Where’s the best place to buy plants online?
Updated October 2, 2021
Top Ranked Online Nurseries
From first to worst, our complete online nursery rankings are below. Not too many changes this month.
Fall is the best time of the year to plant. As long you don’t anticipate an extended hard freeze in the next 6 weeks. You just want to be certain that the ground won’t freeze down to the root level. If you do plant now, the key is to make sure they get enough water until established. That’s usually the first 6 weeks. While temperatures can still be high, it’s best to water in the evening and early morning, before the sun has a chance to evaporate the water.
3 of our Top 10 Nurseries Changed Ownership!
It’s been busy the last few months for some of the largest online nurseries. In what has been described as frenetic, PlantingTree.com was sold in July to the firm that owned Fast-Growing-Trees.com and BrighterBlooms.com. Here’s the official announcement: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fast-growing-trees-completes-acquisition-of-the-planting-tree-301328196.html
Then, the firm that owned Fast Growing Trees sold their majority interest to Berkshire. We’ve heard rumblings of such a move since March but it still surprises us. Rumors are that this may not be the final financial move for the group that now owns these 3 online nurseries. Here’s the official announcement: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210913005847/en/Fast-Growing-Trees-Announces-Investment-from-Berkshire-Partners
What does this mean for you? In all likelihood, nothing. In fact, it kind of makes sense. Planting Tree is located in the same metro of Charlotte, NC as Fast Growing Trees & had done a great job of knocking off Fast Growing Tree’s look and feel. Just know if you’re shopping at any of those 3 sites, you are shopping from the same company.
Shopping online you’ll find just about every variety of tree or shrub but who has the best quality at the best prices?
Nurseries ranked by rating score high to low.
Other nurseries we’re monitoring:
Plant Addicts – They are a drop shipper based in Omaha, NE. The 2 friends who own it built the site while they were working at Nature Hills Nursery.
Pixie Gardens – Based in Conyers, GA, they have been making a concerted effort to build up their online nursery. We might add them to our rankings soon.
Citrus.com – Good selection and prices for dwarf and semi-dwarf citrus trees.
Bluestone Perennials – One of our top nurseries for perennials.
American Meadows – Great online store for perennials & annuals.
Disclosure
All company names, logos are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
Before you place any order please make sure you verify when your plants will ship. Do it before giving them your money. Even southern nurseries that can ship year round face some exceptions & delays with extreme temperature conditions. Also make sure you know if you are buying bareroot, it’s most likely to be delivered in late spring.
If a site says something like; ‘ships 7 to 10 days weather permitting’ call them to verify shipping status.
This is why we list the location of the nursery on each of their reviews. In most cases, it lets you know where your plants will be shipped from. Southern nurseries get a month or two head start on their growing season from their counterparts up north. Also, most northern nurseries will start shipping later in spring than while many in the south can ship year round.
Unboxing Orders
We continually place orders for plants from our top rated nurseries. You can view pictures and read the complete unboxing review for each by clicking on any of the links below. Unboxing are listed in chronological order, with the most recent orders on top.
Unboxing Snake Houseplant ($15 for a 2-foot tall plant!) September, 2021
Unboxing From Fast-Growing-Trees.com June, 2021
Unboxing From MyPerfectPlants.com May, 2021
Unboxing Order From Great Garden Plants April, 2021
Unboxing Evergreen Shrub From PlantsByMail.com Nursery
Unboxing Blueberry Shrubs From Perfect Plants Nursery
Unboxing Meyer Lemon from Fast Growing Trees
Unboxing Meyer Lemon from Four Winds Growers
Unboxing Tabletop Christmas Tree from Jackson & Perkins
Unboxing Camellias from Garden Goods Direct
Unboxing Rosemary & Blueberry Bush From Planting Tree
Unboxing 4 Plants Ordered From The Tree Center
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best mail order nursery?
Mail order is the same as saying online nursery. Before the internet became so popular, many nurseries used to send printed catalogs, so the name has stuck. We rank the top 24 mail order nurseries from first to worst.
Are there different types of online nurseries?
YES! There are 3 different types. 1) Wholesale growers who have a retail website. 2) Your typical retail nursery but many online do not have a retail storefront. 3) Drop Shippers. Websites that don’t have their own fields with plants and use third party nurseries to ship their orders. Nature Hills Nursery is an example.
Can you order houseplants online?
Yes! Literally hundreds of different houseplants are for sale online with delivery to your door. You can compare prices from our top-rated online garden centers on over 170 popular houseplants.
Where can I buy plants at the lowest prices online?
Just remember you usually get what you pay for. In order of our ratings high to low, here are 3 ‘low-cost’ online nurseries. Arborday.org, Greenwood Nursery, TYTY Nurseries.
We worked with 4 of the largest online plant nurseries in the country for over 10 years. We have also visited (to evaluate) or ordered plants from over 32 online garden centers and wholesale growers. We know what to look for and we don’t hold back what we dig up (pun intended). This site is dedicated to helping you buy plants online with confidence at the lowest prices.
Our Grading Scale:
Disclaimer
All the information on this website – BuyEvergreenShrubs.com – is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Buy Evergreen Shrubs does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (BuyEvergreenShrubs.com), is strictly at your own risk. Buy Evergreen Shrubs will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.
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