Comments regarding Cummins Nursery

I wanted to plant several fruit trees this year but since they were out of stock and appeared to be in stock for 2023, I pre-ordered, pre-paid and received confirmation for my trees. I ordered 8 Grade #5 fruit trees on March 16, 2022. The response I received was: “Thank you! Your order is reserved. We ship in March and April depending on your climate. We will send you several shipping notifications as the time draws near. You may respond to those notifications if there is a specific time that you would like to receive...” Nowhere in the response nor at the time of ordering did I get the impression that the trees as ordered were not going to be met. Although the email said “reserved” my understanding of that word is that it means to keep or set apart/aside for the future.

However, on September 8, 2022, I received an email with this statement in it: “Please note that we have reserved the trees for your order based on our current stock availability, but we do not have final stock counts until nearer the time of delivery. In other words, things happen. Occasionally, a tree is damaged in storage, or we make a mistake in counting. In the event of a stock shortage we will contact you before the order is shipped...”. If I had seen this statement during the pre-order stage, I would not have ordered at all. What is the point of pre-ordering and pre-paying if your trees are not “reserved” and locked in. I was counting on having the trees I ordered.

On November 27, 2022, I was informed that only two of the Grade #5 trees were available, one was completely sold out, and the remainder needed to be upgraded; one went from 5 to 4 which I could live with, another went to grade 2, then 2 trees went to grade 1 and the last tree went to grade 0 - "Due to exceptional growth in the nursery". I was offered a reduction in price for the Grade 0 tree which was a reduction of about $8. My total of $172 went to $201.75, an additional $29.75, however taking the additional shipping and handling for bigger trees the additional cost was actually $43.08. Keep in mind this additional cost is also minus 1 of the trees I had pre-ordered. Now to some folks this might not be a lot of money but the reason I pre-ordered was to get the lower grade and lower price. I would have been reluctantly okay with going from Grade 5 to 4, that would be reasonable.

So I reached out and asked if I could get a reduction down 1 grade for the trees above grade 4 which would have been an additional reduction of $4.50, which would bring the total reduction of the changed order to $12.50, and was told no; “We would be happy to refund any or all of your pre-order, but I'm afraid that I am not willing to sell you trees that are larger than you had hoped for at a reduced price. If we had small little trees of the variety that you wanted, I would gladly give them to you at the price that you had ordered them for.” It wasn’t trees I had “hoped for” but trees I had pre-ordered/reserved and paid for. To me it really smacks of bait and switch to get me to purchase more expensive trees. The end result was that I cancelled my order and will find another nursery to purchase from.

I was extremely disappointed with pre-ordering from them as well as their customer service. I will need to continue looking for a nursery that can be reliable to purchase a lot of fruit trees from in the future. Whomever I choose I will start small to see how reliable they are and how good their customer service is before purchasing a large number of trees.

I ordered 11 bare root trees from several companies this spring. From Cummins I ordered 2, a peach and an apple. Of the 11 trees I ordered, four grew in a manner I would describe as perfect, in that they responded beautifully to an initial hard prune after planting, and quickly formed nice scaffolds. Of those four, two were from cummins. So far, 100% of my product from cummins has been as good as I could hope for. They are easy to buy from, good website. They also were the first trees to arrive. So I highly recommend.

I ordered four different apple trees from Cummins in June 2021, knowing they wouldn't arrive until the next spring, but the wait was definitely worth it. When I unwrapped the dormant bareroots in April 2022, I kept saying over and over, "They look so good!" The scion wood was stout and straight (even despite having bought some of the lower grade sizes), and the rootstocks they were grafted onto were substantial with well-developed tap roots. They soon developed healthy new, white feeder roots, too. They were all planted out and hard pruned in April/May, and they have all since put on great growth. It takes planning and patience, but ordering from Cummins was a great experience because of the quality of stock I received, combined with the ability to order the scion/rootstock combos that I wanted.

I ordered 15 OhxF97 and 15 OhxF87 pear rootstock from Cummins this year. It was my first time ordering from them. When the root stock didn't arrived at the time that I expected it to, I emailed the company. They responded the next day to let me know that my order was on the way. It arrived in a reasonable amount of time (especially considering the fact that the half of the country is shut down due to COVID1-19). The root stock looked healthy and it was well packaged. I am happy with what I got and with their customer service. I would order from them again.

I received two Enterprise apple trees from Cummins Nursery. They arrived on time and were well packed. The were the lower grades ("whips"), so no branches, but they were sturdy.

I planted them and ... gosh have they done well! Very vigorous growth. I have ordered apples from two other nurseries in the past and Cummins easily had the healthiest trees.

Posted on January 15, 2018, updated April 25, 2018
Posted on September 5, 2017, updated January 15, 2018
Posted on February 24, 2017, updated September 5, 2017
On February 22, 2017 I was sent an email telling me that the Bubblegum plum tree I ordered and paid for in advance would not be available because of an inventory error. This “error” appears to have occurred in cherry trees as well, according to another reviewer. It is readily apparent that this company is having problems. I have ordered from them in the past when the elder owner ran the company and I received good customer service and answers to my questions. Obviously, somebody else is running the business, as I no longer get replies to emails and now they are experiencing widespread business problems.

Checking your inventory this late in the season is not acceptable. A customer will not be able to find an exact replacement from another vendor at this time of the year. All of the companies have their orders and are already shipping. Furthermore, having to split an order between vendors at least doubles the price because of shipping costs.

I was also put-off by the suggestion that I substitute another plant for the plum tree. What a clever way to sell excess stock that nobody wants.

I have experienced problems like this with the big companies that contract out to growers for trees, but never from an independent nursery. When I placed my order I was ready to submit an order from Stark Brothers (who messed up an order years ago), but changed my mind and stuck to an independent. I see that was a mistake. I almost canceled my entire order, but kept my cool. There is always next year… to find a better company.

Saying that I am extremely disappointed with this company would be an understatement.

Posted on January 5, 2018, updated January 5, 2018
Posted on July 9, 2014, updated January 5, 2018
Super awesome customer service so far. Five stars. I was so encouraged I went ahead and ordered more and I'll be keeping an eye on their tempting product list as it grows. After I go through their spring catalog my orchard will have officially run out of space because they have so much cool stuff!

Ordered four trees for spring of 2017 planting and received.
Three of the four hit the soil running but the fourth tree was weak in growth from the start, then died (loving care).
The other trees are the best !
I contacted Cummins for a replacement and I just received a great tree at no cost. I planted the same day. It is the end of November so everything is dormant .
No matter the outcome I am more than happy, thanks Cummins nursery, great trees, great service.

I bought 10 Asian pear trees from Cummins. I pre-ordered them in the fall and they shipped out in April. All the trees arrived healthy. I planted them immediately, and within a couple weeks all of them were leafing out. One of them is actually blooming 3 weeks after planting. These trees are so vigorous that I will probably start getting pears next year.

Posted on February 22, 2017, updated February 28, 2017
Posted on April 16, 2016, updated February 22, 2017
I enjoy growing vegetables and have recently gotten into fruit trees. I have tried fruit trees previously, Lowes Apples trees and a few mail order with little luck. About 5 years ago I got a peach tree to grow and was hooked.

I decided this year to try and start some better varieties peaches/apples and plum than you can get at local box stores. Cummins has a good reputation and they use Geneva rootstock which I wanted to try so I decided to order from them this year.

There web site is not fancy, but is functional. They have the same varieties of apples with different rootstock which I really liked. I ordered early - I think in September. You do not pay until one - two months before your trees ship which in this case was in March.

The Apple trees I received were great along with the Plum Trees. You get a long stick with roots. The roots were very extensive which is what is important. They come wrapped in newspaper which was still moist when I received the trees. I received the trees they day after they shipped (New York to Virginia). I was happy with the size of the trees and so far they are budding and growing vigorously.

The peach trees are a different story. They looked small to me, I was not impressed with grafts on the rootstock. They are growing but not vigorously. To be fair they are growing but they almost looked distressed. Anyway I will give them tender loving care and hopefully they will survive.

Cummins "thing" appears to be apples and I can recommend them for apples and plums. For peaches there selection is limited and the trees are not impressive when you receive them. I will likely try ACN due to the better selection of peaches next year.

I called Cummins several times and they answered all of my questions professionally.

Posted on March 16, 2016, updated March 17, 2016
Based on all the positive reviews, I placed my first order with Cummins for $1000.00 in November, 2015 for 50 trees. I paid for them in full in December, 2015. One day before they were supposed to ship (mid-March, 2016), they sent me an email telling me that 20% of my order was not available. The time to plant, here, is NOW, and I am scrambling to fill out the rest of my order, which I probably could have done at my leisure in January or February. Their inventory control system said there was sufficient stock in November. I wonder what happened to it?

This is the third year that I have purchased from Cummins Nursery, and I have found them to have quality trees and exceptional customer service. Although their guarantee is simple and does not over-promise, I have found that they stand behind their commitment to provide healthy trees and, in the end, they over-deliver.

I have interacted with several staff members, all prompt and courteous. As new orchardists, my husband and I were not easy customers; we asked lists of questions and changed our order multiple times. Cummins staff were patient and taught us much about disease resistance and rootstocks. Although they do not make a big deal of it, Cummins Nursery is backed by the professional expertise of Dr. James Cummins, who spent years helping to develop the Geneva rootstocks at Cornell University. I sense that Cummins' goal is not just to sell trees, but to improve orchard science. They invest in customer education not only by answering questions, but by providing a list of recommended books. We bought one--The Apple Grower, by Michael Phillips--and found it worth the buy.

Their website is not flashy, but I appreciate being able to view actual inventory with rootstock identified. (The packing slip also identifies rootstocks, which I find helpful). Cummins does not mail me glossy catalogs, but they have put their effort into producing what I think matters more...healthy trees and satisfied customers.

I have a small, private orchard of now, thirty trees. I placed my first order this spring (2014) with Cummins. My order was for two 'Calville Blanc d'Hiver' apple trees. They are superb! The root systems were very large and the trees were branched and very sturdy. I couldn't be more pleased. All was right on time and packed very well.

I have ordered fruit trees from Cummins yearly for the past 5 years, and have been very pleased each time. Each tree has leafed out and done fine. The staff is very accomodating and knowledgeable. Excellent packaging. Their selection of varieties is large, and the website provides lots of information. I will order from them again.

I ordered several m7 and Geneva 11 rootstock from cummins nursery. When I called they were very friendly and helpful. They are arguably the most knowledgable fruit nursery I've dealt with. The rootstocks shipped promptly and arrived in good condition. I will order from them again without hesitation.

I ordered 39 trees (peach, apple, pear, plum, appricot, cherry) from Cummins Nursery and only one tree did not leaf out; I thought that was pretty impressive. The trees came in excellent condition, huge roots and large caliper. I will be ordering more trees this year; in fact, I have some on "hold" right now until I complete my order. I don't know what I want to order completely yet. My husband was impressed to with the stock and we order a lot of trees and he's not easy to impress. So their website isn't spectacular, who cares, but their trees definitely are!

Posted on May 1, 2012, updated May 1, 2012
Posted on May 9, 2011, updated May 1, 2012
Professionals or knowledgeable amateurs should have no hesitation dealing with any of the staff at this nursery. If you know exactly what you want and confirm its availability, then you should have few problems as well. Otherwise, deal with Dr. Cummins directly to resolve your general, vague, or doubtful notions/issues. Other staff members tend to be a little arrogant in dealing with customers with general notions and imperfect knowledge of what they want and what this nursery offers. You cannot depend on the website either. This nursery perhaps has the worst website on the net: poorly organized, graphically challenged, contradictory, incomplete, and geared (again) to professionals and sophisticated amateurs. Product quality is uneven: side grafts that arc several inches off center and take 6-9 inches to grow vertical again, sparsely developed root balls, powdery-coated stems resembling fungus, numerous dead-looking buds, and minimal stem diameter. I have seen better looking stock at Home Depot and a lot cheaper.. This nursery does have a great selection of rootstocks and varietals. If you have minimal demands/specs you can probably do better elsewhere. If you want a modest quantity of any one item you may meet their minimum requirement and can get (at some point of time) just about any rootstock/variety they have available either as a regular graft or as a budded graft in a range of ages. If you want one tree or one each of several, your options may be more limited. Shipping charges may seem strange ($35 regardless) but is understandable when you remember their bias toward seasoned customers: the more you order the less cost per unit until shipping is practically a non-factor. Personally, I would deal with this nursery again only as a last resort.

- BEST root masses (with lots of rootlets) I've ever seen on bare-root stock, and I am no spring chicken- I've ordered from a LOT of places over the years. These blew everyone else's away!
-They had all the varieties of apple I wanted, plus some pear and cherry trees.
-I was impressed with the caliper of the trees.
- Very good communication/advice from them prior to ordering.
- All the trees are busy leafing out right now!

Will DEFINITELY be ordering from them again (as soon as I figure out what else I 'need'! ).

I ordered two apples and a pear tree from this company; which, with shipping, was about $115 and change. All three were hard to find varieties -- the pear I hadn't even heard of, but was sold on by their description. I did not expect the trees to be the size of top-heavy, bottom(root)-light Home Depot or Lowe's fruit trees.

Communication was terrific. Confirmation e-mails, then an e-mail that it was planting time, and when would I like my trees. They were delivered extremely well packed, promptly, and the quality was, honestly, the best I have ever seen in fruit trees. Bud break was just commencing on one of the apples; the other two were still safely dormant. The tops were not thin or scrawny, as I feared, but were nicely feathered and of a good caliper. Most impressive were the root systems on all three . . . easily twice the size of any fruit tree I've ever bought from anyone, with plenty of feeder roots, all intact.

Although one has to pay a "broken bundle fee" of $2.00 if buying less than 5 trees of a variety, I think the cost (actually all of their charges) is worth it, given the quality of their trees.

If I can find room for more trees next year, I will order from them again.

In my opinion, this is the best nursery I've bought from. Their trees are excellent, always. I have ordered probably 20 trees total from them, and they are always excellent to the point that I wonder why I buy from anyone else (which is only because of varieties available).

The only negatives about this company is they run out of trees earlier than others, and that's probably because they are so good, everyone wants them.

There are some good tree sellers out there, for sure, but these guys never disappoint and are on the top of my list.

I ordered and planted 21 apple, plum, cherry and apricot trees last spring. The bare root trees were beautiful with substantial root systems that gave us a workout getting the holes large enough. I have no idea how they managed to get all those roots in the package without breaking a one. The trees grew without pause and show every promise of healthy growth this spring. Don't be afraid to ask questions and take your time making your order. If I had to do again I would order smaller unbranched stock so I could have more control over shaping. In my lifetime of gardening I have never been more pleased with a nursery. Now all that's needed is cooperation from our fickle Nevada weather and we just might get a piece of fruit...eventually.

I had such a good experience, esspecially in picking out my trees- I live in a very odd 5a zone with cold/heat/drought. Was given prompt responses too. Also my husband "surprised" me by having someone come in and weed wack the garden- girdling 2 trees. I contacted Cummins to see what I could do and they were prompt in their reply, which will ensure a long time customer! Also all 8 of the trees that I planted did great, even the one my dog chewed off the top third of. Super healthy happy trees

Last year I ordered peaches, plums and apricots, three of each. I had lots of questions on which varieties to select and the staff couldn't have been more helpful both by phone and email. The trees came when I requested them and were beautifully packed. Later they contacted me about a problem with the apricot trees that was identified after they had been sent. Cummins offered to replace or reimburse. These folks give exceptional customer service and sell exceptional trees.

Great customer service and great experience. The trees I ordered from them grow nicely. They were very helpful in resolving the issue I had with 2 trees, and very generous. Pleasure to deal with.

Wonderful experience from the friendly, knowledgeable staff at Cummins. I have three wonderful trees that I've gotten from them and I'll be getting more next spring. They have a wonderful assortment of varieties with great many rootstock options.

When I recently contacted Cummins Nursery about a single snow apple tree shown on their inventory, the person I talked to said that since it was the last one, it might not be as good a quality as he would like, so he'd rather not sell it to me. Instead, he referred me to Trees of Antiquity (Great people!) where I did purchase the tree. (Please see my review for them too!) A business looking after MY interests by NOT wanting to sell me something they felt I might not be happy with is refreshing, encouraging, and says a lot about those people and their business. If I lived closer, they'd be getting some of my business for sure.

Just another member of the "Amen" chorus, especially about Dr. James Cummins himself. Honored Cornell professor, a full life of teaching, research and grower experience and--best of all--willing to share that wealth of knowledge with his customers. I've developed a sizeable rare and heirloom fruit orchard and vineyard behind my California home and he's been a great help over the years. He's kept me from making some big mistakes, helped solved some pathogenic problems I had, and suggested some wonderful heirloom apple and pear varieties that I wasn't aware of. And we love the Cornell "Geneva" rootstocks which are almost impossible to find anywhere but Cummins (in the mail order world at least). The G11's and G16's are working beautifully for us. Can't speak about Cummins stone fruits (shipping to California prohibited) but the selection and quality of Cummins pome fruits are exceptional. And they will, no doubt, stay that way, because Cummins is a family business.

I ordered three dwarf apples, a standard and two semidwarf pears, and a sour cherry from Cummins two years ago. I kinda wanted to wait and see how they did before posting my review--once I had a pear that did very well for years, and then it finally fruited and I discovered I had an ornamental variety. By then there was nothing I could do about it. But now I think I should put in my post before I forget things, and I can always put a note below if they turn out not to be as advertised when they fruit.
I had a lot of questions. I don't like the phone, but had a long, detailed exchange of e-mails with Dr Cummins about which varieties and rootstocks would be best for my conditions and organic proclivities--as others have commented, these guys are not stingy about sharing their expertise with even "little" customers! My trees arrived without problems and I planted them. All took, all are still alive. Last spring, a year after planting, two of the apples had a few flowers, although they didn't succeed in settitng fruit. The apples have grown well, the cherry not well but I think that's because I decided it needed a central leader style and pruned it severely soon after planting. The pears haven't grown much either, which I attribute to the fact that all I have given them in the way of fertilizer is a very small amount of compost, due to fear of fire blight. This year I am going to be braver and give them more as I've decided they have never shown any sign of fire blight. They've had black spots on the leaves in mid to late summer, but I think that's just the same leaf spot that bothers the native persimmons. If I had room for more fruit trees, I would order them from Cummins.

For the last few years we have gotten most of our trees from Cummins. If they cannot provide it, they will find it or send you to another provider. If there is a crop failure, they try their best to offer a replacement. They have been extremely helpful with hard growing areas, and share their considerable knowledge freely as to the best trees and rootstocks for your situation.. Shop with confidence.

I've ordered from Cummins Nursery twice. Both times, I've experienced a good selection, helpful customer service, knowledgeable advise, reasonably good packaging (plants could be a little better secured in the box), and good quality plants. Some of the plants (both tops and rootstocks) were a little banged up, but not any worse than I see from most other nurseries. Overall, I'm very satisfied with Cummins and will likely order from them again.

Ordered Spitzenburg apples from Cummins & received them today.

Excellent root structure, excellent branch form & structure. Far, far better quality than that received from other sources. Great packaging, also.

Stop at Cummins first, and if they have it, don't bother looking elsewhere.

Customer service was great, with excellent communication.

Great company with a large selection and a choice of rootstocks. Friendly staff. Great quality. I will do business with this company in the future.

I placed a very small 2 tree order with Cummins this past fall for receipt this spring. Their customer service has been excellent, taking the time to respond in depth to questions from someone who is not giving them very much business. The trees came well packaged, with strong root systems and in excellent shape. I could not be more pleased and intend to place a much larger order next year.

I ordered some rootstocks for a fruit crops class's grafting lab. Cummins' people worked with me carefully to assure that we had them for the dates we needed. They arrived in time, in great condition. It was especially nice to see that they would send a relatively small order since I think they prefer wholesale customers. They were a pleasure to work with and I would definitely order from them again.

I ordered 20 different varieties of apples from this nursery last fall, and received them timely this spring. I had a 100% transplant success rate and all the plants look healthy and vigorous, some even blooming straight away. Their selection of scions and rootstocks may be the broadest in the retail industry. While their website is still a little clumsy, these folks will work closely with you to assure you get exactly what you want. They are knowledgeable and skillful, but also quite busy. So be patient when working with them, and you'll be pleased in the end game.

I am brand new to orchardry and needed guidance. I called, they answered, and were extremely helpful. I ordered four cherry trees and two apple trees in January 2009. The trees arrived the third week of March, optimum time for planting here. Five weeks later, the trees are vibrant and beautiful. I wish I had also ordered my peach trees from Cummins rather than getting ripped off by White River Souce.

I ordered an apple, apricot, two sweet cherries and a pear from Cummins Nursery in two separate orders. I called them to confirm availability since I was ordering late in the season. I talked to two different people. Both were tremendously helpful and knowledgeable. They even chose specimens based on how I planned to prune them. They shipped each order on the day I called them and the trees arrived about 3 days later. The trees were healthy and arrived in perfect condition due to the excellent packaging and use of UPS. They carry a huge variety of fruit trees and can help you pick the best for your circumstance. Great people, great trees!

This was my first order with Cummins, and I was very pleased. I order a sweet cherry, a plum, and a pear. The trees were of nice size and well budded. They took off well after planting. Safely packaged as well.
The folks at Cummins are extremely helpful and knowledgable. When you call or e-mail them you are going to be talking to someone who knows fruit trees thoroughly.

I recieved my grape vines without any problems. They were in great shape and had excellent roots.

When I placed my first order, the email messed up, so Steve called me on his cell phone while he was on the road. He even made a suggestion for me when I told him what I was looking for in my grapes. I was given a shipping date and asked if it was the date I wanted. I was concerned about all the frosty mornings and he assured me it would be okay to plant. I thought the service was great and the grape vines healthy. I would order again from this company.