• DirectGardening

DirectGardening

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Overview

DirectGardening has a rating of 1.6 stars from 399 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about DirectGardening most frequently mention customer service, credit card, and dead plants problems. DirectGardening ranks 106th among Plants sites.

  • Service
    52
  • Value
    47
  • Shipping
    49
  • Returns
    38
  • Quality
    46
107
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How would you rate DirectGardening?
Top Positive Review

“Yellow holiday cactii great starter plant and new modern packaging came in good shape even with our”

Robert G.
4/23/20

3 beautiful starter cactus plants with 4 to 5 stalks in soil that has already started to divide at top of the hard to find Yellow color cactii blooms. New modern day packaging in heavy duty green plastic bag with each cactii in their own celluloid preformed envelope that kept pot firmly in place, lightweight, and no paper to unpack. Completely happy - I did not expect blooming size, but will bloom nicely this holiday season. Like the bonus bulbs. Saw so many bad reviews, but completely satisfied here.

Top Critical Review

“Don't buy here”

Jim R.
4/17/20

Terrible retailer. Their stock was crap, packaged poorly and had to be replaced. And their customer service is worse. They may have cheap prices, but you get what you pay for. If looking here - stay away!

Reviews (399)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (97) credit card (40) plastic bag (25)
Thumbnail of user carolyns1129
Oklahoma
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 12th, 2022

We ordered 5 Corydalis Blue Line plants at $11.00 each. What we received was dirt. There was no sign of any plant material in any of these packages. I asked for a refund... but was told I could have merchandise credit or new plants. This company will take your money gladly but will not refund any. I will not purchase from them again. Buyer beware!

Tip for consumers:
Buyer Beware!!!

Products used:
Plants

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user yanuarioa
North Carolina
1 review
3 helpful votes
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February 18th, 2020

Nothing but one dead tree after another, they send at wrong time of year, the trees look like they've been in cold storage for a long time not healthy at all. They haven't sent a healthy tree. Out of the many I've bought few survived. Customer service is horrenduse. They fo not back their products.

Tip for consumers:
Buy elsewhere

Products used:
Bought grape vines, fruit cocktail tree, 5 pear tree, dwarf star cherry tree. Had the cherry replace 3 times, the pear once, the fruit cocktail 3 times and still dont have a living tree.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user jefff46
Pennsylvania
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
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June 7th, 2017

DO NOT waste your time or money here! Shipped my first tree and it was dead on arrival. Dry as a bone in the bag. I did a scratch test and it failed so I called the same day and they said to "wait 3 weeks, if no signs of life to send back the label for a replacement tree". So i did. 2nd tree also arrives dead. Also dry as a bone in the bag. I did another scratch test and it too fails. I call them back and ask for my money back. The STUPID CUSTOMER SERVICE MORON says " no refunds after the first 2 weeks of your order". WHAT?! They told me to wait 3 weeks just to see if it was even alive! So I called my credit card and got all my money back but I cant get my time back. Don't waste your time or money. This place is a scam!

Thumbnail of user wilkiem
Colorado
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 23rd, 2021

This is a total rip off!
When you call all you get is a stall tactic; all they say is that a e mail will be sent when the order is shipped. I tried to cancel the order was told
Only could've posted on the day if was ordered.
Ordered in April. 2 still waiting for order,

Thumbnail of user yasmins25
New Hampshire
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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May 28th, 2020

I ordered Aspen trees, purple leaf bush and red dogwood hedges. They were shipped in a plastic bag. The roots were molded and all the trees twigs were brown. We tried to revive them but they were rotted. I send two emails and was told to plant them. We own an organic farm and know when roots are rotted
I will contact Amex fir a dispute. Don't buy from a company that ships in plastic bags.

Thumbnail of user larryb857
Texas
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 15th, 2020

I realize COVID-19 is going on. I have been very patient. My order was placed on 4/24/2020. It is now 6/11/2020. They do not answer their phone and there has been no acknowledgment from them whatsoever. They already charged my card a month ago and have received nothing

Thumbnail of user davidh1790
Colorado
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
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September 3rd, 2021

We waited 8 weeks just to get a tracking number and another 2 weeks to receive the delivery. The plants were dead upon delivery. I emailed them after trying to call. They never returned my email until the 4th email. Then the response was a screen shot of there warranty. They expect you to return dead plants with proof of delivery. The plants were delivered in a bag with no protection. Do not buy from this company unless you want dead plants with no customer service.

Tip for consumers:
Do not

Products used:
None

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Thumbnail of user susans2352
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 30th, 2020

I wish I had read reviews of this company before ordering. The seeds arrived to late to plant for this year, the plants, for the most part failed to survive but without the original shipping label the guarantee is useless. Will never order from them again and do not recommend ordering plants from them.

Thumbnail of user damonm24
Florida
1 review
5 helpful votes
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July 25th, 2017

Order my stevia plants they arrived completely dead and we're quite small not the qallon size the photo showed not happy wish I would have looked up there reviews as this seems to be a common practice. Never again

Thumbnail of user chrisw1129
Pennsylvania
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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May 25th, 2020

I ordered 3 different types of seed potatoes on April 11th, 2020. They told me to allow 2-3 weeks for processing Then, it was 4 weeks. May 11 is a little late to plant potatoes here in NE PA, but I figured they were a little busy with all the "wannabe" gardeners ordering stuff. I sent another email on the first week of May asking for an update. "We are in the process of getting your order ready to ship. One week later, no news of any shipment. Another email was sent. Same story... please allow 2 to 4 weeks for processing". I asked them to just tell me the truth and give ma a real update. Was I ever, actually going to receive my seed potatoes. Another nebulous response. Today is May 25th, more than 6 weeks after ordering and still no evidence of shipping. WARNING! Do not deal with this company! They are either scam artists or poorly equipped to be in the Garden Supply business. Stay with reputable, well-known companies like Burpee or Jung seed. These guys are clueless.

Thumbnail of user troyb85
North Carolina
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 12th, 2018

I was sent dead plants even though I canceled my order 5 days before they shipped it out. Dont be fooled by the good reviews, they have to give some living plants sometimes. Just ask yourself if youre feeling lucky.

Thumbnail of user psk2
Arizona
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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May 15th, 2020

Horrible company. Phone number on website disconnected. Canceled order and 2 weeks later they charged for canceled order. Never received anything. Was told (canceled) order was in "shipping". Had to dispute charge with my bank. I may be out $236.84 if my bank won't reverse the charge. Horrible people/company. DO NOT place any order with DirectGardening.com.

Thumbnail of user kristenh183
Illinois
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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September 25th, 2020

I waited 8+ weeks and after many calls my items arrived. When I opened the bag the items looked dead to me but instructions said plants are dormant. Directions told me to plant them and wait 6 weeks. Well nothing came up. I called after many attempts ( I think they keep the phone off hook) and told her I want my money back and they refused to reimburse me for dead plants they sent me. The company knew they were dead when they sent them to me. I followed the instructions apparently directions are bogus too.
It's a scam! Do not purchase anything from them.

Thumbnail of user williamb1098
Tennessee
1 review
5 helpful votes
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June 17th, 2019

Direct Gardening is a scam outfit... DO NOT BUY FROM THEM! I purchased 12 burning bushes on 5/19, they were shipped regular mail and I get not get the package until 5/24. The package had 9 of the 12 plants dead twigs. I contacted their customer service group and they told me to just plant them to see if they live. After the plants were in the ground for 3 weeks I still had only 3 of them alive (no green bark), so I contacted their customer service group again and they told me to send the mailing label with a request for replacement plants, which I did... I just received a form letter from them saying that the warranty was void because it had not been 6 weeks. They were dead before I planted them, so another 3 weeks would not have made a difference. I will NEVER do business with them again!

Thumbnail of user milicam4
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 30th, 2018

Waited 5 weeks for order to come in more then half of the flowers were dead the other half crushed in shipping... they ship ur flowers in a garbage bag and expect you to ship it back on your own expense and they will not refund the shipping cost to you. In my case it was a big order it cost me 40.00 usd to ship it back. DO NOT ORDER! The money you will spend at a nursery is well worth it you will get live mature flowers comparing to twigs crushed dead flowers from direct gardening.

Thumbnail of user ksjg
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 4th, 2018

Ordered some plants but received nothing beyond initial order confirmation for about 2.5 weeks. Called them for a estimate of shipping date, as I wanted to plan vacation trip around the delivery date. Customer service rep was anything but that - she was so flippant and arrogant - acted as if I was strange to be asking about this, no effort to be apologetic or understanding. Why the attitude, and if you have such an attitude, why work in CUSTOMER SERVICE? (They call theirs Customer Care but again, I felt far far from being cared for). I have such a bad taste in my mouth from dealing with the agent, and the utter unwillingness to help customers, I am canceling the entire order. Terrible. These guys have earned every one star review here, on Yelp, on Google, everywhere. Dont be fooled by the flowery reviews on daves garden - note on top they only show the positive reviews, but this company has gotten 3-4x the negative reviews as positive. Terrible

Thumbnail of user deannas163
Pennsylvania
1 review
1 helpful vote
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June 13th, 2020

I ordered April 17th, thinking their 2-3 week shipping was ok, as long as I planted right away. Hah, what a joke! I finally got my order on June 12th, after emailing the company numerous times and being told my order was due to ship the following week. Same response every time i contacted company, but the order didn't arrive til now. I was expecting actual plants, but you just get roots. Mid June is late to be starting plants from roots or bulbs in my region. The roots seem to be healthy, but still, planting now is a joke... things should have been planted 4-5 weeks ago. Oh well, live and learn. Just don't buy from this company. Not worth your time, money or aggrevation!

Thumbnail of user kareng357
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 26th, 2018

Avoid being scammed by this company. Shipping was unacceptable for survival of the product. Had to request refund for 9 items dead on receipt. Received the following response.

"Thank you for your email. We will certainly issue a refund if you are not satisfied with the order. According to our Refund Policy all you need to do is return the unwanted merchandise within 14 days of receipt along with the original shipping label from the package. Please be sure to include a written request and correct postage for the return. You do not need to return any "unacceptable substitutes". We apologize, but postage as well as shipping and processing fees are non-refundable. Send your return to the address below:
Direct Gardening
1704 Morrissey Drive
Bloomington, IL *******"

I finally responded, "On second thought, keep the $$$. You win.
You obviously need it more than I need the hassle of returning garbage."

Thumbnail of user judyd288
Oregon
1 review
2 helpful votes
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August 31st, 2020

Wish I had read the reviews! It has been nearly 2 months since I placed my order. I received on email in response to my questions about my order. I was a carefully crafted email about the woes of COVID and how hard they were working in the nursery to fill orders: and grow new stock", and that many of that plant would have to wait til the next season, Spring 2020. Meanwhile they get to hold my $100. You cannot reach anyone by phone.
I assume after reading all these disastrous reviews that I have been scammed. I have just recently sent them a "a communicate with me or else" email and gave them 3 days to respond. I may not wait now I've seen these other reviews. I will call my bank and Better Business Bureau.
I hope at this point they haven't shipped anything from what I have heard about what others have received. I will attempt to cancel immediately.

Thumbnail of user jillg297
Wisconsin
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 2nd, 2021

Took two months to get my order. Four plants were dead, three plants (the most expensive in the order) were missing altogether. Repeated attempts to call Direct Gardening were unsuccessful because they leave their phone off the hook and all one hears is a busy signal. No response to email inquiries. I disputed the charge on my credit card, and it my bank wrote it off as a de minimus loss and issued me a refund. I wish my bank had reversed the charges and denied this company payment. I have never dealt with a more scammy company.

Thumbnail of user tr163
North Carolina
1 review
9 helpful votes
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June 14th, 2020

I tried canceling my order within a couple weeks of placing the order. I was unable to connect with anyone on the phone and then the website was down for a long time. Several emails over a period of time went unanswered. Then I received an email just a couple weeks ago that my order could not be cancelled because it was already in the shipping department. What? No telephone number to shipping. I've contacted my bank and they are investigating the company for fraud.

Thumbnail of user lorenam54
Michigan
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 12th, 2020

Received this Cascading Wisteria Tree bare root from Direct Gardening in May of 2016. This year (July 2020) was the first year it bloomed. Just wanted others to know how long they take. This year was also this first year we staked it into tree form.

Thumbnail of user christinal355
Illinois
1 review
0 helpful votes
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August 22nd, 2020

They did not send all of the plants I ordered, and then continued to not believe me, requiring me to send back the label each time via snail mail, even though I photographed the label. This is truly disgusting. I will never ever ever use this site again.

Thumbnail of user marvys
Oregon
1 review
0 helpful votes
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September 26th, 2021

Long delayed shipment ordered April 2020 that arrived end of July. Dead plants. I kept emailing to cancel my delivery as it was getting too hot for any plant to survive. No customer service. I paid for what survived and a pot I ordered. I contested payment with the credit card company because I didn't want to pay for dead plants and wrong items. I ordered a blue rose and it's white. I keep getting this letter from a Carol Tarbox threatening to take me to court as she wants me to pay a $80+ balance for their incompetency in sending me plants that were dying and had no chance of surviving the summer heat. This has been going on for a year now. I sent them all required shipping labels for the return. She refuses to give me a phone number to discuss this issue. From all the reviews I've read, BBB should close this company down. I am very frustrated as I have never dealt with a more dishonest and incompetent company like this who is still hounding me for payment for dead and wrong plants.

Tip for consumers:
Buyer beware. I was scammed.

Products used:
Potato pot and a couple small plants that didn’t die. I paid them for these.

Value
Thumbnail of user rayv61
South Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 3rd, 2020

Its now been over 3 months since they took my order and charged my account. I saw they had the wrong order in their system, so I cancelled the order. Three days later they told me they were sending the order anyway! I got half of it but I had to pay to return it. They gave me a credit for what I returned, but what I never got they have yet to refund me! They do not answer telephone calls and only rarely and cryptically respond to Emails. I've sent 4 emails asking for my refund. I had no intention to post this, but I'm out of patience. At this point I believe only a court will get them to respond.

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