Great Plains Nursery

I ordered two dwarf Chinkapin oaks (Quercus prinoides), which are hard to find. When I've been lucky enough to come across this species, it's usually sold as a tiny seedling. Not at Great Plains Nursery! I let out an audible "Oooooh!" when I opened the package. Two big, leafy, flourishing oaks were carefully packaged inside and ready for planting. They were described as "#1," so I wasn't expecting much. But these are the nicest dwarf Chinkapins I've found anywhere. What a great surprise!

We purchased several trees from Great Plains and had a wonderful experience. The team was incredibly helpful in designing the layout, recommending the best trees for our space, and coordinating the planting. Throughout the process, I had nothing but positive things to say and even recommended them to several friends. Recently, I reached out because one of our trees had died, and there was a bit of miscommunication regarding additional work and associated charges. However, when I brought up my concerns, the company handled the situation with understanding and professionalism. The owners took care of the issue quickly and fairly, which says a lot about their commitment to their customers and the pride they take in their work. We are very grateful for the way they stood behind their service, and we are excited to continue recommending Great Plains to others. It’s clear they truly care about the people they work with and the quality of what they provide.

Received a tulip poplar, Kentucky coffee and two Shawnee brave. They all had roots bound in the shape of a 1 quart container, but shipped with one gallon of dirt. Cypress were not particularly healthy and I contacted customer support, was told it was normal as they all lose branches this time of year but the lost branches were very patchy and trees have recovered since I put them in the ground. Overall, much less impressed with this nursery stock, cost, and customer service than other online nurseries I’ve ordered from (the tree center, fast growing trees, conifer kingdom, Kansas forest service, and Arbor Day).

I ordered a 1-gallon scarlet oak that was supposed to be between 18 and 30 inches tall. Much to my surprise I did not receive a 1 gallon pot. It was basically a bareroot in a little bag of dirt with about a third of the roots out of the dirt. In addition, it was only 17 inches tall. I called Great Plains to discuss how they could help make it right since their website was misleading/incorrect and the tree was undersized. All the lady could say was that they had always shipped their trees that way. That may be the case, but then their website should make it clear. When you say "#1," you assume you're receiving a potted plant. She also said their trees were usually 2-3 feet tall when shipped. Well, my tree didn't even make the bare minimum. She said to email documentation. I did that over a month ago.... and nothing. Not even a response. The tree is doing well, but it is much smaller than I had wanted. It's a year behind in growth compared to what I ordered. This tree was not worth $65. Some might call this fraud. I would have purchased from another vendor had I known. Do not trust this nursery.

They shipped me a diseased plant, and when I emailed them to talk about it the gardener confirmed that it was diseased, and said it was a result of their nursery practices. I talked to someone at my local extension office and showed them photos. They said the plant had a lot of issues, and that requesting a replacement would be appropriate, but agreed that the aforementioned nursery practices that resulted in the disease meant that the replacement would likely also be diseased, since it would be from the same growing conditions as the first plant. I requested a refund instead, and the gardener said he would get that request in to the person in the office. I never heard back, so over a week later I emailed their office asking what the status of my refund was. I never got a response.