Rancho Soledad Nurseries

The nursery itself is fabulous. They offer a Hilo-grown selection you won't find anywhere else. The problem is customer service. Years ago they had competent sales help like Eric who was always professional and responsive. He returned calls, emails, and texts. But Eric is gone and Hunter is unreachable. The entire show is placed in the hands of a flaky worthless disappearing act named Jesse. This headcase moron turns a simple purchase into an all-day ordeal. If you say you want to buy something he jumps on his cart and vanishes. It can take hours (and normally does) to find him because the place is huge and he deliberately hides. One time I was hunting him down and saw a pair of customers walking back toward the main building and asked them if they saw Jesse anywhere and they said, "No, he avoids us. Guess he doesn't want to sell us anything!" So I know it's not just me. I've spent $1000s there every year and get the same unexplained weirdo treatment from Jesse. I honestly don't believe Hunter and his mom know about his behavior and what Jesse does to their family business. Calling the nursery is useless cause they transfer you to Jesse who says "I call you back" and never does or "I send you pics" and never does. That's if he answered the phone. It goes on for weeks. "I send you pics in a few minutes." Still waiting after 8 days. He doesn't respond to texts or WhatsApp. I live hours away and the only way to know if they have something is to drive there. Why can't they hire a real legit professional salesperson? Must be they don't value walk-in customers?

Rancho Soledad is tucked away and a little bit of trek to Rancho Santa Fe to get to, but well worth it for any serious agave or succulent collector. The nursery is loaded with rare and hard to find plants, not to mention hybrids from agave gods Jeremy Spath and Kelly Griffin. They are primarily wholesale so don't expect to be greeted by somebody in the display garden, it can be a little intimidating and unwelcoming, but rest assured Jesse will find you and drive you to whatever you need. The staff is very knowledgeable and couldn't be nicer.

Although I didn't find what I was looking for (small succulents), a kind man name Jesse took me on a tour to help me find some plants. They have a beautiful garden too.

I've been all over the county to nurseries big and small, corporate and independent, and if you're looking for awesome agaves and aloes this is the only place you need to visit. I wish I'd found them earlier and saved myself a lot of time and hassle.
Amazing selection of plants, hands down the best I've seen. The owner is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, down to earth and able to answer every practical question about choosing and caring for these plants. Hours of online research can't compare to the understanding gained by touring the beautiful, expansive nursery and talking to the experts. These guys have been doing this forever and you can tell they love their work.
I can't recommend this place enough to anyone thinking about a waterwise landscape renovation. This place is inspiring.

Under impressed. The older lady in the office is a rude ole bitch, to be frank.
The place is so large we were a bit confused on where to look or where certain varieties of plants are and she couldn't be bothered to be civil & point us in the right direction.
Won't come back. Their selection isn't even that good ‍

Hunter was great! It's a large lot with so many varieties that it helped having him drive us around on a cart to help locate the perfect plant. Next time, I hope I can stump him in his plant knowledge.

The best nursery in north county, hands down. This will be my primary go to place for plants going forward

Outstanding wholesale and retail nursery with a gargantuan selection. They clone a lot of their own plants and run possibly the only tissue culture lab in San Diego County. So they have proprietary plants you can't find anywhere else. Meticulous care is given to the plants. So though some consider it an expensive nursery, you're buying higher quality plants and also certain cultivars that simply are not for sale elsewhere.

I've met three staff members and the owner. Everyone was super friendly, outgoing, and eager to talk plants with me. I've been very happy with all my purchases here so far.

I have been wanting to get some agaves for a while. I have gone to three other nurseries, Rancho Soledad blew them out of the water. When I got there I rang the bell, and within minutes I received great customer service. We jumped in a golf cart and he gave me a tour. If you haven't been here it's a must. Great customer service and reasonable prices. I will definitely be back, and yes I bought 3 beautiful agaves.

I experienced some of the greatest customer service while at Rancho Soledad. Not only is the drive out to this hidden gem an experience on it's own, but we were welcomed with friendly smiles, helpful staff, and knowledgeable insight for our landscaping needs. I went in there with only a general concept of what I was looking for and I left feeling as though I was educated and prepared to make some good decisions. I'm thinking their prices are a little on the higher end of the scale, but I believe it was worth it for the experience they provided.What an amazing selection they had as well! I highly recommend a visit!