Garden Stuff - Think Long and Hard
Before You Buy Here
Spring Hill Nurseries
Plants, shrubs, trees and seeds are big business, and some of that business is online and growing. The biggies in this realm are the stores like brick and mortar stores like Wal-Mart and Lowe's, but mail order or online order has a pretty good share of the market (around 10 percent).
When you start to look around online, you will see that many garden companies offer fabulous coupons. These are the "biggies" in terms of sales, and they generally mark the prices way up and then offer a discount that brings the prices back down to earth. When it's all said and done, you pay more than locally, and Spring Hill is no exception.
While you may click on Spring Hill and see a very professional website with wonderful pictures, you are buying into one of the big daddies in online sales of yard and garden products.
Note the following from Garden Watchdog at: http://gardenwatchdog.com...
Please be advised that the assets of Spring Hill Nurseries, Henry Field Seed & Nursery, Gurney Seed & Nursery, Michigan Bulb, the Garden Store, Flower of the Month and Breck's Bulb were purchased by affiliated entities of Gardens Alive, Inc. through a bankruptcy auction and sale on October 26, 2001. These assets were formally (sic) owned by Foster & Gallagher, Inc. (mySeasons.com).
The typical red flag for the big generic companies for flower and vegetable products is the $20 off $50 price or sometimes $20 off $40. You don't see that on Spring Hill. They appear to be independent and a "cut above" from the visit to the web site.
Do know that you're getting the same stuff in the same condition that you will find with most mass garden online stores. Do not pay full price at Spring Hill, or you will one of the few in the free world who does pay those inflated prices.
I got a coupon from Spring Hill, and I sent that in. It was a $20 off $20 and no credit card. I am not one to pass up a total freebie. The idea here is to impress the heck out of me so I will continue to buy from the company (though the company has a darn lot of names online). I must confess that I would tend to be loyal if they delivered and as promised.
Today, I got my flower plants. They were shipped by USPS. Since this is a Monday, it is obvious that the plants were not mailed out on a day to avoid the weekend delay. This is not good for plants. At the very least, they sat over on Sunday without any care. If they mail them on Monday, then they arrive at my house without the weekend delay. Even an idiot can figure that one out.
The box was leaking dirt. I do not really mean just a leak. It was making dirty all over everything. My son had the box from the porch where it was left (they note to leave the box at my house whether I am home or not and in NC where the sun gets really hot, hot, hot), and my kid left a trail through the house that would make Hansel and Gretel dad gum happy.
When I opened the box, it appeared to be a really high class deal with a plastic tray with the plants sectioned off. The thing is that they did not trap the dirt in there or put in any cushion packing. It shook around, and most of the dirt was no longer on the roots and generally all over my floor at this point.
The size on the plants was also discouraging. There were perhaps two-inch leaves with roots. At over $5 a pop for three starts with the shipping added in (remembering that I got a free deal thing), this was inexcusable.
My plants are now in the sink getting some water and perhaps they will be happy and healthy in my yard. They will be some hearty buggers if they do. They are still green, thank goodness, but they don't look very promising.
Spring Hill does guarantee the plants, so if you do order, be sure to keep ALL your paperwork. It may very well come in handy. From my research, I found that some folks got replacements fast and were happy, but others did not and were not impressed one bit with this online site.
Do look up and read around. Spring Hill is not a place known for great plants or for great service. If you get a to-die-for coupon, check it out. You may have good luck, but don't count on it. I can almost overlook the dirt in my house when this deal is free, but I would sure think long and hard about giving them any money at Spring Hill. Really, do you want to get a box leaking dirt all over and plants that are small and look to be on the last lap? Do you want to keep up with all the papers to get more sent out and perhaps in the same condition?
Unless you're looking for unusual plants or for ones that are heritage (rather than hybrids), you do better to go to your local garden shop or even to Home Depot. If you see something at a spot like Spring Hill, first check to make sure it will actually grow in your area. Then, consider the service with this company. If you still want to buy, then good luck.
