Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.edu!leppik From: p-leppi@uiuc.edu (Peter Leppik) Newsgroups: rec.gardens,rec.gardens.roses,rec.answers,news.answers Subject: Plants By Mail FAQ Supersedes: Followup-To: rec.gardens Date: 12 Apr 1995 02:18:58 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Lines: 1063 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Message-ID: Reply-To: p-leppi@uiuc.edu NNTP-Posting-Host: uxa.cso.uiuc.edu Summary: This FAQ contains information about buying plants and garden supplies through the mail. It includes suggestions, information about what to expect, and a lengthy list of mail-order companies. Opionions about some companies (derived from experiences with those companies) are included. Originator: leppik@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.gardens:69184 rec.gardens.roses:5279 rec.answers:11249 news.answers:41734 Archive-name: plants-by-mail Posting-Frequency: bimonthly (sporadic) The Plants By Mail FAQ by Peter Leppik p-leppi@uiuc.edu This document is intended to introduce readers to the world of buying plants by mail order; and also to serve as a central clearinghouse for information about contacting various mail order plant houses. I make no claims about being more informed on this topic than your average Joe, but I saw the need, and I'm willing to put forth the effort to compile and maintain this. The version of this FAQ posted to USENET used to include a complete list of catalogs, with addresses and comments. This is no longer done, because the list was outgrowing the rest of the FAQ. Instead, the catalog list can be accessed at http://seidel.ncsa.uiuc.edu/PBM-FAQ/Default.html. If you don't have WWW access, you can send E-mail to p-leppi@uiuc.edu, telling me which catalogs you want the full listing for, and I'll send you those entries. History: * Updated: 4/11/95 * Minor revisions. Some list entries added, oters expanded. With this revision, I've started noting the time when changes to list entries were made, to better track potentially obsolete comments. * Updated: 2/22/95 * Updated: 1/22/95 * Updated: 7/12/94 * Updated: 4/30/94 * Originally Created: 3/17/94 (late at night) Contents: 1. Introduction 2. But First, A Word From Our Lawyers 3. How To Tell a Good Company from a Bad One (or: Things To Look For Before Taking the Plunge) 4. What To Do When Your Order Arrives (or: OhMyGawd! There's No DIRT With These Plants!) 5. Which Catalog To Order From 6. Mail Order Houses, How to Contact Them, and My Opinions Thereof 7. But Before We Go.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction It seems that one of the most common article titles in rec.gardens is, "How can I reach XYZZY?" or, "The Plugh company sent me a catalog. Are they any good?" I hope to be able to answer some of these questions in a reasonably definitive manner (the first is easy, the second harder), and provide the neophyte with some introduction to buying plants by mail. My experience in this area has been short, but intense. After finally moving from a small condo into a real house (with a YARD and a GARDEN even!) in 1993, one of my first projects was to begin widespread replanting of the yard (which is mostly boring grass, or very ugly hybrid poplars). To do that, I began ordering large numbers of bulbs and plants from a number of mail-order houses. Some were good, some were bad, and I learned a lot about what to look for and what to avoid. I welcome any and all comments. Send them to p-leppi@uiuc.edu. If there is some catalog not covered here which you think should be, by all means let me know. If you do send me comments, PLEASE please respect my poor, overworked mailer. I've had people resend me the entire FAQ just for a few lines of comments, and I even had one person send me a bunch of UUencoded binary pictures! Needless to say, this doesn't help me much, and it wastes my disk space. That said....do send comments, because they do help! I assume that, if you send me comments, you don't mind if they find their way into a future edition. I'll try to verify this, but sometimes I forget. Thus, if you DON'T want you name in a future edition of the FAQ, be sure to say so. For the full version of the catalog list, you need to go to the WWW version of this FAQ, at http://seidel.ncsa.uiuc.edu/PBM-FAQ.html. If you don't have WWW access, send E-mail to me listing which companies you want more information about, and I'll send you the full listings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer All opinions in this document are the opinions of the author, unless otherwise noted. The author is well-known for his arbitrary and capricious judgments, and cannot be held liable for anything he says herein. Besides, the author is a poor grad student, and suing him is like trying to squeeze blood from a rock. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Tell a Good Company from a Bad One (or: Things To Look For Before Taking the Plunge) If you are like me, you probably have a dozen or two catalogs from various places, some fancy, others plain, and you're wondering who to order from and how to tell the difference between a place that really cares, and a place that is just trying to unload some poor, pathetic bits of green stuff on The Gullible Majority. In this section, I will outline what I think a good mail order company should do, and what you should consider before buying a plant sight-unseen. Keep in mind that this is aimed at the relative neophyte, who needs a little more service than the extremely experienced gardener....there are plenty of companies which provide good plants, but don't offer the level of service than many gardeners need. What a Good Mail-Order Company Will Do 1. Every perennial in the catalog should have a clearly indicated hardiness range. That is, for every perennial (anything you expect to last more than one year) should have indicated which USDA hardiness zones it will survive in. Simple adjectives like "hardy," or "tender," are NOT sufficient. Perhaps I am biased, being a Minnesota native currently living in Illinois, but I have seen too many catalogs which do not include this crucial information. Without knowing this, it is too easy to buy plants that won't survive in your climate. This also includes those of you who live in places like Southern California, where it never gets cold, since some plants require a period of cold temperatures every year in order to survive/bloom/etc. 2. Every plant should have its botanical (scientific) name listed. Of course, this doesn't count for things like roses or tomatoes, which everybody knows what that are. This may sound picky, but think about it: if you ever want to get information on this plant from some other source, and they use their own name, you might have a devil of a time figuring out how to get information. A plant's botanical name is unique. I have seen places that will take a standard variety of some plant, come up with a flashy (trademarked) name, and sell it as something special. Needless to say, this is dishonest. 3. Information on the habitat requirements should be easy to find. By this, I mean answers to questions like, how much sun does it need, how much water, and so forth. Nearly every catalog has this, but if you see one that doesn't, stay away. 4. A good company will be able to answer questions about their products. Really, this is basic. If you call them, and ask about something, they should be able to answer your question. If they can only take orders, this is a Bad Sign. (By the way, in many places, you can call your local County Extension office to get information about plants, too.) Finally, something that you should probably ignore: 5. Every mail order catalog that I've seen offers some sort of guarantee. This should NOT be a factor in deciding where to buy from. After all, what good does it do if they replace a plant that died because you can't grow oranges in Alaska? The replacement will just die, too, and you'll spend twice as much time on a plant that was Never Meant To Be. Some people have even noted an inverse relation between the quality of the guarantee and the quality of the plants: the louder the company proclaims its "FOOLPROOF 100% MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE," the worse the plants are when they arrive. What To Consider Before Taking the Plunge Okay, so you've got your heart set on the beautiful Creeping Green Stuff. Before plunking your money and time on it (usually more time than money), you should stop and ask yourself a few questions: 1. Will it grow in my area? If they don't make it CLEAR (i.e. by telling you the hardiness zone), then avoid that plant, or buy it from somebody who will tell you. 2. Do I have a place to put it? It is very easy to get spring fever when all the catalogs start arriving midwinter, and wind up buying enough plants to cover every square inch of your yard two or three times over. Make sure you have a specific place for each and every plant you order, and make sure you will have the time to plant it when it arrives. Keep in mind that you will probably have to plant them soon after they arrive, and you might not be able to control the exact day they arrive. Thus, ordering 150 bushes for a new hedge from one place, all of which will arrive via UPS on the same day and need to be planted immediately, is probably not a good idea. Believe me. I've done it. 3. Will it really look the way I want it to? Keep in mind that the pictures in the catalogs are designed to sell plants, and the plants in your garden will generally not look quite as nice. I have seen a lot of comments from people in rec.gardens about the rose Blue Girl as a particular offender in this respect. Also keep in mind that illustrations (and photographs) can be very deceptive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What To Do When Your Order Arrives (or: OhMyGawd! There's No DIRT With These Plants!) The most important thing to do when your order arrives is DON'T PANIC! Good. Take a few deep breaths. The reason your roses/trees/whatever arrived without any dirt is not because the company sent you dead plants. Shipping woody plants without dirt ("bare-root") is standard. First, it does not harm the plants much, as long as the company has taken steps to ensure that the roots don't dry out. Usually, this involves dipping the roots in some sort of stuff that helps retain moisture. Second, shipping plants bare-root helps keep shipping costs down. Shipping with dirt could easily double or triple the weight of the plant when shipped, and make it that much more expensive to buy. Finally, shipping plants bare-root helps prevent the spread of pests that live in the soil (like the Japanese beetle). Needless to say, unless you're buying small seedlings, it would be expensive for a company to grow all their stock in greenhouses. There are a few places which ship plants in pots. Shipping a plant with the dirt will be less traumatic to the plants, and, as a rule, you can expect these plants to be healthier, but, because of shipping expenses, they will often also be much smaller than bare-root plants--and more expensive. Given the option, I will usually buy the plant shipped in a pot, since the quality is often much higher. In addition, there are some plants which have to be shipped in pots, simply because they're too fragile otherwise. Generally, you will get a little booklet with your order explaining how to plant your new plants. Usually, the first thing to do (with bare root plants) is to stick them in a bucket of water for some time. You should do this as soon as they arrive. Then, dig a hole according to the booklet instructions, and plant those buggers. It may take some time for your new plants to leaf out, especially if they're dormant when shipped. Again, don't panic. If you planted in the spring, don't call the company to complain that the plants are dead until midsummer. They'll just tell you to wait, because sometimes the plants take a while to adjust to their new surroundings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Which Catalog To Order From If you are buying roses, you should certainly order from a catalog which specializes in roses. There are quite a few of these catalogs, and you will generally get better selection, quality, and price than you would from buying from a catalog which doesn't specialize in roses. For some reason, this rule of thumb seems to be the other way around when buying bulbs. I have had the best experiences buying bulbs from White Flower Farms, which is generally an outstanding catalog, but they aren't even remotely limited to bulbs. My worst experiences, on the other hand, were with places that sell only, or mainly bulbs. Go figure. Not everybody will agree with my judgments. After much consideration (and several long discussions on the order of "Company X isn't really THAT bad!"), I've decided that the main consideration has to be consistency. That means that I can count on large plants, of a uniformly high quality, every time I order. Note, too, that I haven't yet had anyone take issue with my list of "Good" companies, just the "Bad" ones. Having said that, here is my list of best and worst companies, based primarily on my personal experiences: Really Good Companies: * White Flower Farms * Nor'East Miniature Roses * Heirloom Old Garden Roses (but see below) * Gardener's Supply Company * Shepherd's Garden Seeds * Stark Brothers Companies To Avoid: * Spring Hill * Michigan Bulb Co. * Breck's Bulbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- White Flower Farm Litchfield, CT 06759-0050 Orders: (203) 496-9600 White Flower Farm sells just about every kind of ornamental plant that one might reasonably want to grow in North America. OPINION: I will state my bias right up front: White Flower Farm is far and away my favorite catalog. They have a reputation for being "upscale," but their prices are only slightly above average. Their catalog offers a wealth of useful horticultural information, along with interesting commentary about each and every plant. All the information you need to know (hardiness, planting requirements, light requirements, etc.) is compiled in a single useful index, as well as being stated with the description of each plant. The catalog is organized alphabetically by genus name, so in addition to being fun to read (and look at the pictures), it makes a very useful reference. Of course, the catalog is only secondary to the merchandise. Fortunately, their produce more than lives up to the high standards set by the catalog: it is absolutely first rate. When I was buying daylillies, crocuses, and daffodils from White Flower Farm and other catalogs, the bulbs or roots from White Flower were often more than twice the size of the ones from other vendors, and at a comparable price. Even if you never buy anything from White Flower Farm, you should get their catalog as a reference, since it is almost as good as buying a book on ornamental plants, but a whole lot cheaper. Sean A. O'Hara (saouc@uccmvsa.bitnet) disagrees with some of my tone: Not really a flame, but please! I have a few of White Flower Farm's catalogues, and I do value them for their reference quality and nice photographs. But their plants and garden information is distinctively East Coast in character. I would very much enjoy growing a number of plants they list, but no longer attempt such folly as they are definitely inappropriate for my arid western climate (as would many of the plants I cherish in my garden be inappropriate for yours). Please, let us not forget those 'less fortunate' souls who garden elsewhere! North America is a big place, and I do not expect my garden to look like your any more that I expect your to look like mine. This reminds me of the search for a "North American gardening style". I can think of nothing more ridiculous to search for - as if it could ever be defined for a continent like ours - or that you'd want to try! This has always been a way to 'one up' the 'English style'. Well, England is a relatively small place, and even then it contains diversity more than we imagine. I must plead guilty here. Perhaps I should have said that they sell "just about any ornamental plant one might reasonably want to grow East of the Rockies...." lori@phantom.com reports: I ordered fuscia (vodoo and swarthy gem) which aren't doing so well. Tristar Strawberry plants satisfactory. Begonia tubers mediocre. I also liked the catalog ;-) Spring 1995: Marie Wilson (Marie.Wilson@atlantaga.attgis.com) reports: 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(hyacinths)(sp?) Angeligue Tulips and about 100 windflowers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nor'East Miniature Roses, Inc. P.O. Box 307 Rowley, MA 01969 Phone: (508) 948-7964 Orders: 1-800-426-6485 On the West Coast: Nor'East Miniature Roses, Inc. P.O. Box 473 Ontario, CA 91762 Phone: (909) 984-2223 Orders: 1-800-662-9669 A large selection of miniature roses, and some supplies for those who like to grow them (like miniature vases) OPINION: This company is also on my "Good-Guys" list. Their prices are quite reasonable, and their stock is high quality. Their catalog has photos of many of their offerings. If you are into miniature roses (or would like to be), this is the catalog to get. lori@phantom.com reports: cheap cute lil'roses. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heirloom Old Garden Roses 24062 NE Riverside Dr. St. Paul, OR 91737 Orders: (503) 538-1576 This is a catalog of "old" roses: not a hybrid tea to be found. If you're looking for english or unusual roses, this is the place to go. OPINION: If you are a rose grower, and you are still growing hybrid teas, this catalog will convert you. Many of the old roses offered here are just as good, if not better than, the more common modern roses. The catalog offers a lot of information about a zillion different roses, including hardiness, and (my favorite) lists of roses well-suited for particular uses (i.e. roses for growing over trellises, roses for scent, etc.). Their stock is first-rate, and all grown on its own roots, so there are no bud unions to worry about. There is no separate phone number for questions, but I found the people answering the phone to be knowledgeable and helpful. Two thumbs up. Note that they charge $5 for the catalog, but once you're on their mailing list (i.e. after you buy something), they'll send it free. Kristin Bruneau reports a different story: About a month or so ago on rec.gardens.rose people started to discuss their experiences with the company. Over all it was very negative. Some of the major complaints were that the plants were too young (9 months or less), you never knew when they would get around to shipping your plant (some waited over a year), and the owners were very nasty when you had a problem (and basically said that's too bad). The only reason I am passing this along is that the responses were consistently bad and many people's stories were extreme (no roots on the rose, horribly nasty experiences with the staff). I too had a bad experience with them. I ordered from them last year for the first time. Even though the rose was in stock when I called in May, I had still not received it in July. I had to call up and raise a fuss before they finally agreed to send it out. Gosh only knows when I would have received it if I left it up to them. When it arrived it only had two canes, one completely stripped off and dangling from the plant. It only had two leaves on it and came with the worlds biggest slug that was the size of a nickle and covered in yellow fringe (Yuck!). I called them to complain and their response was basically "Oh". They only guarantee for the plants to arrive in good condition so I called. I did not want it replaced at that time because it would be too late in the season to plant another one (if they finally got around to sending it to me). I told them that I expected them to replace it if it died. They finally agreed. Well, at first it dropped the only two leaves that it had and I thought it would die. After a while it did come back though. It is doing ok, not great. The rose was Rosa Rugosa, basically a weed. Maybe that explains why I was so lucky it made it. Anyway, since Heirloom Old Garden Roses was on the highly recommended list I thought I'd pass these experiences along. I know that different people have different experiences and that we must weigh that in our minds when we order. Just my 2 cents worth. I don't know if this is due to temporary management problems, or something deeper. I'm going to keep this company on my "good guys" list for the time being, because of my good experiences, but I would appreciate any comments. From the Rose FAQ, maintained by klbaldwi@ren.edaco.ingr.com (Karen Baldwin): Catalog: $5 (a beautiful catalog -- well worth it as a reference guide) Service: One of two companies licensed as U.S. agents by Austin. "courageous enough to invest marketing $$$ in what was really sort of arisky project [Austin roses]" apparently no satisfaction guarantee; reports of many ignored complaints by phone and letter Plants: most complete offering of Austin roses of U.S. suppliers. own-root old roses and Austins Maturity: plants are extremely small and young, "very tiny plants," but most often they will survive if coddled (they say their plants are 6-9 mo old., which is arguably too young, yet recipients guess the roses they got were much younger than that. Many references to "twigs without roots") This problem may be due in part to availability issue (below), and HOGR attempt to make them available sooner. Delivery: Does NOT ship to Canada (would not say why). Availability of newly released Austins will lag behind Canada because of U.S. quarantine period. Many reports of broken canes. Unasked-for switching of plants from what was ordered, when ordered plant is unavailable ... or else up to year-long delays in shipment! to avoid, confirm during telephone order that plant is *in stock* and *ready to ship immediately* and specify *no substitutes*! However: will ship at any time of year (except when it is too cold for the plants to survive shipment.) James Roush (ROUSHJK@vet.ksu.edu) reports: Read with interest your FAQ on rec.gardens.roses today, especially the stuff about problems with Heirloom Roses. I started orders with Heirloom 2 or 3 years ago, and although I think their catalogue is great, after 2 years of ordering from them I'm going to try to avoid it in the future. I love old garden roses, but..... I haven't had the problems you mentioned with grouchy consumer relations, but I, like you, had to beg to get my plants (came one year two months after they were promised), and I found the quality to be less than great. In fact, the second year I was doing some of my own cuttings and I found that my cuttings started in late April were bigger and better rooted than the plants I received from Heirloom in June. So much for 1 year old plants! The first year their excuse for being late was a computer crash, but the second year they had only the excuse of being too busy. Also, I used to belong to Compuserve and the garden group there ran a long string of responses 2 years ago with people who had bad experiences with them. Even people who supported them (on the basis that they are the only source for many roses) had had bad plants and experiences with them. On the plus side, most of the plants they sent (except a "Hunter" rugosa) survived with a little coddling--they're just a little behind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gardener's Supply Co. 128 Intervale Rd. Burlington, VT 05401 Orders/Customer Service: (802) 863-1700 TDD: (802) 660-3530 Fax: (802) 660-4600 E-mail: gardener@cybermalls.com WWW: http://www.cybermalls.com/cymont/gardener/index.htm All kinds of gardening supplies, and a few plants. OPINION: I have had good experiences with this company. Their products appear to be of a uniformly high quality, and a lot of people in rec.gardens swear by them. At least one of their employees reads this newsgroup, so you may be able to get answers "from the horse's mouth," if you know who to ask. If anybody can supply me with his E-mail address, I would appreciate it. kolling@adobe.com reports: The Gardener's Supply people are great folks. I ordered a humongeous light fixture from them and UPS apparently dropped it in shipping, slightly denting inwards one end so I couldn't install the bulbs. GS took it back without a peep. I have placed at least five orders for various things over the past 2-3 years and been very pleased. Their order takers all seem to be gardeners. Also, they credited my charge account twice for the return, (due to a disk crash, as it turned out), and when I called to let them know, they said thanks, and a few days later a freebie thank you package of maple syrup from one of their employee's subbusinesses showed up. Spring 1995: Gary Ross (bkoch@together.net), who seems to be connected to Gardener's Supply (though he doesn't say how), passed this along: Thanks for the listing for Gardener's Supply! We are not actually directly on-line yet on the WWW - we are using a third party for our cybershop and a shared connection here at the office. But, we should be on-line directly within a few weeks and will send along our e-mail address and contact names at that time. In the meantime, we can also be reached on Compuserve at 73324.1302@compuserve.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shepherd's Garden Seeds 30 Irene St. Torrington, CT 06790 Orders: East (203) 482-3638, West (408) 335-6910 Customer Service: (203) 482-3638 Horticultural Help: (408) 335-6910 Shepherd's sells mostly seeds, but also a few plants, and some kitchen and garden supplies. OPINION: The stylish illustrations in this catalog give it a distinctly yuppie feel, but this is a good catalog nevertheless. They have a number of varieties that are hard to find elsewhere (a whole PAGE of ornamental sunflowers!), and a wealth of useful horticultural information. My order arrived promptly, in good order, and appears to be high quality (it is still a little soon for things to be sprouting around here, though). Prices are a little above average, but seeds are cheap no matter how you slice it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stark Brothers P.O. Box 10 Louisiana, MO 63353-0010 Orders: 1-800-325-4180 Customer Service: 1-800-478-2759 Stark Brothers sells almost exclusively fruit trees, and a few ornamentals. Eric Reed (ericr@corgi.sps.mot.com) reports: Stark Brothers have been around for a long time. Many of their fruit trees are their own hybrids. I have order from them twice, both times the orders were very well packed and the trees were healthy and in general good shape. I planted a local nursery apple tree and a Stark tree the same weekend. The Stark tree has done much better. It has grown faster and produce fruit earlier than the local nursery tree. The catalog is well written and gives a lot of information on each tree. Spring 1995: I ordered an apricot tree and a bunch of lilac bushes from Strk Brothers this spring, and they all came at the right time for planting, in excellent shape. Given the size and quality of the stock they sent me, and the prices they charged, they are an excellent value. I'll know better in a year or so how well the plants did (they are just breaking dormancy now), but early signs are all good. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spring Hill Mail Order Reservation Center 6523 North Galena Rd. P.O. Box 1758 Peoria, IL 61656-1758 Orders: (309) 689-3800 Customer Service: (309) 689-3849 Spring Hill sells just about any kind of plant that catches their fancy. OPINION: Spring Hill is one of these places that is in the business of dumping cheap, inappropriate merchandise on unsuspecting customers. The quality of their merchandise is mediocre, even though the prices are about average. The provide little or no hardiness information, which is especially troublesome considering that they sell some plants (like carnations) for outdoor planting, even though they will not survive the winter in large portions of the U.S. Furthermore, if you ever buy anything from Spring Hill, you will be on their mailing list but good. I have received no less than four different catalogs from them in the last two months (not even counting the large number of "special offers" which seem to arrive about once a week, and at least one telemarketing call). Avoid this company like the plague. Note that Spring Hill appears to be the same company, or closely associated with, Breck's Bulbs, another company on my "Avoid" list. Al Harrington [alh@hprnd.rose.hp.com] says: I think you are being way to hard on Spring Hill. I realize that they do not supply hardiness information, and that some of their plants are not in the best shape - their customer service is very good. I purchased the carnation collection (15 plants) and 2 of them died. I got credited for all 15 as it was a collection. I ordered a lot of stuff from them (over 100 plants) and just about all are doing just fine - what isn't I get credit for. If nothing else seeing color pictures of *everything* they sell is nice. :-) From the Rose FAQ, maintained by klbaldwi@ren.edaco.ingr.com (Karen Baldwin): Service: superlative customer service w/satisfaction guarantee Plants: "Usually grown by the Weaks Farm" Maturity: very good plants (some argument here: some claim their SH bushes are equivalent to or even better/more mature than J&P; but two indicated lesser quality stock evidenced by taking longer to root, not flourishing as well, lower survival rate) Delivery: Good packing in re-usable bedding material. "If rose unavailable, will be sent following year," (so no "surprise" deliveries of roses not ordered). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Bulb Co. 1950 Waldorf NW Grad Rapids, MI 49550-0500 Michigan Bulb Company sells bulbs, perennials, and other assorted plants. OPINION: This catalog is filled with the kind of BREATHLESS PROSE and AMAZING BARGAINS designed to stampede the gardener into making impulse purchases. Their prices are cheap, but selection is limited, and quality was very mediocre. In addition, I was unable to find a phone number anywhere in the catalog--this could be a real problem, if you have problems with your order. To their credit, they generally include hardiness information. On the other hand, they also sell the "Blue Girl" rose, which is an automatic two demerits in my book. Go elsewhere. jsr@geneab.b23a.ingr.com (Jeff Reifsteck) reports: I've had nothing but bad news from Michigan Bulb. The plants were poor and didn't survive. They did replace them without question but my 40 creeping myrtle (6" evergreen ground cover) became 40 crape myrtle (a big bush and a lot more expensive). I needed ground cover not bushes. Except for the replacement of a "Blue Girl" rose all the other replacements were not plantable. apilote@wtcd.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Angela Pilote) reports: Last year I ordered some things from them -- NEVER AGAIN! I even told my husband to remind me of the poor quality of there plants and bulbs if he even SEES me *looking* at one of their catalogs. None of the plants survived and only about half (maybe less) of the bulbs came up. The bulbs also seemed very small and I think I read somewhere that this is a sign that the bulbs have not matured enough to bloom. The prices seem to be good, but if you factor in the survival rate and time invested -- it's not a deal. I'm better off paying premium prices at my nursery for good quality plants and bulbs. Evelyn Walker reports: I have ordered perinnals from Michigan Bulb company, the first year the blooms are not so big, but usually the second year it is bigger, If you plant them in a fertilized area the plants do a lot better. I have shasta daisies, carnations, guardinalla or whatever. I was really pleased with it. I plan on getting a few more for some bare spots in my yard Spring 1995: Lorraine Venner (lorraine@brt.com) reports: Plants look really bad when you get them/. Both my sister & I have had good luck w/ them though. They are really inexpensive compared to other mail order places I have seen - so as long as they grow well.. looks aren't as important. They were hardy enough to make it through the unexpected hail storm we had (First time we had *any* hail/snow/ice in the last 8 years (before that I lived elsewhere). You do get *lots* of mail from them. Home depot can be cheaper for some plants ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Breck's Bulbs U.S. Reservation Center 6523 North Galena Rd. Peoria, IL 61632 Orders: (309) 689-3870 Breck's sells bulbs imported from Holland: tulips, crocuses, daffodils, etc. OPINION: Overall, I am not terribly impressed with Breck's. Their merchandise (contrary to the catalog hype) is not particularly premium, but their prices are higher than most places, even some places which have superior stock. They do not list hardiness for anything, though most of what they sell should do fine most places in the U.S. (they don't sell any of the really tender bulbs, like glads). You can do better elsewhere. Note that Breck's Bulbs appears to be the same company, or closely associated with, Spring Hill, another company on my "Avoid" list. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mail Order Catalogs How to Contact Them And Opinions Thereof If you have had experience with any mail-order company, good or bad, I want to hear about it! Your experiences will help other gardeners. Please, send any comments you have to me, at the above E-mail address. I'll include them in the on-line database, unless you don't want me to. Send comments, corrections, and additions to p-leppi@uiuc.edu. I know of only a few companies with E-mail addresses. If you know of others, please let me know. It would be really nice to have a list of places to buy plants via E-mail (or get information, for that matter). In the USENET version of the FAQ, I'll give only names, to save space. You can E-mail me for more information on any listed company. For each company, I will list their name, mailing address, phone number, a general description of what they sell, and my opinions. Opinions are strictly mine, unless otherwise noted. I will not indicate an opinion unless I have actually ordered something from a company, unless the opinion is someone else's. [Comments] means that comments exist for this company, [+] means that this company is recommended, based on my personal experience, [-] means that this company is NOT recommended, based on my personal experience, and [Order] means I have personally ordered from this company. For a more extensive list of catalogs, see Cyndi Johnson's catalog list. Over 700 catalogs, but beware....not all browsers can load the whole list (250K).... * Abby Rose Gardens o Roses * Aitken's Salmon Creek Garden o Irises o Orchids * Antique Rose Emporium [Comments] o Old Garden Roses * Arena's Rose Company [Comments] o Roses * The Aril Patch o Aril Irises * B & D Lilies [Comments] o Lilies * The Banana Tree, Inc. [Comments] o Rare Seeds * Bear Creek Nursery * John and Janet Benz [Comments] o Daylilies * Bluestone Perennials [Comments] o Perennials o Shrubs * Breck's Bulbs [Comments] [-] [Order] o Bulbs * Bridges Roses o Mini Roses * Burpee o Seeds o Plants o Supplies * Busse Gardens [Comments] o Daylilies * Caprice Farm Nursery o Peonies o Daylilies o Irises * Carlton Rose Nurseries o Roses * Cascade Forestry Nursery * Chamblee's Rose Nursery o Mini Roses o Old Garden Roses * Charlotte's Gardens [Comments] o Heirloom Seeds * Clean Shaven Iris o Siberian Irises * Cook's Garden [Comments] o Seeds * Cooley's o Tall Bearded Irises * Cordon Bleu Farms [Comments] o Daylilies * Corn Hill Nurseries [Comments] o Roses * Corner Oaks Garden [Comments] o Daylilies * Country Bloomers Nursery [Comments] o Roses * The Crownsville Nursery [Comments] * C.W.S. Roses o Mini Roses * David Austin Roses Limited o Roses * Daylily Discounters [Comments] o Daylilies * Daylily World [Comments] o Daylilies * Georges Delbard o Roses * Draycott Gardens o Siberian Irises * Dutch Gardens, Inc. [Comments] o Bulbs * Edmund's Roses [Comments] o Roses * Ensata Gardens o Japanese Irises * Filaree Farm [Comments] * The Flowery Branch [Comments] * Flowers 'n Friends Miniature Roses o Mini Roses * Floyd Cove Nursery [Comments] o Daylilies * Forestfarm * Four Seasons Nursery o Nursery Stock o Supplies * Fungi Perfecti o Fungus * Gardens Alive o Organic Gardening Supplies * Gardener's Eden o Supplies * Gardener's Supply Co. [Comments] [+] [Order] o Supplies * Gilbert H Wild and Son, Inc. [Comments] o Daylilies o Peonies * Giles Ramblin' Roses o Roses * Girard Nurseries [Comments] o Azaleas * Gurney's [Comments] [Order] o Seeds o Plants o Supplies * Hall's Flower Garden [Comments] o Irises * Hardy Roses for the North [Comments] o Own-Root Roses * Heirloom Old Garden Roses [Comments] [+] [Order] o Old Roses * Henry Field's [Comments] o Seeds o Plants o Bulbs * Heritage Rosarium [Comments] o Roses * Heritage Rose Gardens [Comments] o Roses * Hidden Garden Nursery o Mini Roses * Holland Bulb Farms o Bulbs * Hortico [Comments] o Roses * J.L. Hudson, Seedsman [Comments] o Seeds * Hydrofarm [Comments] o Hydroponics * Clause Jardin o Roses * Jackson & Perkins [Comments] o Roses o Plants * Johnny's Selected Seeds * J. W. Jung Seed & Nursery [Comments] o Seeds o Nursery Stock o Supplies * Justice Miniature Roses o Mini Roses * Klehm Nursery o Peonies * Kordes [Comments] o Roses * Ladybug Beautiful [Comments] o Daylilies * Langenbach o Tools * Lee Valley Tools Ltd. o Supplies * Lenington Gardens [Comments] o Plants * Lilypons Water Gardens o Pond Supplies * Logee's Greenhouses [Comments] o Plants * Louisiana Nursery o Louisiana Irises * Lowe's Own-Root Roses [Comments] o Roses * Martha S. Davies Antique Roses [Comments] o Roses * McDaniel's Miniature Roses o Mini Roses * Mendocino Heirloom Roses [Comments] o Bulbs * Michigan Bulb Co. [Comments] [-] [Order] o Bulbs o Perennials * Michigan Miniature Roses o Mini Roses * Milaeger's Gardens [Comments] o Perennials o Daylilies o Grasses * J.E. Miller Nurseries, Inc [Comments] o Fruit Trees * Miller's Manor Gardens o Irises o Daylilies o Hosta * Bryant Millikan [Comments] o Daylilies * Mini Rose Garden o Mini Roses * Monarch Daylily Garden [Comments] o Daylilies * National Arbor Day Foundation [Comments] [Order] o Trees * Netherland Bulb Co. [Comments] o Bulbs * New Holland Bulb Co. o Bulbs o Perennials * Nor'East Miniature Roses, Inc. [Comments] [+] [Order] o Mini Roses * Northern Grown Perennials [Comments] o Perennials * Northwoods Retail Nursery o Nursery Stock * Oakes Daylilies [Comments] o Daylilies * Ohio Gardens o Mini Tall Bearded Irises * Olallie Daylily Gardens [Comments] o Daylilies * Oregon Miniature Roses o Mini Roses * Paradise Water Gardens o Pond Supplies * Park Seed Co. [Comments] o Seeds o Supplies * Pepinieres Louis Lens s.a. [Comments] o Roses * Perpetual Perennials [Comments] * Perry's Water Gardens o Pond Supplies * Peter Beales Roses o Roses * Pickering Nurseries, Inc. [Comments] o Roses * Pinetree Garden Seeds o Books o Seeds o Supplies * Quality Dutch Bulbs o Bulbs * Raintree Nursery [Comments] o Perennials * Rialto Gardens [Comments] o Reblooming Irises * Richters [Comments] o Herbs * Rock Bottom Farms [Comments] o Daylilies * Rosengaertnerei Kalbus [Comments] o Roses * Roses Of Yesterday And Today [Comments] o Roses * Roses Unlimited o Roses * The Rosseraie At Bayfields [Comments] o Roses * Royall River Roses [Comments] o Roses * Santa Barbara Water Gardens o Pond Supplies * John Scheepers, Inc [Comments] o Bulbs * Schreiner's o Tall Bearded Irises * R. Seawright [Comments] o Daylilies * Seeds of Change [Comments] o Seeds * Seed Savers Exchange [Comments] o Seed Exchange * Sequoia Nursery/Moore Miniature Roses [Comments] o Mini Roses * Shady Oaks Nursery [Comments] * Shepherd's Garden Seeds [Comments] [+] [Order] o Seeds * Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery * Slocum Water Gardens o Pond Supplies * Smith & Hawken o Supplies * Soules Gardens [Comments] o Daylilies * Spring Hill [Comments] [-] [Order] o Plants * Stark Brothers [Comments] [+] [Order] o Fruit Trees * Stephens Lane Gardens [Comments] o Daylilies * Sunshine Farm & Garden [Comments] o 10,000 Hardy Plants * Taylor's Roses [Comments] o Mini Roses * Territorial Seed Co. o Seeds o Supplies * Tetra Pond o Pond Supplies * Texas Mini Roses o Mini Roses * Tiny Petals Miniature Rose Nursery [Comments] o Mini Roses * Trans-Pacific Nursery Collectors * Trophy Roses, LTD o Roses * Van Bourgondien Bros [Comments] o Bulbs * Van Dyek's Flower Farm o Bulbs * Van Engelen [Comments] o Wholesale Bulbs * Van Ness Water Gardens o Pond Supplies * The Vermont Wildflower Farm [Comments] o Wildflowers * Vintage Gardens [Comments] o Roses * Waterford Gardens o Pond Supplies * Wayside Gardens [Comments] * Weiss Brothers Nursery [Comments] * Whatley Gardens [Comments] o Daylilies * White Flower Farm [Comments] [+] [Order] o Ornamental Perennials o Bulbs o Supplies * Wildseed Farms, Inc. o Wildflower Seeds * Wimberlyway Gardens [Comments] o Daylilies * Woodlanders, Inc. o Native Plants * Woodside - a private garden [Comments] o Daylilies ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- But Before We Go.... I hope this FAQ has been useful. I also hope it has been accurate. If you find any mistakes, or have any comments, please send me E-mail at the address listed at the top of the file. Any suggestions for improving future editions will be happily accepted, and possibly even acted upon. Please send all suggestions, comments, corrections, and so forth to p-leppi@uiuc.edu For the full listing of catalogs, with comments, see the WWW version of this FAQ at http://seidel.ncsa.uiuc.edu/PBM-FAQ/Default.html. If you don't have WWW access, send E-mail to me listing which companies you want more information on, and I'll send you the full listings. -- Peter Leppik-- p-leppi@uiuc.edu Lost in the Information Supercollider http://seidel.ncsa.uiuc.edu/