Nurseries Caroliniana

My first time ordering from them. They plants I ordered were in great shape and quite large. Outstanding prices for such generous sized plants. A note for northern gardeners: they don’t appear to do early ordering and holds for later spring shipping. I just wait to see what they’ve got when it’s safe to have stuff shipped to my area. I will order from them again.

In Sept. 2020 I ordered a variety of perennials, 14 plants altogether. UPS delivered a one-ply corrugation carton that was bent and bulging because its size called for either internal bracing or sturdier board in order to withstand shipping. Inside, all the plants were all piled atop each other in the bottom half of the carton. Their rootballs were tightly sealed in plastic bags and were sopping wet— there was no paper around them to diffuse and absorb excess moisture. 13 plants also had their foliage wrapped in plastic, without a paper buffer. Whether the yellowed and brown-spotted foliage existed prior to their packing, I don’t know. 7 were rootbound to a degree that was unforgivable: I spent literally days trying to unwind the roots enough so that slicing down the root balls would leave some intact roots. It would have been more sensible to have put them all in the compost pile and purchased other plants. This was my first order from Nurseries Caroliniana. The website’s write-ups about various plants suggests that the company is run by knowledgeable plantspeople; but after years of purchasing from both mail-order and local nurseries, I was shocked by this shipment.

Placed my first mail order with NuCar. Plants were shipped when requested and arrived in good shape as they were well wrapped. They were also good size for the price. Planting instructions also included. Only problem is both plants arrived with no labels (glad I didn't order twenty that look similar). Emailed them with a pic asking which was which and requesting a quick reply as I had already unwrapped one looking for a label. Then just decided to Google a picture of the leaves and did identified them preferring not to guess as they need different soil and light conditions. Then made my own labels with my P-touch.

It is always exciting to visit Nurseries Caroliniana but the coronavirus makes that impossible for us to get out. Mail order is the next best thing. Today we received our Fatsia japonica ‘Spider Web.’ It is great plant and in perfect condition. Also it is larger than those available on other sites. Maybe next year we will get to to visit.

After looking forward to visiting for years, we went at the end of May. I understand low inventory at that time, given the weather. But every plant had weeds in the pot; sometimes the weeds were bigger than the plant. If I got anything here, I'd completely rinse and soak to the bare root. The only help offered me was by someone who didn't know the plant stock by Latin name. Plants were unmarked, unpriced. All those special plants on my list were no where to be seen, despite being shown in stock. A profoundly sad experience.

Very pleased with the plants I received. They were much larger than I expected for the price and their catalog has lovely things I have not seen for sale anywhere else (and I spend a lot of time shopping for plants on-line). When I opened the box I was initially a bit skeptical about the packaging, as everything seemed to be trussed up in saran wrap in a most unnatural way, but it is quite ingenious. As I unwrapped the plastic wrap from the top down, the branches all fell gently back into their natural position. Not a twig was broken nor a leaf out of place. Plastic bags around the root balls kept all the soil in place. This may be the best packaging I have ever had for a plant order.

This nursery was a surprise to me. I live not even 2 hours from there, but had never heard of it. Anyway, the plants arrived and they were much better than I thought they would be. My hydrangea was almost 3 feet tall. It wasn't cut back like some of the other hydrangeas that I've ordered. I will be ordering again, but I'm also considering taking a drive there in person.

Ordered a Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca' and a Hydrangea aspera 'Plum Passion'. Plants were mistakenly shipped to the wrong address. They promptly sent another shipment that arrived quickly. The plants were in great shape. The root balls were large for 1 gallons Their ordering system is as clunky as can be, but they have a great selection.

ordered 2 plants, Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu', i'm in zone 7, but have read on multiple sites that it can be grown in a pot and brought inside in winter during cold snaps. so i went ahead and ordered 2 plants. the amount of my order was $54.55. they lasted 3 months, then winter came. i brought it inside the garage during cold snaps, and then in spring brought it out with all the rest of my 30 or so nursery plants i had ordered from lazy s's and forest farm, left them all on the porch so they could come out and acclimate, and then i noticed that all the plants had leafed out except the fudingzhu. i contacted them and asked for a replacement. they basically said "too bad so sad", offered no replacement, no refunds, and said i shouldnt have ordered the plants since they were not in my zone. since i saw that people in my zone were growing them, and i have a very green thumb and am experienced with keeping plants thriving, i felt that i could do this. multiple sites say it will do fine in my zone as long as brought inside during cold snaps. either way, even if that is not the case, it would have been a great business practice to say sorry it didn't work out, i'll send some replacements, or sorry but i dont think you should grow it where you live, i'll refund you the plants, or here's a thought, even better. dont sell to people outside your zone. the majority of their plants are osmanthus so if they know it doesnt grow in tennessee they shouldnt honor those orders. or it should say this can not be kept in a pot, which is what he said to me in his response, but i see that people are keeping them in pots.. anyhow, that's $54.55 down the drain. and i will not recommend this company to anyone, nor will i order anything from them ever again. very poor business practice. even a one time courtesy to me would have been fine, like, i'll refund you this once for the plants, but if you place any further orders i wont guarantee the plants, but honestly most plant companies allow for the possibility that the plants may not make it and lets face it, they are propagating them, so while it does take time and effort to raise the plants, they are raising them in bulk and therefore it's not that big of a deal to them if 2 plants die, that's the cost of doing business, and further, they can just propagate 2 more to replace them, i can't do that. i think its a bad practice to take my money and then say well you shouldnt have bought them. further, their response to me was "We guarantee our plants to be alive and well when you receive them. After that, it is up to you." so order at your own risk from this company. they don't guarantee anything, and won't refund if it dies. i can't believe i paid $54.55 to have 2 plants for 3 months. and i am near poverty level. i make 8.50 an hour, so 55 bucks is a big deal to me. it may have been my stupidity to order them, but when you read that other peoples are doing fine in zone 7 i felt i would be ok. i also felt leaving it in the pot was ok because i see that is done by many people as well. anyway, what goes around comes around. the companies' lack of compassion will come around and bite them in the end eventually anyway.

Ooooh a trip to Nurseries Caroliniana is like a visit to the candy store. All the way there my husband kept telling me how we needed to exercise restraint and reminding me of all the plants in pots we already had. Well, come to the nursery and who can't stop putting plants in the cart... you got it. We both got so many things we'd been looking for and unable to find anywhere else and left with our trailer full, happy as can be. We'll be back!

I just received the second of two orders I placed for this spring. The first for Allium thunbergii 'White Ozawa' and the second for Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa'. Plants were incredibly large and generous given that this allium species is quite small by nature. Communication was excellent and plants were very well packaged. I am extremely pleased and would definitely order from this nursery again!

This nursery has many of the old favorite plants at excellent prices, but they also specialize in unusual varieties and have a huge selection of variegated plants. The staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. Although I live close enough to visit the nursery, I have seen them packing plants for mail order and can attest to the care that is taken in the process. You couldn't find a better place to do business with.

I have ordered 2 wisteria 'bluemoon' plants last week and I received them this week. The packaging was good and plant looked very healthy and one of the plant also has some buds. They were very honest with their communication when I called them on the plants, size and availability. They have very good collection of rare plants that are not locally available and I would order from them again.

I am an avid plant hobbyist who has been mail-ordering plants for thirty years. So I was quite surprised to receive three recent big orders from Nurseries Caroliniana. They offer not only traditional favorites like gardenias and hollies, but rare and hard-to-find fancy leaf forms as well. They also offer totally new and fascinating plants not listed or found elsewhere. I have always enjoyed the Okinawan Holly (Ilex dimophohylla), so I was quick to order Nurseries Caroliniana's offering of Ilex dimophophylla crossed with Ilex cornuta. I did not know what to expect. I was left breathless when I unpacked the plant and beheld its elegance & beauty. On another note, My name is Ramon, and I am an Aucuba fiend. Words cannot express the impact "Big Momma" and "Yamaguchi Giant" had on me when I unpacked them. I enjoy the southern hospitality of the staff who are attentive to customer service. All of the plants that I ordered had full healthy growth, strong roots, and were meticulously packaged to arrive in perfect condition. Like I said, I received three big orders from Nurseries Caroliniana, and I hope to receive more. I highly recommend Nurseries Caroliniana to beginning & highly experienced gardeners alike. And to those jaded & blase seasoned gardeners, I must say that Nurseries Caroliniana is truly a new adventure in gardening.

I have ordered many plants in the past few years and are very happy with the wide selection of plants, and the quality of plants. Many thanks for making these rare & unusual plants available to plant enthusiasts.

I recently received a shipment from Nurseries Caroliniana; once again, they managed to exceed my expectation. Members of my extended family and I have ordered a number of times from Nurseries Caroliniana, & have ALWAYS been extremely pleased with the plants we've received -- & with the great care they take in packing & shipping . Equally as impressive is the service and courtesy of NC's knowledgeable staff. I feel very fortunate to have access to their collection of plants -- many of which are hard to find elsewhere. When it comes to mail order nurseries, it just doesn't get much better than Nurseries Caroliniana.

Definitely the best quality of potted plants I've ever received from mail order companies, and the owners are so very friendly and helpful. I received not only huge!!! and very well branched (and relatively cheap!) plants, but also the owners had gone so far to meet all my requests, including even the not-so-reasonable ones. Last year in late September I ordered a sweet olive tree and a banana shrub tree from them, and asked if it's possible to see them bloom the same year. I knew it was quite late, so I didn't insist on it, and the ower Peggy said it was the end of their blooming seasons so she wasn't sure but she would try to find some that's still in bloom. Knowing that I am a begining gadener living in the northwest, she also kindly gave me many tips and instructions on how to overwinter these tender plants. And when I received the plants, they were both huge and FULL of flower buds! The sweet olive has been blooming non stop ever since I got it and still is in bloom now, in my cold, dim house in South Dakota. The banana shrub is more sensitive to light and temperature, so it had all the buds hang on there all winter and they all bloomed fabulously this spring. This year I ordered again from them, and again got big plants that have flower buds on. They made a small mistake during our communication through email, and they decided to make it up to me by sending me a very nice gift plant. I am so grateful that this kind of companies exist, and I wish them the best luck and success, and continue supplying the best quality plants there is on internet.

I ordered two osmanthus from this company and they arrived much larger than I expected, fully leafed, and starting to flower. Green Thumbs Up to Nurseries Caroliniana.

Seems to be the only place carrying the Osmanthus fragrans ‘Fudingzhu’ - of course then one "notices" they also carry aurantiacus which is apparently hardy in my zone (7A)...ahhh, what more could you ask for - esp. with Christmas $$ in hand?!? Wonderful - personal customer service - quick ship - perfect packing and nice large healthy plants with GOOD sized root balls (could easily be potted up to 3 gal). Winning combination in MY book. As others may have noted already - this nursery does require a min. purchase and although shipping may "seem" high...these are not light - remember the root balls are sizable!! Order placed on a Sat. - was rec'd on Wed - this a week before Christmas...Kudos to nursery and UPS!!! They are not set up for online orders - but honestly it was refreshing to chat with the sweet gal that took my order. In this world of internet - how nice to have such personalized service! Not only that but SHE remembered to call me (I'd sent an email stating my interests and that I'd like to talk with her when she'd be in that Sat.) - how great is that!?!? Most certainly would shop with them again...would love even more to rent a van and visit them in person!!

I drove 60 miles to get shrubs from nurcar, and it was well worth the trip! The plants are truly wonderful. I purchased 8 shrubs, including a very hard to find Orange tea Olive and Salvia greggi - prices are very very good, and the owner has plants that are seen nowhere else - he goes to Japan and chooses new cultivars and varieties and brings them here. (I am afraid that I may have to now build a pond, as they carry a prostrate Japanese camellia that simply cries to be taken home, each one more lovely than the next! ) I am very new to gardening and they patiently answered about 100 questions that I had, and were so very helpful and cheerful, even though I was a pest. They answer email inquiries promptly, even though they are very busy in outdoors. I cannot attest to their mail-order business, but this is my preferred nursery now, even though there are good ones near my house - the quality of the plants and the prices are top-notch. My only caveat is to not rely on the online catalog- they have many more varieties than are listed, so don't be afraid to ask! Lorie in South Carolina

My absolutely favorite nursery!! I can't speak to the mail order part of the business because I live close enough (too close?!) to visit on site. Great selection, good prices. They carry a lot of native plants that are hard to find elsewhere. I've planted whole areas of my yard with plants from them and they've all done wonderfully.

Made the trip from Atlanta to visit this nursery. They have one of the better selections of rare plants in the Southeast. The staff was very helpful and went out of there way to assist me. Prices were very reasonable. We did have difficulty locating a couple plants on their price list, probably because it was late in the season. The nursery is extensive and the offerings immense, so I would recommend you call in advance to confirm availability if you are making a special trip and looking for specific plants. I did this for some plants and they had already been pulled for me when I arrived.

3 Lavender 'grosso' bought six months ago have flourished. Customer service, selection, quality, and prices were all excellent.

Have recently "rediscovered" this nursery. A wide range of plants with the focus on unusual species and native varieties. Found variegated leaf azaleas for the first time. A large selection of hostas and hydrangeas as well as many different types of trees. Excellent choices for someone looking for different varieties.

I've shopped at this local nursery a few times this spring. They do have a nice selection of plants and I bought many. They have reasonable prices and the plants were in decent condition. The only problem I had was that a couple were mislabled, which I was made aware of after they had been planted and started blooming.

This is an outstanding nursery. I made a one-day roundtrip from Birmingham, AL to N. Augusta, SC just to shop there a few years ago. Their plant selection for the Southeast U.S. is unbeatable. Last Spring (2004), I purchased three Asian evergreen Magnolias from. They were good-sized plants, arrived quickly, and in excellent condition.

I ordered and have just received two hydrangeas from Nurseries Caroliana. They are in excellent shape! Wrapping and packing job was great, and my order was filled in just over a day after I gave my credit card information. I am a novice gardener in the Atlanta area and had never used a mail order nursery service before this order. I found Garden Watchdog to be helpful for locating area nurseries and choosing one to order from. I was very happy with this experience and will likely order from Nurseries Caroliana again.

Just found out that this company has moved into the mail order business. If you garden in the south and want access to an amazing array of great plants for the south, this is the place to go first. They apparently are quite conversant with Dr. Mike Dirr and actively seek out horticultural gems that thrive in the South. I am really excited about this place and have just placed a large order. I will provide additional feedback when the plants come in.