Yeah, I had a really bad experience with them too. I was looking for a particular plant this spring, and they had it listed as "in stock" on their website. I ordered it, and, while I was at it, ordered a couple of other plants I'd been thinking about getting at the same time.

They charged my account immediately. About a month later, I still had not recieved my plants. I called them and left a message - no call back. The next week, I called and got someone. "Yes, we're mailing them out tomorrow".

A few days later, I got two out of the three plants. The one that I did not get was the one that I initially ordered, the one I had been looking for. The packing slip indicated that it was backordered until next year. But my credit card had been charged 6 weeks prior!

I called and asked that my card be credited the amount of that missing plant. I was told "no problem". Two weeks later, no credit to my account. I called again and left a message. No call back. I called again until I got someone, and was told that "we had computer problems the last couple of days, it will be fixed in the next couple of days". I called 3 or 4 days later and was asked "didn't you already call us about this?" in a very unpleasant manner. It took another call or two to resolve the issue.

In the meantime, one out of two of the plants I got from them (clematis tangutica - supposedly very vigorous!) has died. I will contact them about refunding/replacing it, but don't have much faith that it will happen without a fight.

I had a learning experience about marketing when I first learned about hardy southern magnolias. I was researching about hardy cultivars when I realized that I may be able to grow them here in Hamburg, NY near Buffalo.
My researching led me to Carroll Garden' s website that was promoting a cultivar called Bracken' s Brown Beauty. I was intriqued and ordered the tree in spring of 2004. I grew the tree for two years and noticed that the growth was weaker each year and in spring of 2006, I removed the tree and noticed the bottom had lost its bark in a pattern that indicated that it was grafted. I have sinced learned much more about hardy southern magnolia cultivars and how to grow marginal plants from an excellent book - "North by South Gardening" by Dr. David Francko.
Back to Carroll Garden' s tree that I purchased, it was 4' tall and cost me $40.00. I did not know it was grafted and now I know why it died. The top appeared to be hardier and grew larger than the part below the graft.
I took as a learning experience and as a result discovered Garden Watchdog at Dave's Garden. I research everything completely.
I have purchased other hardy magnolia cultivars that are cutting grown from nurseries that have sound ratings and reputations.

Sounds like it was grafted on an unsuitably less vigorous understock, although you'd expect it would've been put on a southern magnolia seedling. Maybe it happened to be a dwarfish seedling or they used something like sweet bay magnolia at the production nursery.

I wouldn't assume a grafted southern magnolia was inherently flawed, although it is true grafting in general has some limitations that may surface.

OK, I have to respond to bboy ~
"Sounds like it was grafted on an unsuitably less vigorous understock, although you'd expect it would've been put on a southern magnolia seedling."
- I think it was on southern magnolia rather than M.virginana.

"I wouldn't assume a grafted southern magnolia was inherently flawed, although it is true grafting in general has some limitations that may surface."
- I think the top part - the Bracken Brown Beauty part was hardy, but the bottom was probably not hardy in my zone 6 garden. The bottom died and lost the bark while the top tried to heal the "wound" but, since it could not, it died. I believe if the tree was cutting grown, it would have been still alive...