I ordered the Daniel Deronda (there goes my solemn vow to buy only the viticellas), a Zephirine Drouhin rose (not on special) and the dwarf crape myrtle collection seeds. I get that Parkseed is not at the top of everyone's list, but I'll give them a try and see what happens...I used a discount code and got an additional 15% off and a free cucumber plant!!...i really hate cucumbers... :)

Laura

I ordered from them two different years on their sale and only a third of the plants survived. None of the Clems did.

They also didn't honor the refund code on the second purchase which was why I was buying again. They had given me a code for a refund on some items that were DOA. Nothing for the ones that never grew or died later.

That's not very encouraging...you gave them a second chance and they failed to deliver...not a good sign.

I just called them to check on shipping(what was stated was confusing), but now I'm thinking of canceling.

Who would you say you've been the most satisfied with?

Laura

I have not heard good things either from people ordering plants from Parks Seeds. There are plenty of reputable clematis nurseries out there to order from that will deliver much better plants for the money including:
Brushwood
Chalk Hill
Joy Creek
Seneca Hills Perennials
Silver Star Vinery
Donahues (if you are willing to pot them up and grow them out before planting)

I am sure others can list more sources but the ones that I listed are ones that you can get started with.

Stay clear of Park Seeds, they've gone way down hill and have heard nothing but negative feedback from people who've purchased plants from them in the past few years. I purchased two Coral Bells from them and they arrived just about dead and I needed a magnifying glass to see if there was any leaves on them.

For what it's worth, check out Koi Gardens on Ebay, they sell Clematis' from Donahues, they are a bit on the small side but have good root systems. You can pot them up and plant them in the fall or plant them now if you like. I purchased about 10 plants from them last fall and all but two are thriving now. The other two are doing okay, just not growing a quickly as the other 8.

Linda

Unfortunately, Koi Gardens has gone out of business and is no longer listing plants on eBay or doing mailorder from their website.

I called to cancel the order...but waited too long. Apparently the plants are shipping tomorrow...I'll see what happens. I'll bet the damn cucumber thrives... :)
Laura

It is potted so it should be more likely to be alive than the bare rots I mean roots that I got from them.

Laura, potted Clematis I received from them were quite nice actually. I just got 'Negritjanka' from their Ebay store. Small pot, but stuffed with roots. Nice healthy baby.
I used to buy from Park's 70% off sale. This year with new management they changed it to 'Buy one (two) get one (two, three)' sale. Having a small garden, I did not buy from them this time. I do not need 3/4/5 identical plants. I've had problems with their plants twice. First, they sent me a wrong plant. After my call, they sent the correct one. Second, Monarda (bareroot) I bought from them last year did not grow. I did not bother to report about it because I paid about $2 for it. Overall, I would say that their potted plants were small but nice.
Good luck with your cucumber!

BorS - I am also getting a bareroot climbing rose from them, so I'll let everyone know the condition of everything. Being new to gardening (never planted a thing in my life until October 2006 and was so intimidated I wouldn't even make eye contact with my lawn for the first year after I bought my house)sometimes my ignorance can be bliss. We'll see how long the bliss lasts... :)
I would think that with all the exposure these companies receive nowadays, they would be a little more careful.

Miguel - thank you for the list of sites.

Linda - that's really crappy about the coral bells. I'm going to take your advice on potting up the clems (if they're alive) and planting in the fall.

Alina - Glad you had a mostly positive experience. I also have a small garden and am wondering where to put the 'triplets'... :)

Laura

Laura, I also bought bareroot roses from them last year. Out of 4 roses, 2 did not break their dormancy. They returned money, no questions asked. I am still not sure whether it was their fault. I think that I did everything correctly, but that was my first experience with roses. 2 roses that broke their dormancy are blooming for me now :-)
If you are not familiar with roses, do a search on the rose forum. Enter something like 'planting bareroot'. There are tons of useful info there. Also, people like to plant Clematis with roses. Ask Jeanne...

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting bareroot roses

I had a fern shipped with the pot empty. It had rotted and died and they sent the empty pot. A hosta too. I had bare root Cassis and another clem, can't remember arrive rotten. I planted the Cassis in hopes that it might live but this is the second year with nothing so I'm sure it really is dead.

I had bare root Patty's Plum poppy also arrive rotten. These were not all on the same shipment. There were more but I can't remember, it has been a couple of years.

They did not ever credit or refund me or replace.

I did get Miscanthus 'Gold Bar' for really cheap and although it wasn't in good shape it was correctly labeled and has lived though it is still tiny. Price at Joy Creek who bred it was $15 for a 4" pot and I think I paid two or three bucks on sale.

I also got blue eyed grass 'Lucerne' which has turned out to be a bloom machine.

But, with all the deaths, I paid double for what lived and that reduces my savings. The plants were all, every one of them stunted and have been slow.

Yeah, I guess it is a lottery. I did not order any of these plants BorS. I think they receive their plants from different growers. I just wonder why they did not issue a refund for you. The plant they send me instead of Azalea (Crepe Myrthle 'Dynamite') turned out to be a lucky mistake for me. They let me keep it and send my Azalea separately. I loved a description of the Crepe Myrthle and found a room for it in my garden.
Considering the latest negative feedback on them, I would not order from them again probably.

Miquel, I wasn't aware that Koi Garden went out of business, that's too bad, I was kind of looking forward to one of those great $5.99 sales this fall. Oh well, at least I ended up with a lot of beautiful Clematis' and at a decent price too!

I ordered 2 Dwarf Black Fig Trees and a Meyer Lemon in the fall that were delivered only three days later. The Meyer Lemon tree arrived with grocery store sized lemons, already on the tree.I highly recommend Park Seed Company for dwarf 1ft fig trees and lemon trees. Thanks.