Redwood Barn Nursery

New paintjob February 2007

Redwood Barn is a local family-owned nursery that has been in Davis since 1981. If you need a plant identified, bring a sample to the Redwood Barn. The owner, Don Shor, writes a regular gardening column in The Davis Enterprise and contributes to the Sacramento Bee. He also hosts the Davis Garden Show with Lois Richter, Thursdays noon-1 p.m. on KDRT. If you have a gardening problem/question you may call the show for a live discussion at 530-792-1648.

Also check out the Garden Questions page here on the wiki for all your gardening problems and questions. Redwood Barn also has boards on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/redwoodbarn/

Don Shor attended UC Davis, receiving his B.S. in Plant Science in 1980, and has developed Redwood Barn Nursery into a special place for people who like to see new and unusual plants. Redwood Barn provides high quality horticultural advice for the serious gardener, as well as landscape management. Don is a past president of the Superior California Chapter of the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers and is active in numerous professional and community organizations. Be sure to visit the Redwood Barn website for past articles Don has written on a myriad of plant subjects such as pest/disease control, pruning and planting recommendations.

2007-04-21 08:20:51   I was disappointed with their selection. Home Depot has more plants than they do. —CarlosOverstreet

2007-05-21 13:24:45   This is the only place to go in Davis for high-end plants & truly professional guidance. Others may have more plants, but those will be of the "vanilla" landscaper's variety. Redwood Barn has a terrific variety of special items, including many heirloom veggies. Since Mrs. Basinger closed her nursery on H Street, this is the only show in town. —FreddieOakley

2007-10-27 19:35:49   Don Shor consistently gives me knowledgeable and helpful advice on my plant questions and problems. —Bean

2009-12-05 20:02:14   I was recently shopping for two specialty gardens (wildlife garden to attract birds & butterflies and a California natives garden) for a local school. The employee who helped, Debbie, was great. She was knowledgable about the plants and took into account all sorts of things I had overlooked, like flowers blooming while school is in session. They had a special section for California natives as well. —GingerGee

2010-01-12 09:42:01   It is highly frustrating that this store does not answer their phone..... their selection is limited (but has many varieties that are hard to find), the employees knowledgeable and friendly in person, but they DO NOT ANSWER THEIR PHONE!!!! what kind of way is that to run a retail establishment??? makes me want to drive a couple extra minutes to Three Palms Nursery: they may not always be open, but at least they'll answer their phone. I do really like Redwood's homey atmosphere, varied selection, and in-town location. —ACA

—Sorry, but our policy is that taking care of customers in the shop, watering plants, and unloading trucks always takes priority over answering the phone. Please leave a message and we will return your call. We also welcome inquiries by email at redbarn (at) omsoft (dot) com. —DonShor

2010-02-23 20:49:34   I was just there this evening for the first time, and they're pretty awesome. I called ahead and they held the last orange tree for me. They had the tree and berry shrub I wanted, and were super friendly and helpful. WAY more help that I would have received at a big-box store. And the best part? Their prices are BETTER. I bought a blackberry shrub for $4.99, and at Walmart they were $10. Also, their fertilizer is cheaper, and it's organic. —CDub

P.S. I called twice today, and they answered the phone both times.

2010-03-16 09:25:45   Really love this place. Asked Don for a quick diagnosis on my sickly meyer lemon tree, and got a free — and very welcome — five-minute lesson on making citrus thrive in local conditions. He then suggested that I didn't need as much garden hose as the 75' one he had in stock at the moment, and that I'd get exactly what I needed if I popped down the street to Hibbert Lumber. I'm now a loyal customer. p.s. wouldn't take a free plant from Home Depot if they brought it over and dug the hole themselves. —Swilltopower

2010-07-20 07:13:13   Just realized that while I have shopped at Redwood Barn for years, I haven't added a positive comment that contrasts with those that like big boxes and buying their plants over the phone. Redwood Barn consistently has a good and appropriate selection of plants (even though other places carry more, they not be appropriate for the climate or time of year), and frequently does special orders for those special needs. I screwed up a special order for the creeping thyme I use in a front path, and they happily took it back and ordered me the correct "wooly" thyme. They have replaced a rosebush that died—even though I was suspicious it was a bad transplant job on my part.

I love the annual warning signs "It's too early to put tomatoes in the ground," even though the big boxes have them around Valentine's Day. The free and truly expert advice is always forthcoming...try getting that at the big orange box or the place with the red circle. Even more impressive is the willingness to research and follow-up on that difficult-to-answer question, as well as the repository of truly local information on redwoodbarn.com. —ScottLay

2010-09-11 10:41:25   Consistently the best source of information on my ever-growing garden. Thanks Don! —JanaBrenning

2012-06-05 09:30:30   I just had the most frustrating conversation with Redwood, whereby the gal on the phone told me she didn't want to start her day this way. What she meant is that she didn't want to deal with my issue...namely that I have not heard from Redwood since 5/18 regarding my specific plant order. While at the nursery some time ago, I spoke with Don, who advised me to write down the plants I wanted and he would let me know when in. I emailed the list, never to hear a word on said plants to this day. The gal on the phone said she was out of the issue, as she does not work on the weekend, and "those people aren't very good". Her final answer: Redwood will not sell plants to me and I should buy them somewhere else. I SHALL ! WOW. With that type of customer service, I am happy to avoid Redwood altogether. —Lorne

Lorne, I apologize for the inconvenience regarding your special order. We are happy to do special orders. Your list was very specific, and I have just sent you an update regarding which of the organic vegetable varieties are available and which won't be, should you happen to still want them. What she didn't want to deal with was your very angry demeanor on the phone. While I understand your frustration, it isn't appropriate to yell at my staff. That, appropriately, led to the conversation being terminated. Best wishes with your garden this season. DonShor

2012-11-16 11:55:39   Absolutely fantastic. Extremely knowledgeable, especially specifics of Davis gardening. Very helpful, patient. Once let me take their entire roll of ground cloth home and come back and trusted me to tell them how much I used. I'm not sure why anyone would use any nursery or garden center in Davis besides this place. Just awesome. —MaunderingGadabout

2014-01-02 08:11:16   Really wonderful and impressive! Totally professional and caring; she took plenty of the time to thoroughly explain my choices and give useful advice. Service was superb. A 100% positive experience! Highly recommended... —JackKarolewski