Floribunda Palms & Exotics

I received my first order from Floribunda a week ago and was very pleased with both the size and quality of the plants received. I requested that my plants be shipped in their pots and not bare rooted. Of course this involved much more weight and expense given that most of my order consisted of 1 gallon sized pots. In fact, the box was so heavy I could barely pick it up off the ground from where the UPS driver had left it. So I was pleasantly surprised that the resulting shipping charges incurred turned out to be so low (slightly less than 50% of the total value of the plants ordered). In my experience this is not substantially different than that charged by other mail order nurseries from which I've purchased much smaller sized potted material. Given this experience with my first order, Floribunda provides excellent value and many unique offerings for those of us interested in palms. I'll definitely be ordering from them again!

I bought from Floribunda about 2 years ago and Jeff Marcus honored the bare minimum shipment order of $100. He became a bit aggravated when I asked him via e-mail to give me a shipping estimate; given the fact that I was buying an assortment of different palms and shipping them halfway across the world. He sent an e-mail back and told me to call him. After calling several times (the line was always busy) he answered and of course was already disgruntled about my incessant calling, and upon telling him who I was, he became even more irked once he remembered that I was the guy asking for a shipping estimate. With this, he embarked on a long-winded monologue and carefully explained to me his process from beginning to end, in an exhaustive, labored manner. As other posters have alluded to, I could certainly hear a bit of arrogance and certainly, a tartness in his voice. After enduring this, he said he wouldn't be able to prepare and ship my order for another month or two since he was extremely busy (a common theme) at the time with bigger orders. After all of this, I felt as if he was trying to talk me out of buying from him; but he lightened up a little and we talked palms; he then concluded that he'd be in touch with me. After all of this, he sent me an e-mail and said that my order was packed and ready and I paid the shipping (which wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be) and he called me once he shipped it. The plants were absolutely stunning and were carefully packaged. It was really A+ stuff. Pricing of the plants is honestly the best you'll see and Jeff "Curmudgeon" Marcus is a wealth of knowledge and he is a terribly honest and I think deep down, a good hearted person; he's just extremely rough and prickly around the edges; akin to some of the palms he sells. I would definitely buy from Jeff again, but I would absolutely dread the phone call. Not someone I'd want to be pals with, but certainly a great source for exotic, affordable and perfect quality palms.

I too experienced the bad attitude and arrogance of the owner. I placed an order for $217 worth of palms. The way it works is you pay the shipping snd handling charge after you get the order. Their web site says "packing and handling charges cover cost of packing materials". So I was a little surprised when the order came and the charges were $100. UPS charges were 45$ so that meant $55 for packing and handling. I know stuff is expensive in Hawaii, but I've ordered similar or larger box size orders from other Hawaiian nurserys and not paid any where near $100. If I had known about these charges before hand, I wouldn't of been upset. But who would expect packing materials to be $55? So just be warned if you are a first time buyer. And for gods sake don't question the owner about it and damage his fragile ego.

First time ordering from Jeff Marcus. He has the best selection of palms and value. I read a negative on Jeff for being rude and arrogant; in fact, I just think he just has a dry personality and also dealing with so many different types of people one can get cynical and elementary. He was great to deal with and very honest and professional. Once I received my order I was very happy that the palms were a lot bigger than I was expecting! Big plus. Some of the 4" plants should be in a 1 gallon and the packaging was outstanding. No plants were damaged and nicely packed with newspaper shredding and aluminum foil. He called me when my order was shipped followed with an email confirmation. I will order from him again!

Nothing short of outstanding! The "handling fee" is pretty exorbitant (Basically the same as the shipping cost itself!) But this is one of the best sellers, period!

Great plants at a fair price even when you add the cost of shipping! I have ordered 3-4 times over the years and have always had a high rate of success including many of the more tropical varieties. If you have questions about billing and shipment speak w/ Jeff as he runs the business 'his way'. Jeff is very knowledgable and will spend the time on the phone to give you concise growing information. *Highly recommended!

I recently placed and received an order from Floribunda. Jeff Marcus personally called to notify me when the order went out and even spent the time to speak to a novice. The palms arrived in great shape, and I appreciate the tips and the great service. I can highly recommend them and will definitely place future orders with them. Chris

Floribunda has given me the one of the best mail-order experiences. Despite my small finicky order, I promptly received a phone call about the status thereof. The owner, Jeff Marcus, candidly offered growing advice. The plants arrived when promised, in excellent health and condition, packed with great care. Most of the plants were larger than I expected, all at a very reasonable low price. I undoubtedly I will order from this knowledgeable business again and highly recommend Floribunda to everyone, especially those in search of uncommon palms.

Good plants at good prices were not enough to outweigh the rudness and arrogance I encountered.

I have ordered over40 different species that I grow in my garden here in San Diego, Ca. Not only do the plants arrive safely and very well packed but the quality of product is unsurpassed, especially for the price. Local nurseries here sell the same plants for up to 8 times Floribunda's price! Even after shipping I still save so much! So far, I've ordered over 200 1g palms and none have died!! Spread the aloha!!

I have ordered several different times from Floribunda, and every time the experience has been great. Very rarely were substitutions needed, and usually the sub is the same species in a different size. Jeff always calls to double check the order, then again to let me know he is shipping it. I've never waited more than a few days for him to ship the order. Also, his wife must be magical when it comes to barerooting the palms, I have not lost a single one (including many 1-leaf seedlings), and most started growing right after I received them. If you want smaller sizes of rare palms this is definitely the place to obtain them from. Several times his prices have been less than the cost of SEEDS for the same palm.

THe owner, Jeff Marcus, is an expert on tropical palms and really knows his stuff. All plants are shipped bare root, which can be a bit stressful on them, but all are well packed in moist sphagnum and have antitranspirant applied to the leaves. Care must be taken to order palms during a season when they will experience the least shock (or else have a humid, warm greenhouse waiting)... bareroot palms don't take to being unpacked in the dry heat, or freezing cold and adjustment is difficult. This place has a pretty large variety of palms to choose from and most of the time the plant is correctly identified... however not all the time (no place can guarantee that). Plants arrive timely and in excellent condition.

Excellent!! No problems ordered from this company many times. Excellent communication, most palms are larger than expected. Shipping time is great and he even watches local weather conditions for shipping. Perfect for small palms.

I've ordered numerous plants from them over a number of years. They're very good about everything, including making adjustment, which are very rarely necessary. I give them a gold star!