Frankly, I have given up ordering plants from any new online vendors, after 2 successive disasters late last year.
One took an inordinate length of time to fill the order and the other one didn't pack my very large order (90 plants, $700), just threw the plants into an oversized box, upside down, without any packing material. Plants, tags, pots & soil, were all separated! All of the plants were in terrible condition. Most died, but to their credit, they did refund my money, including shippimg, after I complained to the owner.
I am only ordering from vendors that I have previously used and have been satisfied with their product quality and service.
Fortunately, we have a local source of plants (30 min. drive), not many new introductions, but enough variety for my garden, which is rather small, with very limited room for expansion and their prices are extremely reasonable.
Locally applied sales tax is only a fraction of what shippers charge today! Plus, I can see and select the plants I want.

I found Loomis Creek Nursery, which doesn't sell online. It would require a road trip to the Hudson River Valley in New York. Exciting! Think about all the nurseries to visit in between here and there!

i don't have any "new" to me nurseries to share, but i do have good nurseries that i deal with:

vintage gardens
antique rose emporium
joycreek
digging dog
canyon creek
bluestone
forest fams

all of them are my steadfast standbys for plants when i want something in can't find at my local nurseries. i would also like to add that i've been ordering from most of these sources for more than 15 years -- and i have *never* (not once) been disappointed by them.

joyce

I just placed an order with the familiar standby, Bluestone. Plants I've been wanting for awhile and haven't ordered: Salvia nemerosa Plumosa, Boltonia ASteroides Snowbank, Anemone Whirlwind and Veronical teucrium Crater Lake Blue. I forgot about Joy Creek. They have the Pulmonaria Excalibur that I want! Tried to go to Canyon Creek earlier today - didn't work. Wonder if they've pulled the plug??

you're right ashley, canyon creek is no longer doing mail order :-( i called them today to verify. that makes me incredibly sad. they were a great source of plants -- especially violets and salvias.

j.

one last thing -- there's plant delights too. i've never ordered from them because their shipping prices are a bit high for me, but i hear they send nice plants.

I severed ties with plant delights several years ago, when they fouled up my order and shipped & charged me for some very expensive plants, that I didn't order, didn't want and couldn't use. They gave me a hard time about returning them and steadfastly refused to refund the shipping charges, until I demanded and was finally able to speak with the owner.
There are many plant nurseries that are easier to deal with and that's where I now shop!
Naylor Creek, Hallson Gardens, Green Hill Farms, Big Dipper Farm, High Country Gardens, Van Engelen/John Scheeper (bulbs), Touch of Nature (bulbs).
Most of my purchases are from local nurseries. I usually avoid the big box stores, but if I'm there for another purchase and they are unloading some plants that I could use and they look good, I may purchase a few. Most of their prices are reasonable.

For perennials, native plants (for the Midwest, anyway) and interesting seeds, ground covers, and wild flowers, I recommend Jung's, Shumway's, and Prairie Frontier in Wisconsin, and Hartmann's in Michigan.

cheers,
NoraBelle

I found Lazy S's a few years ago, and have been pleased with what I've gotten from them.

Lazy S's has an awesome selection, and lots of good information in their online catalog, but their shipping costs to my area are just too high for me to swallow. Same thing with ForestFarm.

Most of my perennials are grown from seed these days, but the nurseries that I've been most pleased with in the past were Bluestone, Big Dipper, and High Country Gardens.

I live in a small town, so unfortunately there aren't many local nurseries, and the few we have don't stock anything new or unusual, just the basics.

Bonnie

I spent a good deal of time on the Lazy S website yesterday. Only made half way through the perennials. Definitely will go back. Pretty sad about Canyon Creek - had an order for some "red" violets and other things last year but didn't place it. Too late!! Big Dipper also looks good; that one and Lazy S I found from Garden Watchdog.

We tried Annie's Annuals last year and really enjoyed the service and great quality plant material, not to mention plants that I don't find anywhere else. They even have lots of plant for our zone 4!
Plant Delights is expensive but we succumb when we can't find a must have plant from anybody else. I always check them out, don't always find anything especially because of our zone. But last year they introduced a chartreuse foliaged dark prurple flowered clematis for which we could find no other source in the country.
I really nice iris nursery is Aitkins at Salmon Creek. It's small but with really special irises, great prices and service.
Tom

I started getting email from Sunshine Farm and Gardens. I'm very curious if anyone has used them. i'm going to look at gardenwatchdog right now.
Marie

Cottage Garden Daylilies - great selection, great quality, generous sized rhizomes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cottage Garden Daylilies

Oh yeah! Sunshine Farm and Gardens - I forgot about them. Went to the site and they have a great hellebore special. Well, great to me, it's 7 year-old mystery seedlings for $35.00...could possibly get something great out of that because they breed them.

idabean....
When dealing with Sunshine Farms and Gardens: caveat emptor!
I placed a phone order a few years ago with the owner, Barry Glick.
Called him back, when order was not received, as promised.
He said he didn't have the plants I ordered, he had sold them to someone else, no explanation, no apologies!
But, he did have some in a slightly larger size, at nearly twice the price! Yhere is a reason you won't find published prices on his website. Get the picture?
Be careful!
Rb

I did look at gardenwatchdog, and although Sunshine got a large majority of good reviews, the bad ones were all the same theme. Given that he answers all his own email, I suspect when things get busy he makes mistakes or cuts corners. It might be worth trying a small order, caveat emptor noted, early in the season. Not that I ever get an order in early anywhere.

Well I know this is definitely not East of the Mississippi, but... Forest Farms has an extensive catalog and their plants always arrive, at least for me, heathly and extremely well packed.

Alexis

For shrubs and trees Forest Farm has one of the widest selections I've seen. Their shipping is high, as are all the west coast nurseries, but if you find something you can't get elsewhere I recommend them. I bought a Hydrangea Paniculata Pee Wee from them 3 years ago and paid an arm and a leg for it ($78.00 or so). But when it arrived it was worth it. This was no wimpy plant, but a 4 foot high fully branched out shrub.......Also, I've ordered from Santa Rosa Gardens in Florida for 3 years and have received nice large plants so well packed that not so much as a speck of dirt is out of place. I'm getting ready to place this years order with them now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Santa Rosa Gardens

It's not new, but Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery has great stock, specializing in Peonies and perennials, and packages their stock professionally, to arrive in good condition at planting time. See link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Klehm's Song Sparrow

i second santa rosa gardens -- they ship really nice plants, and their customer service is second to none.

For those who want some of the more unusual varieties, you might want to give Bustani Plants a whirl. Steve Owens who owns the nursery was, up until a few years ago, one of the hosts of the longest running gardening show on Television - Oklahoma Gardening. He left to open up his own nursery. At first he specialized in Xeriscape plants and natives, but his interests and inventory have expanded since then. I haven't ordered anything from him in the past because I have no interest in Xeriscape plants myself, but a friend told me to take a look at his website this year and I was very impressed. I've heard he sends good plants and has great service.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bustani Plants

Not a new nursery at all, and well worth your time and money- Seneca Hill Perennials are great! Natives, aroids, cyclamens are to die for....

Looking for Anything, Everything unusual? Be warned, the catalog is not for the newer gardener (there are no pictures and almost no common names for any of the plants). New as of this year, their website now has a cart and pictures of plants, though.

But its somewhere I've ordered from for the past 3 years and probably will continue for a time to come.

www.arrowheadalpines.com

Then there is my absolute favorite nursery, www.burntridgenursery.com (though I will admit I'm a little miffed this year as I never received a catalog... I have not yet placed my yearly order, but I'm sure at least $150 of my money will eventually make it out to them...as it has for the past couple years)

~Chills

I don't think anyone has mentioned the following:

Rare Find Nursery
Fairweather Gardens
Seneca Hills Perennials

All terrific nurseries with fine plants and superior packing.

I will third Seneca Hills Perennials. Ellen Horning, the owner, is a pleasure to deal with and the plants are great values as well.

Just yesterday placed an order with Bustani Plants and they do have some unusual plants that I have never seen before. Can't vouch for how the plants will look since this is my first order with them.

Sooner Plant Farm (www.soonerplantfarm.com), in Oklahoma, is a Watchdog 30 company. I am awaiting my first order from them, but, if customer service is any indicator, they're perfect. Emails were responded to in a very short period of time same day, even on a Sunday, and I was called minutes after sending my order to verify the exact date of delivery I wanted for my Shantung Maple. They carry a variety of different types of plants. I've been less pleased with the form of the trees from Forest Farms, but their customer service is very good and the trees pkg'd very carefully.

Coincidently Schiffelre I stumbled upon this nursery just last week. They are about an hours drive from me and used to be just wholesale with a small local retail nursery. I hadn't heard they went mail order. I had a question for them so called them on the phone (they aren't LD for me) and they were polite and responsive. I had another question for them and e-mailed it. They e-mailed me back the same day. Their toll free number is no more (my e-mail question actually), so it's nice to know that they do answer their e-mail promptly......I noticed too that in addition to trees and shrubs they also had a nice group of perennials and a lovely selection in particular of Heurcheras.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sooner Plant Farm

Has anyone purchased form Romence Gardens before?

I placed an order to Romence this year. Received a response the next day giving me an exact ship date. So far so good. We'll see!

C

This is where I go to purchase plants.Russell Garden wholesale.I'm an 1 1/2 hrs away and believe me its worth the drive.Especially if two people go and you share the gas. Don'T take to many people in your car. Believe me you will want to fill your car after you see the prices.
Be aware there is another Russell's near by they are only annuals, This is the link for perennials.
I dont think you can order online unless your a business, but you can shop there, anyone can. You can buy one plant or dozens.
their prices & quality are very good. Some plants have already over wintered so the root system is strong. One thing to watch for is plants dying off and going out of season. If they are re-seeders they might not come back.
In our local shops, I would pay 15.00 for the same plant I pay 5.00 at Russells.

Here is a link that might be useful: russell wholesale garden nursery

This one isn't new either but I've ordered from them multiple times and been pleased each time.

Moonshine Designs

I'd been looking everywhere for some Arctic Fire Dogwoods last year, found them there and the ones I received did very well. They also sell through eBay.

I found one! Exciting new-to-me nursery, that is. Bovees Nursery. OK so they're out Oregon or Washington somewhere. But they have some very interesting ericaceous (sp?) plants that I would like to try. I enjoy my heaths, heathers, blueberries, etc. so I'd like to explore the genus, so to speak. Thanks everyone for some good suggestions. I found this on a blog that was referenced on one of the forums here.

I was very pleased with Iris Sisters Farm last fall and see that the iris I received are growing well this spring. They have lots of reblooming iris, personal service and gave me lots of free gift iris as well.