Lots of inventory. Helpful staff. Reasonable prices. Just a bit out of the way, but worth the drive.

We have been when the father still ran things. I have photos of the huge goldfish in their large water pond.Since the new people are in charge, we hardly recognized the pond. It was full of hair algae, large pockets of it and the water was murky. Gone were the huge goldfish and being able to see the bottom. Horsetail bamboo seems to be growing out of control. We walked over to the greenhouses and several were filled with blight consumed plants, rows and rows of them. Instead of closing the doors on them, they were wide open spreading the blight across the property. We went through the gift shop and the cashier never acknowledged us, he was sitting in the dark staring at his phone. We are totally disappointed in the loss of a landmark business. We miss your Dad and sad to see his life's work in such bad shape read more

We paid in advance for over $2000 in plants from Kiefer Nursery plus delivery and installation. At selection, the plants showed no sign of disease with healthy green leaves; no disclosure was given to the contrary. However, upon delivery, 15 Beebalm were completely smothered in powdery mildew fungus and 6 Phlox were completely smothered in the same powdery mildew fungus. Without notifying us, Kiefer installed the infected plants in my garden putting all of my other plants at risk of infection. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this fact until after I was done watching my daughter and the crew had left; but it was obvious that the plants had become severely infected between the time that we selected/purchased them to the time they were delivered/installed. Any ethical nursery and landscaping company would have realized that these plants had become severely infected and elect not to deliver them. Instead, Kiefer knowingly, willfully, and intentionally delivered and installed these plants putting the rest of my garden at risk. I know this for a fact because, according to the Kiefer employee on the phone, they knew about this fungus but simply don't care to minimize its proliferation for its customers. The unethical Kiefer employee continued to claim that the plants were already like this; this is a lie because the ones we selected were not blatantly infected to the point that every leaf on the plant was gray. The unethical Kiefer employee further claimed that all phlox and beebalms at this time of year are severely infected with powdery mildew unless treated; this also a lie. A healthy beebalm or phlox plant with proper soil, moisture, and aeration conditions can thrive without the need for fungicides. Saying that fungicides are absolutely necessary is a lazy and incompetent gardener's excuse for lacking the understanding of what systemically causes fungi, pests, and other diseases. I asked the unethical Kiefer employee how it is possible that these plants became so severely infected in only two weeks time between selection/purchase and delivery/install given the fact that summer conditions aren't optimal for this particular fungus's spread. The unethical Kiefer employee argued that powdery mildew thrives in summer and said I was wrong because he has 4 years studying this stuff. I informed him that, actually, conditions for powdery mildew are optimal in spring and fall, not summer. Although these plants are susceptible to this fungus; having it spread this quickly during this time of year clearly indicates that Kiefer Nursery improperly placed and maintained these plants between purchase and delivery. I told him to look up these facts because you can literally find this information on any extension service. Here are a few: "Although powdery mildew can occur all season long, it is less common during the summer heat." [Clemson University Extension] "High relative humidity at night. Low relative humidity during day. 70-80F (22-27C) temperatures (These conditions prevail in spring and fall)" [Penn State Extension] "Powdery mildew is most active in spring conditions of hot or warm days with cool nights." [Texas A&M Extension] "Powdery mildew infections favor humid conditions with temperatures around 68-81° F. In warm, dry conditions, new spores form and easily spread the disease." [University of Minnesotta Extension] Mr. 4 years of studying says powdery mildew is most prominent in summer; disagreeing with every extension. Kiefer Nursery thinks they are so smart that they know more than all the research universities combined. The unethical Kiefer employee feigned concern for the environment by saying that the reason these plants are completely smothered with fungus is because they don't use fungicides; Kiefer cares about the environment. This is funny to me because any organic gardener worth their salt knows that one of the best ways to minimize fungi infection and therefore fungicide use is by mitigating fungi spread. Prevention is key. When Kiefer knowingly, willfully, and intentionally brings severely infected plants to a customer's home, they aren't deterring fungicide use but are rather promoting the increased use of fungicides on each customer's property. Lastly, the unethical Kiefer employee told me that they will continue to deliver severely infected plants because powdery mildew is endemic. This is an asinine statement. Just because COVID is endemic, doesn't make it ethical to knowingly spread it to others when you happen to know for a fact that you are both infected and contagious. The unethical Kiefer employee told me that they refuse to issue refund, trade-in, and credit. Clearly, Kiefer Nursery and Landscaping is going to deliver a non-sellable product, in poor condition, whether you like it or not. I will never trust them near my garden ever again. I will also be filing a complaint with the Attorney General of North Carolina and a dispute with my credit card company. read more

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I have several camellias (and other plants) from Kiefer and LOVE every one of them! The nursery is so gorgeous with the color, the layout and the staff were super friendly and answered all my questions, and if they didn't know they tried to look it up instead of spouting some bs answer. I can appreciate that! read more

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Great service! Staff was very knowledgeable, Suggesting many plants for my site so that I could choose.

This hidden gem in Southwest Durham needs a major shout out. I've driven by it many times since I live nearby, always wanting to stop, but hadn't. It looks kind of small when you drive by...little did I know... We decided to get in the swing of the season and stopped by today for their "Fruity Fall Festival" which was actually a fundraiser for SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces) a non-profit garden program in Durham. Nice! I was very surprised to find how big this place is. It actually sits on 12 acres of land that goes way back. At the festival we attended some excellent "How To" gardening workshops that were free and very helpful. The employees are super friendly, not pushy at all, and answered all our questions. They also had some excellent sale prices. Included for the festival was a number of local artisans offering their wares, kids activities, a wine & cider tasting, Locopops, and even a hot dog cart. We left two hours later having had a fantastic time! I may even go back tomorrow for the last day of the festival! Price wise I think they are competitive with other garden centers. Japanese Maples are an expensive tree, but their prices were in line with other centers that carry them. They do have some very unique trees, like Sequoia redwoods, but in general much is similar to what you'd find elsewhere just super super healthy. They had some nice water fountains and a large pond in particular with many very large koi that you can feed. It's so laid back there you just want to hang out, browse and feed the fish. It's almost like being at a park. Suffice to say, I liked what I saw and will definitely be going back, especially for some of their upcoming workshops! read more

Kiefer Landscaping & Nursery - Koi pond - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The staff was helpful and there was a large variety to choose from!! We got most of our plants from here and all are doing well so far :)

I love the place. It has a wide variety of plants and trees. The staff know what they are doing. My first place to go to. read more

The Kiefer staff was extremely helpful! I stopped by their nursery one day after work to pick out a few new plants for my backyard. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for, but had a few thoughts. One of the landscapers was walking by and asked if I needed some help. I mentioned what I was looking for and he pointed my in the right direction. After looking through the plants and trying to determine what exactly I wanted the gentleman stopped by again to see how it was going. I mentioned what I was trying to do and he was SO extremely helpful. He mentioned the plants I suggested probably weren't the best option for what I was trying to do and instead he recommended several other plants that would be better (due to sunlight and spacing requirements). I'm so glad he was there to help me! I absolutely LOVE the new roses and azaleas he recommended. Also, I should mention that this place is HUGE. If it weren't so close to 5pm when I went I would have loved to walk around just to see everything they offer. They also have a nice store in the middle of the nursery where you can shop for other landscaping items as you wrap up your order. I'll definitely be back! read more

I wanted to order some fruit trees for a relative in the Triangle area and tried a number of different nurseries all over Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham. Kaela at Kiefer was very helpful and kept me informed about the timing of the delivery and planting, which was done ahead of the time range I originally received. Kiefer stood out among nurseries by being responsive, not over promising, but still making you feel like you were being guided by experts to the right decision. The delivery and planting guys were really helpful, friendly, and generous. This was an excellent experience and I'm excited to order more. read more

Love this place!! Large variety of shrubs , trees ,perennials and just about anything green. And I like the fact that the owner Mark Kiefer is always around and works right along with his staff .....in the trenches. Gonna buy a tree this wknd and I hope its on sale. read more

Wife really enjoys Kiefer's. Employees there are very helpful.. Great selection of plants .

Kiefer was a recommendation from a neighbor after they had a good experience. Over the past month, I've called twice and spoken with people about getting a quote for landscaping (design had already been set) for my backyard and for installation, and I've also emailed twice. An email back indicating they are too busy or my job is too small would be appreciated. read more

During my two visits, I had a wonderful time looking around. They have a large and unique selection of perennials, annuals, shrubs and trees. Both times, I was able to purchase items not available at the big chain retailers in the area (Lowe's/ Home Depot). So far, my 10 plant purchases from Keifer are growing strong! Thanks to the nice and friendly staff for the assistance as well. read more

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It's hard to know what to say about this. It's unusual to have an experience where I could either give a 1 star or a 5 star, but this is how I feel about Kiefer Landscaping. On the plus side, I got really great trees, nicely planted, at a reasonable price. The crew that planted the trees cleaned up after themselves and were very polite. The trees are healthy and I was really happy with that aspect of it. The office staff, on the other hand, was just really difficult to work with. When you go there in the offseason, you can only work with them by appointment. Which would be totally fine, if they would show up for the appointment. Or if they would actually check their voicemail and return calls. After giving them $750, I had to continually chase them for weeks in order to get them to schedule the planting. They wouldn't return my calls - even when I would speak with someone, they would tell me that the scheduler would call back and it just seemed like that didn't happen. So...if you can stand the poor service and you don't mind calling them repeatedly and waiting for weeks, you can get some really nice trees. I don't think I will go there again unless I really need to (if they have something that no other landscaping company has.) Also, their prices for trees/planting seemed fair, but I would definitely not recommend buying small plants there. They showed me some plants that were small and scrappy for $25 that you could get for $10 at the farmers market. read more

As a nursery, I give two green thumbs up. We do not use their landscaping service; my wife and I are our own landscaping service. We wanted to establish a few new plant beds this year with shrubs and perennials. We spent a lot of time with Phillip walking through the nursery to select plants that fit with the available sunlight, growth pattern, screening, coverage, etc. He offered great advice and knowledge and showed us many options. He also educated us on preparing the soil. They sell a soil amendment that you can mix in when planting to help with the icky clay. The amendment is reasonable, but do ask for the big bags if you're doing a lot. The first time we bought several smaller bags before realizing they sold it in bigger quantities, too. Everything here is in great condition and they have a lot more interesting things offered versus what you'll see at big box retailers. Some items are available in both places, but the plants here definitely look healthier. You will pay a little more, but the plants look great from day one. Also, it is worth paying a few extra dollars for the expertise and advice to make sure you plant and care for everything correctly. The checkout process was a little slow, but we also bought a lot of things. Just plan to spend some good time here. The place is beautiful; be sure to walk around and see everything. Hours open to the public are restricted to Thursday through Saturday, and even that is very seasonal. read more

My wife and I visited this nursery last weekend and it was great. Its been open for 25 years and in the 8 years we've been here, haven't found it yet but we are so glad we did. Family owned and operated. Owners took the time, showed us their beautiful grounds and helped us pick out a tree. Very friendly staff. Great prices too. Looking forward to our new tree being delivered and planted next week. read more

I had been emailing and asking about different plants I was looking for based on research. Each time I got a prompt answer as to whether they had the plants or not. Finally they had one I wanted - an Autumn Fire sedum. So I decided to head on over from Roxboro on Saturday. I was so amazed at how many varieties of plants they had. And those plants looked incredibly healthy and vibrant. I could have spent all morning there and filled my car. But had to restrain myself due to limited time to get it all planted in time for a farm event. The prices were reasonable. I will definitely be back. The staff was so kind and helpful. I am happy with my purchase and so glad I found them. Easy to find and way more plants than it appears from the frontage. Sandy P read more

This is a review for the retail nursery. Can't say enough good things! We are flipping a historic house and starting from scratch with the landscaping (well, after we rip out all of the invasive plants that have taken over). Kiefer is definitely the best readily available nursery in the Triangle. Plant Delights is wonderful but inaccessible to simply browse and brainstorm. Kiefer's selection and quality of the plants is excellent. And unlike the big boxes, you can be guaranteed they won't sell you something that is overly invasive or not hardy enough for our region. The folks at Kiefer are very knowledgeable and will come up to you to assist if they are not already working with a customer. Mark Kiefer is typically onsite and is beyond knowledgeable and helpful. He's even helped with identifying existing plants on my lot from a poorly taken cell phone shot. If looking for something specific, be sure to ask! They have a lot of plants in a back area of the nursery that is off limits. This especially applies to trees and large/rare shrubs. As for trees... their delivery rates are pretty reasonable too if you're buying something too large for your car. read more

If you live in East Durham, you can skip this company. They do not service the neighborhood. After a no-call, no-show appointment, I connected with an office manager and they explained that there are too many "problems" in the area for them to take on the work. read more

Your money may not be as green as their nursery offerings: I called to inquire about landscaping design and the person who answered the phone asked me (before anything else) how much money did I want to spend. I answered something like, "You mean I have to know that before talking with anyone?" They responded that if I wasn't going to spend at least $5,000, they were not interested. OK, Boomer! Never mind! read more

Had an appointment for over a month and a half for Kiefer to come out to my house and check things out and provide a quote for tree replacements, new trees, and landscaping design. They missed the appointment and said they couldn't find the guy who was supposed to come. Wow! To think that I waited that long and was prepared to give THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to them. Feel like I dodged a bullet. Hope they are enjoying all the COVID money, because it's going to run out at some point. Nothing good to say about these folks. read more

In Dec. 2016, Mark Kiefer of Kiefer Landscaping (919-596-7313 or mark@kieferlandscapinginc.com) did a massive front yard landscaping job for us--3 older, diseased maples were removed (down to root balls) & replaced with 2 new trees. After all the excavation work, we had sod installed around the new trees, which was extended on one side of the house. I highly recommend Mark for his knowledge, installation competence, pricing (far less than another bid we received), and commitment to work with his customers. His KNOWLEDGE spans from that of plants & quality plant-suppliers, to landscape design and installation. In addition to having competent crewmen for job INSTALLATION, he takes pride in being on-site for the job, and even operated the Excavator used on our job. So far, the 6-month results are looking good, based on our Crape Myrtles & sod maturing as predicted. For the thoroughness & quality of his work, his PRICES are very competitive (he beat our next best bid by a long-shot). In short, he expertly engineered the order, pick-up & delivery, installation and touching-up of quality yard materials in a most timely & affordable manner. While he will ultimately deliver on his agreements with you, it helps to know how to best reach him when you have to. Because he's bent on being largely present at his various job-sites, he's not always immediately accessible. He will eventually respond to concise emails & more quickly to urgent ones. You may have the best luck catching him at his Nursery when it opens on Sat., and catching his wife (Janet) earlier in the day by phone and having her reinforce your need to hear from him. But you will hear from him, and he ultimately delivers. read more

What an awesome experience........was walking around not knowing where to go and one of the staff took me to exactly where I needed to be and called on another staff member with expertise regarding my queries.....offered me water, walked me around the facility offering suggestions based on my many questions....helped me to the front with my purchases......friendly customer service that is hard to beat.....there are closer nurseries but this one has my business moving forward..... read more

This is really Durham's premier source for landscape trees. They have an unparalleled selection of Japanese maples. It is really worth a trip out with the family to walk through the greenhouses. I have also seen some of the pondscapes they have installed and all I can say is, "wow!". The are located on hwy 55 and if your not looking for them you will miss them. read more

We used them to landscape our property after shopping around for quotes. Kiefer seemed reasonable in price and was the only landscaper who provided a professional and detailed estimate. The landscaping team and their work was timely and professional, they planted seven trees, dug a large bed and performed a yard clean up job. The problem is that they do not follow up on their work/ services. We gave up after attempting to contact them via numerous emails and phone calls. They seem to have a "plant it and forget it" work/business ethic. This renders their limited warranty on landscaping worthless. read more

Excellent selection and knowledgable gardeners make this the only place I go for plants!

We recently visited Kiefer for the first time...what a delightful experience. Knowledgeable staff, very accommodating, and variety of quality shrubs (which we were looking for). So glad to have found this "hidden gem" so nearby! read more

I spent lots of money with Mark some years ago and he was a total jerk. He didn't listen to what I wanted, he didn't do what we had suggested, and when I asked that a tree that I'd purchased as a memoral for a pet, his staff planted too deeply, he wasn't willing to replace the same variety, because he didn't carry it. He told me I could go out and buy it somewhere (and didn't offer to reimburse me). His crew also broke an expensive planter that they elected to move, and he refused to replace that. He was difficult to deal with, and I would not recommend him to anyone. I really liked some of his staff; they were nice and seemed to know what they were doing, but I heard later that they'd all been let go. Given my experience w/ Mark in the past, I cannot recommend him. He cost me a lot of money and transplanted plants that weren't right for my area. His mistakes have cost me many dollars since. read more

Kiefer Nursery is one of my favorite places. They have a huge variety of perennials, the plants are healthy, and the service is outstanding! read more

Do not hire for any work on your yard. I have the impression the employees are not treated well or happy in their job. No one would do anything of their own will. It seemed they were all smoking something. They screwed up drains, planted with the absolute minimum mulch. A bunch of plants died, planted trees leaning. Their MO is they hope you get tired of calling them back to fix the stuff they screwed up. Expensive, and not worth it. You can get a better job done for much less $$$ somewhere else. read more

Terrible!! I've never dealt with such rude people. From Janet Kiefer on the phone, to one of their estimators at my house, I felt like I was arguing that my project was worth their time. I have purchased a lot of landscaping from their nursery in the past but I will NEVER step foot in their business again. On top of all this rudeness the estimator told me that they definitely won't be the cheapest and if anything they would be the most expensive, as if he was trying to lose my business before they even got it! read more

I can only comment on their trees. We were shopping for a tree to replace one we'd had removed. The salesman immediately started to try to sell me on the idea of 2 trees rather than one. After a long delay, we were shown a few maples in the back of the lot. I asked why the leaves on the trees had black spots. He said it was due to leaves changing color in the fall. Sorry, I've seen maple trees change color and black is not it. When I returned home, a quick Google search revealed that most of the young maple trees we were shown at Kiefer have tar spot fungus - a cosmetic disease which won't kill the tree. Still this is an ugly problem and not easy to get rid of. Net - the salesperson was trying to sell us a diseased tree. We won't be back. read more

Mark did our landscaping plan which included retaining wall, stone terraces and paver patio. His plant selection works really well. The other staff is knowledgeable and personable. We've tried other places, but usually resort to Kiefer's for the good stuff. read more