Comments regarding Kigi Nursery

I ordered a few trees from Kigi Nursery winter 2019. I had a couple questions and sent an email through their contact us page and I received an email back within a few days with answers to all my questions. I saw that it is clearly stated they do not ship during cold or hot spells(my wording not theirs), and if there is any issues with product they need to be notified with pictures upon delivery or within 24 hours which makes sense to me because plants are living and shipping can be stressful. Well, my trees just arrived and they are beautiful and exactly what I ordered! I was a little apprehensive to order because I did read some reviews. I will say you can’t satisfy everyone and maybe this is why there are negative reviews...I however am one happy Gardner and will definitely purchase again!

I have never purchased material previously, so cannot comment about mail order or customer experiences with the company. However, having recently moved from the Massachuset to the Portland Oregon area, I was able to visit the nursery directly and meet with the owner. I was not only able to pick up good examples of plant material I had been looking for since I moved out here (Picea abies ' Lanham's Beehive' / Ulmus minor 'Jacqeuline Hillier') but found the owner quite gracious, and helpful as I looked over his plant material on the property. I found his prices cheap and the plants healthy. Mind you, I had made an appointment to visit, but found the direct experience with this vendor quite satisfying.

My son purchased a gift certificate for me to Kigi Nursery. In March, I used the gift certificate to purchase a weeping hemlock 'Cole's Prostrate. I could not be more pleased with the conifer I received. The plant is in excellent health, is 19" tall and compared to other 'Cole's Prostrate's I looked at at local nurseries, well worth the price I paid.
The nursery was very prompt in responding by email as I changed my mind several times as to the variety I wanted and I had several questions regarding plant care until the weather broke here in the Midwest.
I would definitely purchase plants from this nursery again.

bought umbrella pine 'green star' and hemlock 'jervis'. both arrived better than described and in timely fashion.

Placed an order for a ' Golden Spreader ' Dwarf Golden Caucasian Fir and a Picola Dwarf Japanese Umbrella Pine. They both arrived in good shape and look healthy but the packaging certainly didn't keep them safe. They were laying on their sides in a small cardboard box with some newspaper balled up as protection. I'm not sure there is a better way to ship them but they could have easily been crushed.

I was hoping there would be more to the Golden Spreader but they are slow growers and I purchased one with 3 years of growth. The Umbrella Pine is beautiful. I wish the site had photos of examples for the year of growth you are purchasing.

Finally, I wasnt really sure when my trees would ship after my purchase. A week later I still hadnt heard anything so I sent an email to the nursery. While they didnt respond directly to it, I did get a ship notice later that day.

Jan. 7, 2016 I ordered 2 miniature firs from Kigi Nursery. I found them just surfing for miniature fir trees, and I ordered the following fir trees:
Dwarf Korean Fir (Years of Growth Available: 1 Year) and
Miniature Caucasian Fir (Years of Growth Available: 1 Year).
I immediately received an order confirmation, and on Jan. 19, 2016 I received a very concise detailed email with a tracking number, when shipped, who shipped with, arrival date, etc. And I received my Adorable little fir trees as promised. They were just as I expected, they pretty much look like a little branch off my real Fir Christmas tree. At 10 years growth estimate is 1', so that pretty much guarantees their going to be small at 1 year. LOL They were packed very ice, beautiful color. Only thing I would have liked would have been maybe a little info page about care to start out maybe

I ordered a JM Moonrise which arrived today.
So far I am very pleased. It was well packaged - they had packing around the limbs to prevent breakage.
It is March so it hasn't leafed out yet but it is very well branched for a 1-2 year and you can see the buds. I have purchased other JM from other vendors online so I have seen a lot of variances between vendors.
The graft is 3" from the dirt - its straight and healed well. From the dirt to the top of the tree is 13".
I'm really happy with my JM - and will purchase again.

Ordered a number ornamental conifers from this company. They all arrived in excellent condition, well packaged, and without any issues at all. No disease or blemish. They have all been thriving, despite being ordered in the dead of winter! Timely delivery and as expected. Looking forward to future business with this company!

This was my first purchase with Kigi Nursery and so far so good. The product was delivered as listed on the delivery date and it arrived in good condition. The graft looked clean on the Colorado blue spruce hoopsii sapling. I look forward to my next purchase with Kigi Nursery!

Hi Justen, I have experienced (ordered 10 trees from you) and believe that you ship quality healthy trees! They should grow fine for folks that give them proper care. But your trees are smaller for the cost than most people experience from as you say "chemical forced" nurseries. They are also not shipped in pots as is the typical experience. Hence you are receiving more negative reviews than is actually warranted. I am recommending that you find a way to make sure these potentially negative reactions are mitigated by thorough upfront communication. So that every customers knows about the practices creating smaller stock and the positive reasons it is done this way prior to order shipping. Also the reasoning and fact of the shipping without pots. What is the reason for not shipping in pots?
Have a wonderful day! ~Shawn

"On Nov 21, 2015 4:49 PM, Kigi Nursery responded with:

Thank you for the questions!

It has never been our objective to be deceptive about the plants we sell. We grow all of our plant material in pots with quality slow release fertilizer outside the greenhouse environment. We never apply high nitrogen fertilizers to push abnormal growth. The combination of quality slow release fertilizer and zone 7 full exposure make our plants hardy and proportionate. With all this verbiage posted on our policy page on the website we hope people due the research if they care. With over 10,000 internet orders completed a few negative reviews are to be expected.

We pull pots for shipping to keep shipping charges affordable. We have found this to have minimal effects on plant vigor and with our bagging system allows plants to last up to 12 days in transit.

I will look into a better way to communicate all this in a more "upfront" way.

Thanks again for the feedback! "

I ordered 3 trees from Kigi Nursery. They are all 4-year-old trees. My ordered arrived promptly, and was well-packaged. They are about 4 feet tall. The trees arrived in excellent condition. They are all beautiful! They are strong trees and none of the branches were broken. I found special places in my garden for these lovely trees. They are focal points and I am so pleased to have them. The trees I ordered were:
Cedrus atlantica ' Glauca Pendula ' Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ' Jubilee ' Narrow Alaska Cedar
Cedrus atlantica ' Glauca Aurea ' Golden Blue Atlas Cedar
These trees have character! They seem to have a personality! I have never seen such unusual trees at any of my local nurseries.
I highly recommend Kigi Nursery.

I have ordered from Kigi Nursery three times in the last three years. Each time, plants were well packed for shipping and arrived in very good condition. Yes, these plants ARE small, but range of varieties is extensive and small MAY be better for adapting to a new environment. Some of the plants did die, but these I had planted at our church, where they get lots of strong sun and not good watering attention. In my garden the small plants have some shade, I water attentively, and they are developing well. I am pleased with the stock and will continue to order here.

Purchased a grafted Pinus Thunbergii Ondai and received it in a well carefored shipping box. The plant appeared to be very healthy and the graft was sure and strong. Needles were a deep green and the total plant was very healthy. Shipping was very fast and they sent updates including links to the status. Would do business again.

I always read reviews before ordering so I was confused because I have ordered from this site before and was extremely shocked at the bad reviews!!!!

When dealing with the owner with questions I've had he was very helpful and educational with what I needed.

I got the plants I ordered and could not have been happier.

As a business owner myself I expect great customer service as well as quality products and that is what I got dealing with this nursery.

I will continue to order from this nursery as I have for the past 4 years.

I ordered one of my favorite trees, a Karl Fuchs Cedar. It arrived in very good shape and ready to plant. This tree came from California to Wisconsin in very good shape. Thanks for great packaging. Tree is about 4 ft and is 6 years old.

Posted on September 23, 2014, updated May 11, 2015
I recently placed and received my first order with Kigi and it was a great experience. I ordered a European beech and a dwarf conifer, 1 year plants. Both arrived in great condition with good root systems. Speedy delivery, 2 day priority - plants were packed carefully. Thanks Kigi!

Just received a Pinus densiflora Umbraculifera and a Pinus densiflora 'Oculus Draconis' from Kigi. They were shipped quickly, packed tightly-no breakage-and are doing well. I am already planning another order from them!

Have purchased 3 acer palmatums from Kigi. All arrived quickly and in great shape with extra care given to packaging. Owner Justen is a great seller who always has the customer in mind.

Posted on November 6, 2014, updated February 12, 2015
Posted on October 10, 2014, updated November 6, 2014
Fast shipping, great little tree (Atlas cedar "Horstmann"). This is not the first time I buy from Kigi Nursery, they have great products & prices. Highly recommended!

This the 2nd time I have order from them. That have a great selection of evergreen plants. This is the only site that I have found that carries Weeping White Spruce trees. The website is intelligently laid out and the search is easy and fast. I love browsing this site. The customer service is very supportive and responsive. Justin answered the phone everytime I called and help me work thru some issues I had with my local post office.

This was my first time ordering from Kigi. I ordered six small trees (pines and cedars, some dwarf, some weeping) last August and received six small trees that are all still alive and well here in January. The plants were promptly shipped and professionally packaged. I really like the selection Kigi offers—many rarities— and already have my eyes on a few more for our landscape. Also like that all customers get %10 off for life!

A great place to get some awesome conifers. They send you your purchase 'half barefoot' which really sketched me out at first, but upon receiving my order I think it will be fine. I think they have good plants, good growing processes and a fairly decent website. My only problem is the shipping cost. I understand why they charge so much for shipping, but when added up and calculated as cost per plant, I will say that if their shipping rates were cheaper I would certainly be buying a lot more from them than I currently plan on.

Recently bought an Acer palmatum ' Mikawa yatsubusa ' Dwarf Japanese Maple Tree. It shipped quickly, was very well packaged, and has a good graft. I'm very pleased with it and will be ordering more.

I purchased a Abies lasiocarpa ' Glauca Arizonica ' Blue Cork Fir from Kigi. It was delivered quickly and in great condition. I am very pleased with the service and my purchase of this rare find. I will shop with them again and recommend to friends. Thanks Kigi!

Recently placed an order with Kigi for a Picea Engelmanni Bush's Lace. The plant I received was very nice. Well shaped and nice size with many branches. I am extremely pleased. I would highly recommend Kigi to anyone looking for hard to find conifers or maples.

I received the plants I ordered from Kigi, shipped exactly when I requested. I was happy to see that the plants were healthy young grafts with well-developed root-systems. Often this is not the case with mail-order plants!

One of the plants I ordered did sustain some damage during shipping and the largest side-branch had broken off. When I contacted Kigi, they were quick to send a replacement tree free of charge.

Overall, my order was a positive experience and I will order from Kigi again in the future.

Got just what I expected. Tree arrived nice and healthy and in good form. A+.

Posted on June 6, 2014, updated August 9, 2014
Ordered 4 dwarf conifers - just arrived - 2 days shipping. Very well packed in box with paper. Plants in baggies with moist soil. Deep roots. Just got them planted. They are gorgeous. Will definitely order more. Price, size, condition - all great. Very happy.

"On Aug 9, 2014 11:56 AM, Kigi Nursery responded with:

Thank you for the kind comments! We work hard to provide quality products at reasonable prices!

We have a one time use discount code to help you with your wish list. Good through 2014. Thanks again for having confidence in our company despite the Negative Nancy reviewers that seem to flood Dave's Garden.

HORTHUB20%OFF2014

"

I have ordered a Pinus 'Chief Joseph' from them in early spring that is still doing well. Healthy 4inch growth accompanied in the late spring. I recently ordered a Pinus 'Schoodic' a week ago and the plant transplanted well. A week into establishment and the 'Schoodic' looks healthy.

I was satisfied in the way the trees were pack for shipping. The Japanese black pine arrived in a timely manner that I was able to get it planted the next day.

We ordered a high end large Picea abies 'Cobra' from Kigi. We are in the green industry and have a high bar. We received immediate confirmation of the order and an estimated shipping date. The tree was shipped on a Monday evening and arrived in Atlanta on Friday. Tracking info was available at all times. I was a bit worried about the heat in transit but the tree arrived in exceptional condition and we had it in the ground within an hour of arrival. The tree is beautiful, exactly as described, and well worth the price. We will shop with Kigi again.

absolutely reliable with the best selection of miniature evergreens in this country. The quality of the plants is exceptional, the shipping is rapid and well packed. Who could ask for anything more especially since the prices are so moderate. This is an outstanding nursery.

Posted on April 17, 2013, updated May 19, 2014
I ordered a weeping white spruce from Kigi Nursery this spring, and it arrived just as expected and seems to doing fine so far.

A couple of weeks ago I received Abies pinsapo horstmann nana and glauca, Abies fraserii kline's nest and Pinus strobus seaurchin and elkins dwarf. They have decisively adjusted to new earth, air, water and temperature, and after a pause have perceptibly fattened their winter buds. Fragrance and turgor are right where they should be. Grafts and roots looked good. I would order again without a second thought.

I ordered three different types of dwarf evergreens for my winter garden (snow sprite, gold drift and golden spreader); all arrived within a couple of weeks and in good condition. I was pleased with the selection of plants and trees Kigi offers and that they delivered as promised; I have had trouble with other online nurseries advising me several weeks after placing my order that they do not have items in stock. So far so good with Kigi! Thank you.

Very quick turn around of my order, placed on Labor day Monday and received that Thursday all the way across the country! Very good selection and the plants were very healthy and well packaged!

I did read the reviews left but thought to give them a try anyway. I ordered 20 Kotobuki black pine. They didn't have enough to fill the order but I was notified as such. I did get 17 and was refunded the difference.
I was contacted that there are mor available so ordered 30 more very please. Thanks for everything
Keith

My order was possessed promptly, 3 days from WA to MN by US Priority Mail. Received in excellent condition two 1st yr. grafted weeping white spruce. One perfect graft union other slight knob which will disappear in a few yrs. Larger than expected. Very pleased! Will definitely do more business with Kigi Nursery and recommend to MN Bonsai Society.

i live in long island near the bay. Sandy destroyed our plants with salt water not from the bay but from the ocean outside the bay. There are no weeping white pine trees available in Long Island I had to look elsewhere for the plant. After an extensive look for months I found Kigi Nursery I spoke with Justin who promised me a healthy plant. The plant price was very reasonable. He said as with all plants the older and more established the plant the healthier it will be, he also told me that if I had a problem he would resolve the problem immediately. I felt so comfortable with him and the tree that I am buying. I am grateful and looking forward to my tree!!!! I should be getting it next week!!!