Don’t waste your money. I ordered three dogwood trees from the Tree Center last fall. I paid a little more than I would have at a big box store, but thought I’d get a better product from a specialty company that sells online. I was wrong.

I planted and watered all three trees per their instructions. Two of the trees are thriving, but the third tree never had leaves at the top and none have grown in. It looks terrible.

I wrote them about the one tree that was not growing correctly. They reminded me that I was past my 30-day warranty period and recommended I water it more.

Many nurseries offer one-year - or even lifetime - warranties. Not these clowns. They offer a 30-day warranty (really?), but will happily SELL you a one-year warranty. Knowing this, I should have gone elsewhere. My mistake.

BUT… I know to never buy from the Tree Center again.

I justreceived my crape myrtle last week it was packaged wonderfully no damage. the size was a #3 and it was about 4 feet tall i am very happy.

Please do not buy from The Tree Center!!!! they are a rip off & have no shame in their unethical treatment of customers. They knew the tree they shipped to me was not going to make it yet they lied when i contacted them about it, they said it will survive after I put it down into the ground. it did not survive. it died

Well, I am from Houston and have a positive review for Tree Center. I am not a plant (no pun intended!). I admit I was worried when I ordered eight Spartan Juniper from them before I read the reviews. I held my breath. When they arrived, the box looked as though it had been tossed around a bit (Thanks Fedex), but they were so well packaged the soil wasn't even disturbed in the pots. They were beautiful, lush plants, much nicer than those I had ordered from another nursery four months ago for the same price. I put them in the ground the next day and they are happy. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the inconsistent experiences.

I'm from Denver Colorado, I ordered a Brandy Wine Red Maple Tree and it came perfect in a box. I"ve planted it and seems to be doing good. And I did purchase a 1 year warranty. I also purchased one for my mother in law. We are both pleased and excited to watch them grow. Thank you Tree Center. It was very easy to order, receive and plant. One more thing for all the negative peeps. I ordered a Blue Spruce and it didn't make it. I had her 6 months and she passed... The Tree Center took great care of us. Amazing, They have my life time business.

They sent me three diseased shrubs. In accordance with their "guarantee policy" I contacted them right away and sent photos to document. They said to wait. Now they refuse to issue refund or send replacements and Im worried my other plants may be infected.

Stay away from this company, once they send you their diseased plants, you never hear from them again!!! Customer service is terrible, and they do not stand behind their products!!! I've written to them several times, and they never answered me!!!! TERRIBLE COMPANY TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

I received the tree, but I am very disappointed; this is not what I expected. It is a graft, not a real Maple tree; I assumed I was getting a real 100% Red Dragon. I never saw anything about a graft in any of the descriptions. Also, it is tiny! The graft was a small branch. I would like to return this; but now I find that I must pay shipping to return and thetreecenter only issues store credit. Since I wouldn't want to order ever again from them, store credit is useless. I am very very disappointed. I sent their customer support email address a request for help, but they have refused to answer.

@David Perry, named forms of Japanese maples are always grafted. They do not grow true from seed. It is very much a "real" maple and even better and much more expensive sources will be selling you a grafted Japanese maple. Since this is a well known fact, I am guessing the Tree Center assumed you would be aware of that.

This is not well know; perhaps to a professional horticulturist or a college professor, but not a DIY backyard gardener. The text should have stated it. Also the plant is tiny; not what was expected. To return all they give is store credit. They don't refund shipping. That's useless since I would never buy from them again. I would be paying $60 in shipping for a $59 tree. What would I do with store credit. This is not the defacto standard for companies doing mail order businesses. Clearly they do not stand behind their products. Very disappointed.

It is well known to anyone who shops local nurseries or buys any trees. Virtually ALL named cultivars of any trees are grafted - it is the only way for the consumer to be assured that the are getting what they ask for. Growing any trees from seed is a long term project and grafting speeds that up considerably, as well as guaranteeing a plant that comes true to name. And unless the rootstock is of concern - ie. for increased hardiness or to determine mature size as with fruit trees - it is almost never disclosed by the vendor. Your expectation there is unrealistic, sorry.

How tiny is "tiny"? $59 for a 1 G Japanese maple - perhaps a 2 year old graft - is becoming a pretty standard cost at most retail garden centers.

btw, next to Bloodgood, Red Dragon is perhaps the most popular Japanese maple sold and is available everywhere - even the box stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. sell this tree. Unless you live out in never-neverland, there should not be a need for mail order.

It's an exaggeration to say that named varieties of Japanese maples are _always_ grafted. Many are commercially grown from cuttings (and home gardeners have had success with cuttings as well). A number of other varieties of trees and other woody plants are also raised from cuttings. Tissue culture is also coming into play as a means of propagation.

Thank you, Rusty. Your comment sounds more like what I expected. I'm wondering if the guy that made that comment works for Thetreecenter and was trying to justify their action?

Very few JM's are grown from cuttings....except perhaps by dedicated home gardeners. They are notorious for being much more difficult to grow from cuttings and I don't know of any professional JM wholesalers/growers in this country that work with cuttings. That tends to be more of a 'thing' in Europe.

Japanese maples are one of my focus plants and I have been growing, selling and planting them for years and I can say with some assurance that cuttings are not common with these plants. I can't say the same about other trees but several decades of experience in the nursery industry would lead me to suspect that cuttings are also not nearly as common as grafts. Grafting is a much faster process than propagating by cuttings to get a plant to a marketable size. And time is money to a commercial grower!!

ETA: I am not a guy nor a shill for the Tree Center. In fact, I have made earlier comments to this 5 year old thread regarding their unfortunate but well earned negative reputation. But I am a very experienced and professional gardener, have worked in the nursery industry for many years and considered extremely well-versed with growing Japanese maples, which are a specialty of mine. I know whereof I speak....which is more than can be said by many other responders!

"While most of the dissected leaf, variegated, weeping, and dwarf cultivars are still done by grafting, many worthy cultivars, including the well-known red-leaf variety 'Bloodgood', are now done by stem cuttings."

http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/46539/Phillips.pdf

Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" has a section on Japanese maple propagation, which includes advice on softwood cutting propagation involving high concentrations of IBA and rooting under mist. These are commercial techniques not commonly available to home gardeners.

So while grafting of named varieties may be a more common propagation method for Japanese maples than growing them from cuttings, that's a lot different than saying such varieties are _always_ grafted.

I love our beautiful trees we recieved and some of these are definately on the carrier delivering them. Ours were packed perfectly and even though I recieved in March it has been too windy here to plant till this week and they both still look amazing and are already blooming. I will definately be getting more trees from them to plant this fall.

Finally planted after recieving in March - Cherokee Princess Dogwood. Both of ours look this great and I bought everything to plant them with making it even easier.

Tammy your endorsement would be meaningful if you showed photos of the trees and gave prices so others could compare the quality of the specimens.

Hi, I just received my order of a dwarf japanese maple (orangeola to be exact). It arrived in absolutely beautiful condition, I live in Boston, MA. They were a bit backed up so it took about 10 days from when I ordered until it arrived and I also did purchase the extra "warranty" to provide a year of protection in case it dies. I purchase plants via the web often and I am very happy with this purchase. Would definitely use them again.

I have ordered from them at least 3 times and always pleased

i have ordered quite a few plants and one tree which is very happy where i planted it. i love ordering from the tree center, every item i ordered was alive and packed with care. every plant including the banana plant the first plant i ordered is still flourishing....

Venice, Washington,DC

I purchased 4 Firepower Sacred Bamboo plants last year that didn't survive. they were guaranteed and the Tree Center issued me a gift card ASAP which I used to purchase 6 other plants, and they are all doing well. I had no problem with the Tree Center, all plants came packed very nicely. I live in Indiana.

I'm glad it worked out for you HU-549578149, whoever you are. It would be nice to order and get what you paid for and are happy with the experience (which you do repeatedly with numerous other places).

But with all the negative comments mixed in throughout this thread, I don't think I'd be willing to go through all the headache and heartache you do on those occasions when they don't.

It is funny that so many create an account on Houzz just to make one post telling how great the tree center is and otherwise have no other association or communication with the gardening community here. :-?

"It is funny that so many create an account on Houzz just to make one post telling how great the tree center is and otherwise have no other association or communication with the gardening community here. :-?"

You noticed that too :-) IMO, that makes those comments highly suspect.

^^^Agree! :-)

I just created an account because I was directed here when I responded to a request from TTC to say whether I received the tree I ordered on May 9, 2022. This thread popped up. I live in upstate NY in zone 5B. I have purchased plants and bulbs, et cetera, from over a dozen growers in the past two years. Some I will never do business with again. TTC is one I might consider depending on what happens to the second Japanese maple I bought from them. I purchased a Lavender Twist Redbud first in March 2022. It arrived with flowers and leaves in moist soil. I planted it. More flowers popped and lots of leaves. It is in great shape. The first Japanese maple I received (Skeeter's Broom) at the beginning of April 2022 was basically a 20" stick with some leaf buds. The soil was moist. The leaves popped but withered in the indoor location (NE facing) where I successfully grow orchids and African violets. I took it outside to an east-facing spot where I successfully grow plants in containers during the warm months. Nothing happened. I reported the dead tree at the beginning of May with a photo. They gave me a credit. It is still a dead stick. I chose another maple (Crimson Queen). It arrived in May 2022 with a good many leaves at the end of a 24" trunk. It has lost leaves, probably to deer. It has some sunburn. That's my fault for planting it on the south side of our property. The instructions say it thrives on the north side. I may transplant it if it doesn't show more signs of growth. Our neighbors across the street have a mature Bloodgood that is seeding our lawn with volunteers. We are trying to grow a couple in pots. If they don't thrive, I will buy another maple for the front yard next year, probably from TTC because of their wide selection, unless the Crimson Queen dies over the winter. One thing to note is that the redbud was the largest pot they sold, so it was several years old. The maples were the smallest containers. If I buy from TTC again I will pay the extra money for a more established plant.

"I just created an account because I was directed here when I responded to a request from TTC to say whether I received the tree I ordered on May 9, 2022."

So you're confirming that TTC is directing customers to post positive reviews on this thread? Big surprise! 🙄

Yes very good. Buy warranty worth it.

And yet another who signed on to make this single positive comment!! It is pretty clear The Tree Center is using shills to offset their overwhelmingly negative reviews that can be found elsewhere.

Check out Garden Watchdog, the BBB, Yelp and others before considering ordering from this less than reputable organization!

In July 2022, I purchased a cherry tree and a weeping cherry tree. They were packed very securely and I planted them within 2 days after taking them out of the boxes. I water them every morning and are doing great at this time. I'm hoping they get some growth before the cold weather starts.

And yet another brand new member to shill for this supplier. It is impossible to take any of these reports seriously and they should NOT be interpreted as recommendations or positive reviews.

Most are bogus!!

It’s amazing that they get so many hits from their ’request to post’. I wonder if they are offering something in return?

Very likely the company itself or its employees are posting many of these glowing reviews. Especially those with the HU and bunch of numbers screennames. Too easy to set up an account just for that purpose and then never bother with it again.

A company that sells & ships trees mail order for planting in JULY certainly is questionable LOL.

I am not getting any reward for my comment. Sorry so many had a bad experience. A couple of months from now will do the trick as to whether or not my trees live.

Good to know there isn’t a reward. Thanks for this, HU.

I ordered an Orangeola Maple from them, but it shipped 1st week of April. It was perfect and still is. I dunno that I would have accepted in July, though.

Thank You. The trees are beautiful.

Actually no, I'm not ignorant (and thanks for the insult BTW). You're quoting nonsense from the company which is shipping trees in July.

I think the ignorance factor enters the equation if one thinks it is reasonable to accept highly ill-advised planting instructions from yet another disreputable mail order nursery! No one with any horticultural training/experience would recommend it nor would any reputable mail order organization ship plants during the heat of midsummer.

To think otherwise is indeed ignorant!

Just out of curiosity I looked at those instructions. They're mostly hilarious and full of incorrect information, eg 20 seconds is described as a 'slow deep watering'. Clearly the writer, 'Content Marketing Manager at Fast GrowingTrees,' has zero practical knowledge or training and has cobbled together this nonsense from stuff she's found on the internet.

Just say no. I bought a butterfly bush and some sage plants great packaging and plants looked good. Because of this good experience, I purchased a forsythia and nearly $200 worth of lavender . The lavender arrived looking sad. I planted and they died immediately. I contacted the company and 2 weeks later no reply bad customer service for good customers.

Ripped-Off. Terrible Customer Service. We spent a ridiculous amount of money on 3 Peonies ($70 each). They were supposed to be 2 gallon Peonies. The Peonies arrived in 2 gallon pots, but one of the Peonies was the size of a plant that could fit in a 2.5 Quart Pot. We planted it and it died within a month. When we contacted The Tree Center they said something about the plant measurement being based on the rootball. Whether it was the rootball or the plant itself, they were both small and could have fit in a 2.5 Quart Pot. It was a complete rip-off for a "2 gallon" Peony at $70 and it died almost immediately.

I was glad to come across this. We, too, had a bad experience with The Tree Center. Two sawtooth oaks that arrived with totally brown leaves, looking dead. I contacted them and sent photos with details but didn't hear anything back. I’ve now sent all the information a second time. It’s been three days and nothing.
VERY frustrating, and it’s impossible to reach anyone there by phone. We won’t be doing business with them again.

. . I've bought 40 myrtle .

Here’s the Japanese Maple I bought from the Tree Center just 9 months after I splurged for the larger size because there are slow-growing trees. I was apparently confused by the 1-year warranty and didnt realize it wasn’t like most nurseries that back their products as part of the purchase. My dumb fault for not reading thoroughly or looking into reviews. This tree dropped all of its leaves within 6 months. I had hoped maybe it was just because it was winter (I am in Zone 8a), but it was fall when the leaves fell off when this tree is supposed to look its best. had it in a nice shady spot that got some filtered sun just how my flourishing JM’s love it here. I planted the coral bark at the same time from a similar size container, although it was taller as it is a taller growing variety.

the Tree Center’s customer service dept offered me a 20% discount on another tree, and they were very rude in their response.

Buy local where you know you’ll get a 1-year warranty withour a hassle.

My oak leaf hydrangea arrived broken. Any recourse

i ordered $500 worth of plants and I am BEYOND disappointed with the quality. The pictures on their website are misleading. I tried to contact their customer service regarding two plants that were nearly dead and I was told that they would not honor their arrive and thrive guarantee. I DO NOT recommend this company.

I ordered an eastern white pine in a #5 container. I wanted a nice specimen with a straight trunk as a focal point in my front yard.

However, when the box was opened, the leader (top) of the tree was bent over about 90 degrees, and base had a 30+ degree curve just above the soil line. This deformed tree will NEVER be suitable as a front yard focal point.

I contacted the Tree Center, and the customer support woman said that since the tree was still alive, they would NOT refund or replace. The only thing they offered was that if I wanted to ship it back - at MY expense - they would give me an “in-store” credit. IOW, my refund would be in the form of more poor-quality tree or plant specimens.

If you want a nice-looking tree, do NOT trust the Tree Center! Choose a reputable on-line nursery, or better yet, go to your local nursery and actually SEE the tree you’re buying, BEFORE you buy it.

I just used them for the first time. Tree arrived with half the leaves brown and completely dried out Only took 2 days to ship so tells me no one watered this this for a leas, Below are photos of what it looked like right after opening. I was home when delivered so its not like it sat in the box for any time after arriving.

t a week or traveled in an oven. I will not order from them again. Of course I have to pay to ship this piece of shit back.

Terrible experience. I bought two trees that retail over $100 each. They shipped significantly slower than stated so I had to prep for planting and pay someone else to plant them as I was away from home by the time they arrived. I chose the two fruit tree varieties for their flavor and disease resistance. One tree has canker in several spots before the end of its first winter in the ground. The Tree Center does nothing for sunk cost unless it's in the first 30 days or if you buy insurance. They offered a 20% off coupon but I will never again give my money to The Tree Center.