had consulted their own zone map they'd find most of WV is in zone 6. I'm in zone 6, barely.Nurseries 40 miles east of me claim to be in zone 7 (by the old map they are) There are large (20 ft +) evergreen magnolias 10 miles to the west in Charles Town WV. Mimosa trees seed themselves and grow wild in my neighbor hood. I sucessfully wintered a Camellia sansanqua in a sheltered corner outside my house this past winter… It's not a tropical paradise, but it is not zone 5!WFF did compensate me for the loss of the plants and changed the information on my zone in their database. I think I opted for a refund, which they gave me.

I work at WFF on the weekends on the phones to support the gardening addiction. In fact, my wife does too. We talk to a great many people who have a prejudice against bare root and I swear it's because they don't plant the new arrivals timely. However, a bare root plant is, many times, larger than a plant in a pot. Although some of the WFF offerings can also be small, I've found them to usually be of a larger size commensurate with the price. People complain that our plants are more expensive but the cost includes the color photos in a free catalog with an 800 number that people use, or abuse, to design their garden.

The order was small, and included both plants and bulbs. The plants looked fine, but one group of six bulbs had four that were almost mush. I found their prices to be VERY high, in comparison to others, with not a great deal of extra quality in either the plants or the packaging. The catalog is worth the pictures, but the plant descriptions are not complete. The selection, I feel, is somewhat spotty. For 95% of the plants that interested me in the catalog, I was able to find them in other places with comparable quality at substantially smaller prices.

White Flower Farm is tops on varieties and quality. Their customer service department is also very good. Two foxgloves I ordered did not come up in the spring and they sent a letter and the replacements within two weeks.

They are on my black list right now, big time. The potted plants are lovely, and decent sized. The bareroot New Dawn rose is fine. The Crambe cordefolia, however, which was advertised as "pot-grown," reaches 4-5 feet, is a bare root. This smacks to me of false advertising. I know about bareroot plants (and they are not 100% certain to live, even with good care), but I really wanted a good sized specimen this year, which is why I paid WFF $10.25 for a pot grown plant. I also received bare roots for Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant', at $6.25 a pop (while Heronswood in Washington sent beautiful big plants for $4 each). WFF's response is that they will refund my money or replace anything that doesn't grow. At this point I would only order from them something which I absolutely could not get elsewhere, and I would write on the order "no bare roots" along with "no substitutions."

As a newbie bulb grower and reader of rec.Gardens, I ordered my bulbs from White Flower Farm. All the bulbs I planted (100%) have bloomed and a full rich and lovely.

I ordered fuchsia ('Vodoo' and 'Swarthy Gem'), which aren't doing so well. Tristar Strawberry plants satisfactory. Begonia tubers mediocre. I also liked the catalog.