Comments regarding Rarefind Nursery (Rare Find Nursery)

I have ordered from them 2 times this year. It is by far the best mail order for plants that I have ever used. They arrive quickly, are large and healthy. It's WOW for every single plant I take out of the very well packaged box.

I ordered a Calycanthus "Venus" from Rarefind this summer. The plant arrived promptly and the size was larger than described in the catalog. It was very well packed. It also flowered a few month later. I'm very please with this nursery and will order from them again. I'm looking forward to get some larger sized American species azaleas from them.

WOW.

This is how mail order plants are supposed to look- large, full, healthy plants. Did I say large?
I am very pleased with the condition and quality of my plants- had I gone to the premium nursery in the country and hand picked my plants I couldn't have done any better. This in combination with the variety of material available all adds up to one swell source.

The packing was extraordinary- so much so that I would say allow extra time to unpack them. The plants are bagged, wrapped, cushioned, and tied into place so much so that a plane crash wouldn't damage them. No crushed or bent leaves here.

I will most definitely order again.

Ordered three Japanese Iris and in a second order, a Pinus Thunbergia 'Thunderhead'. Both orders were extremely well packaged, plants were large and healthy. The iris were still blooming even though it was early June. Promptly subdivided iris (after blooming) and now have six nice-sized plants. Visited the nursery on June 9 and was impressed by their inventory depth, variety, and the staff's plant knowledge and courtesy. Have ordered more plants for fall delivery. A top-shelf nursery.

I received four one gallon phlox in early May. The plants were in good shape except two of the plants had very small root balls for the gallon pots. It was like they were just potted up in those containers. When i took the plants out of the pots the small root balls separated from most of the dirt leaving the small plants. I did send an email to the owner voicing my concerns. He was very sorry and said he would make it right. Two months later no further emails. Needless to say he has lost a good potential customer.

I have just received my first order from Rarefind. I ordered a large number of azalea and rhododendrum. They let me know by phone a day ahead of the delivery. Packing was excellent . The plants are superb in every way. They had been watered prior to shipment and the soil was still moist. No leaves were lost. These are the best shrubs I have ever received from a specialty nursery.

I placed an online order with Rare Find, and then realized weeks later that I had never received the plants. I hadn't been charged either (which is good), but of course I wanted the plants and it was spring was wearing on. When I called they were very apologetic and arranged to fedex the order for delivery on a Saturday at no additional cost to me. Apparently the mix up was caused because a part of my order was not of the size they deem appropriate for shipping, but then they threw in for free one of the corydalis elata I had ordered but were not deemed ready for sale. I am happy to say that not only is everything I received from Rare Find thriving, even the undersized corydalis is doing well. I would highly recommend Rare Find.

Plants were well packed, healthy and of a great size. Customer service was great. Everything arrived when it said it would. My only recommendation to the company is that they mark the boxes "live plants". My UPS delivery person tends to leave those for me and not carry them around in his truck for 3 days and over a weekend. However, I understand that restrictions in certain states would make live plants subject to search and this would slow delivery so this solution may not work in all cases...but other companies I buy from do stamp the box to identify the plants so there must be some acceptance of the practice.

They have a good selection of interesting shrubs and plants, some hard to find natives. I called and added plants to my order and received all the plants together in good shape. They even called back to clarify my order.

The selection of plants is tremendous and what makes it especially good are two things (1) the unusual varities of plants (not the same stinky old stuff you find a Home Depot) and (2) the helpful, knowledgeable staff. Today I bought a weeping silver pear tree (something I have been dreaming about forever). I can't wait for it to be warm and everything to leaf out and bloom!

I drove to the nursery to buy certain plants for a specific site: slope, need to control some erosion, and lots of wildlife esp hungry rabbits. Ann was VERY helpful, took lots of time to talk with me, and I ended up finding and buying 20 plants of a plant new to me (spirea thunbergii Mt. Fuji with fabulous spring flowers and varigated leaves) and perfect for the situation I had. My car could not handle this much, so they are holding the plants for me and I will go back in another car! A positive experience, recommend this nursery.

I do not live in the area but was visiting New Jersey and went to the nursery-what a pleasant experience. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable. Hank took me on a personal tour of his fantastic rhododendron gardens, the largest private collection I have seen in the East. They have one of the best selections of rare plants in the country and cater to the collector. Their plants looked very healthy. I highly recommend them. If you are a collector it is worth a long drive with a big truck to load up with all the goodies you'll find.

Ann at Rare Finds was absolutely fantastic!
I had placed an online order and a couple days later received an e-mail apologizing because the tree was out of stock. I called and spoke to Ann and she stayed on the phone helping me with a new selection that met my criteria then went out and physically checked the inventory. They had it and she gave me a follow-up call and shipped out that same day. I received the tree just a few days later and it was in perfect shape. Rare Finds Nursery went the extra mile for customer service and now days that truly is a rare find!

This past summer my first grandchild was born and to celebrate this blessed event my wife and I decided to plant a tree in her honor. Not just any tree but one that had her name; the Magnolia variety 'Elizabeth.' We had some trouble locating the tree but did finally find it at RareFind Nursery. Not having ordered from this nursery in the past I was a little bit apprehensive but I was extremely pleased with how quickly we received shipment and the size and good health of the tree. Elizabeth the tree was planted last week and while not apparently growing as fast as Elizabeth the baby I'm sure that in time the tree will end up taller then my grandaughter. Thanks!!

Quick, personable and thorough email responses to my inquiries; sage advice; incredibly fast shipping; extremely healthy plant material -- what more could one ask for? I have been mail-ordering plant material for years, and put this company at the top of my list of gratifying experiences.

Placed an order in March, 2006 - extremely pleased with the plants I received. Excellent quality and size for the prices. One plant (Caryopteris 'Summer Sorbet') wasn't going to be ready to ship until June and it arrived as promised around the first of June. It's now blooming and is absolutely gorgeous! My only complaint - I wish they would notify you of a shipping date for plants on back order. I had almost forgotten about the Caryopteris being shipped in June (my mistake, not theirs). Fortunately we were around when the plant arrived, a week later we would have been gone for three weeks and come home to find a dead plant! A quick email to notify you of shipping would give them a Postive+++ rating in my book. Would not hesitate to order from them again.

Debbie

I'd never ordered from this company before, so I was a little hesitant, especially since their prices were rather high; however they were the only place I'd ever see carry rare native species like Sweet Fern and Sand Myrtle. They answered all my questions promptly over email, and after ordering, I recieved my plants within the SAME WEEK. I've never seen delivery that fast. Best of all, their plants had well established rootballs (indicating they were grown, not just dug up) and they were expertly packed. I even ended up with a free minuartia growing with one of the other plants!

Reflectively, the price was absolutely worth it. If they continue to grow other high quality natives then I'll certainly order from them again.

After one week of my order. I asked them when they shiped/will ship?? with 2 emails and one phone call.. still no reply form them.

I dedided to cancel order and they comply same.

Had a great experience with the vendor. I had planted a row of 'University Helsinki' rhododendrons 2 yrs ago bought at a local nursery. I accidentally got roundup on one of these and it died. The other plants were already 3 ft tall and I could not find a replacement(the nursery did not carry these anymore). After much investigation online, this was the cheapest place for the size of 'University Helsinki" I needed. I recieved my order 3 weeks ago. A beautiful big healthy plant, carefully packaged and in great condition. Amazingly, the exact same size as the established plants I had in ground! I planted it and it is doing great. The leaf buds are elongating and leafing out and I am just very happy with the whole experience I had with this nursery. Would definitely order from again.

another perfect order! if you have looked every where and can't find it...just call them! instead of having our order shipped we took a two hour drive. well worth it. the staff is helpful and polite. i'm delighted with everything i rec'd from them. will order again and again!

My order arrived promptly, carefully packed and potted with healthy moist roots. I will use them again!

Although I love their catalogue and still enjoy receiving it for its information and nice photos; I know look elsewhere to buy any plants I might be drawn to. In 2002, I ordered four Rhododendron-Capistrano,Bikini Island, schlippenbachi, and Jackson's Robust. The only one to survive was the Rh. schlippenbachii which to this day has not flowered. The other three did not make it to autumn. They appeared diseased, although I was not able to determine the precise cause of death.

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This is not a fair comment! Lodging a complaint 4 YEARS LATER?? Unfortunately this customer chose plants which are not hardy in his area, although we provide hardiness and cultural information in our catalog and on our website. He did not contact us regarding his dissatisfaction, and waited 4 YEARS to express his unhappiness! If he had called us in 2002 or even 2003, we would have tried to make things right. We make every effort to ensure that our customers are satisfied, and would have gladly worked something out with him. "

Hank and the gang and Rarefind Nusery are Outstanding. There plants have been strong and healthy (Rhododendrons & azaleas) . You can not go wrong here. Very honest and knowledgeable, with a awesome selection.

we ordered a magnolia tree from rarefind over the phone. the lady that took the order was really glad that the 2005 catalog was out. apparently there was some publishing delay. the people at the nursery waited a little bit longer to ship so the leaves would harden off so the tree was a little late arriving but definitely worth waiting for . really nice tree. i do wish rarefind would update their website. their website still has the 2003 catalog on it. my overall experience with rarefind has been very positive and i will be ordering again from them.

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You will be happy to know (as we are also!) that our new and much improved website is now online. We are still adding pictures and updating plant listings, but you now can order online. Please visit again! "

I first heard of this nursery while doing a web search on Google regarding rhododendrons.

I then visited their 11 acre nursery and display garden last summer and although I couldn't purchase anything at the time, I knew then I would be able to purchase the rare and/or difficult-to-find species I was seeking for my new home and garden.

I grew up the daughter of a horticulturist/arborist and the grandaughter of an arborist and while I don't, myself, have the immense wealth of their combined knowledge, I was taught how to gauge high quality and health in plant species. You'll find both at this nursery.

To say that the staff is knowledgable and helpful, is a gross understatement. And what's more, they're passionate, frank, and surprisingly endearing. I cannot recall a time that I found a nursery that was so welcoming, so well stocked for such rare species, nor display gardens so beautifully natural. If you visit, plan to spend hours so you can take in the display gardens to see the mature habits of a given species. May is ideal to see many of their Rhododenrons.

I made two visits this April 2005, one at the beginning and one at the end of the month. Both experiences were excellent and I went home each time with wonderfully healthy and beautiful species.

On the early April trip there were two gentlemen who had traveled from Washington D.C. specifically to purchase a single rare japanese maple. I saw them when they left... their SUV was packed...

As beautiful and useful their plant catalog is, if you visit in person, be prepared to find an enormous amount of species that aren't listed in the catalog. You'll probably find yourself saying, "Whoa! There's that _fill in the blank_ I've been trying to find!!" and oddly, you too will find yourself driving away with a fully loaded auto and a huge grin on your face. Pack a plastic tarp in your trunk before you go. A large, plastic tarp...

While I can't speak to their shipping, since I purchased my items on-site, I cannot fathom there would be any difference between orders made in-person or by mail in the quality of care and service that one receives.

Best experience I've had... ever... in purchasing plants.

I visited there as part of a tour from the Rhododendron Society meeting in King of Prussia (around 45-55 min away). My father is a serious rhododendron/azalea/etc collector and grower, and we both thought they had a great setup and wonderful plants.

I picked up several rhododendrons and a japanese maple (shindeshojo) there. They have a lot of unusual varieties/cultivars, and they have a really nice garden area with larger plants that you can walk around and see how some of these varieties will grow up to be. I saw one rhododendron with a single flower around 5-6" across. They also have a bunch of perennials and japanese maples and other bushes/trees, as well as daylilies. I would have loved another hour or two there.

The owner is very knowledgable about rhododendrons.

Their catalog (printed) is _excellent_, though the number of color plates is limited. My father said it's one of the best-written (and most informative) catalogs he's seen, and my father is a _major_ gardening/plant geek - board of the American Orchid society (and judge), raising unusual rhododendrons/azaleas/laurels for decades, etc.

I visited Rare Find nursery yesterday. What a treat! I was given a personal tour by Hank, the owner. He knows his plants and is an expert on Rhododendrons. If you are interested in Rhododendrons, this place is worth a trip from just about anywhere in the U.S. I liked Rare Find because the plants are locally grown in Central New Jersey and because they carry varieties you cannot find in a local nursery. I bought some beautiful Pieris, Rhodendron and, my favorite, Sciadopitys verticillata.

I have dealt with Rarefind nursery for three years and have been extremely pleased with their plant material. Ron, the nursery manager, is very helpful and knowlegeable. The nursery offers plants that are hard to find and this year they went out of their way to supply a plant that they didn't offer for sale. They found the plant, picked it up and shipped it to me. This goes above and beyond what anyone should expect from a nursery. Again, I must stress that the plant material is top quality, good size, packed well for shipping and last but not least they grow. I highly recommend this nursery!