Save your money, time (4 years) and frustration for something more productive then ordering from direct gardening, something like arguing with a rock or trying to convince an escaped toddler cracked up on a bucket of Halloween candy, a two liter of coke and some ho hos they found in the back of the pantry that an 8pm bed time really is reasonable. If I could leave a negative star to leave this review I would. I do not know what unreasonable robot they have answering their email, but after I had indeed sent them pictures of the 5 in 1 fruiting tree they had sent me (spoilers not a fruiting tree...not even one..I mean one or two cmon...but none!?) they requested the original label....Now I don't know how much you know about trees but they tend not to grow into a fruiting (or non fruiting) size anytime soon, they like to take their time, 4 years to be precise. If they could stand by their product, like they stand by the material they seem to think their shipping labels are made out of, I would be planting a 5 in 1 fruit tree instead of writing this. But thank you for your email and the unending joy I had in corresponding with your robot one last time. P.S. I've found the shipping label...do you want the whole tree? read more

Their plants show up dead and they don't honor their guarantee. It takes weeks instead of days to get a response, and you can't even get them on the phone most of the time. One star is really too good for these scammers. read more

Huge SCAM COMPANY. Terribly packed, terribly late. So many of the plants arrived dry and dead. planted them anyway after soaking roots. Guess what? Still dead! Sent an email with pics and asked for a refund or replacement. They said four weeks does not prove they are dead. Waited three more weeks. Guess what? Still dead! Called and they said I had to return the shipping label and dead plants. Did so. What is that!? Well its just a hoop that they hope you won't jump through and they won't have to honor their guarantee. Sent info requested and they said they never received it. Then they asked for my CC statement. Said it would prove what I paid. NFW! Guess what? just another hoop! They already have proof that I paid and what I paid. Refused to return money or replace plants, so I let my CC company go after them. THEY ARE A SCAM!!!!! read more

Ordered over 3 weeks ago. Nothing has come. For 2 days I have called the number listed only to get a constant busy signal (like they have taken the phone offline) The website shows the order with a reference number but no tracking. No way to see of it has even shipped. I agree, 1 star is too many for this company, wish I had read up on the reviews before placing my order. Sure the prices are great.. You get what you pay for in this case for sure. :( read more

Shopped around to find the best prices on elephant garlic. Called them to confirm that it would be a BULB of garlic for $5.99 each. Ordered 8 since the lady said she was "sure it would be a bulb." Ended up receiving a "CLOVE" of garlic. Bought 8 single cloves for about $32 with shipping. What a farce!! Tried to add 2 more garlic bulbs to my order a couple days after I ordered They could not add to my order stating it was already processed, and yet they didn't ship it for a FEW WEEKS. Some of the bulbs are dried and black, leading me to believe they are dead. Ordered in August, and it took almost a month to ship. Cool fall, so not sure what was up. Very disappointed. Let's see how hard it is to return them. read more

Don't waste your time with this company. They have a money back guarantee, however, not so easy to get. They don't credit your credit card back and mailing in the label is all they say is required, however, when I did this and sent it in I got it back with a notice on it asking if any of the potatoes I ordered were able to be planted. My letter clearly stated that no plant material was in any condition to plant. The potatoes I ordered were moldy, white and crumbled apart when I handled them. Obviously, there is in quality control in the shipping process. This was my first, and will be my last, dealing with them. read more

Do not use this company. I placed an order the first week of May. My order was supposed to take 3 weeks. After 6 weeks I had received nothing so I emailed the company to cancel my order. I explained that I did not want to plant a tender plant in the middle of the summer, as I know the chance of it surviving was slim. They then emailed me to say my order was on its way ( only because I said I was stopping payment through my credit card company) and if I wanted to return it, I would have to pay for shipping. My "banana tree" that cost $20 was a 3 inch plant. If I plant this outside it will die in a week. Gave them one star only because the plant wasn't dead and zero stars is not an option. read more

I placed my original order on May 8, 2018. Since I hadn't heard from them, I was going to cancel the order, then on May 22, 2018 I received an email from Direct Gardening identifying the order in "Shipping." I did not get the items until June 7, 2008 and when they did arrive, they were DEAD, the roots were saturated with water and were rotted. I contacted a representative from Direct Gardening by telephone and advised them that the items had finally been received however, they were dead. I also advised her that the items were already in dispute, so she did not provide a return shipping authorization. They are still trying to bill me for the rotted items that I threw away. I WILL NEVER DEAL WITH THEM AGAIN! read more

Guarantee of plants is a joke. They have been going back and forth with me for 1 1/2 months. I mailed them what was needed and then in return they mailed back. Plants did not come back this year but they said can you send back plants. How can you send back when they are not there. Don't ever order from them! read more

Don't buy from Direct Gardening. My order took 10 weeks despite being told it would be 2 - 3 weeks. When I contacted customer service they told me the order was in process--3 times over the course of many weeks. When my order arrived it wasn't complete and I sent another email to customer service, who had no record that the order wasn't complete. They asked for proof and I sent a photo of the packaging saying they couldn't fulfill part of the order and I asked for a refund, which they refused. And finally, the seed potatoes they did send were terrible quality and didn't produce any plants. TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY. read more

Trying to get a replacement on 4 of 5 trees that never grew. The return policy said that you must send back the original receipt. I sent them a photo copy since someone in my house threw out the plastic bag that the small trees where in. They also say that they need the original receipt to often the info for refunds and replacements. SO if it is about the info on the receipt that they need then why isn't a photo copy good enough to extract that info from. Never again never again. Beside why would you want to buy from a nursery that sells someone 5 trees and only 1 survived. They need to close their doors. read more

DO NOT BUY FROM DIRECT GARDENING ! I waited over 6 weeks for my order to arrive. When it final arrived, DEAD on arrival ! Called customer service and they said send in the label. I sent in the label and received it back in the mail with a return after 6 weeks note, which I did. But apperently they not only fill orders with dead stock, but they can't count ! DO NOT BUY FROM THIS SITE ! read more

Terrible company to do business. Shipped dead boysenberries and dewberries so I used their warranty and they sent me dead plants again. Save yourself time and energy just use Starks it may cost more but they always send prodcuts that grow. These guys are a waste of time. read more

STAY AWAY! If I could give them 0 stars I would. I purchased plants through Direct Gardening. When plants arrived 2 of the 6 were alive but barely. I immediately planted them but they did not survive. I contacted the company but they never responded. I filed a claim on my credit card. 2.5 months later they contacted me wanting their money after I received a credit from my cc company. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM. THEY ARE A SCAM. read more

If I could give negative stars If I could. I have never worked with a more incompetent and intransigent company in my life. I ordered $650 worth of plants in late April. After nearly 4 weeks of emails and regular phone calls they could not give my an eta- I had to cancel my order. This is because I live in charlotte Nc and the window of opportunity to plant was running out. When I cancelled the order they confirmed I would get a refund but they processed a refund for $27. They then proceeded to mail the plants a week later. I called multiple times and emailed multiple times for them to retrieve the plants. They would not retrieve the plants AND they expected me to spend my time/money to return the plants they sent in error. Also note that the quality of the plants they sent were of very very poor quality. Please note- I have never given a negative review to a company but this level of incompetence and malfeasance prompted me to act. To ummarize They indicated plants would ship in 5-10 days but after 22 days they could not give eta. They agreed a refund at cancellation but processed refund shortfall of 623. They sent plants in error and expected me to send them back at my cost. The plants were of such poor quality- I would have been warranted to send them back for this reason alone. read more

6 weeks after I ordered plants arrived . Tiny skimpy and barely alive . To get a refund you have to send them back and they will keep it in file for a year . You can send the label back if the plants are dead and they will credit towards your next order . Do not recommend using this company . I rate this business a zero star . read more

I wish I had read these reviews before ordering. I order plants (too many to remember the number) 4 weeks ago and all I've gotten is a run around from the call center. The call center doesn't know anything about the orders until the info is updated by the actual company and the company doesn't except phone calls. What kind of company doesn't except phone calls. Supposedly, my order was out of processing 2 weeks ago and is just waiting to ship. What is going to happen while they are "waiting". I'm giving it one more week and cancelling if I haven't heard anything. They changed my account immediately after ordering, but give no updates or assistance on your order. I don't see how they've stayed in business. read more

I will never purchase from this company again and suggest you don't either. It took them over 1 month to ship me these items. Item # 6745 Red Clematis for $18.99 and # 7929 Climbing Shell Vine for $12.29. Total order $31.28 and shipping $9.99, tax: $43.75. The plants were nearly dead and small. I wrote the company a letter, took pictures and returned all items for a refund. I paid nearly $20 in shipping fee. I did get my refund minus the shipping fees. The pictures and descriptions of items are not accurate. I recommend staying far away from this company and should have looked at other reviews here before wasting my time and money. Hoping to spare you from my pain. read more

Terrible customer service. Calling them is hit or miss. I was only able to get through once after 6 or 7 times of calling. You just get a busy signal. I received subpar twigs from the mail, none of the extra plants they promised you get when you order a certain amount. Nothing was labeled. It all looked like dead twigs. Overall it was much more costly than if you bought the plant from your local home depot or Menards as it will take years for some of these plants to yield their potential if they even make it. I returned these plants ASAP and will never shop here this site again. Buyer beware!!! REFUND IS NOT A FULL REFUND: Well I followed their policy by returning dead twigs within 14 days inside the same packaging, with original labels and even mailed certified as I don't trust these guys. I paid $56.78 yet, I was only refunded $37.48 leaving me out of almost $20. Even if they were charging me the original S&H, it was only $5.95. I do not see how they justify stealing the rest of my money and short-changing me my full refund. These guys are unscrupulous & really could care less. I don't know how they stay in business with this kind of service in this competitive age. Never again! read more

They get one star for the free cat treats that inexplicably came with my plants, but no stars for the plants themselves. I ordered thyme and creeping phlox, both of which were advertised as live plants. They came COMPLETELY dead - NOT dormant; I have been gardening for years and know the difference. They were dry and brown and crumbled to the touch. I did try to plant them immediately, to give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't mind a little hard work to get results, but after much time and tender care they have simply crumbled away. Simply put, if you plant a dead plant, you still have a dead plant. I'm glad I didn't spend very much with this company. I'm not going to bother with trying to get a refund, since other reviewers have cited the terrible customer service and I don't have time to deal with it. I will never order from them again. read more

Doesn't even deserve even 1 star.Ordered multiple plants 5/10/18,supposed to be for late spring planting but received it one month later.When it arrived,everything is dumped in one big plastic bag and everything is dead. Dry dead sticks, very dry bare root.I cant believe they ship plants like this. Customer service is the worse.They will reply one day later,they insist on returning the dead plants,they wont even refund me for my shipping.I shipped back the item 6/16 and until now,i'm still waiting for any updates of my refund.This company is a sham.Do your self a favor ,don't buy from them! I had better experience with Michigan Bulb and Gurney's. read more

See all

HORRIBLE operation! I warn you - DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. They have the worst customer service on the planet. I asked for my order to be cancelled 4 weeks in after not receiving it. They confirmed it would be cancelled and I would get a refund. Now it is 4 weeks after that and I called and now being told that I requested my refund too late and now have to ask in writing for a credit voucher that I can use next year. What a joke. Wouldn't let me talk to a manager and wouldn't have a manager call me back. Cannot believe they are still in in business. read more

Placed an order on June 7, 2018. Credit card was immediately charge. Shortly after we received a post card in the U.S. mail saying tree's were back ordered and we would receive in Spring of 2019! Not acceptable! I cancelled order and am still waiting for a credit!! MasterCard has been contacted and I have to jump through the hoops to contest the transaction. If you are considering placing an order - DON'T! read more

While Navigating online, I found Direct Gardening and my experience with them has been terrifying and terrible. On April, I order some privet hedges they promoted as being on sale. As part of the package deal, the promotional price included specific gifts. Although the online order was seemingly easy to complete, the result was horrendous. First and maybe due to the pandemic, the order took almost 2 months to arrive. On arrival, the package presented some damage on the label but I was not to complain to them as it may not be their fault. Unfortunately, that label was useless so I discarded it. I knew that regardless I was going to keep the tress. As a surprise, I saw that the promotional gifts were not what they described. I sent an email requesting clarification. Unfortunately, I never received anything back from them. Not an email clarifying my questions or an apology for the mistake committed. (This would be a good hint, right?) Anyway, I did not have my gardener until 24 hours after when he open and untangle all the trees. As a surprise my 100 units became 78 units. Thus, I tried calling to contact the company. Their line was always busy and even when I left a voice mail, I never heard back from them. Hence, my next option was emailing. I explained that in the email stated that I would need the label for returns/exchanges but I was not looking for any of that, and that I just wanted the order to be fulfilled as it was previously paid. Weeks have past, and in one of the back and forth emails, somebody -as it does not provide me with a name- stated that they will do sent the remaining once the prof of purchase and original email is sent. Please keep in mind that this has been already almost another month after the first hedges were planted in my garden. This week and after I submitted the info via email, somebody stated that they will provide me with the missing part of my order "only" if I mail it to them; they cannot accept the information via email. As a result, I asked the reasoning behind it and requested if this could be printed internally instead of wasting another week. As I did not received an answer back, I requested to be contacted back and their answer was, they cannot do outgoing calls. (My previous email was overseen as no mention of it was received) This afternoon I called the "customer service," and before I even finishing my explanation, I was told there was no way to do anything for me. I requested to talk to a supervisor and the response was "I don't know why you want to waste your time as her answer will be the same." I requested to please let me talk to him/her and finally it happened. Unfortunately, Lisa (supervisor) came to the line and when she realized that my name was a Latino name she changed her tone, started cutting every one of my sentences and when I said I would like to know how the recording of the conversation was due to her poor customer service she stated "as you are recording I'm going to hang up and proceeded to finish the call without allowing me to speak." I tried calling back; this time, I connected to a customer service representative name Jack who stated, "I was told we cannot talk to you and hang up on me." I sent an email requesting to create a formal complaint and to be connected to a supervisor who is able to listen to me before they made their minds just because my last name is Latino. I know now I was to read the reviews before I place any order with this and I truly hope that I am not robbed so bluntly. I'm still waiting for the resolution but I am loosing hope at this time. read more

I placed an order with this company on 5/1/2020 & only last week 6/20 received half of my order & it is now 7/1 tomorrow & still have not recieved the second half of my order. Thjey sent me an email after complaining to customer care saying it would be shipped last week but still has not arrived! I will never order from this bunch again I do not even give them 1 star! read more

I ordered a variety of plants from Direct Gardening in the Spring of 2016 (redbud trees, hydrangeas, and bare root perennials (hosta, astilbe, arum). Of these plants 1 astilbe and the arum actually grew. The three redbuds had no sign of life, the hydrangeas looked like they had been through a war and died quickly after being planted. The bare root plants also did not have any sign of life when they arrived but one astilbe and the arum actually surprised me. I contacted customer service. They were unwilling to refund my money but stated that they would ship the plants again the following Spring. That brings us to the Spring of 2017. They did ship the plants without being asked. The three redbuds arrived damaged (trunk broken on one and the roots split vertically up the trunk on another - not really sure how they expect anything else when they ship small trees in a plastic bag without any support or protection). The hydrangeas were in fair condition when they arrived (shipped in plastic clamshells) and so far look okay. Once again the bare root plants have been unsuccessful. Bottom line......prices are good, products are poor and your frustration level will be very high. read more

This is a pure scam company. Mismanaged. Bad business practices. Highly unprofessional. Looking for any excuse to avoid serving real customer's need. They exist in their comfy bubble which does not coincides with the customer. It's like two different planets. Return policy is being abused and neglected. THEY SIMPLY DO NO-O-O-O-O-O-T CARE! Customer service is idiotic. Dealing with them is WASTE OF TIME, FUNDS and EFFORTS. Customer won't be able to plan anything accordingly due to their negligence. They are using procrastination tactics and mockery as a way of communication with the customer. Company (at least their on-line branch) deserves to be closed down. What a disgrace!!!! read more

If i could i would not put any stars. Had a very bad experience with DG. I waited for my order for more than 2 month. I ordered "Purple Smoke" and "Golden chain" trees. And i received very dry twigs. Month later only 2 (from 4) of PurpleSmoke and none (from 3) of Golden chain are show some life. But what supposed to be PurpleSmoke is not a PurpleSmoke!!! The leaves are very different from what it should be. So, i am not sure what they sent to me. And it's impossible to contact/talk to them. Do not use DG!!! read more

If I could give less than a star I would. I ordered edible ginger. It took a few weeks but my ginger finally arrived -- with no instructions on how to plant it. The ginger root was rotten and there were bugs infesting it. The company will not refund my money. I will never order from them again. read more

I wish I had read these reviews before I ordered from this website. I ordered a tree in April. Their shipping policy stated it would take 2-3 weeks. In late May, I called about a dozen times only to reach a busy signal every time. I sent them an email. I received a generic email stating they would check the status of my order. 3 days later they said it shipped. It is now 2.5 weeks after receiving that email and I still haven't gotten my tree. These guys suck, don't order from here. 0 stars isn't an option which is what they deserve. Now I have to submit a claim to my credit card company to get my money back since nobody there will answer my call. Did I mention that these guys suck? read more

I wish I read the reviews here before I ordered. I ordered vinca back on 4/17. After emailing and calling to see if/when they were shipped, I finally received them today on 6/15 (after almost 2 months - never received a response to my email or was I ever able to speak with anyone on the phone). Suspicious that 500 vinca would fit in my mailbox, I opened the package which contained dead sticks (or maybe it was a bag of dirt). Not even bothering with trying to get a refund. Just going to dispute the credit card charge. More disappointed that I could have bought and planted my vinca 2 month ago if I just went to Home Depot. Don't waste your time. read more

Rip off. They send wrong items and u pay return postage. Customer service is horrible.

horrible. the phone is busy when you call all day long and any day you call. they do not respond to the Contact us messages. Ordered and paid in full 3/23 and today is 5/11 and still no call back or even a spot where you can check on your order. buy anywhere else ! read more

I received my Josephine Clematis in a shipping plastic bag. The plant was extremely dry and I am not sure it will make it.

I ordered 5 seed packets from directgardening.com 7 weeks ago. Two weeks ago, in response to an email to their customer service, they said "Your order is currently being filled." But still nothing has shipped. By this, i presume that they are still growing the plants from which they will harvest the seeds, because i can't imagine why else it would take so long to put a couple of seed packets into an envelope. read more

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY. The listed telephone number is always busy. Go figure. They will not answer your emails either . I filled a complaint with my credit card due to not receiving my order. Beware of this company read more

I ordered two fig trees on April 5th. I called beginning of May to find out if they had shipped. I was told they could not awser that. Rep acted like, how dare i ask such a question. By mid May my credit card was charged ,so i called and was told i would receive my items in 7 to 10 days. So they finally arrived on May 26th. They look like dead sticks. One has mold on the roots. Instructions say they arrive dormant . I have serious doubts. I planted them we will see. I have a feeling i will be asking for a refund which i probably won't get judging from my dealing with them. read more

I ordered seeds from this company on April 16, 2020 and have not received them yet. I have tried to call the company for over a week only to hear a constant troubled busy signal like the phone is off of the hook. They have been paid and have had my money for almost six weeks. I should have read the reviews prior to placing my order....many review ratings similar to mine. Company looks good on a website but show their true colors with their lack of customer service. BEWARE....should rate as NO STARS! read more

One star is too much!!! I purchased hundreds of dollars worth of plants, paid $9.99 shipping, they took weeks to arrive and when they did they were all dead!!! They were also tiny dead sticks, not the vibrant plants that were shown on the website. I called multiple times and got no answer, my emails were not answered. The directions on the website say to return for a full refund with the original label within 14 days but they don't tell you they want you to pay $43 to ship them back! They are not registered with the Better Business Bureau and there sure is a reason why!!!! DON"T BUY FROM DIRECT GARDENING!!!!!! read more

The website is full glitches and every step of the process was difficult. I still can't log into my account to see my orders and such. They took 3 weeks to charge me and then another 3 weeks for only part of my order to show up. read more