Comments regarding Mendocino Maples Nursery

I have been collecting Japanese maples for 14 years and now have 160 cultivars. After my local maple nurseryman passed away recently, I found Mendocino Maples on line and I have been extremely pleased that I did. So far I have purchased 12 maples from Mendocino Maples and have been impressed with every selection. Their inventory is the most extensive I have ever seen, including many unusual, rare and highly desirable varieties. Considering the quality and size of the trees, the prices are reasonable. All of the maples I have purchased have arrived on the day promised and were carefully packaged. None of them arrived with any damage, not even a dropped leaf! When I have had questions or concerns, Robert has been prompt to return my emails or to call me. My most recent purchase, just last week, was for an Acer micranthum. When Robert discovered that they had sold out, he immediately emailed me and apologized for the oversight. I then ordered a Hanezu hagoromo instead and Robert promised that he would select a very nice one for me and he did. The tree is a beauty and very full for a one-gallon plant. Included in the package was a refund check for the micranthum. I will continue to purchase maples from Mendocino Maples and will also continue to recommend them to friends who are interested in buying beautiful, healthy Japanese maples.

I recently ordered a Japanese maple and had previously ordered 2 Japanese maples a couple years ago from Medocino Maples Nursery. I was extremely pleased with the trees I received and the cost. They have a large variety and would recommend them to anyone who wants to shop for a particular and very healthy Japanese Maple. They are also very helpful if you have any questions.

Posted on April 17, 2013, updated March 29, 2016
I placed an order for three Japanese maples from Mendocino Maples this spring and everything arrived just as anticipated and in excellent condition. They had a great selection of trees and I would not hesitate to recommend them.

Bought an Acer x conspicuum 'Red Flamingo'. Not many sources for this one so I paid a fairly steep overall price. The specimen was shipped in its gallon pot. It seemed to be at the end of its second growing season. Shipping from Cali is always a chore and had to wait the two extra weekend days to Knoxville, TN. The soil was on the dry side, but was expected. It was winter, so it was in full dormancy and didn't matter as much.
The plant itself is a beauty and healthy at about 2ft tall and decently branched. Gorgeous red snakebark in winter is very similar to my Acer pensylvanicum 'Erythrocladum'. I would say the 'Red Flamingo' is a touch more red and the 'Erythrocladum' has just a hint of orange underneath its red. Can't wait for the new growth in the Spring.
I would say that I got what I expected, so, therefore, am satisfied.

Ordered three maples ('Kotobuki', 'Orange Dream', and 'Dancing Peacock'). The two former were gallon size and the latter was two gallon. I ordered last Friday. The order was confirmed immediately, shipped out on Monday, and received by Thursday.

These are beautiful, healthy young trees at very fair prices that one would never know had been shipped halfway across the country. They were larger than I had expected and it was obvious they had been well-cared for at the nursery. The packing was excellent and the shipping costs very reasonable. I will not hesitate to order from them again next spring.

I would like to give particular mention to their customer service. I had a question on my order when I placed it which Robert answered within 24 hours. Also the trees were shipped in separate packages and only two were received yesterday. I thought one had been misplaced by UPS so I gave Robert a heads up. He responded within the hour with the explanation that they were on three different tracking numbers and sent me their more detailed information so I could track that last package separately. He also told me not to worry, that they guaranteed delivery of their trees and would send me another if there had been an actual issue on delivery.

Highly recommended. You won't regret ordering from them.

In the process of rebuilding my gardens which were destroy from salt inundation in super storm sandy, I began buying plants on line. I stumbled on Mendocino Maples from a positive chat room comment. Prior to purchasing any plants I emailed them to find out what to do to prep the gardens so that new plantings would take. They responded quickly and were very helpful even though I was not an existing customer. I eventually ordered 2 plants; unfortunately one was broken in half during transit. Mendocino immediately offered to deliver another plant. Sadly, the specific tree I ordered was out of stock and their offered plant did not have the characteristics that I was looking for. In replying to their offer via email and expressing my frustration, the owner called me within the hour to walk me thru their website to find the exact tree I wanted. I have since purchased another tree and am happy with all of them. They are well packaged, though nothing can stop an aggressive baggage handler, and arrive looking quite beautiful. It is a month now and all of the trees appear to be taking well. If you’re in the market for a Japanese maple I would strongly suggest considering Mendocino Maples.

Outstanding web site. Impressive not only for content but for accessibility and techy smarts.
Made an appt via email. Newbie to maples. Robert made it all quite easy once we explained our situation and need. Walked off with a 3-4 yr. A. palmatum for a container. Presume it will be great. Lots of cultivation, pruning, fertilization on MM's website for the uninitiated. An excellent experience.
To be highly recommended.

Excellent, excellent, excellent: website, selection, shipping, responses to questions, accomodativeness (is this a word?) and most importantly, maple quality.

On top of being the best mail order maple business I have seen, I live in Canada and the import process is a headache, and Mendocino Maples took care of everything.

I would recommend Mendocino Maples without hesitation.

I was really excited when my wife told me that my maple had arrived. It was the right cultivar, shipped on a Monday so no layover on the weekend, and was larger than I was expecting. Thank you Mendocino maples I will order from you again as soon as I need another maple.

Their website was easy to maneuver and find exactly what I was looking for. Plus the photographs and description were outstanding. Their inventory is exceptional as they offer many hard to find varieties of Japanese maples. The shipping was prompt and the Japanese Maples I received were beautiful. The grafts were low on the root stock and the grafts were aged and healed. I look forward to doing business with them again as I continue to add new varieties to my Japanese Maple Sanctuary in the woods, which is now at 90 different varieties. I highly recommend this reputable company.
John Altyn
"Maples on the Pond"
Japanese Maple Sanctuary

Got excellent recommendations from the site owner. They are running a grab bag special. Ordered the trees and they arrived in great shape. Will the follow the instructions to care the trees.

I got a Seriyu, Emperor I and OsakaZuki.

If this batch is doing well, I will definitely going for Fireglow, Coral Bark, ...

The maple selection from this company is amazing. They ship the maples in an extremely well designed and simple box which helps these wonderful plants arrive in perfect condition. They shipped clear across the country to me, and all 9 of them are thriving and perfectly healthy one week later. Communications were fast when I had questions, and Robert was more than gracious in helping me find just the right trees for my need. I will be placing all of my maple orders with Mendocino, I can't imagine a better experience.

Thanks!

Mendocino Maples/Robert-
Just wanted to let you know that all the maples arrived way over here on the East Coast in tip top shape! I am delighted with your choice of maples for my mothers day gift and cant thank you enough for your attention to the details. Thank you so much for your beautiful maples (the likes of which cant even be found around here!) and your stellar customer service. It has been a pleasure purchasing from you.

I ordered a dwarf maple on Saturday evening, it was shipped on Monday, and I received it on Wednesday. It was well-packaged and in excellent shape, and there was detailed planting and care information included. Although I'd ordered a tree of 18-24", it was easily 6" taller than that. I could not be happier with the tree or with their service.

I ordered a 3-4 year acer circinatum Sunglow from Mendocino Maples. The ordered was shipped on Monday from CA and arrived in VA on Wednesday. The shipment was packed well, no broken limbs, the root ball was moist and there was no damage. The tree was in excellent shape and had partially began to bloom. We planted it the same day and it has now been a week. The tree accepted very well and looks stunning. One reason why we decided to order here was because of the unique varieties that are offered. All of the Japanese maples that we can find locally are the same and everyone has them. If you want your maple to look different, this is the place to get them. Very satisfied with the product and speed of delivery. Will order again, highly recommended.

I placed an order for the following Maples on 6/13/2011 - Acer shirasawanum Autumn Moon, Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' 'The Full Moon Maple’, and an Acer pseudoplatanus Esk Sunset Maple. I asked for them to hold the shipment until I returned from vacation, which was not a problem. One of the trees was not available in the size I had ordered and paid for so they sent me a check for the difference, what more could you asks for. The trees arrived on time and in wonderful condition! All three of the trees are in the process of leafing out and are looking great! I am in the process of placing another order, I would highly recommend Mendocino Maples for that hard to find maple.

I just ordered and received two Geisha Japanese Maples (one is a gift for my sister) from Mendocino Maples, and it was a fantastic experience. Robert called me to let me know he had them in stock and I received them in less than a week after that. Can't beat that! The trees are in great shape with good branching, and I'll definitely order from Mendocino Maples again!

Danny from northern va. my experience with mendocino maples nursery was great. have had 10 trees sent to me this summer so far. and plan on buying alot more you can not find any of this maples at nursreys back here in the washington DC area. they all arrived 3000 miles away withen 3days in great shape. all my family and friends love them and looking to use mendocino nursery. could not be anymore happy with my experience and all the time robert sent with me on the phone. to make sure i got the right trees for my needs. next time i am out in northern calf area i plan on stoping buy the nursery great place. thank you for everything. Danny .

I was very satisfied with my whole experience ordering from Mendocino Maples. I contacted Robert about maples that would do better in the arid climate in Wyoming and he was able to recommend the right plants for my area. I was very happy with the delivery time and received my plants well within the expected delivery date. I ordered 3 trees and each one arrived in great condition and ready to plant.

I will definitely order from Mendocino Maples again and Robert is extremely knowledgeable about his stock and their tolerances.

Thank you!

I have purchased about seven (7) trees from Mendocino Maples over the last three (3) years. Candidly, I was concerned about purchasing live trees via the web and then having them shipped from West Coast to the East Coast. However, their shipping schedule indicated that the live trees would not be lingering in a postal office for prolonged periods of time with no attention.
My first purchases were a couple of dwarfs and when they arrived I potted them up immediately. They thrived from the outset. Last year I purchased a couple of Coral Bark trees and a couple more dwarfs (Shaina) of a different variety and they have done very well. I potted the Coral Bark trees to get them established and placed them on the deck of my hot tub. I planted, with some trepidation, my Shaina’s as I was very concerned about our clay soils. I amended heavily in preparation for their arrival but was still very nervous. They have done exceptionally well in partial sun in the North Carolina heat.
This Spring I purchased a couple of Murasaki kiyohime. They arrived as scheduled. When I pulled them out of their packing cartons I planted them into an amended area and one took off but the other looked a bit more stressed that any of my other Mendocino Maples had upon arrival. I contacted the vendor and they helped me with the care to get this little guy to respond. I dug him up and potted him to better control the soil and his environmental conditions like sun light and water. Nothing worked. I informed the vendor, as they request in their shipping literature, that my little tree was struggling. When I finally gave up hope I notified Mendocino and Robert asked for a couple of pictures. I sent the pictures and he sent me a new tree in the next shipping cycle.
I have since potted up both of my Murasaki kiyohime and they sit on my hot tub deck with my Coral Bark trees from last year’s stock. I have had exceptional success with Mendocino’s trees and have recommended their products to colleagues and neighbors. They ship a quality product and if one follows their planting instructions they most certainly stand behind their product.

What a wonderful experience! The maples I ordered were in excellent health when they arrived and some were larger than advertised. The company was quick to respond to questions and if you collect maples or are looking for a tree that will complete your yard this is the place.

Posted on May 24, 2011, updated June 2, 2011
Posted on May 23, 2011, updated May 24, 2011
I'll start by saying they have the absolute best selection of maples for the enthusiast !! wonderful!!! ........prices are a bit steep though, especially considering the postage and handling make each one near $65-$100 a piece. I have bought 5 so far , 3 of which are near dead now and it's only been maybe 3 weeks since i had them. 1 arrived with the roots completely smashed and its dead now. I went, however today to their website to try them again and they have a 10% off special for 3 so i selected three. I found it insulting that the already exaggerated price for postage and handling is now more, completely swallowing the "10% Off" deal, actually it was $12 more that it would have been normal. sneaky guys.
But like i said they have an amazing selection.Just dont like having half of the bill being postage,shipping and handling when i get 1 smashed and 3 limping within a month.

"On Jun 5, 2011 1:56 PM, Mendocino Maples Nursery responded with:

We are sorry that this customer did not contact us about his concerns. At Mendocino Maples Nursery, we strive to make our customers happy, and we appreciate it when customers contact us with their concerns so that we can help with any problems they may be experiencing. Upon reading bastion74 posted comment at Dave’s Garden, we contacted him immediately and addressed his problem. We are pleased that bastion74 continued to buy more trees from us after his initial post, showing his confidence in Mendocino Maples Nursery.

We agree that the cost of shipping can be expensive, shipping costs are based on weight by the carrier and are thus out of our control. We have looked into various shipping carriers and have arrived at the current status with USPS as the most cost effective and reliable for a small business. We make every effort to package our trees in a manner that ensures they arrive healthy and intact. Unfortunately, even with the most careful packing occasionally a tree is damaged by the carrier. We have found this to be the exception, rather than the rule and as stated on the website will replace a tree damaged in transport. Respectfully, Robert
"

This company has a very good selection of Japanese maples.

I ordered five trees from this company and they all arrived well packed. The trees were the size I ordered and well branched. There was a mix up on the order and two of the same trees were sent. I emailed Robert and he sent out the correct tree free of charge!! I had a problem with one of the other trees and Robert sent out another one right away.

I am really impressed with this company. Robert did every thing to make my order right. I will not hesitate to order again because of the service I received. Thanks Robert!

Received our Bihou Maple today. Arrived larger than expected, with no damage whatsoever. GREAT looking plant. We could not be happier with our purchase. Do yourself a favor, if you are looking at buying something they have, then buy it from Mendocino Maples. Will certainly order from them again.

Mendocino Maples = Quality Maple trees and fast service (tree sent out on Monday and Received on Wednesday).

The tree arrived in a box with soil intact and you can tell it was pulled straight from the pot (The soil still retains the shape of the pot wrapped in plastic.) No Stressing!

The Bihou Japanese Maple has a lot of branches great shape and huge root ball.

I requested a low graft tree so I can make a bonsai out of it and Randy delivered!

I am a very PICKY collector and I am happy with Mendocino Maples. Highly recommended, no worries here.

You will be Happy like I am if you buy from Mendocino and I will buy more trees soon. My Aoyagi will be shipped out on Monday.

Can't wait.

Thanks for everything,
Stanley
Stantech Inc

I can't say enough good things about the interactions I've had with this company. Their website is beautiful, the selection is fantastic, plant descriptions and helpful information is great, they ship quickly and more importantly ... they ship smartly, the quality of the plants is incredible, and these people are really great to work with. I've ordered many times from Mendocino and most recently ordered some really beautiful dissectums and I couldn't be happier!

Fantastic company with a great attention to detail. I ordered two maples from this company late in the spring. The maples arrived fast (within days of ordering, and I live on the East Coast!) with good root systems and fine branching frameworks. One of the trees that I ordered was no longer available at the size I wanted. They were wonderful enough to email me and offer alternative trees in similar colors, or a smaller version of the same cultivar with a refund. Thank you for asking! Wonderful experience, will order from again.

A wonderful experience. They have a large inventory to choose from. My maples arrived in great condition from CA to NJ.
I would recommend this nursery to anyone wanting a Japanese maple out of the ordinary. The staff is helpful and they go a long way to prepare their trees for shipment.

Great experience, superfast service from California to Long Island, New York. They have an extensive collection of acer palmatums, and I was pleased to see that they continue shipping well into the fall. The maples arrived almost overnight, in great shape, with well-developed root systems.

shoreroadeast

I ordered 4 maples and they arrived in less than four days from the order date. Of course, I live in northern Calif, but still, very fast. They were well packed and in excellent condition. The trees are well-formed and covered with leaves. The roots are in excellent condition. The tip sheet they included is excellent, as well. The price was also very reasonable. Overall, a great experience.

I just received two new 1 yr old trees, and they are absolutely beautiful. The trees are gorgeous and healthy, and the prices were reasonable too. This is my first year growing JM's, but if I decide to collect some more I will definitely be ordering from them again! Also I was really excited that they came labeled that they had been grown organically, that was a nice added bonus.

Recently received Beni schichihenge and Purple ghost maples from Mendocino Maples. They arrived in great condition. I could not find a dead branch on either. Excellent communication and fast shipping.

I ordered several trees from Robert and could not be happier. I demonstrated that by ordering several more.

Robert was available to answer all of my questions and showed a genuine interest in his products and my satisfaction in them. I will definitely patronize Mendocino Maples again.

Specifically, excellent product knowledge, willingness to spend time with customers, well cared for trees and a very efficient operation sets Robert apart from his competition.

Unqualified recommendation.

Thanks.

They always send the nicest trees. There are well over a thousand Japanese maple cultivars and it seem like all the best are in Mendocino, I wonder why that is?

I must echo all of the acclaim for Robert and Mendocino Maples. His trees are beautiful and in great condition - they are large and healthy and very reasonably priced. And Robert is excellent at keeping up communication, promptly sending information and answering questions. I've bought from several online vendors, and no others match the quality and service.

If you're looking for a beautiful specimen maple, look no further than Mendocino Maples. The quality to price ratio is unbeatable.

Robert is really great to work with, answered all of my questions promptly and sent an email when my maples shipped. This is my first time growing Japanese maples, and I ordered six. All arrived wonderfully packed without any broken sticks. With the exception of a single one-year graft, all had larger than expected root balls. Since I ordered late in the year, half the plants were already dormant. I plan to container grow these and eventually transplant a few outside.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE, EVEN BEYOND THE STANDARDS OF AN OGRE!

I took a chance and contacted Mendocino N about two maples to complete turning this sucky residence into a comfortable OGREs GARDEN.

It was well worth it, as Robert went the extra mile to ensure I would get the product now.

Im almost speechless with appreciation.

Sincerely, Alex the OGRE

I needed to replace a dead Japanese Maple (victim of this spring's late freeze), and wanted an 'Orangeola'.

Mendocino's prices were reasonable, their communication was excellent, and the plant arrived in perfect condition. I even left it in the box for a day or two after it arrived until I had time to get it planted, and when I pulled it out of the box, it looked fresher, healthier, and had much better shape than anything I could have bought from any local garden center.

mendocino has the largest, healthiest and best selections of maples i have come across. if you are able to make a trip to mendocino, its a real treat to walk through the hundreds of beautiful maples, in colors, sizes and cultivars of all kind. the only sales person that you deal with is the owner, whos knowledge of maples, varieties and horticulture there of is outstanding. not only does he answer any and all questions you may have, hey is fair and honest with all purchases. i had purchased a maple in the winter, and accidently got a different cultivar because they werent leafed out and its hard to distinguish between the mursaki and other simiair cultivars. when it leafed out and i saw it wasnt the particular one i had wanted, one e-mail and without question he said to come back anytime to trade for the one i wanted. when i went back he spent the time to look through tons of trees with me to find just the one i wanted. he's a stand up guy, with awesome business practices, and even better trees. and i now refuse to buy maples from anywhere else