Wayside Gardens Review

WaysideGardens.com rating dropped 1 point. Nothing bad, just fewer choices which is expected this time of year. Their total score dropped the Wayside Gardens grade down to a C+.  Wayside Gardens has been online since 1997. It is owned by J&P Park Acquisition, Inc. which also owns Jackson & Perkins and Park Seed. They boast a pretty large selection of perennials, roses, trees, shrubs, bulbs, garden center items and outdoor decor.  Wayside Gardens doesn't have many evergreen shrubs in stock relative to other plants.  We counted 16 evergreens for sale.

They use a third party service for product reviews and don't seem to be hiding any negative ones, unlike other online nurseries. They have a 8 score out of 10.  52% rate their products purchased as excellent, 19% as poor. The Majority if the poor ratings were focused on customer service & ship times. Having worked in the business for almost 10 years, I have a stronger appreciation for the amount of work that goes into picking plants from a field, prepping, packing & getting orders shipped. It's not like picking something off a warehouse shelf. And getting seasonal customer service help that can understand everything is a challenge.  I'm not trying to make excuses, I just think many people have some unrealistic expectations.

Wayside Gardens guarantee does not offer your money back; "If your plant has received our recommended care and doesn't perform to your satisfaction, notify us and we will replace it free of charge or provide the cost of the product as credit toward a future purchase".

Terms and conditions for Wayside were definitely written by an attorney. Lots of sentences in ALL CAPS.  Nothing too scary but we did notice a section that says you have an opportunity for a refund where the guarantee does not mention that.  Seems to be a discrepancy? YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGES SHALL BE, AT YOUR OPTION, REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE GOODS SOLD OR REPLACEMENT IN KIND AND QUANTITY.

What were the red flags?  

Wayside Gardens & their sister sites have a pretty good reputation within the industry. There aren't any major items we deducted points for.