The scoop on 'Rarefind Nursery (Rare Find Nursery)'

My order of ACER palmatum 'Osakazuki' and ACER palmatum 'Wou nishiki' arrived very quick 02JUL2008. I planted both on 03JUL2008. The Osakazuki did not look as nice as the Wou nishiki. The Wou nishiki looks fabulous. It also looks like has taken well to the transplant. We'll see how things go with the Osakazuki, I have my fingers. Overall the experience with Rare Find was positive.

Super speedy service!! I placed an order Monday morning and asked if it could be shipped this week instead of next Monday (the default shipping date) without risking it getting caught up in holiday (Friday) delays. It arrived in 48 hours!!!!

Phenomenal Plants!!! FedEX completely screwed up the routing of my first Package (11 days in their hands). I live in WV and they are located in NJ, but when I ordered two Mt. St. Helens Azaleas, FedEx routed them through ARIZONA!! I expected them to be dead. When my crushed box arrived, I had two living plants - still. They had nice root balls- still moist, they had lost most of their leaves, but are already beginning to recover!! After discovering the shipping issue, Rare Find Nursery staff were wonderful and offered to replace the plants regardless of whether FedEX would reimburse them. The next pair arrived and are beautiful. Fast shippers!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

I ordered 2 Magnolia Tree's from Rarefind Nursery...this was my first order from them ever. The order was placed at the end of March-first of April for Magnolia 'Stella Aclaim' and 'Flamingo' with instructions to deliver mid-May.
Tuesday when I had not recieved shipping confirmation for them I called at 8am...they hadn't shipped but the gentleman did not know why, said he's call me back in an hour or two. I waited until 4pm, when he didn't call me back I called them but got a woman this time. After a few minutes of her looking my order up and sighing in my ear about the gentleman not telling her anything this morning when she came in...she finally found the paper work and assured me they would be shipped out on Wed. An hour later the gentleman called me and stated the same thing...they would be shipped out the next morning. (Wed.)
Yesterday a box arrived from Rarefind Nursery...only one tree in it with a note saying "Sorry..couldn't find the other one". I just feel like they could of told me on the phone...I had been very excited about finding Magnolia Tree's that could with stand my winter lows. 8 weeks of waiting and then this... it was a huge disappointment to say the least.

My disappointment alone would give this a negative but the condition of the Tree was very good so I am posting on a neutral but im not sure I will ever order from them again.

I ordered a japanese pieris "Dorothy Wycoff" from this company and I am very pleased with the result. I felt the plant was a bit expensive, but after seeing it, it was well worth the extra money. The shrub was bigger than I expected and really well packed. The plant itself was in gorgeous condition and took to transplanting without a hitch and has continued to be a vigorous grower. The shipment arrived promptly too. I don't mind paying a bit extra when the goods and service are superior.

The dogwood "Jean's Appalachian Snow," I ordered was delivered very healthy and beautiful. I am pleased with the quality and service!

I received an amazing large healthy Japanese Maple Acer palmatum "Ukigumo". This small tree was everything they advertised in terms of size and vigor. The shipping was extremely quick - just in time for my first garden club tour. The packing resulted in very few brusied leaves, despite the large bushy sized tree and no broken limbs. I couldn't have been more pleased. I searched everywhere for this tree. They have quite a selection of the rare finds!

I am very demanding of nurseries and seek out the best. I prefer independent nurseries selling top quality specimens, where you can deal with real human beings who love plants and in turn be treated politely and as an individual. Rarefind excels in all categories and though I am a new customer it has already become a favorite source of mine.

I have received two orders through the mail, both consisting of very nicely sized and healthy plants that I might have purchased at a nursery in person. The size of the perennials exceeded any others I have purchased by mail. Prices on all the plants were therefore more than fair. Hank Schannen, the owner, phoned me personally to discuss an order and left a very pleasant message. There were also follow up e-mails.

Rarefind specializes in Rhododendrons and Azaleas, among other plants, and Hank is clearly a recognized expert in that area. The beautiful and large variety he sells is extraordinary. They also focus on perennials -- native species, particularly -- and have a wide variety of other plants, including dwarf conifers.

Support them in person if possible; otherwise order with confidence.

I just received my first order from Rare find last week. It was a joy to unpack. The plants are HUGE. They are in such good health, with outstanding root systems. The packing was alot different than I am used to, but they arrived in great condition, so no complaints here. They are a bit pricey but the plants you get are so large and healthy I think it is worth it. For example I ordered a Chamaecyparis "Curly Tops" for $35. I hemmed and hawed about the price but took the plunge and ordered it, and I am so glad I did. It is so big (for a dwarfish shrub anyway), I don't know how they made any money on that sale. The 5 other trees and shrubs I ordered where much larger than I expected too.
They were out of stock on one of the plants I ordered, which they informed me of months ago so I could substitute. They shipped on time and in full. I highly recommend this company!!!

This is my first experience ordering from Rare Find Nursery. I ordered one Magnolia grandiflora 'edith bogue'. The plant arrived packed well and in excellent condition. My only complaint is that prices are a bit high compared to similar sized plants from other mail order companies. Otherwise, my experience was great.

Great Company! Ordered from here before, and was very pleased. This year, I wanted a tree that could only be picked up in person. I drove to the nursery, and couldn't have been more pleased with the people and the plants. My tree was great, I had 6 to pick from, and they were all great! Hank the owner, drove me around in his golf cart and gave me a tour and history of his place and the plants. Needless to say, I bought more than I orginally had planned. Great quality plants, great people, (Bill is a big asset to the place), and a real treasure here in New Jersey. Go, you will NOT be disappointed.

I ordered from Rarefind for the first time and was very pleased with the plants that I received. They were healthy and robust. I will definitely order from them again.

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.

I placed an order for a dove tree just two weeks ago and it already arrived yesterday. Larger than described in catalog and packing was excellent. This was a pleasant experience.

A spectacular catalog in print and even better online. Have ordered twice and received generous size plants, well packaged, each time. They are very friendly over the phone, and respond to e-mail questions as well.

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.

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.

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.