Phil and his employees are a wealth of knowledge! When researching tropical plants I always think "I wonder what Phil said about it" and Google the scientific name of the plant followed by "Jungle Music"... it's always so enlightening when I do that! One word of advice is to have a few ideas for which specific plants you might be interested in before going to the nursery. I made the mistake of going in the first time with absolutely no idea what I wanted, and it was completely overwhelming. Because a lot of the plants he sells are young, it's not always easy to identify what you're looking at. For example, the first time I went, I saw a super-cute "understory" plant and really wanted it... but after looking it up on the internet I realized it was a HUGE fan palm (just a baby). Don't count on being able to judge the plants by their size right now! In contrast, the last time I went, I brought a list of plants I thought might be a match for my needs (based on what I read in his blog), and an employee was able to show me these as well as some other plants that might work well for my needs. It was a much better experience this time, as I was better prepared. As for pricing... they're (of course) higher than Home Depot, but not bad when you compare with other specialty nurseries in this area. At least for the somewhat common pieces (if you're looking for something REALLY rare, you should of course be prepared to pay more). I'm very happy to have them as a resource. read more

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I found Jungle Music Palms in a Google search for bromeliads in San Diego. The nursery is only a couple miles from my home, and I hoped to find a few small scale, shade loving bromeliads. I wandered the garden and finally located the owner in the trailer. Phil asked an employee to show me their bromeliads. I found most of the bromeliads to be very old stock, in terrible condition, and most too large for my space. We finally located what the employee called a small "Casablanca" bromeliad in a reddish hue with white speckles. Of course it was not labeled with ID or price. I was told to go ask Phil for a price. Phil seemed more interested in my contact info and email than actually identifying the specimen. He finally said, "It's a rare bromeliad" (uh oh), and quoted me $70. I was expecting less than half that for a 6" plant. Needless to say, I left without purchasing the bromeliad. I'll try Bird Rock Tropicals next. read more

I have had Jungle Music in my book marks for awhile now. When I was on the search for a brahea decumbens palm, Jungle Music came up. This nursery has a wide variety of palms that cannot be bought elsewhere - in this case I have been searching for a brahea decumbens & no where on the internet has it (even seeds are sold out everywhere). For some reason the transaction of acquiring this palm was way more difficult than needed. The first attempt (phone call to Phil, the owner) was made on June 30th, & I was told to call back the first week of July. Then I called July 2nd, & 3rd. I was then told that there wasn't any Brahea Decumbens received & to call in a month. I also was told to check the blog as that is updated daily. So I have been checking the blog daily as instructed & out of the blue (Friday July 25th) I called to check & then was told from Phil "Sorry we sold out 2 weeks ago, we sold out in 3 or 4 days." I then received an email from Jesse who apologized for the frustration of the situation. He went above & beyond to help out by making phone calls & locating a brahea decumbens. The day the delivery came he let me know & sent me a photo of the best palm out of the 4 - 5 they received. I was able to purchase the palm over the phone that same day. Tracking was never emailed which is annoying. This palm wasn't cheap by any means but if you're looking for hard to find palms & surely don't mind paying more, it's may be worth checking here. I am happy with my purchase, however the box wasn't marked to keep it upright so the box was laying on its side when I was able to retrieve it on my doorstep. This could have been avoided by having arrows on the box showing the correct orientation so the UPS driver could place it properly upon delivery. Hopefully Phil can see this review & take into consideration of the customer for areas of improvement. read more

Jungle Music Palms & Cycads - Brahea decumbens - 5 gallon - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

Visited this nursery June 6th, 2026. What a waste of our time, especially driving from Diamond Bar, CA. The plants are in horrible condition! Nothing like the pictures on the internet. The owners should be ashamed of themselves. read more

Plant are in bad condition, place is a shambles, no plants are labeled, no plants have prices stated. Save yourself the trip.

Beautiful Kentia palm and great help getting it started. It had trouble at first they helped get it over a rough patch.

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. read more

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A few weeks ago I came down to visit Jungle Music from Phoenix. I recently got into Palms and cycads and have learned so much from there website. The staff is really knowledgeable. Ricardo, Alma, and Phil all helped me pick a nice cycad and a unique palm tree that would grow well in my climate. I love what I came home with and can't wait to purchase from them again. I truly feel this is one of the top places in the country for palms and cycad enthusiasts. The pricing is fair for what they are offering. I repotted the cycad I purchased and it had lots of healthy roots on such a young plant. You can tell they really offer high quality stuff. I plan to purchase in the future. The beauty about this place is they ship across the country, and for my future babies, I will be utilizing this option! Thanks Again Phil, Ricardo and Alma! read more

Jungle Music Palms & Cycads - A beautiful cycad from Jungle Music. - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

Fun place to spend some time! Beautiful, rare and unusual aroids, palms, ferns & and so much more. All kinds of great options to add to your plant collection. read more

Jungle Music Palms & Cycads - Alocasia Regal Shield, bought it last week and it's already popping out a big new leaf! - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

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! read more

The quality of the plants and the customer service is the reason I've been a mail order customer for years. The planets are always packaged exceptionally well and they've always arrived in great condition. I will definitely contact them again and again for my exotic palm needs. Thanks read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

If you like palms or cycads, you really need to check this place out. It's run by Phil and his son Jesse and is really a family business. It's a bit hard to find but worth the trip. It's not the cheapest but service is GREAT. read more

Drove up from Huntington Beach yesterday with my wife and was amazed by this nursery, such great customer service, we will be coming back to pick up some palms soon. Definitely worth the drive Thanks read more

From all the reviews and word "on the street" I went in assuming this place had sky high prices so I came in a bit nervous. This place is truly magical. I love nurseries that are just so packed you have to crawl under and over things to get around, a true indoor jungle. They have endless amounts of palms and Cycads, some bromeliads, air plants, and other exotic plants. I love that a lot of stuff comes from rare wild varieties or private collections! You can find lots of beautiful plants here and they really aren't as expensive as people made it out to be. I think it's well priced. The owner is super friendly and knowledgeable and I can't wait to come back!! read more

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Such an amazing experience. We were looking for something very specific and the employees and owner were so extremely knowledgeable. I'm still giving 5 stars even though I don't quite enjoy the disorganization and jungle-ness of jungle music. I would definitely recommend either 1) knowing exactly what you want 2) finding someone to help you explore and find exactly what you are looking for 3) bring your phone, get lost and look up all the plants by their scientific name. Either way, you are in for a wonderful experience. Price was not bad either. read more

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I will never shop at Jungle Music again. I cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, and when an employee asked me about wearing one I told him I couldn't because of my condition. He proceeded to laugh at me and walk away. When I went to ask Phil about a plant I was looking for he looked at me with a blank stare and said "WE DON"T HAVE THEM". I knew exactly what he was doing, he was refusing to service and sell to me because I didn't have a mask. It's unfathomable to me that someone can "LAUGH" at someone's medical condition, and also not knowing how it was contracted. I am guessing that after 1 year of mask mandates that they maybe have had a couple people or maybe I was the only one to state that and they still refused to serve me. What a terribly sad state that our country and citizens have stooped to, and the fear mongering media has continued to exploit this. THIS IS DISCRIMINATION and it's pitiful! read more

Pushy and over priced I will say they have Beautiful cycads and palms. But I called and Went to look at what they had on heliconias. Not much. For $65 I expected a nice big healthy plant. What he showed me was a few dried up pathetic looking small plants. What was unbelievable was how after showing me the plants he says "so I'll take all these up to the front for you." like I was obligated to buy them since he took the time to show them to me. For me there is lots better out there. read more

I think I bought my first palms from Jungle Music in the mid 90's. Since then I've moved a couple times and needed new palms and cycads each time. And Jungle Music is STILL my "go to" nursery. Their experience and knowledge is incredible. I can't thank them enough for all help they've given me over the past 20+ years! read more

At their nursery I feel like an explorer in a jungle paradise discovering a new species at every turn. The diversity of palms and cycads is jaw dropping! With the addition of other rare companion plants there is no better place to be inspired to realize your tropical garden. Their website, knowledge and personal service is unsurpassed. Thank you Phil, Jesse and staff for all your help the past 15 years+ ! read more

Great service from the owner, amazing variety of available palms, plants were shipped promptly and arrived in perfect condition. I'm an extremely satisfied customer. read more

When I was growing up in Santa Barbara I longed to grow tropical plants but when I tried, they would die in winter from a hard frost in the hidden valley area I lived in. I had heard of Jungle Music and always wanted to see their selection. When I came to San Diego for graduate school and then stayed, I finally got to visit the wonderful place. I was in "hog heaven". A pair of huge hot houses full of palms and tropicals. I have moved several times but my first goal at a new home is to re-landscape with tropicals and I go straight to Phil and Jungle Music. Phil and Jesse can get just about anything and know the plants well as does Joaquin. As babies, many palms look similar but not to them. Their advice has saved me costly mistakes and my yards always look great due to their advice and their wonderful plants. Go there and you will be amazed at the wonderful selection and knowledgeable staff. read more

I must say Phil and Jesse are TOP NOTCH! Cherise (my wife) and I did a large (for us anyway) landscaping project, and we didn't want your average Kings, Queens, Pygmy's and Sago's. We had been receiving Phil's Emails for years, and had a list of what we thought would be nice for our project, so we took a drive to Jungle Music in Encinitas, where we met Phil and his son Jesse. We showed them the list of what we had selected, and thats when our education began. Many of the trees and plants we had selected weren't going to survive in our location, so for us to not be discouraged, Jesse pulled out a big book and started showing us pages and pages of trees and plants that would. Flame Throwers, Teddy Bear Palms, Bamboo Palms, Foxtail Palms, Hawaiian Fan Palms, Mediterranean Fan Palms, Coconut Queen Palms, Elephant Ears, Spider Lillie's, Kalihi and Dr. Moy Ginger. With a new list in hand, Jesse took us around their exotic grounds (which is like a huge rain forest in itself) and showed us each of the items on the new list. We liked everything offered up and started rattling off "2 of these, 3 of these, 1 of these, 4 of these". Then Jesse recommended he come down and do a sight survey (for a nominal fee) to make sure we have the right plants in the correct locations for sun/shade exposures so we don't kill our new additions. What a huge help! We would have cooked a few plants and not had enough sun for some trees. Well construction began and so did the bad weather that delayed the construction. This is where Phil was so great and understanding of our situation. Jungle Music held onto, and took care of our order for 8 weeks while things got caught up and until we were ready to set our trees and plants. Talk about above and beyond service! Everything is now in the ground and has been flourishing for a few months, and out of the blue Jesse calls to check up on us and see how everything is doing. I just can't say enough great things about Jungle Music, I highly recommend them for your landscaping needs! Thank you Phil and Jesse! Sincerely John and Cherise. read more

Amazing selection and customer service! Just picked up my king palms and they are beautiful! Only disappointed that I didn't actually hear any jungle music. read more

Over the phone Phil was extremely helpful and he located a pair of hard-to-find Dioon Rzedowskii cycads in 15 gallon pots. He email photos of the plants. I wanted to finish a project with mature plants and a I was hesitant to have them shipped. But I was assured that the plants would arrive quickly and intact. I placed the order at 10:00 a.m. Thursday and they arrived FEDEX the next day at 4:00 p.m. in perfect condition. Great service and great plants! read more

Jungle Music Palms & Cycads - 15 gallon potted cycads shipped from Jungle Music - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I went there looking for a very specific plant. The owner helped me with ideas and a nice woman walked around and showed me options. Finally deciding on plants, they helped me load them into my car. The site itself is gorgeous! I'd definitely go again... read more

Awesome selection of common and more exotic palms and cycads. They really know their stuff. Jesse was very helpful in finding just the right plants for us. Be sure to get on their mailing list so you know when they are having a sale! read more

Off the beaten path, but so worth it. What a selection of palms. Phil pulled out several different plants to choose from and when we picked the ones we wanted, his guys completely wrapped the palms so they wouldn't be damaged driving down the freeway in the back of our truck. (They looked like huge, long Christmas presents.) Got lots of advice of the care of our palms. This place is a great resource for anyone in Southern California looking for an unusual plant. read more

I'd been buying palms from them now for a couple years. They always have a great selection and decent pricing. You find a palm name and they probably have it. There are amazing with there knowledge of plants. Good people to do business with. read more

I live in Northern California and have been meaning to make a trip to Jungle Music for some time now. I have contacted Phil in the past with questions about plant availability, and he has always gotten back to me promptly. I recently decided to buy two Encephalartos seedlings, and have them shipped to my house. They arrived in just two business days, and the plants were in great condition. The plants were shipped in their containers, padded with newspaper and well supported within the box. Im very satisfied with the price i paid for these very large "band size" seedlings. Great place to find many rare species of palms and cycads. I will definitely continue shopping here. read more

This is a good place to go if you want a rare palm. Phil has hundreds of species in stock.

I needed to buy a palm tree for my front yard and did a ton of research online. I was really impressed with the vast amount of information and great reviews I found on Jungle Music Palms & Cycads. I wasn't sure what type of palm tree I needed so I gave Phil and his team a description of what I wanted. They listened to all of my requests and then suggested plants based off of my list. I was then shown several options. After deciding on my palm I was giving extensive information of how to plant and care for the palm tree, including a take home care sheet. I even mentioned that I just bought an avocado tree at a different nursery and I was given great information on how to care for it too! The selection was amazing and you can really tell Phil and his team care about their customers. If you are searching for great palms and Cycads with exceptional customer services then this is the place to go! read more

I emailed the nursery to check on the availability of a few palms. A reply came the next day with multiple pictures and info for each palm. After a couple of messages, I decided on several 5 gallon palms; I could not make it to the nursery for almost 10 days, so I paid for the plants and they held them for me. (One was the last they had in stock.) I stopped by and picked up two more palms. All were wrapped and loaded in the back of my truck, and did well on the 60 mile drive home. The service was great! I received messages from Ricardo and Jesse. At the nursery, Ricardo, Alma, and Joaquín all provided great service. I wish the prices were lower, but you generally get what you pay for. I'm guessing all of the palms I bought were grown from seed at the nursery, so you're looking at 2 to 4+ years to get to the 5 and 7 gallon size that I purchased. I'm not sure where I would have even found half of the ones I bought as they are only found in palm nurseries. Most importantly, I'm confident that the plants will do well in my yard versus the palms that are grown in the ground (out of state) and then jammed into a 14" pot and sold at Home Depot. I'm very happy and will return. BTW, I'd suggest visiting the San Diego Botanic Garden if you stop by from out of the area. The botanic garden is a short 8 minute drive from Jungle Music. read more

Great selection and personal service. I've been dealing with Jungle Music for over a decade and would recommend them to all. Lot of material I cannot find elsewhere. read more

Great nursery for palm, cycads and tropical.

Pricey, but I have never seen anything like this place elsewhere. The selection of palm seedlings cannot be beat, online or anywhere in the state. If I want a rare palm to add to my collection I will make a point to stop here read more

Stopped by today to get some heliconia and ginger specimens, Jesse and Phil were great. Phil jumped on his computer to suggest trees that would work for my needs and Jesse took a large amount of time to walk me around explaining what might be the best for my yard. Very knowledgeable and patient with all of my questions. Glad to have found them and will be a long term customer. read more

Great place!! You can find palms from all over the world like new Caledonia,Madagascar, mexico, cycads from South Africa, blue , gray , green, rare crosses and double crosses of cycads. Not over priced at all its not like you are shopping at home depot. Good quality of palms. Phil is really helpful and great customer service. read more