Comments regarding Trees of Antiquity (formerly Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery)

Trees of Antiquity could not possibly be more of a joy to communicate with. They are so extraordinarily helpful in thoroughly and quickly answering every question and then some – even questions not directly related to an order. They put a lot of care into their customer service and trees alike and their selection of harder to find historic tree varieties is likewise marvelous.

The booklet I ordered was shipped out nearly immediately after ordering and the Kingston Black I ordered arrived exactly at the time it was scheduled for. The tree was well packaged and unquestionably has to be the most stunningly gorgeous young apple tree I have ever seen. The roots are well developed and the trunk is extraordinarily thick and sturdy.

I have no doubt that the tree will quickly take off and I can’t wait to order more trees from this fantastic nursery.

I ordered 'Roxbury Russet' and 'Newtown Pippin' from ToA this past year and was very pleased with the branching and root systems on each. Both trees established well in their first season. Not particularly cheap, but quality is high.

I have ordered from this nursery several times. Every time I got some of the most healthy trees I have seen -- they send some of the highest-quality trees of any nursery. Many of their stone fruit varieties are from Dave Wilson Nursery, not grown by them, but those are also good quality (not quite as good as the apple and pear trees they grow themselves, however). I have also found them very responsive by email, etc. They have one of the best selections of heirloom fruits out there, they have carefully picked the varieties that will be the most rewarding from the huge number of old varieties out there. The one downside is the prices are a little high.

The folk at ToA were very helpful in making sure we selected a compatible selection of apple trees. The stock was received safely, was good size, had healthy roots, helpful planting/pruning directions. About a month after planting, the Winesap, Liberty and Arkansas Black are growing vigorously, the AB has blossoms. So far, so good.

Bought about 22 trees (apples, peaches, apricots, plum, cherry, nectarine, pawpaw) and 2 gooseberry bushes. Had to keep them in my barn, wrapped up, for two weeks due to a mid-April Nor'Easter, and was a little worried. When I finally unwrapped the container, found the trees were big thick trunks with lovely fluffy just-moist-enough root systems, plenty of rootlets, and clearly someone had made a concerted effort to trim them into traditional shapes with good leaders for pyramids and several good side branches for goblets. Very pleased with the trees overall and looking forward to lots of pies next year! Much nicer than the branchless sticks I've gotten from other companies.

I have ordered apple trees on standard root stock several times. The stock always arrives in good time in the spring in a very solid ample carboard box. The trees are big and they have always grown great, generally much faster than stock obtained from commercial mail order nurseries. I'm sure it is the size of the stock, the organic soil grown in, and the care shown in handling which make the difference. I also obtained a Blenheim apricot which did fine. There were a couple of peaches that weren't quite as good, but in all fairness, I think they obtained the peaches from an outside grower.

My experience with Trees of Antiquity, from the first email request for advice on varieties to the arrival of the trees, was flawless. Emails were promptly returned with complete and specific responses. The trees arrived on time and in perfect condition. Each has a large main trunk diameter, healthy roots and balanced branching. I'm already looking to order more!

Have ordered and received three trees from Trees of Antiquity over the past two years. All were of surprisingly large caliper, were well branched, and had excellent root systems. All are happily growing in my garden. One, was planted and growing and then had to be moved in the middle of the first summer -- cruel and unusual punishment for sure. It was strong enough to survive and is now flourishing a year later. I have never found a better tree grower. Unfortunately, I have no more room for trees!

I ordered two grafted Apricots and one Plumcot. The trees were exceptionally well rooted, extremely healthy and budded out shortly after being planted.

They have one of the best web sites with great plants to match. Customer service returned emails promptly. It was a pleasure doing business with them and I look forward to doing so again in the future.

We ordered from these folks soon after their move to Paso Robles and name change. They were knowledgeable about our local microclimate, and suggested the cultivar we ultimately purchased, which grew and bore well in the Mission in SF, and are leafing out happily in the current spring season now in Redwood City.
The first fig we bought didn't do well on transplant (we were delayed in being able to get the stock into ground) and died back to the roots, and then grew up from the root again. We called to find out if it would grow true and upon learning what the state of the tree was, and reassuring us that yes, it would grow true from the root, also sent us a new tree of the originally purchased age, the next season for no more than the cost of shipping.
We're very happy with these folks, the information they ably share, and their kind customer service.

(2004) Late spring order, so a lot was out of stock, but they
were extremely helpful on the phone looking at their
inventory and what would be suitable for me. The plum tree
I did get came large and healthy and is HUGE now. Very
impressive.

I have ordered trees from this company back before they changed hands and since. Happy all 3 times. Quality, well grown, good caliper trees that took hold and perform well.
thanks!

Wonderful selection of fruit trees. Very responsive to both phone calls and e-mail and willing to discuss choices for our zone according to our likes and dislikes. Trees arrived in good condition, nicely packaged. There was an extra charge for cold storage because we ordered so late in the season, but I doubt we would find these old English apple trees locally, so it was worth it. Next year we'll order earlier!

Amazing selection, very nice trees and kindly emails--highly recommend.

Ordered and received 3 different apples and 1 pear tree. All in excellent shape with good roots, diameters from ½ to 1 inch, and ranging from 3 to 4 feet tall when planted. The employees where nice and helpful in answereig my questions. This summer they all grew exceptionally well, and one Wickson apple tree even had blooms. Very pleased.

Also, their lists of apples and pears (some excellent french varieties) are very large, with a lot of antique varieties.

They have a very good catalog with TONS of information on many fruit varieties. I inquired through Email about a few varieties of apples in December and they quickly replied and noted they frequently run out of varieties early, If I wanted them all they needed was a confirmation and they would hold them while I sent in a check. I mailed a check the end of January, and got a confirmation, the trees where shipped to zone 5 about april 16. The amount I was charged was about $5 per tree ($25 each), more than I would typically pay, but they are grown organically.

I was pleasantly surprized when they arrived, packed and boxed well and still very dormant. The trunks of the rootstock was well over 1 inch in diameter and the roots were thick like your fingers and over a foot long, the trees were a minimum of 4 foot tall and had 4-8 feathered limbs already growing, at very low levels, starting 6" from the ground. Very detailed planting instructions were also included. I will probably order some plum trees from them next year. I would reccomend them because thier stock was so high quality, only issue would be you will pay a little more for the product and shipping but you will not be disappointed in product or service I'm sure the trees will grow well. Highly rated.

I have to say, I was very pleased with my experience. Trying to find Heirloom Apples that you can grow in the Deep South is a royal Pain and most folks didn't even know the chill hrs their stock needed. They did. Even as late in the season they were able to suggest a number that would do well in an area with <500 chill hrs...including ones they had actually in stock!
One just finished blooming and we have hopes that both will next yr...
Sincerely,
Patrick Duffy
FWB, Florida

I ordered three apple trees from this company in the fall of 2001 and received very nice healthy thick trees with a very nice root system in the spring of 2002. I had to wait for a few weeks to plant them due to rainy weather, but all three thrived nicely. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a hard to find heirloom tree or a popular favorite. This company is now called Trees of Antiquity, and I am anxious to give them a try also!

The owner helped me pick 15 unusual apple varieties for my climate. I am thrilled with how friendly they are and that they would take the time to do this for me. They have varieties of apples and other fruits that you can't get anywhere else (preserving biodiversity) and they grow their trees organically. I highly recommend them.

The owner helped me pick 15 unusual apple varieties for my climate. I am thrilled with how friendly they are and that they would take the time to do this for me. They have varieties of apples and other fruits that you can't get anywhere else (preserving biodiversity) and they grow their trees organically. I highly recommend them.

These people love their work, and it shows! They called back, long distance, within an hour of my leaving voice mail and were enthusiastically helpful, discussing matters like availability and rootstock options. Order was placed, and they promptly issued a confirmation. When shipped, one item was missing. I contacted them and they responded immediately, apologizing for the error, and explaining that they'd discovered canker in that item, and so couldn't ship, but included on the packing slip in error. Credit was promptly issued on my credit card. A real pleasure to do business with.

Trees of Antiquity has an excellent selection of heirloom fruits, particularly apples (but also pears and other fruits). I got my order spring 2003, and everything is growing well (so far). I suppose it'll take a few more years to know for sure.

I ordered an apple tree from this company last Spring. Their list of antique apples is the most complete that I have seen anywhere, practically a laundry list of the world's most famed varieties. I sent an email to them with a question about tree size and they called me long distance within a half-hour to answer. It arrived at the right time for my area and was a beautiful specimen; the catalog only claimed a three to four foot plant and it arrived as a 4 1/2 foot feathered tree over 1" thick with a nicely developed root system. The value was exceptional.

Order placed months, ago, but never delivered. After emails and phone calls, Trees of Antiquity contacted me to say that the Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery order would not be filled until spring 2003. I requested a cancellation of the order and a refund of my check (which they had cashed) last month and am still waiting for the refund.

Let the buyer beware!

I ordered two apple trees for my garden here in Texas, and the trees I received were in great shape. When I wanted to order another tree for my dad for Christmas, it was no problem to add to the order. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a quality tree at a good price.

I have ordered from this company on the web. Apples are not all as they offer many other fruits with several choices of rootstocks and information about choices. I'm not even sure there is a catalog.

Terrific catalog, friendly and helpful staff. I ordered twenty-some trees last year and received them in February 1999, waited out a month of rain and then planted them in the mud anyway, and they all thrived. Good-looking root systems - extremely good for bare-root trees; I had to dig extra wide for several of them, but they sure took off when spring arrived! Their prices look slightly higher than some nurseries, but from my experience they are worth it if you want fast-starting trees. Several of the trees I got were feathered 4 to 5 foot tall trees; some of them are now well over 6 feet tall, having responded rather vigorously to the header cut! Also, the proprietors are very knowledgeable about the old apple varieties. They have identified some of my 100-year-old apples, gratis. I don't think you can go wrong ordering from these folks.

I ordered from them for the first time. I ordered and received many fruit and nut trees. All arrived in great condition and have been thriving. They all had strong trunks, not spindly whips like many companies send, and well developed roots. I would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for fruit or nut trees. Their online catalog provides a good deal of information about the varieties they offer and many are difficult to find elsewhere.

This company stocks over 100 antique and newer apple varieties, that are available on a variety of rootstocks, and they do custom grafting. They carry an assortment of other fruit trees and small fruits (grapes, berries and Kiwi)