McAuliffe’s Valley Nursery

Came here on the hunt for a veriegated azara. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what that was, but my friend was a man on a mission, and we stopped in here to see if they had his treasure.
This nursery is pretty darn cool. Someone put a lot of thought into the landscaping and layout of the grounds. It gives you a lot of ideas for your own yard. It’s very peaceful to just wander around the grounds and enjoy all the happy little trees.
Speaking of the trees! Holy wow, there are bunches. Tall trees, short trees, leafy trees, evergreens and more maples than you could shake a stick at. Not that shaking a stick at a tree would accomplish much… in any case, it’s gorgeous.
Staff was here and there. It was a busy Saturday morning, so they were often assisting others, but stopped in on us a few times to offer assistance, or to, perhaps make sure that we did not get lost in the back lot (they left the gate open and we wandered back there,). They were great assistance in helping us locate an azara (which is a tree for those not in the know) and, though it wasn’t of the variegated persuasion, it was still so pretty that my friend scooped it up and took it home.
The thing I like best is that this nursery is pretty and functional, with great selection and really knowledgeable staff (shout out to Maria, she really knows her stuff), BUT it’s not all hoity-​toity like some nurseries have gotten. I felt comfortable there in my jeans and beat-​up sneaks, not something I can say about other nurseries that I’ve visited recently.

UPDATED: The day after the below review posted, I received a call from Jamie McAuliffe who said he «was not happy» with my review, and then said «Im taking back the offer, you’re stuck with the tree. Don’t come back».
I do not know any of these people personally, have only been called by them on the phone. But they should know, after many years in the business, that the mark of a truly quality operation is how you handle a dissatisfied customer. Perhaps they don’t get many — or perhaps not many write reviews or are not internet savvy, or possibly most are intimidated by the nastiness one receives if one wishes a refund — but I think that judging by my experience (actually being called and told off on the phone not once but TWICE for posting a negative review by the owners who identified themselves by the names below), when the chips are down, true colors show.
Be forewarned.
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I’m updating my review after speaking with the grower, Jamie McAuliffe, who reached out to me today. I’m very appreciative of his call… and had I received this kind of polite and professional handling from day one, my first review would never have been written.
Today, Jamie explained that the possible reason for the lack of color and vigor on the tree was the fact that it was grown IN THIS VALLEY on their land… and as such had suffered from the recent heat «wave» we’ve had… and as such, probably was reacting the same as the trees on their lot that had been grown in the same way, rather than to be nicely coloured like all the rest of the Satomi Kousa right now on sale and growing around the valley. I realize this could be a valid reason — so, we agreed that I’d keep the tree in the ground for another year, and see how it bracts out next spring. He knows where we live and can easily see the care the tree is receiving… and he agreed that if it did not color up next spring, that he would have his team come dig it out and refund. I think that is VERY reasonable. And that is the discussion AND the response that I should have had the first time when I came into the nursery with the problem. I appreciate your time and your professionalism, Jamie.
Have a chat with the rest of the group. The phone conversation with Tiffany McAuliffe was a completely different experience. :)

How can I share the total experience of McAuliffe’s Nursery? Well, let me start with the nursery itself. The nursery is full of every kind of plant one might want or need. Also, the surroundings make the walk around the acreage, lovely, calming, and wonderfully colorful. Everywhere I look I see vignettes of plant varieties and tree varieties. Truly magnificent and truly exceptional. The plants are reasonable and clearly well taken care of by the knowledgeable staff. The trees come in so many sizes and the team of McAuliffe’s will come and plant each tree. Honestly! It is certainly worth the extra money to have the trees planted. I know we did this and 10 years later our yard is framed by Western Red Cedars that have grown and become more lovely each year. I DO NOT GO TO ANY OTHER NURSERY as McAuliffe’s is the most reasonable and clearly loved nursery I have ever been to over the years. My husband and I love to drive to McAuliffe’s just to walk around, although we seem to buy when we are visiting. And we have only been highly satisfied and our yard shows the results. We have people stop us as we are working in the yard just to comment on the flora of all kinds and types. Thank you McAuliffe’s staff. Thank you for making our home such a great place to relax and the great place surrounded by the remarkable plants. Thank you. See you soon!

We bought most of our plants here. They have been healthy and growing.
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I really enjoy shopping here, even browsing around when I’m not ready to buy anything just yet.

Great selection of plants for the green thumbs. I got a blueberry bush and a pepper plant. They didn’t have a gogi berry bush and only one almond tree to choose from, but they said they’ll call me when more comes in. The woman who assisted me was very friendly and I’ll definitely be coming here for all my plant needs. All the plants looked very healthy and well maintained.

I had a small project where we were in need of some shade and privacy. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but no idea what my options were. I found this place online and realized it was right by the house. Made the drive there that weekend and was amazed by how beautiful and nice the place was. The staff greeted us immediately and spent at least an hour with us just talking through the different options and explaining and showing the different trees to us.
We decided on two 14′ Katsura trees which seemed very reasonably priced and a week later they were installed by them. The experience was great, the staff was extremely friendly, and the trees look beautiful.

Awesome selection and beautiful plants, with knowledgable staff. Also it feels good to support local business, rather than just shopping at homedepot.

Beautiful nursery and friendly staff! The variety of flowers and plants is vast but the care and thought they put into this gem is impressive. The people here are so warm and friendly, it was such a pleasant experience walking through the nursery.

I think it is the lady owner that has helped me twice. Very knowledgeable and they have a great selection of plants. I love walking around and getting possible ideas. I am a first time gardener and purchased their own mix of potting sterile mix. It worked great! I started a container garden with their seed potatoe and have gotten good results so far in growth. Loved their fuschias too… great variety. And when she says that she will call you… she does… A young man helped me the last time and he was so informative and just great to talk to about gardening. Ample parking and fast service.

Nice people who really know their plants

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES!
I didn’t want to drive all the way to Flower World (which I do love) and was happy to come across this small nursery to find the right amount of irises and day lilies that I needed for my garden.
I will be back!

We stopped by there on the wrong weekend, when the NW Flower and Garden show was happening in Seattle. No customers, and one lonely staffer off in the distance. But the plants looked healthy, the sections were organized, and there were nice examples of landscaping scattered throughout. No bargains, but everything looked fresh and reliably sturdy.

I found this place on the way to a house warming party. I picked up a small tree for the new owners. I came back a few weeks later just to browse. I loved it. It is like a relaxing backyard. Thanks for making it an enjoyable visit.
Good prices and good selection.

Love this local family owned & operated nursery. Everyone is so helpful and their knowledge of the plants is tremendous. They grow everything on site, so I never have to worry about shocking the plants When I plant them in my yard.
A++++ Thank you Tiffini & Jamie for running such a great Nursery!
Updating my initial review of McAuliffe’s Nursery — 2 years later. Our yard is flourishing with all of the plants we have bought at McAuliffe’s Nursery. In fact there are very few plants left from the previous owner of our house as many died or replacements from places like Flower World and other local nursery’s never lasted more than a few months before withering to dead plants. As I originally reviewed — McAuliffe’s is the only place I shop for plants now. I’ve learned my lessons and now I feel confident that Jamie and Tiffini are the best resource any home owner can have when seeking professional, friendly and supportive support in building and growing a wonderful garden or planning a landscaping project that will look amazing!
If we were talking hotels — McAuliffe’s would be a five diamond resort. The value of their plants is in the long term reward of a beautiful landscape.

My husband and I had the pleasure of shopping at this local nursery this weekend. I love everything about this place.
First off, great parking — we were able to easily maneuver our large truck and 12 foot trailer in and out of there on a busy weekend, no problem.
They have a great selection of healthy plants in all stages of growth from the little 4′ Leyland cypresses we bought to the 12′ weeping cedars we also took home with us. The «aisles» between plants are wide and well groomed. Everywhere you look, beautiful plants abound to inspire.
Their prices are very competitive. We started the day shopping at Home Depot, but left disappointed with their sickly trees for $ 100 each. We also checked out Flower World but could not get the attention of anyone there to help us.
Contrast that with McAuliffes where perhaps their best feature is their knowledgable and friendly staff. We worked with Michelle who is so pleasant and approachable, even landscaping novices like ourselves left feeling confident that we could improve our curb appeal. She listened well, giving us great feedback without making us feel pressured into buying anything. She also ran and got an umbrella for us when I expressed concern that our baby was getting too much sun. We left with lots of ideas, went home and took measurements. We ended up going back the next day and purchasing several trees and a bag of fertilizer.
When it came time to load the trees onto our trailer, 2 young men brought them to us and loaded them up, taking great care to secure the branches with twine so they didn’t get caught in the wheel well of the trailer. They positioned each root ball to balance the weight and hold everything down securely. We were quite impressed.
We will be back again and again — this place is a gem.