The scoop on 'Clifton's Flower & Garden Center'

Just wanted to add that I bought a Santa Teresa Femminello Lemon tree, one of several varieties that Clifton's sells under the general name "Italian Lemon Tree". It appears that they normally sell these trees under the general name - "Italian Lemon Tree", and usually just send whichever specific variety the shipping person grabs. However, I had heard the Santa Teresa Femminello Lemon was more disease resistant and therefore I asked for that one if they had it. The owner found one of those, and set it aside for me. Literally, one day after talking to them on the phone, it was on my doorstep when I came home from work. I live only a couple of counties away in Southern California, but still that was fast. The tree is a nice vigorous tree, in very good condition, on the largish size for a 5 gal. Absolutely no regrets perhaps spending a little more for the tree and shipping compared to local nurseries. The service was excellent and this tree is in great condition. I saved myself many hours (and gasoline) searching for one of these difficult to find trees locally. Chris

I wish there was a rating higher that just "Positive" for this company! First of all, their service is outstanding! They are helpful, informative and they never treat you as if to say, "it's yours now, see ya!". I read some of the other comments, and yes, they are not the cheapest; but they are the best. Their packaging is unsurpassed and the quality of their plants is exceptional. I live in MN and have 2 of their Myers Lemon trees. After 2 years, one of them became terribly infected with aphids. One of the reasons I feel it survived was that it was a healthy strong plant from the start.

I've also sent 4 Myers Lemon trees to other people around the country; and all reported their trees to be strong and healthy. With so many mail order companies out there, it's difficult to know who you can count on. However, I can't praise this company enough.

This is one company who takes the time to deliver outstanding quality and service... continually. For me, when I want to send a live plant, the first place I will go is Clifton's Nursery. I've never been disappointed, I can assure you won't be either. They get a Five star rating from me! Try them just once, and you'll see what I mean. It's worth it!

I am just delighted with Clifton's. I have bought a number of fruit trees from them this month (3 fig trees, 1 plum tree and 1 blueberry). All arrived in perfect condition because they were very good to begin with and these guys really package their product well. They even gave me a rebate (without being asked) on shipping when they were able to get two fig trees in one carton! The trees and blueberry are each doing well in the orchard. This is a great small business that deserves our patronage.

I ordered a persimmon tree last year. It arrived in excellent condition. I emailed to ask for planting advice and they were very helpful. The tree stayed healthy and grew well during its first summer. Now with spring arrived it is budding out very nicely in its second year.

I ordered a Mexicola Grande avocado tree in a five-gallon pot. It is a beautiful specimen. It has grown over a foot in the last five weeks, and even broke out with eight clusters of flowers two weeks after arriving. Of course, it didn't produce avocados -- it's only 3 1/2 feet tall, but it will. It has also put on several new branches in this length of time.

I did request shipping about mid-April, and it arrived five days after I ordered near the beginning of February. However, since it came already potted up, this was not a problem. I just left it in the pot it came in and set it by the sliding glass door. It's been very happy there.

The packing is extremely well done, so it arrived without a leaf out of place.

I will defintely be ordering from this nursery again.

I've purchased all kinds of things online but this was my first online plant purchase and I did a lot of research before deciding to buy from Clifton's. Their website is clear and easy to navigate with photos and useful info, on the plants. It can get frustrating going through a website with hundreds of plants on offer but with little or cryptic info. and no pictures. They have a fairly large selection of everything from ornamentals to tropicals, etc. Then I found them on Dave's Garden and the good reviews were encouraging.

I had emailed the store saying that I was interested in growing fruit trees indoors but had no previous experience. Maybe I was being too ambitious? :) In any case, the owner himself, John Dahnens, suggested that I call so he could make some personal suggestions on indoor growing. He was very friendly and patient with all my questions. Spring is probably the busiest season for any nursery, but the fact that he took the time to personally answer ALL my emails and talk with me on the phone speaks volumes about the man and the quality of business that they run. They definitely care about quality and customer satisfaction.

Ordered a 5 gallon dwarf improved meyer lemon and a 5 gallon calamondin tree. Both arrived just a few days ago in great condition, both were very leafy and well-established. Beautiful little tress! They even delayed shipment since we went out of town and the delivery was timed for our return. The calamondin came with a dozen little fruits (and grew even more while I've been aclimating it!) and the baby meyer lemon tree was flowering and now has 2 tiny lemons.

Note: Clifton's Nursery purchases their citrus from Monrovia and Willits & Newcomb, both excellent wholesalers. The W & N tree was in especially good shape -- well pruned and potted in very good citrus soil (correct pH and good drainage).

Their packaging is excellent! One box was damaged in transit (Fedex ground) with 4-5 inch holes punched through at several points (plant wrestling?). But the trees were packaged so well that they both arrived undamaged, other than some minor crimping on the calamondin since it was so tall at 4+ feet. The plant foliage is encased in an inner "collar" that prevents it from moving up and down in the box, and there's all kinds of padding to help protect it. The shipping is expensive because they do ship in pot and with special packaging, never bare-root, which means less stress on the plants. It's worth it especially if you are ordering larger plants/trees.

After receiving the trees I wrote the store with some polite feedback on their great packaging and trees and on the calamondin having some minor pests. With some clean-up and organic spray it looks like the problem is now under control and both trees seem to be doing very well. Got a pleasant email back and no bad attitude at all. Had the calamondin been seriously ailing it probably wouldn't have bounced back so quickly. So, it looks like they do take very good care of their plants in general.

Kudos to Clifton's! I'd previously been leery of ordering a plant sight unseen but with a good source like this it's not a problem. I wouldn't hesitate to recommended them for online purchases. (I'm in no way affiliated with the store). I will definitely order again in the future. :)

Ordered a 5 gallon Mexicola avocado from Clifton's on a Saturday afternoon.Got a confirmation call on Monday and was told the item would arrive on that Thursday.Sure enough, on Thursday I received a beautiful 5 foot tree in perfect condition.The packing was imaculate, second to none.The price is high, but in this case you get what you pay for. If you don't like the price don't order.But I asure you, you will not be disapointed by this company.

EXCELLENT company to buy fruit trees from by mail! They have GREAT customer service, really fast shipping, and giant trees with lots of new growth! Clifton's also carries varieties (dwarf trees and tropical plants) that I couldn't find here in Austin. I have placed two orders from Clifton's in the past month.

The dwarf peach and dwarf nectarine trees in my first order arrived in excellent condition with green pecan-sized fruit hanging from both trees. The peach tree was about 4 feet tall and the nectarine was at least 3 feet tall. Although the saleswoman told me shipping was a week behind due to a move, I received the trees within a week and a half, which was faster than I expected!

Since the first trees I ordered were so healthy, large, and arrived so quickly, I decided to order some more. I called last Monday afternoon to order a passion fruit vine, dwarf avocado tree, and mango tree. John answered all my questions about zones and tree height and recommended which plants I should pot versus plant in the ground. He was so helpful with my long list of questions. He said he would get my plants in the mail that day and that I would receive them Friday. I received an order confirmation e-mail shortly after we hung up and the plants arrived on Friday as promised. The passion fruit vine is covered with both beautiful flowers and a number of small half-grown passion fruits. The plant is even healthier than vines I have seen in local nurseries. The avocado and mango trees are also in excellent shape and large (4 to 5 feet tall with lots of green leaves). The trees looked like I just picked them up from a nursery, not like they had been traveling in boxes for a few days. I will continue to buy fruit trees and vines from Clifton's for years to come!

On 03/04/2004, I ordered a 5 gallon Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortuneii) from Clifton's website via an online order. The next day, the owner sent me an e-mail notifying me my order was shipped out and describing the plant to me. I received the palm on 03/10/2004 -- 6 days after ordering!

The palm is almost 6 feet tall, lush, clean, and beautiful. It was very well packaged, and had NO shipping damage at all -- it's just a beautiful plant, as the owner had advised me it would be.

I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER -- FIRST CLASS PLANT and FIRST CLASS SERVICE! And, I feel that both price and shipping charges were fair and reasonable. I WOULDN'T HESISTATE TO RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY OR TO ORDER AGAIN. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

I've just received my first order from Clifton's -- a Camellia 'Debutante' standard in a five-gallon container.

I chose to pay the high price and high shipping because I wanted a nice-sized specimen, and bit my nails until the tree arrived. But I needn't have worried.

The camellia arrived in perfect condition, well-packed in a sturdy double box. The tree is taller than I am! And it even had blooms on it (none fell off either). A beautiful, VERY healthy plant!

So although I winced a the price, I am well-pleased with my purchase and would not hesitate to order from this company again.

Jean

Ok, I see where Carter is coming from on price. But I have to say you get what you pay for here.

1. Extremely high quality plants
2. Fast order processing and shipping
3. Undoubtedly the best packaging system on the planet, particularly for larger (5 gal) shrubs
4. Friendly and incredibly helpful staff

Let's put it this way . . . I'm trying to grow a shrub that simply doesn't fit our climate, and their owner has emailed me several times over the past year to check on it's health and offer advice. How many nurseries even follow up on your purchase?

If it it isn't available locally, and I can get it at Cliftons, that's where I'm going. Period.

I really debated between positive and neutral on this one - for one point only. Service was quick and easy - the order was placed, shipped (with e-mail notification of shipping), and received in a week and a half. Packing is incredible! Plants are super healthy (Monrovia plants). Nice selection. Absolutely no flaw in the process and product whatsoever - TOP MARKS!!

My only problem is the price. Yikes!! Kinda high, especially for one gallon size plants (f.e. 1 gal - avg size - dwf. bottlebrush - $26). All in all, for four 1 gallon size plants - one of which was an unusual boronia and hadn't seen anywhere else - I paid $161. So, on top of high plant prices, you got high shipping.

I went with positive for this nursery because I did, after all, choose to pay the price, and as to all other aspects, I couldn't be happier with the whole transaction!