The scoop on 'Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com)'

Feedback History and Summary   298 positives 108 neutrals 273 negatives

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Rating Author Content Positive ayelet (1 review) On August 22, 2008, ayelet Manchester, CT wrote: Ordered about $200 worth of plants (at a 50% discount), all showed up neatly packaged. All but 1 grew well. I would order from them again if they have a good promotion. Negative summerpond (1 review) On August 20, 2008, summerpond Morton Grove, IL wrote: For instance the hardy banana plant is supposed to survive -40 degrees, with all my protection and mulching it never came back. I had perennial grab bag nothing even sprouted. Not single clematis germinated to grow.A tiny seedling of red Japanese maple $30.00 each pc.how can that be survive at that tiny when transplanted. It was not even 4 inches growth. In your catalogue describes like Japanese maple tree. Not a seedling.I am proud of my gardening and I have a very beautiful garden,found your plants are low quality very tiny or of no life when it arrives.After all that It is unfortunate they do not keep up with the guarantee they offer on the web pages. At least I wouldn't recommend any body from Chicago to use Spring hiIl for their garderden requirements.(May be the Chicago Weather) Negative carmin (3 reviews) On July 25, 2008, carmin Amherst, SD wrote: I just received my letter stating that I could no longer order from Spring Hill and Brecks, because they were not a good fit for my gardening needs. Basically for being a conscientious consumer and taking them up on their lifetime guarantee. They stated that they had replaced 80% of my orders. I tried to get the plants to grow that they sent me. I'm not a bad gardener, I'm a Master Gardener and have many beautiful plants in my yard that I have ordered and purchased locally.The plants that Spring Hill sent to me were either very small or sent at the wrong time of year.I had decided that I wouldn't being ordering from them again, but I still would like to use the credits they issued since they couldn't refund my money. I would advice everyone to order from other sources. Company's like Bluestone and Gardening Crosssings are excellent company's to deal with. Negative maharr (1 review) On July 23, 2008, maharr Highland Park, IL wrote: My order was placed April 3,2008. In Chicago the best time to plant astilbe and the other perennials ordered is early May. I assumed they had lost the order when nothing had been received by early June, so I filled in with local nurseries. The astilbe came first- about 1 1/2 months past normal planting dates but at least it was in good shape. The golden marguerites arrived- pitiful plants. The leaves were crunchy brown. I planted them anyway and two out of six survived. My golden marguerites have started blooming- but wait- they are white daisy-like flowers- not what I ordered. Finally at the end of the month, the last bit of the order arrived -asclepias-and these plants were not too bad although way behind schedule. Imagine my surprise when planting them to find that one plant had a little thriving ant colony! So I am through with Spring Hill Positive composthappens (1 review) On July 20, 2008, composthappens New City, NY wrote: I am sorry to read about people's negative experiences with Springhill. This spring I received a catalogue with an offer where I could buy up to $25 worth of stuff and not have to pay anything. How could I go wrong? So I bought a white tree peony named Goliath and paid like $2.00. It is growing nicely in my yard, and I hope there will be flowers in the next few years. Although my Dad bought a Mock Orange from them 4 years ago that was supposed to be very fragrant. It didn't bloom until after he died and Mom was waiting for it to bloom in his honor and she was really angry because it had absolutely no fragrance AT ALL!!!!! I told her to call them but she has not gotten around to it yet. Positive gbirds (1 review) On July 17, 2008, gbirds Madison, NC wrote: I ordered approximately $200 worth of plants from Spring Hill in fall 2007. Mostly basic perennials: Shasta daisies, monarda, coneflower, achillea, and the like. Nothing tricky. I knew that because this is mail order, the plants would be smaller than locally purchased plants, but I'm starting a garden from scratch and have the time and patience to let them grow. (I don't have the cash for the prices our local nurseries charge!) This was before reading all the poor reviews, so I was a little worried! I'm glad to report that this summer I'm showing about a 90% success rate with my Spring Hill plants, which I consider quite good. (NC is in drought conditions, after all, not to mention our heavy red clay.) The stuff that didn't grow (lost about half the lavender; asclepias didn't break dormancy) was my fault--poor site selection, a few things were marginal for my microzone. I'm not asking for replacements, because the results would likely be the same and I knew they were riskier choices for my garden. For the rest, planting in fall and patience on my part is paying off. The pink delight butterfly bushes are now each about 4 feet tall and blooming their heads off! I had little hope for these, as they arrived in 4-inch pots and were nothing but a couple of short sticks. I also had to move them several times due to some emergency landscaping fixes. Once the weather warmed up, though, they started growing like weeds. Wow! The Shasta daisies, yarrow, and marguerites have grown bigger even than the site descriptions, have taken over the front bed, and have been blooming nonstop for over month. Monarda's big and blooming. Rudbeckia plants are sporting huge leaves and many, many blooms. Same with the coneflowers. All in all, I'm very pleased with the results of my fall order from Spring Hill, and have put in another order for delivery this fall. My experience with perennials is that it's better to plant them in fall instead of spring. Shipping conditions are better, meaning better plants on arrival, and the plants have the winter to establish strong root systems. Regarding customer service, I honestly have given up expecting good service from ANY company, but when I emailed to report that my butterfly bushes hadn't arrived, replacements were sent as soon as they were available and shipping conditions were appropriate. Good enough for me. Negative KR315 (3 reviews) On July 14, 2008, KR315 Watertown, NY wrote: I placed an order on March 1st of this year - and many of the plants have YET to ship - they now have a "delivery estimate" of 4/12 - 9/15. So in which of those 5 months will they get around to shipping?? What is wrong with these people? You'd think that orders placed in MARCH would have shipped months ago - I am going to attempt to cancel this order, but who knows if they will actually do it. This company seems to get worse and worse. Here's a suggestion Spring Hill - why don't you try actually GROWING the plants you advertise, instead of always having them either out of stock, or constantly delayed. I will NEVER place an order with them again - btw, the best experience I've ever had was with wwgreenhouses.com. They have FABULOUS plants - and they are SO healthy and large when they ship them. Negative joebel4 (1 review) On July 11, 2008, joebel4 Bensenville, IL wrote: OK, the best piece of advice i can give is NEVER EVER ORDER FROM SPRING HILL!!!!!!!! I placed an order for $500.00 in a variety of plants and flowers in march and have never been so dissapointed. After speaking to customer service and checking my order status, my plant arrival continued to be delayed and delayed until finally my order was cancelled bc they were out of stock. Living in the chicago area, summer lasts for maybe 4 months at the most. It really puts a damper on creating a beautiful garden when your order gets cancelled at the end of June!!! Also, the customer serivce reps at spring hill are extremely rude and have absolutely no remorse or reason as to why my order was cancelled. These agents are just plain dumb as well. To make matters worse, they still have not refunded the charges on my credit card. This experience was completely different from the pleasant experience and beautiful flowers that arrived when i went through spring hill approximately 12 yrs ago. Be smart, avoid this company!!!!!!! Neutral KaylyRed (1 review) On July 7, 2008, KaylyRed Watertown, WI (Zone 5a) wrote: My recent order from Spring Hill Nursery, placed in February, was supposed to arrive at the "ideal planting time for my area." When the plants hadn't arrived by late-May, and my spring planting was pretty much finished, I went to the site to cancel my order. Although the process appeared to have worked, I didn't receive any confirmation that my order had been canceled. I tried again. Once again it seemed to go through, but a week later there was my order showing an estimated shipping date of June 26. I phoned to cancel and was told my order was canceled. I figured that was that. At the end of June I received a box from Spring Hill filled with heat stressed echinacea. Spring Hill's packaging is decent, I'll give them that. Their prices are reasonable. Though small, I think the plants would have been okay had they been shipped WHEN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE SHIPPED. About 10 years ago I ordered from Spring Hill and had a good experience--their bare root plants arrived with perfect timing and all of them grew and thrived. I'm sad to say that the company has taken a turn for the worst in the past decade. On August 2nd, 2008, KaylyRed changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: At this time I\'ve changed my rating to neutral. Spring Hill\'s customer service has contacted me as a result of this rating in hopes to resolve the issue. We\'ll see what happens. With some careful nurturing the stressed plants I received have survived, so I\'m not seeking a replacement. I\'m still frustrated that my attempts to cancel my order were disregarded. Negative queensadie (1 review) On July 7, 2008, queensadie Dubuque, IA wrote: In March of 2008, I ordered two Japanese Maples. The catalog indicated they were 2-3 feet tall. They were finally delivered June 7 and were 10-12 inches tall (and 4 of those inches were the pot!). The shipping information indicated that they had run out and that these were replacement items. Since I placed my order in March, I wonder who got the "good ones." I complained, and got a response from Customer Service that went something like, "Dear Valued Customer, we appreciate your correspondence. Your order was shipped June 5, 2008." Talk about "phoning it in." I didn't even bother to return them, as I don't want to deal with Spring Hill Nurseries ever again. The Japanese Maple "trees" ARE alive, planted in my flower garden, but I don't think they're getting enough sun - the petunias are shading them. Negative bemidjigreen (11 reviews) On July 4, 2008, bemidjigreen Blackduck, MN wrote: I have been gardening for about 10 years now. I am writing a review on this company (and its sister scam artists) to WARN new/novice gardeners about this company et al. I also was ripped off by them in the beginning and didn't know any better. Yes, the tease is enticing--like said previously here--- that $25/$50/$75 dollar coupon is a scam. You pay full price for dead/dying plants and NEVER receive the rest of your order. Replacement is pointless--yes they ship a new one, just like that dying one you received initially. Usually, the replacement comes long after it is timely to plant it. Also, you are paying top dollar for these twigs, which makes the coupon pointless. This is especially true since you can find most of their offering at any local garden center for the same price or less. Newbies please note--stressed plants do not recover--you cannot love a young fried plant back to life. If it survives its likely stunted and will never look like that full color picture. (This applies to those box stores where they set plants out too early, on pavement, not rated for your zone, etc--you will experience the same result as the twigs you get from Spring Hill et al.) I truly encourage everyone to spend their hard earned dollars at any of the other vendors with high ratings listed here at gwd. You will quickly learn you have a green thumb after all when you start with healthy robust plants. Please HEED THE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK ON THESE CROOKS. Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 2:36 PM, Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) added: Sent the following to the Customer: I am writing regarding your posting on Dave's Garden/Garden Watchdog. I apologize that you have not had a good experience when dealing with us. However, our coupons are a legitimate offer, and we do offer a lifetime guarantee on our plants - local nurseries do not generally make that guarantee. If you have received plants that were not satisfactory, please contact our Customer Service Department and they will be happy to offer a reship, issue a credit or refund your money. Negative pventure (2 reviews) On July 3, 2008, pventure Valparaiso, IN wrote: Awful company and the same with their sister companies. I was placed on a delinquent list after ordering hundreds of dollars from them because they said I had asked for too many replacements. This is not true, I only asked for several replacements. The plants are not like the pictures, many arrive in bad condition and die. I went the whole nine yards with this company and filed a BBB complaint. They responded sarcastically and refused to address the issues with the poor quality of their plants. This is plenty of life after this company. I found several and they must have rung up over $300 in business this spring and summer 2008. The 100% guarantee is a lure to get you to purchase from you. They will suddenly not ship and when you call they say, "I am sorry but your use of of plants does not work for you." STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AS WELL AS HENRY FIELD'S, BRECK'S, AND OTHERS I CANNOT REMEMBER. JUST REMEMBER, THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PHONE NUMBER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. DON'T GET SCREWED BY THESE MISERABLE FALSE ADVERTISERS AND POOR QUALITY PLANTS. Negative JayS (1 review) On July 2, 2008, JayS Tower, MN wrote: I would never recommend Springhill Nurseries to anyone. There "Lifetime Guarantee for as long as you garden" is a complete lie. As soon as they think you have had enough of your dead flowers replaced, they tell you that you are no longer in good standing, and you can no longer get any replacement flowers. I would like to know what good a "Lifetime Guarantee" is if they can get away with stuff like this. I also think they should be reported to the Better Business Bureau, so I did. I am also thinking of calling the Attorney General of their state, to complain. Neutral fleabags (3 reviews) On July 2, 2008, fleabags Independence, KY wrote: I am a little bothered by this company. I ordered a plant quite awhile ago & was checking on why I haven't received it and I got the impression that I have been blacklisted..is that the proper wording?....I ordered a passionflower(maypop) and when I call today the person on the other end of the line says that they are no longer mailing me things and my order was cancelled....I guess maybe you guys are tied in with Henry Fields & Michigan Bulb or something and I have been wiped clean of all of these accounts since I have had issues with Henry Fields..I guess there are other places out there that are willing to take my money... Negative Randi123 (1 review) On June 30, 2008, Randi123 Elmwood, WI wrote: This is my letter to SH, I am just shocked about this company, boy was I fooled!! Sorry this is long. I am faxing to you my order confirmation I received from your company on 6/8/08. According to your fax I was to have received an acknowledgement via e-mail, I do not recall ever seeing this. I called your company yesterday and spoke to XXX, who informed me that my order does not exist and I never placed an order for the product. I tried repeatedly to explain to XXX that I had the confirmation and would like the product ordered. XXXexplained (very poor choice of word), that I could not get the products anymore, they are not available. But I can order it in January of 2009. Win win for Spring Hill, not only do I assume that my credit card is going to be charged for a product I never will receive, I will not be able to take advantage of the buy a product pay only the shipping cost. I am very disappointed in the customer service I received from XXX. I always thought it was the job of the company to keep them coming back and do what ever it takes to keep a customer. What I got was we don’t have your order, we don’t care if you have a confirmation page. I expressed my concern of fraud to XXX, and well, he did not care about that either. He was not happy I asked for the fax number to your company, but he gave it to me. I doubt any one will contact me. Spring Hill is out nothing but a customer. I would like my order re-instated for the amount shown on the confirmation. I am fine receiving my plants in the spring. Possibly your management team would like to review your service skills. In this competitive world, one unhappy customer will do much worse for your company than 10 happy ones. You can bet I will spread the word about Spring Hill Nursery. On August 3rd, 2008, Randi123 added the following: I received a $15 gift C. with a letter of apology along with a private e-mail through this site, regarding my experience. Funny how everyone receives the e-mail from all these companies, and she is always named Debbie.... I will order again and try them with my g.c. and see if it is any better. Positive neKel (1 review) On June 30, 2008, neKel Elkhorn, NE wrote: I placed two orders this season online, one with the 50% off coupon and the other with up to 70% of offer. A few of the plants did not grow. Although I realize the sucess rate from ordering mail order plants is not usually 100%, I sent a detailed replacement request and the replacements arrived super fast and much to my delight I received more plants that expected. I even have blooms on the Lupine, which I have never had any luck growing. There was only one plant, Columbine that was out of stock. I was told they would send it next year. Overall, I am very pleased with the my plants and the Customer Service and will order online again. Negative harley97 (1 review) On June 28, 2008, harley97 La Grange, IL wrote: I placed an order in early May and received half the item in early June, and was told that's all they could supply. A short time later, I called to check on the rest of my order and was told it would ship the week of 6/17. On 6/28, I called to check on that shipment and was told it was cancelled due to unavailability. Never once did I get an email, postcard, or phone call from anyone @ Spring Hill notifying me of these issues. I could have purchased my plants from a local nursery, instead of waiting for nothing. I will never order, or recommend Spring Hill to anyone! Their customer service sucks! Negative sbollinger (5 reviews) On June 20, 2008, sbollinger Elgin, OK wrote: This company suckers you in with the big discount off your order but when you get the plants you find the size and the condition of the plants weren't worth ordering. I ordered a viburnum which was little more than a dead twig when I received it. I received a replacement and it was hardly any better but survived a little bit longer. The other plants were very poor quality and most didn't survive. At about the same time as that first order I did order a set of 9 miniature roses. Although very, very small plants they have all done well. Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 2:57 PM, Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) added: D-mailed Customer on 6/25/08 asking for information so I could possible offer some type of resolution; as of today, I have received no response. Negative rigbaer (2 reviews) On June 20, 2008, rigbaer Coal City, IL wrote: I placed a $145.95 order for 41 plants with Springhill online on 3/2/08 using a 50% off promotional code. As of 6-18 I have only recieved 17 plants. After contacting costumer service and filing a complaint with the BBB, I was told 2 days ago by a Gardens Alive costumer rep. that the rest of the order should ship by the end of the week. I went online today to check my order status and the rest of the order has been cancelled without my knowladge. So I gave them another call to see what was up. And was told it will not be shipping that their season was over and if I wanted the plants to reorder them seperatly for Fall delivery. Of course I cannot reuse the promotional code to reorder those same plants at this time. So here I am with a very large empty flower bed. I was a first time costumer and will now be giving my buisness to Bluestone. That all being said the plants I did recieve arrived in good condition. You cannot trust this company to give you an honest answer to your shipping and availbilty questions. On August 18th, 2008, rigbaer added the following: A Customer Service rep. posted a comment on my negative feedback that they had D-mailed me asking for info. to offer a resolution and said I did not respond. This is FALSE. I replied to the D-mail with my complete name and address, and sometime in July got a 30$ gift certificate via snail-mail. The company rep. posted the comment on my feedback on Aug. 1st, as you can see. Weeks AFTER I responed to a reps. (Debbie) D-mail. I stand by the negative rating I have posted on this company. Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 2:59 PM, Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) added: D-mailed the Customer on 6/25/08 asking for their information to try to offer a resolution; as of today, I have received no response from the Customer. Negative Stanleytk (1 review) On June 19, 2008, Stanleytk McKean, PA wrote: I have ordered quite a few plants from both Michigan Bulb and Springhill over the years. Many of my daylilies and 1 phlox died over the winter. (they were sent late into the fall and I am surprised any actually lived) I decided to use their "lifetime guarantee". I E-mailed them and told them that I had 6 daylilies and 1 phlox die and I wanted them replaced. I gave them the exact item that died. I received today via UPS...10 daylilies and 12 phlox. Out of the 12 phlox, the one I wanted replaced was not even in there. Then via US Mail I received a black list letter from Gardens Alive telling me that I a have had 80% or more of my items replaced so I am no longer able to do business with them or any of their sister companies. I am also in receipt of a $24 voucher from them from some lilacs that were sent to me as dead sticks, which apparently I cannot use. I called customer service and told them that I did not ask for the 22 items they sent me. I am supposed to wait to hear back from someone within 24-48 hrs....I am not holding my breath. Their letter also stated that I needed to look online for their testimonials from satisfied customers....so here I am! I would have to agree with another user who said that their "guarantee" is just a black list. You are not actually allowed to use it. My question is...Can they actually stop you from doing business with them if their guarantee is" If you're not happy with any item you order from us, notify us anytime for a full refund or replacement, whichever you prefer. What's more, any item that does not grow and flourish to your complete satisfaction will be replaced free--with no time limit--for as long as you garden." It does not state any limit anywhere to me! On July 24th, 2008, Stanleytk added the following: I ended up filing a complaint with the BBB. Springhill requested I send them the replacement certificates ($33.87)and request a check instead. So, I copied them and sent them to them priority mail with a receipt on 6/26/08. Someone called me on 7/7/08 unsure of my problems with them. So I had to explain the situation and that I wanted cash and not replacement certificates. They claim to have processed the check. Springhill responded to the BBB on 7/8/08 stating that the checks were processed on 7/7/08. I have yet to see anything from Springhill, but their mailings. If I am such a bad customer, why do I get mail from them at least twice a week. I am not sure at this point that I will ever get my refund. They even lie to the BBB. Good luck to anyone dealing with them. Negative jensea16 (3 reviews) On June 17, 2008, jensea16 Maple Park, IL wrote: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT order from this company or any of it's affiliates (Gurney's, Michigan Bulb). At least, don't order from them if you actually want your plants. I ordered from Gurney's, Spring Hill and Michigan Bulb this year. Over $200 worth of items. I waited and waited for my items. I checked my order status online and they kept pushing my delivery date back. Today I decided to call and see what was taking so long. At this point in the growing season it is really down to the wire for planting vegetables and flowers, at least if you want them to look nice and develop sturdy roots. I called Gurney's first, they told me that they did great business this year and because of that they took too many orders, couldn't fill them and would not be able to ship my items. Wow! Wouldn't it have been nice to let the gardener know that? And in enough time for the gardener to get plants from elsewhere? Then, I noticed that the customer service telephone number (NOT 800, by the way) was the same for Spring Hill and Michigan Bulb. So I asked the "customer service" (if you can call what this dink was doing 'service') about my orders with their sister companies. Sure enough, half of those orders weren't going to ship either. No notice. I had to call them, half way through the planting season, for them to tell me I won't be getting my plants. Here is the real kicker: each of these companies offers this $25 off coupon. But it is a SCAM! They send you half your order, the part you paid full price for, and then they "can't fulfill" the part of your order that constitutes $25 off. It is a total "bait and switch" operation. They lure you in with the promise of $25 worth of items for free and then scam you out of them. And you are really lucky if you get anything from them at all. Even notification that you are not going to receive your plants. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE SCAMMERS!!! Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 3:04 PM, Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) added: D-mailed Customer on 6/18/08 asking for their information so I could offer some type of resolution. As of today, I have still received no resonse from the Customer. The $25 coupon is a real offer. If a plant cannot be shipped (due to out of stock, crop failure, etc.), the coupon will still be applied/prorated to the existing order. Neutral donicaben (10 reviews) On June 17, 2008, donicaben Ogdensburg, NY wrote: The one thing I orderred from them died (hence the neutral), but their customer service is great! They're replacing my mock orange at no cost - no questions asked. I'd order again. Negative chi_garden (1 review) On June 15, 2008, chi_garden Chicago, IL wrote: I placed an order with SpringHill back in April '08. It's been 2 months and during that time my order has continuously been pushed out later and later each time I check the status of my order. They have not made any attempt to communicated with me directly to explain the ongoing delays, but have simply pushed my shipment date out again and again. Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 3:07 PM, Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) added: D-mailed the Customer on 6/16/08 (day after they posted their rating) asking for their information so I could see if there was something I could do to get their order to them. As of today, I have received no response from the Customer. Negative garden04 (1 review) On June 15, 2008, garden04 Lake Cormorant, MS wrote: I have been a faithful customer of Springhill Nursery for at least 15 years. In the past they have always been very helpful in correcting any problems that I brought to their attention ,even though I just overlooked a number of them. Last year I puchased a number of plants from them. Two of the plants that I really wanted did not come up this spring. I contacted Springhill and asked for replacements as stated in their catalog. At the same time I placed another order. The new order arrived as promised but no replacement. I called and was told that they were being shipped at once. Still no relacements. I emailed them and was told that they no longer had the items in stock and they were giving me a credit. I tried to make an order using the credit and was told that they would not accept it. They said that they had no records of my purchases since a new Co, had bought Springhill out because of a bankruptcy. I immediately canceled all orders to Springhill and Becks and will not be doing business with them again. Negative nichelle02 (2 reviews) On June 14, 2008, nichelle02 Osseo, MN wrote: I really wish I'd come here first. I'm very disappointed in my experience with Spring Hill Nursery. On May 20th I placed an order for 18 plants (9 varieties). I logged in from time to time to check the order status. I then noticed that the estimated delivery dates had changed. Many of them had new dates in July. I sent an email through their website. When I had not yet received a response I phoned customer service. I was told by a polite male on the phone that the order should ship in full with the possible exception of one plant which appeared to be on back order. He mentioned that they certainly realize that shipping in July would be much too late. He also mentioned that the shipping estimates on the website are wrong and they should not be referenced. The next day I received an email response from Rose stating that all orders would ship by June 13th. Anything that does not ship by then will ship in the fall. Since I really wanted these particular flowers, I decided to wait. It is now June 14th. I received no notice of shipment so I logged into the website. The order shows that it has been partially shipped. Of the 18 plants I ordered, 3 shipped and are due to arrive on Monday. I called customer service today and was told that they have one last shipping day on Monday for orders that have been 'printed'. Unfortunately, my order is not one of them. Why did I wait so long for such a low fill rate? I stated that I would not have ordered if I had any idea that I wouldn't be receiving even 20% of the order. In the future, I will definitely not repeat this mistake. I canceled the order and will be visiting nurseries to see if I can find any of the plants I didn't receive from SpringHillNursery.com I REALLY wish I'd come here first. On June 17th, 2008, nichelle02 added the following: Update - It is now \'Monday\' and the 3 plants arrived. Unfortunately, 2 of the 3 were dead. The other plant was supposed to be a duo (single order - 2 color combination). Unfortunately, they were out of stock and had to make a substitution. After the disappointment on the order fill rate, I was hoping for better results. I called and spoke with a customer service agent who apologized and offered to ship the plants again next summer. I declined and he then offered to issue a full refund. I want to give credit where credit is due. He was very polite and processed the transaction in a professional manner. While making small talk while waiting on the system to update, he mentioned they\'ve had a very rough year. He noted that there have been upset customers in the north, south and central areas who received plants too soon or not soon enough. He noted that the weather, including floods, has caused havoc and resulted in disappointed customers for not only them but their sister companies. Again, he was very polite. I still won\'t be purchasing again. But I hope they at least retain employees like the one I spoke to today. It was the only part of this experience that was not disappointing. Negative tpeterson (2 reviews) On June 12, 2008, tpeterson Lakeville, MA wrote: Four years ago I e-mailed them about a problem I had with plants I had ordered. They responded by stating "Thank you for your email. However, we are unable to respond to it at this time due to our current backlog in emails. As this is the busiest time of the year for us, our representatives are working very diligently to ship all of the orders in our system. Sending multiple emails will only slow down our response time to you. We thank you in advance for your patience in this matter. We have had a record number of orders along with a long cooler spring season, which has delayed us in getting your order to you in a timely manner. Our greenhouse team is working around the clock processing thousands and thousands of orders. If there is a problem in fulfilling order, we will notify you by mail." I am still waiting. I've saved their response but it's been so long I don't even remember what the problem was! I haven't ordered from them since and will never do so again. Negative MorsisX (20 reviews) On June 10, 2008, MorsisX Lockport, IL (Zone 5b) wrote: Of all the Garden's Alive companies I will never use this one again and will recommend that you do not either! I took advantage of a coupon that everything I bought was 1/2 off and made several large orders in Feb. Original ship date was mid April, over the months the dates kept being pushed out. To the point that by the end of May the ship date was listed as mid July! Are you kidding me? I canceled right away and will not be back. By using Dave's Garden I found Bluestone Perrenials who had a 1/2 price end of season sale and they shipped potted, gorgeous (NOT bareroot!!!) plants that arrived 1 week from order date!!! woo-hoo. Positive flowermaiden (4 reviews) On June 10, 2008, flowermaiden Saint Maries, ID wrote: Generally, I've had good experiences with Spring Hill. I appreciate that theirs is often the first of my several plant orders with several different companies to be delivered. I often get theirs before I receive anyone else's. I have had great luck with their columbines and quite good luck with their white dragonflowers and delphiniums. Once in awhile, a bareroot plant fails to break dormancy and may have been dead when I received it, but that is rare. When plants are dormant, it's hard to tell if they actually are still alive. If I order twelve plants and eleven grow, I feel I've done quite well. And these are the kinds of numbers I've usually experienced. I think it is unrealistic to expect 100-percent dormancy emergence, though it's nice when that does happen. Many factors can effect a plant's coming out of its dormant state, that might not be caused by any fault of theirs. They always send me an e-mail letting me know when my order will be / has been shipped, so I know what to expect, and it always arrives within the time-frame they indicate. I have used their coupons and have saved quite a bit of money. I also belong to Garden Solutions, and I get a members discount when I order. I intend to continue ordering from Springhill, and am surprised by all the negative reviews I see here. Negative Mawhen_NW (1 review) On June 9, 2008, Mawhen_NW Amboy, WA (Zone 8a) wrote: I have ordered from Springhill several times, was never real impressed with the plant that arrived, but never asked for a replacement per their Lifetime Guarantee until now. I also ordered some plants this spring -- it's been 4 years or more since I placed an order with them. Here is a quote from there site: In all cases, we choose the " fastest, most efficient" way to send your order—via the U.S. Postal Service or United Parcel Service. Large orders may be shipped in more than one package. Quotation marks I added, should say cheapest for them, and my order was not large. They used the cheapest method which involved UPS driving past my home to take the packages marked "Perishable Live Plants" to the U. S. Post office several miles away and dropping them off so they could be put in the mail carriers car and driven around on her route that day and then a notice is left in our mailbox saying the "Perishable Live Plants" can be picked up at the Post office several miles away anytime after the 8:00 am the following morning, convenient. The first delivery we got the notice on Saturday , so that meant the soonest I could pick it up was Monday, " fast and efficient". I didn't understand the procedure at that time and had gone to the UPS tracking site, it said that package had left the local UPS center ( about 20 minutes away) and was on it's way for delivery. So I watched the UPS truck go past our driveway to the neighbors and waited for it to stop on the way back out to the main road, it just kept on going. I thought maybe they have 2 trucks in the area today. The next morning (Saturday) I checked the tracking site again, it said at 6:40am a notice had been left ( UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday). What was going on? Well maybe they had come so I go outside check all over the porch, no notice. Maybe they left it out by the gate, maybe it blew down the road, I hunted all over and no notice. I'll just have to call Monday. That afternoon there is a notice in my mail to pickup a parcel at the Post Office on Monday. When I called Springhill Monday I was told they didn't know why UPS hadn't delivered to my house directly. Next package pretty much the same thing, so I called Springhill again and this time I was told that UPS doesn't deliver packages under 2 lbs direct ( this package was 1.60 lbs). It had to be replaced as it was smashed and some plants mashed beyond recognition. Third times the charm, not exactly. This was a replacement of the last package, I knew what to expect as far as the delivery went, the parcel looked great. I opened it up, see some nice greenish leaves. I open the final wrap and look at the plants, WOW, leaves laying all around and stemlike sticks coming up out of the dry-as-bone soil mix. As I pickup the pot the leaves fall off and the stick-stems fall over. So I just got off the phone with Springhill and I am supposed to receive a refund check within 4 weeks, of course it doesn't include the shipping. And this time I was told that UPS doesn't direct deliver packages under 5 lbs, that darn UPS. Well I had researched the UPS shipping and Springhill ships "Basic" not "Ground" like most reputable mailorder. I had plants delivered from another nursery today, under 5lbs, UPS Ground that came right to my door and the shipping was $1.00 less then " fast and efficient" Springhill way. Also if they would have shipped my whole order together instead of in bits and pieces it would have been over 5 lbs. Like I said I had ordered from them in the past, don't remember all this hassle, quality products and customer satisfaction have been flushed down the toilet. Now I am waiting for my last package from Springhill, LENTEN ROSE ROYAL COLLECTION, wish me luck. Company representative comment on August 1, 2008: On Aug 1, 2008 3:13 PM, Spring Hill Nursery (aka SpringHillNursery.com) added: D-mailed the Customer on 6/16/08, asking for information (name, address) so I could locate their account and try to offer them a resolution of some sort. As of today, I have received no response from the Customer. Positive VKC (1 review) On June 9, 2008, VKC Clarksville, TN wrote: I was very satisfied with Springhill nurseries the plants arrived as described and on the date they were scheduled, I had ordered the red perennial garden collection and every plant has grown beautifully and is the envy of my neighbors! I also ordered the primose lilac and it too is looking very healthy and beautiful, I have to also mention that I ordered the old fashioned purple lilac and left it in its container while on vacation, I forgot to mention to have it watered with my other plants much to my surprise it was barely allive I planted it and 3 days later there were several leaves on the plant I'm looking forward to the future with my trees and plants and would definitely order again from Springhill nurseries. Negative schwarzy (1 review) On June 9, 2008, schwarzy Fortville, IN wrote: I wish I had read these reviews before ordering. Same as everyone else, waited 2 months for my order before I finally called to cancel and was then asked to call back the next day as 2 of my plants were being shipped that day. I didn't understand why that had anything to do with not being able to cancel the rest of my order (unless their response the next day would be 'the rest of your order is being shipped today, we can't cancel it'). I talked to the manager who did cancel the rest of my order, but kept saying how busy they were as this is their last day and they are shipping, and they have to ship thousands of orders. Well, so are thousands of other companies who do manage to ship thousands of orders and on time! Never got a response why the ship date kept getting pushed back and back. It would be nice if they proactively told you your delivery date is being delayed. I think they just hope you won't notice and cancel your order. Negative Ardens_garden (1 review) On June 8, 2008, Ardens_garden Maricopa, AZ wrote: Hello fellow gardeners, I thought you all might want to benefit from my most unfortunateexperience with this company, Springhill. I took them up on their offer of specialty priced plants, in early May of this year (2008). When I emailed them several times (8-10X) inquiring to when my order would ship, finally they sent me a response. I placed an order of nearly $200. with Gurney's -- whom unknown to me is owned by Springhill -- over three-years-ago and they sent me smashed boxes full of dead plants. I of course, took advantage of Gurney's 100% money back guarantee and made them replace the plants as I did not want a refund, I wanted the plants I'd ordered -- alive & in good condition. Gurneys did, in fact, replace my order with no problems... I thought! Seems their 100% guarantee is also a black-ball list. Please, read below and beware of these companies shady dealings. I now will have to order my original order -- placed with Springhill -- from someone who does their job correctly and honestly. However, by now, it maybe too late for me to plant this year and will have to wait until next spring. grrrr.... Please, read their post to me below & BEWARE! I'm certainly grateful that they sent me a listing off all their companies so, we all know who to avoid now! Only wish I'd known before now! ~~blessings, Rachel Join a group of gardeners, limited only our dreams! [HYPERLINK@groups.yahoo.com] (springhill's post to me copied below) ----- Original Message ----- From: [e-mail:service@springhillnursery.com] Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 12:29 PM Subject: Re: Spring Hill Nursery Feedback: Order Status Dear Rachel: Thank you for your email. After reviewing your account we have found that you have returned 80% or more of your purchases with us and your order will not be fulfilled. I can see how you may be confused, as this is your first order with Spring Hill. We are also affiliated with 8 other companies; Audubon Workshop, Bits and Pieces, Brecks, Gardens Alive, Gurneys, Henry Fields, Michigan Bulb, and the New Holland Bulb Company. Your account has been closed for all of these companies and no new orders will be accepted. I apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely, Samantha Customer Service Negative amee2828 (2 reviews) On June 6, 2008, amee2828 Hyde Park, NY wrote: I placed my intial order with Spring Hill in January so obviously I did not expect shipment until the Spring. The plants arrived when I would have expected and are doing well. I placed another larger order with this company in mid-May and like many others saw the delivery date change on a daily basis with some of the plants showing delivery in mid- to late July. I was concerned initially but, as I'm sure has happened to others, was lured in by the great coupons they send. This week I finally started checking online and saw all the negative reviews on this site, with many people voicing the same concerns I had. Fortunately, I was able to call up and cancel my order with no problems. I went to a local nursery and paid about twice as much for the plants I got but (1) I have no doubt they are much larger that what I would have received from Spring Hill based on my previous order with them and (2) now I actually have the plants. I would not order from this company again. Especially when another on-line company I buy from regularly has already delivered an order I placed only three days ago. Don't fall for the coupons and discounts from Spring Hill! Negative gardener100 (1 review) On June 6, 2008, gardener100 Valparaiso, IN wrote: Like many, I ordered plants MONTHS AGO (3/1/08 to be exact) and to date, I have received no plants, nor have they shipped. I waited patiently at first and didn't call until early May, when I started to get nervous that the plants wouldn't arrive until the heat of summer set in. I was told part of the order was on back order but was assured the plants would arrive in time for SPRING planting! I waited some more, called 5/27, was told the plants were slated to be received between 6/3 and 6/17 and I would receive an email when they shipped. Really wanting the plants we ordered, I decided to wait a bit longer. Regina had assured me I could monitor online and could cancel at anytime if the order hadn't shipped. Today (6/6), I called to cancel as SUMMER weather is here and it's really too late to be thinking about planting tiny tender plants. Today I was told I couldn't cancel the order as it had "printed" and was at the warehouse to be packed. And yet, Chuck couldn't tell me when the order would ship, or give any additional information about when the shipment would arrive. Each of the other times I called I was told the plants would soon ship too, and like I said, we're in SUMMER weather now. That wasn't all, I had also purchased a membership to Garden Solutions, thinking I would be satisfied with the product and service and would be ordering more. (but all based on the assumption that I would be satisfied!) The membership was $14.95, but my card had been charged by "Spring Hill Nursery" $32.97 on 3/5... so what was the additional 18.02? They charged my card for the shipping of the entire order and tax on the $14.95. WHAT? They've had the shipping money since day one, but they've never shipped any plants! When I asked Spring Hill to refund the cost of the "membership", they balked. They said they could refund the shipping/tax but not the cost of the membership. For that refund, I had to call Garden Solutions directly, of which they are a member and when Spring Hill sold the membership. I did call Garden Solutions and was told they would send a check in 4-6 weeks for the $14.95 membership, but I have to wait 4-6 weeks for that. I will be watching to see if Spring Hill credits the tax and shipping and if I receive the check from Garden Solutions. I never thought I would fall prey to some shady practices. Spring Hill has great offers but has failed to deliver (both plants, and good customer service). This is not a company I intend to do business with in the future. Negative megsice (1 review) On June 6, 2008, megsice Ooltewah, TN wrote: Below is how I've been treated by Spring Hill Nursery. Three months of waiting for my plants - - one month spend planning for my plants - - and now empty flower beds left for the weeds to grow in! I have now canceled my order with this company and hope that anyone reading this will think twice about ordering from this company. Side note: Sorry for the length of this, but I feel that the length is necesarry to see the whole story. Also, I am not one to wright negative reviews - - however this horrible customer service has pushed me over the edge! May 27, 2008 – Last E-mail sent by Me to Spring Hill Good Afternoon, The following is a string of E-mail messages I have had with Dave, Anthony, Ben, Iris, Rose, Carol, & Gracy in Customer Service. I placed an order on 4/8/08. Reading below you will soon find out that I have been told many wonderful things, however to this date I still have no plants in my possession nor do I have any guarantee as to them being shipped. I have apologies, which are nice, however after 3 months of information constantly changing, as to when I will receive my flowers, I am left to only think of those apologies as half-hearted. I am very disappointed in the lack of customer service I have received. If my flowers are not going to be available, then it would have been only fair business practice to let me as the customer know so that I would be able to make other arrangements. Through all of the explaining to the seven different customer service people I have never been offered to be told the TRUTH about my order. i.e. where it truly is? From research online it seem that order fulfillment is an issue right now with Spring Hill - - and you have made a contract with each of your customers to deliver flowers to them. It seems that a high number of people who placed orders around the time I did have had the same problems receiving their orders in a timely manor. I expect this issue to be resolved in a upstanding business like manor within 24 hours or I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau. -M I also tried to call Spring Hill on May 27. The customer service representative had no information for me and said that my order should ship out the end of this week(May30th). So far, no tracking number has appeared on the order confirmation website. Previous e-mail from me sent via Spring Hills website requested when the order would be shipped. April 15, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. I really apologize for the inconvenience. I have reviewed your account and see that double your money offer coupon has already been applied to your order. I am enclosing a coy of invoice for your review. If we can be of further assistance please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Cherry Customer Service April 15, 2008 Hello, Yes, I know the a double my money coupon had been applied. I'm a bit confused, because my question had to do with when my order will arrive?? Can you tell me when I might see my flowers?? Thanks, M Apr 15, 2008: Dear M: Thank you for your email. I really apologize for the inconvenience. I have reviewed your account and see that double your money offer coupon has already been applied to your order. I am enclosing a coy of invoice for your review. If we can be of further assistance please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Cherry Customer Service April 15, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your recent email. Your order will ship at the proper time for spring planting in your area. Our shipping schedule shows that your area will begin shipping late April. Processing can take up to two weeks depending on availability. After processing, shipping can take up to two weeks. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Rose Customer Service April 15, 2008 I know what dates are listed on my order status, but it seems that thoses dates change daily. I'm going on vacation the begining of May and I don't want my order left on the front porch while I am away. If it is to me before this month is through, then great! But, if it shipps and doesn't arive until the first week in May I'm affraid the flowers will die sitting on my porch! Thanks, M April 15, 2008 Dear Gardening Friend, Thank you for contacting Spring Hill Nurseries. Your questions and comments are very important to us. Rest assured one of our Customer Care Representatives will respond to you as quickly as possible. As always, we pride ourselves on our world class customer service and we back all of our plants with a lifetime guarantee. Frequently Asked Questions: What is my Hardiness Zone? When will my order ship? What should I do when my plants arrive? How do I cancel an item from my order? How do I process a return? How do I subscribe or unsubscribe from the Spring Hill Newsletter? Please visit SpringHillNursery.com often for the latest news from Abigail Merriweather, as well as, tips for your garden! Sincerely, Spring Hill Nursery Customer Care Team April 22, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. I have changed the shipping date of your order and now the the order will ship late May. If we can be of further assistance please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Dave Customer Service April 22, 2008 I hope this isn't an inconvinence, but could that shipping date instead of being late May...just be so that the items will be delivered to me no earlier than May 9? I will be back from vacation on that day. Thanks, M April 22, 2008 Dear M, Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, we are unable to change the shipping dates to the previous date. However, we can only delay the shipping. Your order will ship at the proper time for spring planting in your area. Our shipping schedule shows that your area will begin shipping late May. Processing can take up to two weeks depending on availability. After processing, shipping can take up to two weeks. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Anthony Customer Service April 23, 2008 I'm so confused. Last I knew Spring started in March and ended at the beginning of June. Every day since I placed my order my shipping dates have changed daily. I expected to be able to plant my plants before the real heat hit my area. Now, I'll just have planted my plants and the heat will come...and because of this my plants will suffer! I NEVER requested that my plants not ship until the end of May. I simply requested that they not be shipped during one week at the beginning of May due to my vacation. That means they could have been shipped before, like I expected them to - - due to the original shipping dates I was given. Or, they could have been shipped right after...not the ideal. This is a very LARGE order and because of it I wanted to avoid having dead plants sitting on my porch while I was on vacation. Is there absolutely nothing you can do fix the shipping date on this?? If I need to speak to your supervisor about changing the date please let me know. Each time I have addressed this issue I have ended up having a different Customer Service person replying. So far I've had 5 different people...it is very frustrating, because I don't know what the current customer service person knows or doesn't know. Besides this email I've exchanged others with different customer service people. Thanks for your assistance in this matter, M April 25, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience this may have caused. The shipping date on your order #8099xxxxxxx has been adjusted according to your day of return from the vacation (9th May). We expect to ship your items in early May and you will receive them after 9th May. We assure you that this confusion has been straightened out. Once again, please accept our apology for the inconveniences. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Ben Customer Service April 25, 2008 Thank you so much for adjusting the shipping date, I will look for the plants after I return from vacation! -M April 25, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. You're very welcome! Please know that we are always available to assist you in whatever your needs are. Happy Gardening! Sincerely, Iris Customer Service May 19, 2008 Hello, I had been told that my order would arrive shortly after I came back from vacation (May 11, 2008). It's been a week now and I'm wondering when my flowers will arrive?? My order number is 8099xxxxxxxx. Thanks, M :) May 19, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. I have reviewed your account and see that your order should ship by the beginning of June. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Rose Customer Service May 19, 2008 Is there any way this order can be shipped sooner? I placed my order on April 8 and by the time it actually get's to me it will have been two months!!! In that time frame I may as well have just bought my plants from a local nursery. I placed an order, prior to this order, and it came in a very timely fasion - - I don't understand why this one should take two months to get to me? M May 19, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. We ship the plants according to the zone opening date and the availability. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Carol Customer Service May 19, 2008 Which according to the website says plants shipped to zone 7 (which I am) will be shipped earliest March 30 to latest June 13. Having placed my order in April that would make one assume that the plants would arrive more toward the front of the shipping dates. I believe that when I originally placed my order my shipping date was around the end of April. That date has changed constantly on a daily basis - - and when I asked for my order not to be shipped during one week that I was on vacation the date of my shipment was moved off until like June. So then I asked for it to be moved back to a more appropriate date for when I returned from vacation. I thought it was done, but since it's been a week since my vacation ended and I haven't seen any plants I assume that it wasn't corrected appropriately! I appreciate the apologize I've received - - however at this point I have explained my situation to more than 10 people in customer service and I have yet to receive a good solution for my plants not arriving. I am tired of getting the run around about my plants not being shipped and this is getting to the point where I am about ready to cancel my order and go else where! I understand that you may not be the person who can expedite the process of my plants being shipped, but if there is someone else I should be contacting please let me know. Thanks, M May 19, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. We ship the items according to the availability and in the order your order was received for each zone. However, I have put a rush on your order and it will ship on a priority basis. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Gracy Customer Service ------ Today I received: June 6, 2008 Dear M: Thank you for your email. Orders are now shipped according to the availability of mature plants. All orders will process by June 13. Any items that are on backorder from the spring season will be converted to a fall ship date, if possible. If the items are not able to be converted to a fall ship date, or are not available at the end of our fall shipping season, your order will be cancelled. If your method of payment was by credit card, your card will not be charged. However, if you paid by check a refund will be issued once the order has been cancelled. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Ben Customer Service June 6, 2008 Ben, Are you kidding me! You make me wait more than 3 months for a shipment of flowers - - and now you are telling me that you may not even have the flowers, and that your just going to cancel my order or ship them in the Fall (which does not do my garden any good for this summer!) This is completely horrible customer service, and believe me I will be spreading the word about how your company has chosen to treat their customers! - Dear M: Thank you for your email. I apologize it is unlikely that the items on this order will be shipped this season. We ship our orders in the order they are received. When you moved back the ship dates for your order you put yourself at the end of the line and many of the items on your order are no longer available. We will conclude our shipping season the end of next week. As Ben mentioned some of the items may be moved to a Fall ship date if they are also available to ship out that season. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Sincerely, Donna Customer Service On June 6th, 2008, megsice added the following: I have contacted the BBB and am trying to get more information about this company. My order was over $150 and I used a %50 off coupon and I have suspicions that coupon user orders are the ones that are delayed. If anyone has more information please e-mail me at [e-mail:mdickard@gmail.com] This company needs to understand that they can not get away with such shady business practices. Please contact the BBB and make a report if you have had any bad dealings with this company. Negative vatechhokie (1 review) On June 2, 2008, vatechhokie Winchester, VA wrote: I ordered from Spring Hill about 10 years ago and was impressed with their responses and timely replacement of plants. About 3 years ago I ordered a yellow lilac, 2 variegated wiegelas and several other plants, the names of which I don't recall. The lilac and one of the weigelas arrived in fair condition........the other plants were dead on arrive. I promptly e-mailed the company and requested replacements for the DOA plants, and just as promptly received their e-mail telling me they were investigating and the matter would be resolved shortly. About 2 weeks later, I sent an another e-mail in which I requested replacements for the dead plants.....same response back. Then it dawned on me it was a computer generated response and would probably go on forever. I decided it was a fairly cheap lesson learned, but I'll never order from this shyster outfit again. Oh yes.......the lilac bloomed for the first time this year....lovely shade of blue, one of the wiegelas has done quite well but the other plant died. I've told several of my friends about my problems with Spring Hill, one of whom thanked me because he was just about to place an order with them. I really don't know how they can stay in businees with the amount of negative publicity they've received. Positive santeelady (5 reviews) On May 31, 2008, santeelady Santee, CA (Zone 9a) wrote: This was my fist order with SpringHill Nursery. I ordered 50 strawberry plants. I've had really bad luck with all the strawberry orders I have placed this year and I have to say that SpringHill got it right!! All of the plants had nice strong roots and 95% of them were already sprouting healthy "baby" leaves. I've already planted them and they are doing strong. Shipping was average, but I did order strawberries a little late in the season for my zone. I have not ordered any flowers or plants from them. I would order from this company again. Will update on how well the strawberry plants stand up. Negative CTgardengirl (2 reviews) On May 31, 2008, CTgardengirl Niantic, CT wrote: Don't be lured in by the beautiful pictures in their catalog or on their website. Luckily I used their $25 off $50 offer for my order, but it still was not worth the money. I will say that their plants were packed very well and arrived in good condition. Unfortunately I ordered early and the plants arrived too early to plant outside. We still had 3-4 weeks of possible frosts. I held off outdoor planting as long as I could as the plants were not suited to sit too long in their containers. A week later, we had a frost. I covered them as best I could (I had a lot of plants) but lost a few to the cold. They did replace the 2 I called about, but even the plants that fared through the cold are languishing and many have died. I can't say it's my gardening ability as all plants I purchased from local nurseries and Lowes are doing very well. The plants are ridiculously expensive for what you get. Not having bought plants in quite some time, I didn't know any better. I saw most of the same plants locally for a fraction of Spring Hill's prices. And the local plants were MUCH larger. My biggest disappointments are the 3 Harlequin Hydrangeas I bought for my parents... 3 for $50+ and only one is still struggling along. I also bought an expensive (tiny) Josee Lilac that is barely clinging to life. They replaced a Hydrangea, but even that one is on it's way out. I feel foolish having paid so much for such small plants that for the most part I could have waited and bought locally. I'd have gotten much larger plants at MUCH lower prices. I'm waiting to see how the rest fare, but if I lose any more of the expensive ones, I'm calling them for refunds or replacements. Don't bother with this company, you'll be very disappointed. Be patient and buy local, you'll do much better. Negative blufour (4 reviews) On May 29, 2008, blufour Cantril, IA wrote: Mail ordering plants in the past was always satisfactory but I have decided to get plants only locally. It appears that Spring Hill is doing a lot of the postponing of deliveries. I ordered early, which used to mean faster delivery. Mine was slated to come this last week of May or early June which I found out by checking my order status on-line. That was very late but since we've had a lot of unusually cold weather I wasn't so concerned. Today I checked my order status again because here it is the middle of the first week it was due to be sent and I have seen how many people have trouble with setbacks of the shipment dates. Now they say shipment should be between June 5 and June 19 and for the Pee Gee Hydrangea, which I really, really wanted the date is expected to be June 26 to July 16! That is all entirely unacceptable for my area. I know they would not survive planting that late. I emailed them and cancelled the order and will wait to see if they honor that as I told them I will refuse the order if they send it. Now I will have to watch my credit card account to be sure they don't charge me. I have had it with mail ordering plants. It makes no difference if you order from the cheap ones or the higher priced. You're taking a chance to be among the few who get good service. I see that some folks were sent their plants within a few weeks and yet I ordered very early and am still waitng. On June 5th, 2008, blufour added the following: Okay, this is it; I had ordered from Spring Hill, thinking this was one more chance I\'m giving these mail order houses. As I said in earlier email I cancelled the order, emailing and telling them to cancel because they keep backing up the delivery date. So much time had passed that just yesterday I checked online to see if Spring Hill might have cancelled and not let me know. They had not noted it as cancelled but had once again backed up delivery dates. It previously was backed up to delivery from June 5 to June 19 for most of the plants and June 26 to July 16 for the Pee Gee Hydrangea. Now it\'s last of June and first HALF of July. But, here\'s the clincher: I got an email from them today saying they are sorry but they will not be able to send replacements because they see that I\'ve had over 80% failure of plants! This is the same form email that I\'ve been sent from Gurney\'s and Breck\'s over the last couple of years when I write for replacements of the dead plants! They evidently are all one scam-unit now. I wrote back a scathing email tellling them that wasn\'t even why I wrote them; I wrote to cancel the order I put in EARLY this spring because they keep backing up the delivery on me. I told them that they can\'t even get the correct \"form letter\" sent out and I guess I can expect not to get anything from them and certainly will never order from ANY of them again! I wouldn\'t be surprised to receive the plants yet but they will be refused for sure. In these companies \"the left hand doesn\'t know what the right hand is doing\" as the old saying goes. Positive schratz (1 review) On May 29, 2008, schratz Nitro, WV wrote: I could just slap myself....i always, always check for reviews before ordering online and have never had a bad experience. The first time I did not check online, was dealing with Spring Hill Nursery....website was great, prices were great...however I just had to cancel my entire order as they keep pushing back the shipping dates and the amounts ordered are not the same as they show on their order status. Trying to contact them by e-mail is like trying to get a root canal....I am not sure they even read their e-mails...I ask specific questions and all they keep replying is to check their FAQ page on their website which doesn't tell me anything.....I am so mad at myself for falling for this one and I was so looking forward to enjoying my garden this spring.....lesson learned... On June 2nd, 2008, schratz changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: Well, I have to change my opinion.... since I couldn\'t find my products anywhere else and I really, really wanted them, I decided to call them....and I have to say I was pleasantly sur[prised......I was on hold only a few minutes and the customer rep was a very nice gentleman who gave me a tracking number for my order and a delivery date...I still don\'t think they actually read their e-mails, but I have to say I was impressed by their phone system......

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