M.B. Co.? I've run ito the same problem.

S.H.

Did any of your crispy critters survive?

Remains to be seen.
I think I will give up on the mail order companies, though I was quite pleased with Musser Forrests here in PA. (I only ordered once from them so I don't exactly know their track record.)But I think I am going to bite the bullet and empty my wallet and go with nurseries from now on.

I have to say I did order two trumpet vines from M.B. last fall. They arrived no larger than a single plug in a six pack. But they were in GREAT Shape. Still, I was left with the impression that I could have gotten a better bargain at even a high end nursery.

I've still got stuff coming from four other vendors. (With DH gone all winter, this Southwestern girl found herself making a large order from a mail order plant company everytime she became depressed.)

If I am overwhelmingly impressed with any one of the four other deliveries I'll let everyone know.

Greentoe, you might want to check out gardenwatchdog.com for ratings of different companies. There are good ones out there.

Thanks for the link Jane (wish I would have had it earlier :(. Looks like a cool site, I have new reading material YEAH!

i had an experience very similar to yours in 2004 with SH, (i posted a review on gardenwatchdog.com as a matter of fact regarding my displeasure). my order came in dribs and drabs over the course of a 2 month period and the last shipment (which apparently had been in the mail for 3 weeks, based on the tracking information) arrived completely dried out and dead or close to death. i managed to salvage a few of the plants, but i did call SH to complain, i also took photos of the condition that the plants arrived in and emailed the photos to SH. i was given a complete refund of my money which satisfied me to a certain extent. i then took my money to local nurseries and purchased healthy plants. my advice to you would be to call and complain. you should not have to pay for dead plants, even if they resurrect themselves in a few weeks or months down the road.
i did place an order after my disastrous order, because i wanted red fairy roses and SH was the only place i could find them. they arrived in good condition and are my favorite plants in my garden.

good luck!
jiggreen

I dont know what part of pa you are in but I have a dollar store near me in Bethel Park that sells a large variety of perrennials,and annuals. I have also been to the flea markets and have gotten perrennials there also. The catalog pictures are so much larger than the actual plants you get!!I ordered a golden chain tree from M.B.Co. It was all of three inches high. Also got dead ornamental grass. It wasnt worth it to send back but I wont order from them again. Good-luck

While nearly every item that was sent to me arrived looking like a dead stick, with the exception of two bittersweet vines, every single plant that I purchased is thriving in my garden. I am pleasantly surprised!

(I did loose all my wintergreen, but that was thanks to DH's mower. He also took out a hydrangea, some verbena, and an aster. Apparently, the weed flower distinction is difficult to make on the margins of my garden beds. I like DH more than my flowers, so I just avert my eyes and move on.)