Best Selection of Rare and Exotic Plant Species
Encinitas, California
San Diego County
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Jungle Music, a Southern California Palm Tree, Cycad and Tropical Plant Nursery. Our nursery was started in 1977 and specializes in palm trees, cycads and tropical plants. We trust that, after you read this and visit the nursery, you’ll understand why many feel the Jungle Music is the best source for unusual plants in Southern California.
HISTORY OF THE NURSERY
BEGAN IN SAN DIEGO, MOVED TO ENCINITAS, CA
History of Jungle Music:
Our origin began as a “backyard nursery” in 1977 in San Diego. It was a one-man operation. Because we needed more room to display plant material, in 1994 I conducted a search for the perfect location for our nursery. This led us to the coastal town of Encinitas, about 25 miles north of San Diego. We found an ideal location minutes off Freeway 5 and about a quarter mile from the ocean. The photo shows the entrance to our nursery.
Encinitas has always been known as a friendly small town with beautiful beaches and a friendliness to the agricultural industry. Like so many flower and plant nurseries in Encinitas, ours is neatly and privately nestled in a quaint residential area. We moved our inventory to the new location.
So, in 1995, our new address became 450 Ocean View Ave, Encinitas, CA 92024.
The photo to the right of my son and I was taken the first year we were at our new location. Over time we’ve added shade areas, an education center, and additional greenhouses. This included over a mile of wooden tables to display the plants. With our expansion, we grew to presently have over a quarter million plants for sale (all sizes) of over 1200 species. This includes everything from small starter plants to large specimens.
Over time the nursery further expanded and now our nursery occupies about 2.5 acres including additional growing areas. Customers have been amazed at our expansion and improvements over the years. One of the plants that traveled north with us from San Diego to the new location is this one hundred year old Dioon merolae seen to the right.
WHY OUR NURSERY IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS
We Propagate Our Own Plants:
Most nurseries and chain stores do not propagate the plants they sell. They merely buy in material or broker plants from distant areas, often out of state or from tropical areas. This is the case with well over half of the nurseries you might visit.
Such imported plants are often not acclimated or used to our local weather and tend to do poorly and have a high mortality rate in this area. We usually germinate and grow most of our own plant material locally. Our plants get used to our local sun and weather conditions. We’ve also found that customers uniformly have great results with our plants.
Our Website Was a First Website on Palms and Cycads – And Now Is One of the Biggest:
In the year 1995, www.junglemusic.net became one of the very first websites in the world that dealt with palm trees and cycads. It started small and rudimentary but has also improved and expanded tremendously over the years. It includes well over a hundred articles on the plants and the nursery and has over 20,000 photographs. It has specific articles on plant species and current Sales Plants. And, it is improved and updated almost daily. Many tens of thousands of man hours have been spent on it. And, at the time of writing this Tour, almost twelve million visitors have been to our Site and it hosts more pictures and articles on palms than any other commercial palm nursery site.
We Offer a Huge Selection with Many Sizes of Plants:
We offer one of the largest selections of palms and cycads of any nursery in Southern California. You’ll find species offered nowhere else. We have received hundreds of thousands of seeds from all over the world and have an active, pro-conservation propagation plan. When you visit us, you’ll see plants of all sizes and ages from new seedlings to big boxed specimens. You’ll see our seed germination areas. We have tens of thousands of young seedlings giving a choice of plants almost anyone can afford. And, 99% of these are locally grown and propagated.
We Offer the Most Rare and Unusual Species:
Presently we offer over 1200 species of plants for sale. For a new person to plants, coming to our nursery can be a bit intimidating. This is because we offer so many diverse species of plants in many size. Customers are used to a nursery with about five or ten choices – that’s all. With many hundreds of choices, such a customer almost always needs help. And, we are experts at giving assistance to them. Our design and cultural advice is always available when you visit the nursery.
We Germinate Seeds to Produce Out Plants:
For a nursery to do what we do, it has to actively germinate seeds. And, this we do – by the thousands every year. We then spend many years getting these new seedlings up to the sizes that people want. Photos here show flats of seeds waiting for germination. To the right is a bucket of newly germinated and healthy rare species of Archontophoenix one year after germination.
We Offer Plants from Seedling Stage to Large Specimens
As mentioned, we sell plants of all sizes. Our smallest are seedlings or “band” sized plants. Larger from there include one gallon, two gallon, five gallon and 15 to 35 gallon plants or 24 inch boxes. Our larger plants are typically grown outdoors. These sizes are typically instantly ready for planting. Photos here show an assortment of sizes. you purchase a 30 inch
Our Cultural Expertise and Help Selecting the Right Plants:
As a group of plant experts, we have over one hundred years of joint plant experience among the staff. Thus, either myself or any of our staff can assist you in finding the right species of plants for your garden. It doesn’t matter what type of plants you like, we’ll most likely have someone very knowledgeable on those plants. If we don’t have the plants you seek, we can usuaslly give you a referral to a reputable other nursery. We also offer a consultation service where one of our staff can visit you home and make suggestions for the right plants to try. We offer free design and species consultations at our Nursery.
WE ARE A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS
Although the nursery was started by Phil, almost every member of his family has participated over time in the nursery’s growth and success. This includes his son Jesse and wife Mitzi. . We also have a staff of about nine well-educated plant people that help with sales and support of the nursery.
OTHER STAFF MEMBERS
Click to SEE MORE ABOUT ALL OF OUR STAFF
PLANTS AT THE NURSERY
Many Sizes of Plants to Choose From – Up to Large, Overhead Specimens:
Our present inventory includes rare and unusual species of palm trees, cycads, tropical plants and some succulents. We concentrate on plant sizes that people can lift and plant without heavy equipment. For those who want crane sized material, we have several associates that we work with closely and can provide and have delivered plants up to thirty feet tall. We do offer a delivery service for plants that won’t fit into your car or truck. But, for most customers, delivery is not needed. We load your vehicle for you.
Species Diversity, Unusually and Seldom Seen Species and Plant Quality:
The diversity and quality of our plants is second to none. We grow about 1200 different species and have a quarter million plants available for sale. This includes plants for shade and sun – plants that stay short and plants that get tall – plants that are rare or common – and trees that will take your breath away. And, we offer cultural information on anything you buy! Also, the greenhouses are not heated, so our plants tend to be very durable.
Photos of Some Nursery Plants:
DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU VISIT US?
No – How We Make Selecting Your Plants Easy
You don’t have to study up before you visit us.
When you visit, we’ll ask you a few simple questions about where you live, your sun exposure, what you’re trying to accomplish, etc. Then, with those answers and after getting a feel for what you are trying to accomplish, we’ll recommend the right choices for you in a variety of sizes available. Your information guides both of us to the perfect selections for your garden. We can show you photos of mature specimens of the plants you like. You then look at our plants and select those that you like. If needed, we can sketch out a design
and layout for your garden. Once your purchase plants, we willingly and happily load up your car or deliver them promptly.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW WE CAN HELP, CLICK HERE
KNOWLEDGEABLE CULTURAL ADVICE AVAILABLE
Our Experience and Knowledge Benefits You:
Jointly, our staff has well over a hundred years experience in assisting customers and enthusiasts with their plants and plant selections. We all go out of our way to make sure you are satisfied with your plants and know how to grow them. We are proud that we can answer almost any question asked of us. And we specifically tailor our advice to your garden’s location and your personal needs. Hopefully, after visiting our nursery, you’ll have a good idea of what you bought, how to grow it, and the conditions needed for each plant.
Why Most of Our Customers Return For More Plants an Average of Five Times
It’s true. This is because of our plant knowledge, our selection of rare species, our plant quality and our assistance to the customers. It’s no surprise that our average customer returns five times to select plants.
Another unique thing about our nursery is that, if you get a good number of plants, we almost always offer the customer a discount.
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OUR REPUTATION AND MEDIA COVERAGE
What Others Say About Us and Some of Our Clients
We’ve been lucky. We have a loyal following of customers and have, over the years, gotten great press releases and reviews. Articles or Mentions about Jungle Music have appeared in such notable publications like Sunset Magazine, Sunset Garden Book, Garden Compass Magazine, the Reader, Coastal Living, Martha Stewart Living, the Los Angeles Times, American Express Black Ink, the San Diego Magazine, Where on Earth, the San Diego Tribune, the Miami Herald, the San Diego Evening News on NBC and we’ve been discussed by many local radio stations. And, this is only a partial list. Also, We were also named by the San Diego Insider as one of the top two nurseries in San Diego County to visit and by the San Diego Reader as one of the top San Diego Nurseries! Local plant societies have had us do many presentations to their groups over the years. Notable Customers over the years has included the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, Lego Land, Sea World, the LA Arboretum, Disneyland, Disney Productions, the Huntington Gardens, Denver and Missouri Botanical Gardens and many other institutions and botanical gardens across the country. And, this doesn’t include our many tens of thousands of satisfied customers. All these references, entities and people can’t have it wrong.
THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
PALM TREES:
We were probably one of the first nurseries in the country back in 1977 that specialized in unusual palms. When our nursery started, there were only a handful of palm species for sale in almost all nurseries. Over time we have vastly changed that. We presently offer over 800 species of exotic palms that can potentially be grown by many here in Southern California. Also, we actively ship palms nationwide every week, even to more tropical areas like south Florida.
The photos below are a few of the extensive selection of rare palms.
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CYCADS:
Cycads are a type of water conserving plant that’s history dates back 200 million years to the age of the dinosaurs. They are often considered to be the “gems” of a botanical garden’s plant collection. They are slow growing and ten to never get overly large. But, there are dwarf species as well as tall trunking species. Finally, they are among the most coveted, most rare and most threatened plants on this planet. This means that it’s not easy to find a source for purchasing cycads.
We’ve been offering customers rare cycads for over forty years. What this means to you is that we have a vast offering of plants from young seedlings on up to very old, mature, coning sized plants. Few nursery can offer these larger sizes. And, almost all of our cycads are well rooted in their pots. With larger plants, be aware that most of our larger plants are suited for immediate usage in your garden or project. At the seedling end of the spectrum, we offer several thousand plants of many species. This includes almost all the genera. And on the in-between plants, we have scores of 5g, citrus pot or 15 gallon plants.
I would also like you to know that multiple times every year we are contacted about acquiring established private collections of typically very old cycads. This is most often the result of a collector moving out of the state or a long term enthusiast passing away. Although this is a sad thing, we consider that we are finding new homes for these protected plants. This provides another source of old and rare cycads that we can offer to you, the cycad customer. Obviously, obtaining collections is variable over time. At our home page you can see the chronically listed recent collections acquired. I have included links here to these two recently acquired collections. Just click on the banners shown here.
Below are some photos of many species of our rare and different cycads.
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TROPICAL AND COLORFUL COMPANION PLANTS AND TREES
There are lots of types of tropical plants and trees that one can select for their garden. This includes small colorful companion plants, medium sized bushes / plants and overhead trees. Below are photographs of plants we have available (inventory does change) at the nursery.
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VIDEOS OF JUNGLE MUSIC
We have quite a few video presentations of the garden and the plants. The banner and link below will take you to a short YouTube video from March, 2019 showing some of our growing areas, palms, cycads and colorful plants. It’s narrated by Jesse Bergman. Check it out if you have the time by clicking on the photo below. And, below is a link to all of our short videos.
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HERE’S A LINK TO MANY JUNGLE MUSIC VIDEOS
SUMMARY AND INVITATION TO VISIT THE NURSERY
This certainly has been a comprehensive tour of all aspects of our nursery. I’ve done this because I’d like to gain you as a customer. I can guarantee you that you’ll like the plants that you see, we offer very fair prices and have the largest and most rare inventory of palms, cycads and exotics tropical plants around. We take very good care of our customers. If you have any questions or inquiries, please call me or email me. My email link address is at the bottom of this page.
Thank you for reading this.
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Phil Bergman
Owner
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