Gardener’s Choice | GCSpecials.com | gardenerschoice.com
I get a lot of plant / seed catalogs by mail. Though I prefer to just order seeds online, and plants from local nurseries. Most companies do not show all the plants that they offer. Not to mention I have a love for uncommon and / or unusual plants. Yesterday I got a catalog from a company called Gardener’s Choice. The thing that bugs me most about this catalog (asides for more stuff I have to throw in the recycling bin) is that there really is not many actual plant photos. Some of the photos that try to emphasize supposed large size with what looks like they are using hands of children.
The real mind boggler is the tomato / potato plant. There is not much information through search engines, and what scatered few websites with any info have posters trying claim they have an actual photos that’s are really grainy, a photo that also appears in the catalog. In the catalog there is a photo that shows what looks to be potatoes surronded by a small clump of dug up earth next to a tomato plant. It might be possible, but the lack of information and weak photo evidence is enough to keep me from ever ordering from them. Not to mention none of the companies that I order from have this specimen. Which may very well be a grafting of tomato with potato if its a valid plant. So even if this is a valid plant I can not fathom that its a healthy plant since they don’t want to show any good pictures of the plant.
Then there is there miracle grow formula. Once again no photos, only drawings. Hard to take them at their word when they have no actual photo. They could have atleast faked the picture like they did with the kids hands.
One of the seed companies that I like to buy from Botanical Interests has all their seed packages done with art work, as opposed to photos. However if you go online they offer you the chance to post your own photos. Which I think is better then a catalog with pictures so you can see how successful other people have been with their plants. Seeds of Change has photos online as well as on their packages (plus they offer a pdf catalog). I also occasionally buy from Park Seed. Their catalog had very few illustrations. Mostly photos. I am not inclined to doubt the validity of these companies.
Another gripe I have is their White House collection. If you have been following Michele Obama, you would know she is into organic gardening. Nothing in this collection is certified organic. I am also sure that Michele is growing more then 5 varieties of plant. There is not even a single plant that is listed any where in the catalog as organic. Like many other companies that are capitalizing on the presidents image, that is all this company is doing. The vast majority of gardening companies are offering organic solutions as they are becoming more popular.
Their website is not much help either, it redirects to http://gardenerschoice.com/index.asp?dc=ZZH09A7777 . I suspect this is either away of tracking where customers are coming from, or its an affiliate program. From some of the reviews online I have found about this company its suggested that they work with three different outlets. Also there mostly drawings on the site, and for some laughable reason a enlarge link to look at the drawings. Even though I think Botanical Interests is over due for a design update, they have a by far a better design. Gardener’s Choice has a design that would been acceptable in the 90′s but is out of step with modern websites. Remember I work in the hosting industry I have seen tons of websites.
If you need more reasons not to shop there:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/gardeners_p11.html
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/928/
I had ordered blue berries plants from a radio advertisement, and was bombarded with “spectacular entertainment savings” booklets and flyers. All charging me a monthly fee of $14.95. Great Fun was one of them, Shoppers Advantage another. I also don’t if I was charged $2.00 for a Gardeners’ Choice spring edition 2010 . I was charged $21.95 for my blue berry plants (3 of them) and, 4 weeks later received 3 brown sticks in some mud .So buyer beware! Who is http://www.GCSpecials.com ??? I can’t find a direct link? And Gardeners’ Choice? Well they can keep there “Eskimo Raspberries. So don’t buy off the radio because, the better it sounds, the worse it is…
Great stuff. Perhaps a little off topic, but would you mind if I write something about this on my tomato plant blog? I will of course, cite original source and link back to your page.
Hello Broyles,
I have no problem with you referencing my blog. Especially when it comes to warning people about a terrible company. I should have posts in the near future related to tomatoes.
Benjamin V.S.
Hello Chris,
There are alot of good garden companies out there Seeds of Change, Botanical Interests, Burpee, Park Seed, Ferry Morse, a few others I can not think of off the top of my head are companies I buy from.
Gardener’s choice bothered me because unlike many of the companies that I deal with (asides for the fact there was nothing organic provided) there were very few photos, the bulk of all the pictures were illustrations, and their site was just as bad. The ones they had would use children to make thing look big. Then there was this potato / tomato plant. If such a thing existed why are there not commercials for it? Why are not some of the top plant companies out there providing it as well? Working in the web industry and being frequent shopper on the web I can tell you that you can generally find out rather a company is bad or not based on the bulk of reviews out there. Granted you can’t take every review as well intentioned to other reviewers. In some cases people are just butt heads. But when you start seeing a certain theme like you do with Gardener’s Choice you get the picture that some thing is not right.
Most companies that I have dealt with that send live plants have a policy of over night shipping, after all you want the plant to experience the least amount of stress possible in shipping. Any company that does not offer this service, I recommend staying far away from.
Iplaced an order in March. My check was cashed on Mar 18 and I have never received my order Would like toplant these as soon as possible
Thanks
Marilyn Blake
Just checking on my order, please send a reply. thank you.
Scott, This is the blog desert organics, not Gardeners choice. You need to contact them. I am hoping that Marilyn is also not contacting me in hopes of getting their problems sorted out. Once again this is a blog not a place to get your ordered fixed with Gardener’s Choice.
Sir, I am no able to find your Quicklawn seed for lawns, to see if it reall does wat i sys in our booklet,gardner’s choice. Please help. nancylou
Hello Nancy,
This is a gardening blog. I do not sell seeds or for that matter anything. I do have ads that I hope will make me money to use towards improvements on my garden.
I suggest going to their site where you can get the following information to contact them.
Call 1-269-621-2481
Gardeners’ Choice
81961 County Rd. 687 South P.O. Box 8000
Hartford, MI 49057-8000
Regards,
Benjamin
Sorry for the previous missing letters. I need to see further
info. regarding quicklawn, before I make an order. Thank you, Nancylou
Hello Nancy,
To be clear I have nothing to do with Gardener’s Choice. You should read my post in detail before considering buying from this company.
Regards,
Benjamin
Please send me an email and tell me if you are the same company in Hartford, Mi that sent me the catalog…this is the first one I have ever gotten from you and I have a large order written down..as one former Michigan resident I hope that the comments about your company that I read on this website are wrong…the plants are so great and I want to start planting within two weeks…so either email me and tell me when you answer your telephone or at your website …I cannot find a place to buy…started and then failed with a previous email…so use the above email address in case you have an old verizon address and that is messing up my ability to order these plants…have filled the order form in the catalog and wish I could just talk the order to you..my telephone number is
828 xxx-xxxx …home most of time..thanks Barbara
Barbara,
Did you read any of my comments or for that matter my blog post.
This is a blog, not a company. There is nothing for sale on here, I have advertising that is not to be considered an endorsement of any services unless I make a blog article saying so. For that matter I am on the opposite side of the country from that company.
No I will not email you, if you can’t bother to read where you post I am not wasting my time sending you an email.
Read before you post.
Regards,
Benjamin
This isn’t really a comment but a question. I have these strawberry
Allstar roots, I ‘m not sure when to plant them……should I wait until April? I’m planting in a ex-large flower pot. I have organic soil to put them in. My grandchildren’s mother asked me to do this for the girls…..I need a little help. Thank you for your time.
Hello Angelheart,
I recommend getting this ebook Amazon also offers it in paper copy: Grow the Best Strawberries: Storey’s Country Wisdom Bulletin A-190.
The best time to plant them is right after the last frost, but since you have it in a pot you can start them insider and put them outside after the last frost.
Regards,
Benjamin
Dear Benjamin:
I received the tomato plants,v13880, that I ordered yesterday. Is it true that these tomato plants will grow, as indicatede in your catalog, in the house where no sun is avalable?
I would appreciate a reply.
Thanks
Sidney
Hello Sidney,
Not sure why you did not read the blog post, as its not my catalog. I don’t sell anything. Nor as I have told every other commenter, I have nothing to do with this scam gardening site.
As for no light / low light for tomatoes, not a good idea they are sun loving plants. Unless you live where I do, you don’t want anything blocking them from direct sun light.
Regards,
Benjamin
Why is it when I try to contact you by phone there is no anwser or it’s busy. you have a time of 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. est.
I have been trying all day and nothing. then at 4:30 est your phones are closed. don’t you think theres a problem here with your books or phone number.
fix it so people can contact you. or is this some type of scam and you don’t want people to complain or ask for they’re money back.
there are enough scamer around to take people for granted
the number i used is 1-269-621-2481
what’s up anwser
odered item v30010 on 3/1/11 not growing why?
never had problems before what shoul I do now??????????
larry
Hello Larry,
I have to wonder why people are coming to a post I wrote that put a company I do not own or are involved in, in the worst possible light have choose to come to my blog. You should be getting in touch with that company. You should also read what it is I posted.
Regards,
Benjamin
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