Dave's Nursery (DBA davidverkade.com)

I spent some time researching the "higasayama" maple tree and found Dave's Nursery from this very site. I used the Contact Me link to ask questions regarding the tree and was surprised to receive a response so quickly. He responded promptly to any additional questions I had as well as provided images for the tree I would be purchasing. The packaging was phenomenal compared to other nursery's I've purchased from. The tree I received was in great condition. I was ,however, confused when I saw the tree. The leaves on my tree didn't have any patterns like images I have seen. It didn't look like the tree I expected or believed I purchased, so I asked more questions regarding the higasayama. Dave provided an excellent response about the tree, extreme shade, and bright sunlight. The tree I purchased was grown in deep shade so the leaves are protected during the summer and the patterns on the leaves are affected by the place the tree is planted(shade, partial shade, full sun). I can't wait to plant it and see it grow. I would definitely recommend his business.

When dealing with a product or service online, you hope that you are satisfied with the end results. That is what I experienced with David. He promptly responded to my email questions, made knowledgable suggestions, prepared and packaged the order professionally, kept me posted on his shipping plan in the hot weather, and made this first time purchase a pleasure. I would recommend him to interested parties in a heartbeat!

I have ordered two tricolor beeches (Fagus Sylvatica Roseomarginata) and two Japanese Maples (Acer Shirasawanum "Autumn Moon") from Dave's Nursery. I received a prompt e-mail confirming the order and telling me when it will be shipped and when it should arrive. Dave sent then a second e-mail with the UPS tracking number. The trees arrived on the day he said they would. The packaging was impeccable. The trees arrived in wonderful condition, with no branches broken. They look very healthy. I am very pleased with the service and the condition of the trees. I look forward to planting them.

I ordered 2 Hinoki "Verdoni" cypress from Dave and received an immediate confirmation. My order was shipped two days later and arrived the next day. The packing was meticulous and the plants were healthy and in perfect condition. I was thrilled to be able to find them and look forward to seeing them grow. Thanks!

I ordered 8 blue spruce globes. They were shipped to WA and arrived beautifully thanks to Dave's very careful packing. I can't wait to see them evolve into beautiful globes. I recommend Dave for all those exotic gardening needs.

I ordered a Japanese Maple (ACER DISSECTUM CRIMSON QUEEN), an absolutely beautiful specimen you should definitely check out. I received an order confirmation the following day with a personal note thanking me for the order and describing what I would receive and when it would be shipped. I had my order within 3 days and it was very well packaged with absolutely no damage. I consider my experience a terriffic one. I mostly order from larger catalog companies but after such fine customer service I would definitely recommend Dave's Garden to anyone! Thank you to DAVE'S GARDEN!

I bought a Fagus Sylvatica and received it last may. This year the tree didn't seem to be doing well and I emailed Dave about the apparent problem. He helped me out when I came to his nursery and showed me the rest of the plants. My plant seemed ok so I kept the same one but after some time it still didn't respond and only a part of the plant came to life. He said that I probably had put some kind of mix that didn't do good to the plant. He gave me a new plant and I'm very happy. He was very courteous and he's always very quick to respond. I can truly recommend Dave's nursery and after having met Dave I can say that he's very courteous and nice. He told me that he is a third generation of being in the business and I was able to see his workshop and tour the place. Absoulutely positive experience! Thanks Dave.

Thanks for coming by plant_curious.

One correction to you very generous statement,

I am the eight generation doing this.

Dave

I placed an order with Dave and was going to have him ship the plants but discovered we are only 3 hours from his nursery. My wife and I went there today and were very glad we did. By the time we were done we had tripled our order and have a very nice selection of plants to add to our collection. (She was thankful I chose to take the van instead of the Saturn....) Dave took the time to give us a tour of his nursery and answered all of our questions. After seeing his packing methods firsthand, I can understand the positive comments I read here. Order with confidence. Dave

I recently ordered a Cedrus Atlantica Glauca Pendula and Hammamelis x Intermedia Pallida--two plants that I have long wanted but couldn't afford at my local garden center. They arrived in perfect condition with excellent planting instructions. Both are doing very well. Thanks for your help. I will definitely order again!

I recently ordered a Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’ (Fastigiata Eastern White Pine) from Dave's Nursery and I can say that I was completely satisfied with the service. The price was good, the tree arrived in great condition, and it was packaged excellently! I would definitely recommend Dave's Nursery.

Dave, I took photos of my Blue Spruce Hoopsii" while they were still packed in the shipping boxes. When ever I talk to my employees about going that extra mile for patients, I am going to show how well you took care of packing those small trees for their journey to our farm. Thats service. --John

Thanks John. I am happy to be of service.

Dave

Purchased - Atlas Cedars Glauca (4) 1 year old plants. This company was the only company I could find who carried them mail order. The website was easy to navigate. Items shipped exactly when I wanted them to. The packaging of the items was -EXCELLENT- I have never seen such great care taken with the shipping of plants & there was a detailed planting sheet enclosed. Also - excellent feedback on all emails sent. The only drawback that I could see is that the cost for each plant was kind of high for what I received - but based upon the care taken in all other areas - they hopefully will grow - and I can overlook the extra $$. We'll see how they do in my native soil... NC. So here goes...

Thanks for all your help Dave. I received my extremely healthy plants just when I had asked for them. They were well packed and there was 0 damage in shipping. I also appreciate all of the knowledge about the plants that you shared with me. I will definitly be a returning customer.

It has been my pleasure to work with you and look forward to future business.

Dave

Dave is extremely helpful and willing to share his many years of experience when answering questions. Responses to my (multiple) emails were not cryptic, but rather full sentences (and paragraphs!) with as much detail as I needed to make educated decisions when choosing from the many plants available. Unlike many nurseries, Dave does not charge for the plants ordered until your order is about to ship. I recently placed my order for six Japanese Maples and cannot wait for May to arrive! I will update once I receive my package.

Thank you ic_conifers for the most generous comment.

Dave

I bought a tree from Dave's and was pleasantly surprised at how great the customer service was. I mean, no waiting around, worrying etc.... Dave sent a couple of emails and it was all arranged. When the tree arrived it was packed better than anything I've seen in awhile. And of course it was a very nice specimen! Thanks Dave.

Thanks for the kind words, and I look forward to do business with you in the future

Dave

I visited Dave's over the summer with my Dad. Dave has a huge selection of plants, especially japanese maples and dwarf conifers - all at great prices. He gave us personal attention when we were there, giving us a full tour of the nursery. Our experience was very positive and we will definitely be making a return trip in the Spring - we can't wait.

I recently paid a visit to Dave's Nursery. I was intrigued by all the great compliments that had been given him by past customers and wanted to see for myself. Believe me when I tell you that it was an afternoon well spent. This place is the real deal! He doesn't sell cute bird houses, whirly gigs or garden gizmos; JUST PLANTS! Everything he sells is grown, grafted and nurtured on the premises. Dave personally spent a lot of time showing me his stock and was very willing to offer advice on successful methods of growing. After all the time he spent with me, I felt guilty to only make a few small purchases. He treated me like I was his best customer. This is a hard to beat source of bonsai material as well as hard to find landscape specimens. If you can, visit Dave's, if not don't hesitate to use his mail order service

My experience using Dave's Garden was EXCELLENT! There is so much helpful information on the website, I received a personal email from Dave regarding my order and my beautiful Ginkgo tree arrived a day EARLIER than expected. I even got an email from the USPS stating my tree had been delivered! It was lovingly packaged & in perfect condition with a note from Dave. I would recommend and use his nursery again FOR SURE with no doubt about the efficient service, high quality and personal attention he gives.

Dave is an excellent person to deal with. I was looking for a rare graft of a tree I wanted, and he and I emailed back and forth for an entire week. I got the tree I wanted, and it arrived in superp shape! His packing is outstanding, prices are reasonable, and personal service just puts it over-the-top. I highly recommend him, and I hope to do more business with him in the future! Thanks Dave!!!

I ordered a hard to find variety of spruce for this company. The plant graft I received was small, which I had known it would be, but healthy and arrived with excellent directions on planting this grafted plant. A few emails went back and forth and I found Dave to be a friendly knowledgeable person. Obviously honest too since he had my credit card info and charged only the cost I expected, and nothing else! I had requsted shipment at a particular time, and Dave did schedule shipping according to my request. Do not hestiate to do online ordering with this man. He and his plants are great. Our ND weather can be hard on plants, but it still looked good a few days after Christmas, until our recent snowstorm buried it in snow. I'm looking forward to watching it grow again next year.

One word to sum up my experiences with Dave's Nursery !!!!!!!!!OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!! He is extremely knowledgable. He is personable and most of if you have a question or a comment he gets back to you.

I ordered and received 70 grafts from Dave this winter/spring. It was my first experience with his nursery, but he was recommended to me by a local grower. When they arrived, I was blown away by how meticulously packaged the plants were even in their fragile, freshly grafted condition. It took me over an hour to get all of them extracted and there were only 2 leaves floating in the box when I was done. I have my own website mail-order plant business and know the effort that goes into good packaging! Kudos Dave! I'm putting together my order (more than double) for next year right now. Kelly McCartney, Horse Shoe, NC

I couldn't be more pleased with this nursery. I called, not thinking of the time difference between coasts & even though it was 9:00 p.m. there, Dave answered, was very pleasant, and chatted about a particular plant for which I had been searching. He not only had the plant but provided me with information about it that I hadn't found in my horticultural library or online. I apologized for calling so late & taking so much of his time & his response was very kind indeed. I ordered two plants from his website. They were mailed promptly. I was amazed at how well packed they were and how healthy the little buggers looked. All of this in the heat of July. I look forward to doing business with Dave's Nursery again and again!

I wanted to buy some small Japanese maples from a local nursery and I came across Dave Verkade's informative website. My wife Val and I made the trip to Dave's Nursery a few weeks ago, as it was not too far from our home. It was a pleasure to meet Dave and to get an informative tour! We appreciated the time Dave took to explain the grafting process and to show us many of the tree varieties he grows. We also appreciated his insight and recommendations. We plan to place some reservations for trees next year, but we just have to decide which ones to get. We look forward to traveling to Dave's Nursery next spring. We highly endorse Dave's and it is pretty cool to be able to see and buy some Verkade's Specials!

The conifer I order are healthy. You will always get prompt reply form this owner. Shipping is fast with shipping pre-adv + shipping follow up. You know where you stand.

i ordered 2 fagus sylvatica roseomarginata and 2 fagus sylvatica tricolor from dave's nursery. i really didn't know what to expect. i rec'd my grafts on thursday and just could not believe my eyes. they were so beautiful, and so healthy. packaged so well that you just about need a hammer and a few guys to get these grafts out of the box!! grafting is an art form...one that i most truly admire. dave has such a gift....how lucky i feel to have these grafts and they will be guarded with my life! and, although they look so strong, they will be in the nursery until at least next year, in fear that I will make a mistake! you must follow dave's instructions with the care of grafts to assure there mortality , which he makes you very aware of. but .....let me say....the prices are so reasonable that it's worth it! the only thing i'm sorry about, is that we were hoping to take a trip to pick them up and were not able to do that. but next year i'm going to make sure we get the time to take the ride. purchase with absolute confidence you will never be disappointed!

Visited there this afternoon and could not have had a nicer experience. Rare and unusual conifers, Japanese maples and other lovely specialty trees. The eponymous owner is very knowledgeable and willing to share - if every pictures tells a story, then every tree has one, too. Trees are lovingly grown and tended. My only concern is that my husband and I discovered how close we live to the nursery! I see a section of the yard devoted to selections from there in the near future.

My first experience with Dave's Nursery was very and very pleasing. Not only I was kept posted through email about all what was going on with my order (I got 3 emails updating me on it's status); when I got it I was really surprized how carefully the little tree was packed (I only ordered one weeping atlantic cedar). The box was actually reinforsed from inside with a wooden bar, wich was also holding the plastic pot dead in place. No doubt it was the best packaged plant mail order I ever got for my 5 years of intensive gardening. The tree was nice and healthy, with no signs of stress. I will defenitely shop with Dave's again and recommend it to my friends. Guys, forget "Jung seeds"!

I found Dave's Nursery online when I was web searching for local NJ growers of Japanese Maple trees. His website was easy to navigate and included lot's of pictures of the varieties that I was interested in. I called him one day in February (2006) and asked him if I could drop by and he was more than happy to open up the greenhouse for me. I found him doing some winter grafting work. He was more than happy to show me around and give me some details on how he does his grafts. I've purchased a 3 foot tall JM graft and hope to plant it out near my water garden this spring. Dave was helpful and provided information on how to ammend the soil, what growing conditions it preferred and when and how to prune it if necessary. It'll take a year or 2 before I have any feedback on how the tree acclimates and grows out, but for the price ($57) I'm not sure you can find a better deal.

Dave's Family has been in the plant business for eight generations; that's right eight. I have always gotten my money's worth (plus). Most growers exhibit poor grafting skills. Dave's grafts are the work of a generations of accumulated experience. Knowledge, experience, integrity are rarely found in the same place (not to mention a great selection) .

I recently visited Dave's Nursury;and purchased a few conifers.The service was excellant,Dave was very helpful and generous with his knowledge of conifers. A terrific place with a good selection.I look forward to purchasing from Dave's again.

Stinks... They were the one place I could find a Hamamelis intermedia Diane for less than my full paycheck ... A red early spring witch hazel. They sent me a poorly done graft (wrapped with a rubber-band) with one leaf left on it. Did not return e-mail. I'm still nursing the poor plant and hope to have blossoms within the next 7 or 8 years.... You get what you pay for.

I ordered a maple package from Dave's Nursery in Spring 2001. I e-mailed Dave after ordering and found out exactly when my plants would be shipped. The trees arrived in excellent condition, packed tightly, and undamaged. I unpackaged the trees and followed Dave's advice regarding planting them. I was a little unsure of a couple of things, so I wrote Dave an e-mail. He replied promptly with the answers to all of my questions. I am enjoying the trees I purchased from him. They were reasonably-priced and in excellent condition. If I buy trees again, I will order from him.

Hello, My comment is in regards to Dave's Nursery. The owner is David Verkade, and has been very knowledgeable about his listings. I wondered how my Procumbens would arrive that far distance. When they did arrive, they were packed very efficiently and tight, and no damage had occurred. They are doing fine.

Dave's is a one man operation featuring Dave Verkade, a very personable grower specializing in Japanese maples and dwarf conifers which he grafts himself. Although I found him on the web and he does mail order, I visited his nursery since it is near me. Dave is very helpful, he has a great selection and his prices are reasonable.