Comments regarding A Nearly Native Nursery

We had a great experience visiting A Nearly Native Nursery. We stopped by there on a recent trip to Georgia because we were looking for a Carolina Allspice plant. Not only did we find our plant, but we spend a wonderful hour talking to the owner who is extremely knowledgeable. We made friends with the macaw "Buster" who was very social and friendly and we learned a lot about snakes and got to hold some of them. Even my 15 year old son thought it was a very fun and educational visit. We would recommend this place strongly and will definitely be back whenever we happen to be in Georgia again.

Finally a place to order plants that will do well in my climate! They arrived fresh and beautiful. The shipping was reasonable and fast. I will be ordering again.

What a Nursery! At the dawn of our Independence our identity as a Nation started to form. With that, National pride, and with that, Civic pride. One of the first ways we as a nation began to celebrate in our own backyards was in the field of Horticulture, and most specifically through gardens and gardening. It wasn't long until plants and trees from all over began popping up in our own backyards... China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and even the middle-east. Over the years less and less attention was being paid to the by-products of all of these imported plants. We had them in our yards to express our own individual personalities as Gardeners. Once plants from hither and yon started identifying themselves as members of our society (naturalizing themselves) it became apparent that something needed to be done. Ever hear of Kudzu? How about Privet? Nandina? Elea(Ugly)gnus? Yep... They're all from somewhere else... Not here! Guess where they are now? In our forests... Oh yes, let's not forget Euonymous alata (Burning Bush) and Hedera helix (English ivy)... They too are in our woodlands-- Thanks to whomever, but let's not dwell on blame, or the past... Jim and Debi at Nearly Native Nursery in Fayetteville, Georgia have an oh so effervescent take on all of this.. Theirs? NEARLY native. What does that mean? It means NOT from hither and yon, but from places like Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and SOUTHERN Georgia... That's right: Our own backyard! Why am I making a big deal of this? BECAUSE! These plants too, MANY of them-- are giving us the same BANG in our gardens and backyards just as the plants from hither and yon did, but without ALL of the problems ecologically!! HOW COOL is that, and HOW RESPONSIBLE is that? Besides, we are now supporting our own LOCAL economy! It couldn't get any better! And what a selection! What knowledge between the two of them-- Check them out for yourselves! You want something unusual for your backyard garden? Look no further than our own shores! Look to Nearly Native Nursery here in Georgia!! And to think I have a Stewartia monadelpha from Japan in my own backyard! How could that have happened? Simple, I fell in love with the genus Stewartia, and found it was not a likely candidate to be jumping over my fence and into my neighbors yard (like kudzu and many of the plants from hither and yon)...And I was much younger. A suitable local replacement from the same Genus? Yep, Stewartia malacodendron and if you are in northern Georgia, Stewartia ovata... Wonderful 'nearly natives'... the former you can purchase from NNN. The latter, since it doesn't thrive here in the Atlanta area is something they do not offer. Jim and Debi do not want to sell you something that is not able to thrive in our own backyards!! ...What a concept! I love 'em and have been a loyal customer since 2008.

very educational and informative hour at nearly native. I will be back

I'm close enough that I could visit in person, and have done so more than once (and no doubt will again). This company is outstanding. In addition to the very large selection of native material (if not unmatched, then not surpassed), the owner is a true enthusiast for what he does (encourage the use of native plants) and he really knows his stuff. If you've got a question, you'll get an answer. I've talked to his wife on the phone and she is very helpful and friendly as well. All in all, a top shelf company. I love this place!!

Ordered by mail last winter and was pleased with quality of plants and careful packing. Recently visited nursery. Owners very informative. Good selection of plants. Was very pleased with purchases from the nursery.

We visited Nearly Native Nursery with our Georgia family recently and were very pleased with the layout of the nursery and with the knowledge of the folks who helped us and answered our numerous questions. We look forward to making a repeat visit in the future.

It was a delight to do business with this company. This is my 5th year ordering from them and they have always had what I was looking for. The plants came when they said they would...quickly after they received my payment. Shipping and handling costs were fair for the size of the plants they sent. They were 4’ tall BIG healthy plants with large well developed root systems and well packaged with planting instructions. They gave me some free advice and took the time to explain to me how to improve the quality of my planting soil.

The mail order plant business probably can't be done much better than they do it. Without question, I give them a high marks and a salute for a job well done. Great customer service. High quality product.



Thank you.

The plants I have received have always been of the best quality that I would expect. The orders were handled quickly,professionally,and packaged well.I would not hesitate to order from them again or recommend them to others.

I purchased a Magnolia macrophylla from these nice people recently. I received the plant yesterday. It was in great condition. It was fresh, packaged securely, (no p'nuts also), and arrived in rapid order. UPS shipping was great, too.
I will surely tell all of my friends about this nursery.

I ordered a rhododendron and a pinckneya and both were beautiful plants. Packaging was secure and simple (no peanuts!!).

We live on the edge of the pinelands in New Jersey and love using native plants in our landscaping. Jim & Debi provided us 3 hard-to-find specimens of dwarf chestnut oak at a reasonable price. The trees arrived in the mail in great shape on exactly the day forecasted. The Rodgers gave us lots of great advice and kept us fully informed of availability, shipping schedule, etc. via e-mail. It was very pleasant to work with nice people who obviously care about their work. We'll certainly order again by mail some time soon and look forward to visiting their garden in Georgia one day.

Steve & Patty

Posted on April 19, 2010, updated October 29, 2011
Posted on March 7, 2010, updated April 19, 2010
I am a fan of native plants, and was happy to find Nearly Native. I printed their entire catalog from their website. The first order was good, so I ordered again last December for January shipment. Our weather was unusually rainy, so I only got the Itea planted in timely fashion. They are thriving and most of the Georgia Savory are, too, although they had to wait in the packing much too long. I wish I were capable of driving there, but will mailorder again soon, as they are a pleasure to deal with.

This is like a Toy Store for plant lovers, If you want to turn your Northern Georgia Garden into a Exotic Oasis, you will love this place... They are experts in Cold Hardy Exotic Plants/Palms...I was shocked that they knew every detail regarding the origin and maintenance of the plants.
This is the only place I could find my Magnolia macrophylla (Big leaf Magnolia). I also got a Live Oak from here which had done extremely well in Atlanta, the past two winters were very cold, everything is growing like crazy!!!

It was a delight to do business with Nearly Native Nursery. They had what I was looking for. The plants came when they said they would. They were healthy and well packaged. They gave me some free seeds of something that they did not have the size I asked for, and explained how to plant them. The mail order garden business probably can't be done much better than this. I give them a positive plus.

For those interested in native plants, I strongly recommend Nearly Native Nursery. I have had the good fortune to both visit the nursery and receive mail order plants. Each time the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I was particularly interested in species and cultivars of Phlox, of which the one of the owners is an expert. Not only was I able to obtain rare cultivars not offered elsewhere, but I was also able to obtain responsibly wild collected selections that are both botanically and horticulturally interesting. Their selection of other native plant taxa is also astounding, and if you don't see exactly what your looking for, it's a good idea to send them an email because you never know hat they might have in limited numbers.
It would be hard to find better customer service elsewhere, and I have visited many mail order, general retail, and wholesale nurseries across the country. For example, when I visited on busy Saturday during spring, one of the owners gave me a detailed tour of their extensive display gardens and nursery. It was a memorable experience. This attention to detail carries over into their shipping and handling process, and anyone ordering plants mail order are assured of receiving properly labeled plants in prime condition.

Excellent knowledge and presentation of reptiles and nature information at coweta county fair demo. My family and I really enjoyed the experience and felt it was extremely educational.
Thanks

Posted on November 9, 2010, updated August 1, 2011
So far so good. However the real test will be next year when the lilies hopefully come up and bloom, (the bulbs looked good). Other than the fact that the whole place apparently closes up for a month in summer, (or at least they did this year I gather), and I therefore got no response to inquiries for a while, I found them very friendly and receptive over the phone. Also the shipping charge was not inflated, which is nice.

Enjoyed so very much meeting Jim and Debi Rodgers. We live in Jacksonville, AL and have been building our own home for four years. We are finally beginning to landscape and wanted to use as many native plants as possible. We have had a difficult time locating so much of what we wanted to incorporate. The Rodgers- at Nearly Native- had available every plant that were interested in using and are growing what we had been unable to find anywhere else. I am sure we will be back again and again as our landscape evolves. It was so good to find someone so knowledgeable and who could appreciate with us the beauty of what grows native to our region.What a real pleasure to talk with someone so passionate about their work. Samantha

Posted on July 22, 2011, updated July 23, 2011
After building for four years, we are finally trying to use native plants in the landscape for our home. We had just driven over a hundred miles to get some native plants that we could not find in our part of the state. We were thankful that the first two nurseries we visited only had part of what we needed because we were then referred to Nearly Native. Not only did they have the possumhaw tree we needed but much much more, including the most knowledgeable and helpful staff I believe I have ever encountered. I will gladly make the drive again when I get caught up on my planting. It's a relief to know that there is actuallly a place like Nearly Native around.

I was interested in a Green Egg. Nearly Native Nursery was one of several places that offered this product, but their customer service and knowledge of the product set them well above all of the other sources. This was my first visit to Nearly Native, but after seeing the products available and their commitment to customer service, I will be a regular customer.

We haven't dealt with Jim and Debi by mail or on the web, but have visited the nursery and made purchases twice. It is a pleasure to deal with them. They are very knowledgable and low keyed. As a native of Virginia and devotee of the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains it was wonderful to find plants I'd known in those mountains and get hints for growing them here in Jonesboro Georgia near Atlanta. Amazing to find trilium available! We'll visit again, and we've told friends to visit also

great place, worth the visit even if you do not buy anything, which would surprise me. jim and debi are very friendly, helpful and know some stuff. they have 2 macaws to talk with and also have a lot of snakes that can be looked at. i only have one problem with the place, i go in to buy 0ne thing and come out with more than ONE. like the scarlett flowers, i bought, when i got home, i had them but also had a swamp milkweed. Stop look say hi
in 2 to 3 weeks stop and pick some figs, but not all of them

charlie weaver
fayetteville ga.

On our first visit to Nearly Native we were treated to a tour of what a Georgia Native Environment would look like in times past. The gardens feature varities and species native to Georgia and the South East USA. The gardens have delightful depth of variety and visual interest. This means that the nursury specializes in varities that are well suited to the demanding Georiga climate.
In addition, we saw first hand a living botanical museum, with species grown by Native Americans like corn, beans and others.
If you are looking for a nursury that will help you to improve your understanding of how to garden in harmony with the "natural condition" this is the best place to start.
Retro with a purpose, please stop on by.

Nearly Native Nursery is about as real as it gets.....no foo foo just the goods. I looked all over for native pachysandra and finally found it at Nearly Native Nursery. they don't seem to deal in mass production just those hidden gems you probably have been looking for in your perennial garden. If nothing else they are worth the drive out into the beautiful Georgia countryside. they take all the time that you need to answer questions and they definitely know what they are talking about !....Highly Recommended !

We've been customers of Nearly Native Nursery for 10 years. They really are THE place for hard to find native plants including Franklinias, Big Leaf Magnolias, all sorts of Oak Leaf Hydrangeas, native palms, native and local cacti and more.

Two years ago, in D.C. at the National Botanic(al) Garden, one of the botanists there told us that most of the plants used in the 'native plants to the eastern seaboard' section came from Nearly Native Nursery. We were able to proudly say that we are also happy customers!

Being a novice gardener with a love for nature, I decided to create a garden with native plants to attract hummingbirds, song birds, and butterflies. I also liked the idea of helping to preserve some of our natural history. I researched Georgia native plants and compiled a list. I took my list to Nearly Native Nursery and Jim, the owner, spent a lot of time reviewing and discussing it with me. Since I was shopping outside the normal planting season, he suggested some "bullet-proof" plants which are doing well. I believe Jim has a pure love and appreciation for all things natural. This fall, I plan to expand my garden with plants from Nearly Native and I would highly recommend it to others.

Fully enjoyed my experience shopping at Nearly Native Nursery. The variety of native plants was amazing, and I came home with some very unique and beautiful plants that I could not have found at other nurseries. The owners were very helpful and friendly. I'm already planning my next trip!

Had a wonderful experience at Nearly Native Nursery today. Purchased great plants that are usually hard to find and learned a great deal more about native plants.

Excellent source of native plants! A wide selection including trees, shrubs, vines, perennials. Good display garden and owners that will take the time to explain each plant. Don't miss this one!

Great experience all around. The owners took time to make sure I got exactly what I needed and nothing I didn't. I live within a mile of the nursery and they were able to deliver my purchase to me the same day. I love being able to support local business and actually dealing with a great company.

Extremely nice and knowledgeable - Their nursery garden has mature versions of most of the plants they sell - It is wonderful to see what the plant you are considering will look like in a couple of years.
Highly recommend them

Great healthy plants, friendly and knowledgeable. I felt guilty for how long Jim spent talking with me, i know he has allot to do. Highly recommend.

If you have any interest in native plants this is the place to go. The plant selection is great and the people that work there are friendly and knowledgeable providing information on where and how to best grow your plants. I found a tree that I had not seen since my grandmother showed it to me when I was ten. Of course I bought one. I am a repeat customer for life. I just wish my yard was larger.

I ordered from Nearly Native Nursery for the first time this spring (2011). I was very impressed with their selection of native trees, and when I called to discuss what was available, they either knew or could readily check their stock.

They sent me three beautiful little trees, two over 2 feet tall from root to top, one over 4 feet tall from root to top ... all taller than I expected. I received excellent value for the price. The trees were all leafed out, healthy, had obviously been grown with love and care, and were carefully packed and arrived undamaged. Frankly, the little American Beech was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes.

I find it so much easier to dig holes for smaller trees and to water smaller trees than to struggle with giant rootballs from the nurseries in my area. Plus, Nearly Native carries a number of native trees that are really difficult to find, and I think it is important to try to replenish trees native to north america that are being lost, for one reason or another. So, this company is a fantastic resource for tree-lovers.

Finally, these people are really pleasant to speak with, and they definitely aim to please. I was desperate for a bitternut hickory, and the one they had left had a little trunk wound ... they emailed me a photo before shipping it, to make certain I would not be unhappy. This kind of customer service and honesty is quite rare today.

I'm a repeat customer, and impressed every time. Plants are gorgeous and healthy, packaging is careful, and last time I even scored a free garden spider - bonus! Customer service is also excellent. Nearly Native is my go-to place for native plants.

Drove an hour to see nursery in person, it was worth my time and I'll be back for more plants. Indeed, the onsite botanical gardens is quite impressive but will have to visit again since I didn't finish the tour. the owners who operate this native nursery are passionate & knowledgeable about native shrubs, trees, vines, and perennials and the like. The owners are very eager to assist one in choosing native plants for the right location, right lighting, right function and right soil & watering requirements. Absolutely gorgeous! Looking forward to Fall to purchase my first Amelanchier arborea in place of the overused, lifeless, weakbranched, boring, short-lived non-native Bradford Pear trees I see dotting all the lawns & streets throughout GA and probably other states : ((
Angie, Douglasville, GA

I recently bought perennials for my daughter who lives in Atlanta. Debbi very graciously worked with me and gave me suggestions by email and phone. When my daughter and I arrived at ANNN, Debbi was welcoming and helpful, and she gladly answered all my questions The plants were reasonably priced and were in great shape! I plan to order my own perennials by mail. Definitely a "5 Star" company!

Nearly Native received order 25Apr. I received plants 28Apr. Impressed with plant quality; healthy, blooming, great color. Very impressed with how they were packed for shipment, (even though I am 'local'); not too wet, carefully taped to prevent shifting, carefully wrapped to conserve moisture. Also impressed by the root systems, very good root system for size of top. Don't be afraid to order 1 gal. plants because you think they will be tiny ! They won't be. I will be ordering again.