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December 2023 by Travis Vincent
These guys are amazing! I’ve ordered multiple plants and everything has been top notch quality. The pricing is very fair considering they have plants that you simply can’t find anywhere else. Communication has also been fantastic. Highly recommended, although I kind of want to keep this secret to myself.
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December 2023 by Miles West
Jungle Music Palm Nursery is the best nursery for rare and exotic palms we have ever been to. They have more species of palms and more palm knowledge than anyone else. They also have all the palms that are regularly used in landscape industry throughout SoCal. They have so many palms it is like a ship laden with treasure from all over the world. It is THE destination nursery for palm collectors, and for people who want to boost their home's value with palm magic. We travel from San Francisco all the way to Encinitas to get the gorgeous palms that we can't get anywhere else. We've had a lot of fun in the process, as you never know what you might find, and they have great recommendations for what works where we live. Phil, Jesse and their team are extremely knowledgeable about selecting palms for specific conditions and climate zones, as well as maintenance and care tips. They have the answers to questions and are great to communicate with. Every trip we have made has been a wonderful experience, and every palm has been strong and healthy. It's amazing how tropical our garden feels and looks even though we are north of SF. Here are some pictures of what Northern California can be like with a little Jungle Music (these are all still baby palms)
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December 2023 by Thomas Brooks
Review for Jungle Music Nursery, Encinitas:Disappointing Experience Despite Low ExpectationsOver the past four years, I’ve invested at least $20,000 at Jungle Music Nursery in Encinitas, with selections including Kentias, king palms, and fishtails. However, the customer service, particularly from the owner Phil and his son Jesse, has left much to be desired.Both Phil and Jesse exhibit a notable lack of customer service skills, often seeming condescending and short-tempered. This has consistently made me feel undervalued as a customer, despite my significant spending.I’ve often found myself to be one of the few customers present, a situation I now associate with their level of service. Requests for assistance are typically met with irritable responses, and the staff seems preoccupied with matters other than customer queries.During my last visit, I spent $5,000 on several trees. Sadly, about 50% of these, including 3 to 4 of my recent purchases, died from pink rot. Additionally, it appears that they often provide trees from a ‘sick lot’ when specific requests are made.After expressing my concerns to Jesse, he directed Ricardo, their delivery driver, to look into the matter. They were unaware that I had been paying Ricardo at least $100 each time for delivery, selection of the planting site, even instructed my helpers with the soil mixing, and planting! This additional effort and payment were met with a disheartening lack of appreciation, reflective of the nursery’s overall customer service ethos.Reading other real customer reviews, I see echoes of my own concerns regarding their service. The five-star reviews on their site stand in stark contrast to these experiences, leading me to suspect that they may be paid for. This lack of genuine customer satisfaction, coupled with the significant health issues of the plants, is extremely disappointing. It’s regrettable that a nursery with such a diverse array of plants is losing considerable business due to poor customer service.Save your money. Home Depot has better options for a fraction of the price.
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December 2023 by Nathan Patenaude
Extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff. This is a rare nursery where you can find exotic palms. I enjoyed the amazing varieties of palm trees and other plants from blue/sliver to red and many other colors and shapes you will find here.
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December 2023 by Trevor Cranston
Great nursery for rare palms and exotic plants! They will ship, and package extremely carefully to make sure plants arrive in great condition. Fantastic customer service from very experienced and knowledgable owners.
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December 2023 by moses cuevas
Jungle Music is the nation's premier distributor of phenomenal and rare cycad species. Offering a virtually complete selection of all cycad genera and species, Jungle Music is my only destination for purchasing more gorgeous cycads to add to my garden. They ship plants from sea to shining sea, from San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA. So far I have purchased Cycas Taitungensis, C. Panzhihuaensis, Lepidozamia Peroffskyana, Cycas Neocaldenica and they have all arrived potted in Jungle Music's expertly formulated cycad substrate.
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October 2023 by G Marin
My brother purchased 2 small bromeliads and a red banana tree after visiting this nursery for me on a Saturday. My brother sent me pictures/video as I am disabled and very ill so I could pick my choices.I was looking for rare-colored Bromeliads and a red banana tree. The pricing was inappropriately high for the condition of the bromeliads which were the only ones they had left in the orange and primary red colors I wanted.When I asked when they were expecting a new shipment of them so I could get more plants in at least good shape, Phil was a bit gruff. Worse, he had no idea when he would expect more (he's the owner), proceeded to explain that they were rare, very difficult to find and for them to get from their growers in such detail that it felt like he was complaining about his growers/process to me (uhhh, not my problem nor a good answer to my question - maybe cultivate more relationships with better growers).I decided to buy anyway & delivery came today - 13 days after purchase. What delivered was not good - my pick of the previously beautiful 25-gallon Red Banana Tree now had leaves that were shredded/beaten up. It appeared to not have been watered at all since my brother saw it. I actually wondered if it was the same tree.The two smaller bromeliads now appeared to be on death's door. We refused the delivery of those two - never had to do that in my life, but I can't reconcile paying $200 for two dying plants.When I called Phil the owner to ask him what happened, his attitude was not customer-friendly. He erroneously claims he has been holding them for a month - wrong. Then, he says they were watered - wrong again.Phil also seems to think the customer works for him. He had already asked me to send a copy of our receipt to him TWICE when adding a plant (don't have it on your computer?), asked me to clarify what I had already clearly texted about how many plants I wanted in total, and never answered my text about whether he needed my credit card to add another plant.Then he texts that he needs my credit card and to call him. I call him right back to give him the information, and he has the temerity to order me to call him in two minutes later like some gruff Army Sergeant. Lol - what the ... I'm your customer. I already texted you about this and now I have to call you yet again, but I do and still remain polite. I get a message that his voicemail is full and can’t receive messages. Sigh.So I text him again to let him know I tried calling back two minutes later and to please call me back when he’s available. Whew! WAY TOO MUCH WORK to put on a customer!When I called about the plants not looking the same or good, Phil's response was an impatient and inappropriately impolite "Ah, "come on."I'm too ill to deal with Phil acting like a lazy, cranky teenager. My brother called, and this man tries to complain to my brother that I’m being difficult. Unbelievable! Gee, sorry I asked you if you’re expecting more bromeliads and didn’t wish to overpay for dying plants. On a positive note, he agreed to issue the refund the returned plants.Needless to say, I'm taking my business elsewhere. There are too many wonderful nurseries out there. I don't mind paying more for quality, but not for junk.And Phil, you can't get away with acting like a grumpy old man AND charging such high prices on plants that look unhealthy/beaten up. This is probably the reason your nursery was not packed with customers on a lovely sunny Saturday.We are planning on filling our large side yard with rare Tropicals palms, trees, plants, etc. Being kind, pleasant and courteous costs you nothing. Your behavior/attitude just cost you and lost you thousands of dollars.1st & 4th picture what we saw in person 13 days before delivery. 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th pic is what was delivered. Plants were in poor shape … especially when paying $400 for the tree, $200 for one taller bromeliad and $200 for two smaller bromeliads.
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September 2023 by G M.
My brother purchased 2 small bromeliads and a red banana tree after visiting this nursery for me on a Saturday. My brother sent me pictures/video as I am disabled and very ill so I could pick my choices. I was looking for rare-colored Bromeliads and a red banana tree. The pricing was inappropriately high for the condition of the bromeliads which were the only ones they had left in the orange and primary red colors I wanted. When I asked when they were expecting a new shipment of them so I could get more plants in at least good shape, Phil was is a bit gruff. Worse, he had no idea when he would expect more (he's the owner), proceeded to explain that they were rare, very difficult to find and for them to get from their growers in such detail that it felt like he was complaining about his growers/process to me (uhhh, not my problem nor a good answer to my question - maybe cultivate more relationships with better growers). I decided to buy them anyway for the color and hoped they would flourish. We arranged for delivery. Now, I wish we would have figured out a way to take them then and there. Delivery came today - thirteen days after purchase. What delivered was not good - my pick of the previously beautiful 25-gallon Red Banana Tree now had leaves that were shredded/beaten up. It appeared to not have been watered at all since my brother saw it. I actually wondered if it was the same tree. The two smaller bromeliads which were not pristine originally, now appeared to be on death's door. We refused the delivery of those two - never had to do that in my life, but I can't reconcile paying $200 for two dying plants. When I called Phil the owner to ask him what happened, his attitude was not customer-friendly. He erroneously claims he has been holding them for a month - wrong. Then, he says they were watered - wrong again. Phil seems to think the customer works for him. He had already asked me to send a copy of our receipt to him TWICE as I had already done so already when adding a plant (don't have it on your computer?), asked me to clarify what I had already texted about how many plants I wanted in total, and never answered my text about whether he needed my credit card to add another plant. Then he texts me that he needs my credit card and to call him. I call him in between my doctor's appts to happily give him the information again and he has the temerity to order me to call him in two minutes like some gruff Army Sergeant. Lol - what the ... I'm your customer Phil, have texted you already about this and now I have to call you yet again, but I do and still remain polite. I get a message that his voicemail is full and can not receive messages. Sigh. So I text him again to let him know I tried calling back two minutes late (salute!) and to please call me back when available. Whew! WAY TOO MUCH WORK Way to put on a customer! When I called about the plants not looking good, Phil's response was an impatient and inappropriately impolite "Ah, "come on." This is where I told him I would have my brother call him about the refund of the refused plants because I had had enough of Phil. I'm too ill to deal with Phil acting like a jerk. Andrew called and spoke to his son who is nice and said they would honor the returned plants and refund my credit card so that's good at least. Needless to say, I'm taking my business elsewhere. There are too many wonderful nurseries out there that actually care about customer service and selling quality plants at appropriate pricing. I don't mind paying more for quality but this is ridiculous. And Phil, you can't get away with acting like a grumpy old man AND charge such high prices on plants that look unhealthy/beaten up. Probably the reason your nursery was not packed with customers on a lovely sunny Saturday. We are planning on filling our large side yard with rare Tropicals palms, plants, etc. Your behavior/attitude just cost you and lost you thousands of dollars.
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August 2023 by Tony O
I stopped by on a whim because I was in the area and saw the great reviews. Ricardo was on site and helped with some suggestions, and when I was researching palms online, I landed on the Jungle Music website where Phil (the owner) had written a detailed article on a particular species. That's when I knew I had to go back to Jungle Music.I paid for an on-site visit and worked with Jesse to plan out a tropical look for my backyard that was low maintenance, accounted for lighting, soil, wind protection, and similar water use. Money well spent so I didn't have to do research or learn through trial and error.Jesse came up with a variety of options for each area and then rough placements that has served as the base on which I can add on to. He picked out the best plants and then delivery was straightforward.I would 100% recommend Jungle Music and their team for a personalized experience and to support a local business.
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June 2023 by Mark M.
I went here for a Australian fern palm. I noticed first that there are no prices on anything. The young guy was able to find me a 5 gallon fern tree. when I asked the price, the older gentleman looked at it and quoted $85. I have never purchased one before so I figured it was a going price. however, yesterday I came across the exact same tree at Home Depot for $15. it actually looked better than the one I bought from Jungle. Seems extremely overpriced and I have no way of knowing if he made that price up because he knew I didn't know better. Never will I go there again.
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March 2023 by Mary Kemen
Very helpful!! Answered questions regarding a rare tropical tree in faraway Minnesota.
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September 2022 by Karl C.
After a recent trip to Mexico, we wanted to update some of our landscaping (that was overdue for a change) with some tropical plants and we're so glad we found Jungle Music! They have such a vast selection of different plants, from palms and cycads to gingers and bromeliads, each unique and beautiful. We had a basic idea of general look and color palette, and we were helped by Jesse to select plants to go in the various zones of the yard. Jesse was incredibly knowledgeable about each of the plants, their needs, growth patterns, etc. and perfectly recommended where each should go. I'm happy to say that all of them are happliy thriving, even in water-deprived San Diego. Can't wait to go back to pick out some for some pots that need replacing!
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September 2022 by T T.
We made a last minute trip to San Diego to visit a friend in town on business. Jungle Music was #1 on my list of places to visit and it did not disappoint! The place is completely packed with every rare palm and cycad you can imagine! It's overwhelming and I second another review which says to have a few ideas in mind before you visit. I had a list but it rapidly changed as I chatted with Ricardo, Brendan and Phil. We selected a couple of 5G and several smaller palms to fill the shipping boxes. The palms arrived expertly packed and 100% great shape. Excellent selection, expert advice, and amazing shipping. I'll definitely visit again and would shop online without hesitation!
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December 2021 by Dennis Sousa
Always come here after Thanksgiving to buy exhaustic palm trees
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November 2021 by Ness R.
Wonderful (almost overwhelming, but that's a good thing!) assortment of indoor and outdoor plants. Super friendly and helpful staff. I picked up 4 plants this day: the mojito alocasia, darkstar alocasia, regal alocasia, and a variegated hibiscus.
