K4, I have bought from most of them at one time or another.One thing i have to pass on is, around two weeks ago i had ordered an ap 'tattoo', wellabout a week later Harold the owner of Greers called me at home and said he wasn't comfortable with the condition of his 'tattoo' cultivars and didnt want me to be disapointed! Of course I clearly understood, and was perfectly fine with that. What a first class operation! Some places would have shipped whatever, and just went for the almighty dollar! Four stars to GREERS!!!!!!! AL

WHITMAN FARMS - Have really nice 5' trees, ready for the landscape.

MENDICINO MAPLES sent me a really nice small maple, no
problems.

I also got an Osakazuki from Fantastic plants and it was very thin and weedy, had four main stems which drooped to the ground when it rained. Disappointing.

Got some non-maples from Forest Farm. Not sure what the hype is about them, the plants I got were not "the pick of the litter" by a long shot if you know what I mean. Maybe I was just unlucky.

Here's a summary of my mail order experience:

HERTER's -- Trees (new grafts) not as large as other sources but delivered very quickly and packed well. Prices a little higher than some sources but they have a good selection of JMs including some unusual varieties.

WORLD PLANTS -- I've been ordering from WP for about 4 years, but not sure if I will again. My order took a very long time to ship this spring, undoubtedly due to their grafting failures. The past couple times I have placed orders, they have substituted other trees or just shipped the wrong variety. One shipment was infested with spider mites, which quickly spread to other trees and has been hard to control. On the plus side, almost all of the trees I've received from them are nice healthy grafts, they are packed very well, and their prices are low.

WHITMAN FARMS -- I placed my first order with them this spring and was pleased with their selection and the condition of the plants I ordered. Prices are the lowest I have seen for all sizes of JMs, and they didn't even charge me for shipping. They advised me not to buy one of the trees I ordered because they suspected a reversion, and we agreed on a suitable substitution. My trees arrived very quickly but were not packed very carefully, although none were damaged.

I just received my Emerald Lace JM today from World Plants. Aside from the long wait (graft failure) I was pleased with the product. The graft looks good and the tree looks healthy. The pot and stem were secured inside the box, though some dirt spilled out when I opened the box. The foliage is magnificent so I'm happy.

Lainey

Fantastic plants-
I ordered a Seiryu 6' that had the top branches broken. Also a Shaina..1 gallon. He gave me a discount on the Osak that was in nice shape.

Stanley and Sons- I don't think you can beat them if he has instock what you want. The packaging is impeccable. The price is wholesale.
5 gallon AP Fujiyam- $42.50 and a AJ Aataryi- $42.50.

Also Larry has a large stock of 1 gallon's for $10-$15.00-
Orange Dream, Lemon Lime, Jeddulah Orange, Matsugae and the list goes on. The shipping is not cheap but your cost still is much less

Ebay's Bonzaibob has sent me excellent plants. I'm a fan of Topiary Gardens in New York.

Garp more info for 'Larry'?

I second Bonzai Bob which I also received a plant from last week. The 'Samidare' he sent me was the most well brached, healthy and well packaged plant I have gotten from ebay.

I tried to buy a couple of trees on e-bay and I was always out-bid. Very frustrating. I don't want to bid on things, I just want to BUY them and be done with it.

K4

Wildwood sent their replacement for the tree that was damaged and I got it today. It was really packed well, braced, foam cushions for the trunk, etc.etc. They made up for the first time! Plus the tree was quite nice. I'm now a happy camper!

K4

kaitain4 -- ever consider using an auction sniper? There's a few: Auction Sniper, EZ Sniper. They usually give you 3 free snipes.

-- Tony

Tony,

I'm really not into the ebay thing. If I find something I like I just want to buy it and get it delivered - not wait a week and fight over it with heaven knows who! I have more important things to do with my time.

Thanks,

K4

I bought a Shaina and Waterfall from Fantastic Plants. Both are much healthier than what I've seen in nurseries around here, AND more expensive. The man was always very helpful and fun to talk to. There seemed to be very minimal damage from packing and shipping, just a couple of twigs here and there were broken. I would have done worse damage hauling them in my car. I'll buy again, if I can find some more room.

Everthing I got from Fantastic Plants has been very healthy, with the exception of a Hosta, which they replaced immediately. Their JMs were large, healthy, shipped well, and are flourishing in the Tennessee heat! Good company.

K4

Update on recent orders

TOPIARY GARDENS has blown my socks off on 2 orders. WOW!! Wonderful service; large healthy plants, great prices for what you receive. They also have a HUGE selection of standard and unusual cultivars. Diana is a Gem, and will give you personalized service. Worth a look!!

EAST FORK has also blown me away. Great prices and perfect shipping! Samantha is an angel! Get to know her.

K4

can some of ya'll email me the phone no# of some of the places you get your trees from i loss all my trees in huricanne that hit new orlens in 05 and now living 45 north of new orleans and like to get my plants and trees going again

East Fork Nursery: 360.263.2662 (Washington)

Eastwoods Nursery: 540-675-1234 (Virginia)

Fantastic Plants: 901-438-1912 (Tennessee)

Mendocino Nursery: 707-937-1189 (California)

Topiary Gardens: 315-673-9016 (New York)

ForestFarm: 541-846-7269 (Oregon)

Hope this helps!!

K4

WHITMAN FARMS - I just got my first order in from them. Very nice, large plants. Prompt service. Plants are growing in unusual black fabric pots, but seem to be thriving in them! Good value from these folks...

K4