Comments regarding River Rock Nursery

This nursery was a pleasant find. I was ordering a Disanthus, and I asked if they possibly carried a Nyssa sylvatica 'Zydeco Twist' as well. To my surprise, they did. She informed me that everything they have is not listed online and that I should call and ask if I do not see what I want. The plant arrived in 3 days in excellent condition. It was also double the size of a Zydeco that I had order from another site, which never leafed out. It was also half the price of the dead one.

Located just outside of Portland, Oregon, this nursery is a hidden jewel. Great selection of plants at reasonable prices. It has a wide assortment of trees, shrubs, etc. A good source for bonsai enthusiasts.

I live in northern Alabama where retail nurserys tend to NOT have any plant stock that is out of the ordinary. I came across River Rock Nursery in my internet search for two specimen ornamental trees that were completely unavailable locally, namely Stewartia pseudocamellia and Franklinia alatamaha. Their website provides an inventory list, but no on-line ordering or even assurances of availability. I e-mailed them with a question about these plants, and got a response in a few days. Then I telephoned and spoke directly with Gretchen (one of the proprietors, I believe), who gave me details on size and shipping and accepted my credit card number. The trees were sent out about 10 days later and arrived in about 48 hours in excellent shape via 3rd day express mail. Gretchen responded very quickly to my e-mail question about invoiced shipping charges being higher than quoted and volunteered to reduce the charge to the earlier figure with no dispute whatsoever. My new little trees (both about 30" tall) are happily growing with obvious newly forming leaf buds, so I have the highest hopes for their success. The prices were reasonable especially given the apparent rarity of these trees in my vicinity. River Rock Nursery is certainly a place to consider if you are in need of a very specific ornamental tree or shrub and are willing to try "mail-order" to get it.