I recommend Abell Nursery for their plants and their staff. Last year Abell Nursery added lawn care to their portfolio. They kept working on improving. This year they hired a new lawn care person who claims to be the best. I spent almost no energy with the different people they had. They were very good. This new man doesn't care about the local customer. He has to be directed. He broke our sprinkler box when he drove over it. He must want corporate customers. read more

I would NOT do any business with this company. We paid for several trees and then they claimed they were already sold. They tried to offer replacement trees which were in horrible condition, 3 feet shorter and they wanted $189.00 more for each tree. The trees we purchased were not sold, they decided to sale them to a contractor. They never tried to offer any compensation or a small discount for our effort of having to go there to look for replacement trees. AND, when we cancelled the order we had to argue with them because they wanted to keep money for a transaction fee. This is not ethical and I intend to report them to BBB and any other business agency in Indiana that is intended to protect consumers. read more

Great experience. Called about a privacy screen and new landscaping in an island. Rob came out, looked around, made some suggestions and left with the promise of a bid and drawings. He gave me rough idea of cost before leaving. A date or two later the bid and drawings were emailed. We then went to the nursery to look at plants. Erin was very helpful and quite knowledgeable. Selections were made and the crew came a few days later. The crews were quite good. They explained what and how they were going to proceed. We were highly satisfied with the job. I will go back. read more

The team has been great to work with from the landscape workers to the manager and owner. Thay go out of their way to meet the customers need. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to have landscape work done. read more

I spoke with this Alyssa on Wednesday March 23rd about some trees that we needed approximately 100 trees ranging from 20 @ $80 a piece and 80 @ $239 a piece do the math on that. She said she was going to get back with me a day later. Unfortunately she has been dodging my phone calls and I been lied to several times. I wouldn't recommend this company. It's safe to say I'm glad I didn't do business with them. They had a chance to make a huge profit but blew it. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!!! read more

We paid for, and received, a quote from the owner on some work (patio and landscaping) and put a down payment of 2,500 towards the job, thinking it was going for supplies (patio block). We found out later that the stone company never charges until it is delivered. This was three months ahead of when the work was to be completed. To make a long story short, after having everything in place, including taking time off work the days they said they would be there, confirming with the stone company that the order was placed (including multiple visits to both locations to confirm everything), the day of the project installation came. Two men approached our door, one smoking a cigarette, the other, the project manager, smelling like alcohol (strongly, my wife and I both smelled it). They said they didn't know when the patio blocks were coming, that they were supposed to be there already. This was two hours after the owner said just the day before that his workers would be there. Then, in going over the job, they wanted to cut corners. We had agreed on how deep they were going to dig (8") and that they would use size 11 stone. But the project manager said they were really busy and were only going to dig 5" down and put in size 5" stone mixed with something. They went to their truck and smoked and waited for equipment to arrive, some hour or so later. My wife immediately contacted the owner to ask about their lead person drinking, if he was aware there was a problem, that it was dangerous for him to be using machinery (they were getting in a small riding mower size digging equipment), and that we were worried about liability if someone got injured. He assured us that he had a 2 million dollar liability insurance policy and that perhaps some alchohol had just spilled on his lead worker. We told him that we smelled it every time he opened his mouth to talk. In the meantime, the stone company talked with them and said that since they hadn't returned their calls for three weeks, they were not on the books for delivery, but that they would work them in for the afternoon. Instead of arranging for delivery, Abel's cancelled the stone order altogether! They didn't bother to tell us, and left us wondering where all of the workers went for hours. They did plant a few things, and mulched some of what they said they would, but didn't complete it, including not mulching right in front of our house with newly planted rose bushes, even though a worker said someone would be back that day. As they were loading up (the landscapers), and throughout the morning with the other ones, we were told that they never knew about this job, that they never know what they are doing until they get in the truck. They told me that they didn't bring enough mulch to finish, even though there was plenty still in the truck, but they assured us that someone would come back. Instead, we received a voicemail from the owner stating that someone quit and another had some family issues, so they couldn't do the job. We called the next day and they refunded our money, less the landscaping work and a few plants. We will never go back unless they are the last people to have a particular plant, which we will plant ourselves or arrange for someone else to do that. The landscapers, I will say, were extremely nice, professional, and genuine. As for Abel's in general, I would not recommend them. Very nice in person, but very bad on follow through, keeping promises, and communication, especially since we were promised they would do it and it would be a good experience after our last patio installer dropped the ball the last two summers. This is summer three, still no patio....furniture ready to be built still in the garage with nowhere to go. We have since found some reputable companies we are now going to seek quotes from, companies recommended by the stone company and a few others. read more

We asked for help with a tree. We were told where we could find that kind. We came back to say we would purchase one. We were told we would have to go back and retrieve the tag and we had been told that before. (in rude terms....not true) We reluctantly decided to purchase. After credit card processing we were told delivery would be $65. That reminded us to ask about a warranty. We were told in rude terms that would be 65% of the purchase because a Warranty only applied when Abell planted. We cancelled and were charged for a return in rude terms. If you want to be treated in rude terms, without help in selecting product, in a bate and switch environment this is the place to go. read more

We've used Abells for tree planting and preparing a surface for our garden shed. They're very professional, provide estimates, set a date to deliver and then call the day before to remind you. They clean up the area, too. One of their workers was a smoker, and he stayed well away from the house and left no trace of his smokes, which I really appreciated. Dependable, quality plants and workmanship. I'd definitely​ use them again. read more

Be sure that you are OK with their tree planting process. See these links for best practices https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/planting-landscape-trees and https://forestry.usu.edu/trees-cities-towns/tree-planting/remove-packing. Second link has many experts' advice. My 6 pine trees were planted in holes only dug to the size of the ball and burlap/pins/wire basket were NOT removed or even cut back. It's like wearing a pair of shoes way too small for you feet and running a marathon. I fear that my trees may die within 2-3 years rather than thrive AND Mr. Abell sees nothing wrong with how he has his trees planted. Disappointed customer. read more

Rob, Erin and the ENTIRE Abell team was amazing in helping me (long distance) with my parents' landscape needs. They knew exactly who my dad was and made all the right recommendations for his lawn, which is his happy place. They are extremely honest and only charge us for what we need and aren't like many companies who require year-round fees for doing nothing in the winter. Thank you for making our family's love for the earth easy. read more

I wrote the following review in early June. That same day, Rob, from Abell, called to see why we were so disappointed and offered to come out to our property the next day. As I said in the review, we had had Rob create a design plan for our barren property which we loved and for which they planted all of the major trees. We have done the rest of the landscaping ourselves because we wanted to and enjoy it. Rob came and looked at all of the trees and offered his perspective on what was happening with each of them. We DO have soil that is mostly clay which makes it tough for a tree to establish roots which we knew. From the original planting, though, we weren't told to try root stimulators or tree stake fertilizers. We started that this spring after our visit to Abell once the trees started dying and we are continuing to use it. The Kousa Dogwood was, indeed, dead, and Rob said he would replace it free of charge. I'm a little worried because one of the branches on the new tree had many crispy leaves on it the day they planted it, but I hope that that is due to the stress of being uprooted and replanted in new soil. The old tree was quite wet when they dug it up, so they planted the new one higher and we re-routed the downspout out and away from the tree as we had told Rob we would do. I know that Abell has been in business many, many years and couldn't have stayed in business that long on shoddy customer service. When our trees started dying, after consulting with Abell and having one tree replaced, we went elsewhere and asked for advice from an arborist - some of which Rob discounted. I know that somewhere in between what Rob told us and what the arborist told us lies the method of tree survival on our lot. We will do what both of them have told us to do and, with luck, we will have lush trees in a few more years. I must note, however, that both trees that they have replaced this year have needed to be planted higher than the original trees. Maybe the planting requirements need to be checked out thoroughly before planting in the first place. I want to commend Rob on his quick response to our review and maybe suggest that with the problematic soils here in Bloomington, that they could offer a tree service for the first couple of years where people who know their stuff could check out newly planted trees several times a year for two years. Customers like us would buy a plan like that especially when we really, really want only a few, unique trees, and we want them to survive. These trees are a financial and emotional investment for us and it is worth it to know how to keep them alive in this rotten soil. Fingers crossed for now that ALL of the trees from Abell survive and thrive in their new surroundings! I always hesitate to write something negative about a company when it involves only a part of their operation, but in this case, my husband and I feel that the money we have spent and lost over the course of the past year is worth that honesty. We moved into our newly-built home at the beginning of July of 2016. There was no landscaping and no trees. We believed that Abell Nursery had a good reputation and had heard that they also would provide a landscape design at a reasonable price. We contacted them and had a design drawn up including names of trees and where they would be be sited on the property. The designer knew that this was a new build and that our soil was mostly clay and not well-worked or aerated; however, It was a lovely landscape design and fit our wishes exactly. We wanted Abell to plant all of the major trees, but since my husband and I bought this house so that we could create a garden paradise for ourselves, we wanted to do the rest of the landscaping. The problem is the trees. We eagerly picked out our trees from the Abell nursery - a Kousa Dogwood for the front corner of the house, an Oak tree for the back, and a Crimson King Maple to be the center point for the front yard. We also purchased a Nishiki Willow for the back garden area and a Hydrangea tree for another garden area which were small and that my husband felt he could plant on his own. All in all, a hefty chunk of money once we included the labor of planting them. All of the trees, except for the Crimson King which wouldn't be available until early fall, were planted by the beginning of August by the Abell planting team. By the time the Crimson King was planted, the Kousa was dead because the soil held too much water where the tree was sited. We purchased a new Kousa and had it planted in a site where the planter from Abell's said would be fine and had them plant it for us. (These were ALL sizeable trees we had them plant - not tiny starts). We also bought a new Japanese Maple to replace the Dogwood on the advice of the planter who said it would do much better in that site, a lovely, full tree that looked fantastic at that front corner. It's leaves curled up early and fell off read more

I am so disappointed with Abell Nursery for not honoring their commitment to complete mulch and a bush removal and replacement before specified date. We ordered a new bush and mulch to help spruce up our yard before our daughters high school graduation party (we have twins) on May 27th. Before ordering, I asked how far out they were on scheduling and was told they were currently at mid-May. My husband and I were happy that we were ordering when we did so that we could get the work done before our party. In mid-May, I called Abell's concerned because they had not called me to schedule a date of service. I was told that they were scheduling out into June and that it would not be done before then. I explained that I was told by the front desk person that this would be scheduled mid-May and their response was that they train their front desk people to not specify a time of service. Really?? You trained your person to not specify a date so I must be mistaken about the interaction that I had with you?? I received a message on my answering machine this week that they will be coming out to my house on June 18th. A good month after what we were promised. I spoke to the garden manager this morning to express my displeasure with the date and again reiterated that we have a party on May 27th and was told by their people that scheduling was mid-May. She again stated that their people are trained to not specify any dates. So here I am with a very large dead bush and old faded mulch for my daughters graduation were I will have around 100 people in my backyard. Even though Abell's is in the wrong, they have not apologized for the inconvenience, have not offered a discount or to try to work us in the schedule. It may not mean anything to them to honor their commitments or that we spent over $500 for service that we are now unsatisfied about but it does mean something to me. I will never use Abell Nursery again. Since I now have until June 18th I am thinking about canceling but probably can't get anyone to our house until July so I am stuck using them and they know it. Something to think about - Do you want to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars at a nursery that will not honor their commitments, are unapologetic for their mistakes and will not even try to accommodate by offering a discount or working you into their schedule. I know I will not use them again. To many other good businesses in Bloomington that I can take my business too. Just want the job done so I can move on. read more

We've been coming here for 20 years, and this is still our go-to place for all things tree and shrub. Really a great place for your landscaping needs. I'm sure they have a whole lot more stuff, too, so I'd suggest checking with them if there's something you need for your place; I am sure they can help, or advise. Everyone we have worked with there has been so friendly, intelligent, and just all around decent. We really appreciate the 40 years expertise in the business. Over the years we've got our live Christmas trees here, planted for our kids' first Christmas, and our landscape trees and plantings. We've gotten rhododendrons, blueberries, dogwoods, hemlocks, pines, hollies, and I don't know what all. Sometimes they plant them, sometimes we just pick them them out and haul ourselves; either way--recommend! After working with the local professionals at Abell's, I honestly don't see how anyone would go to a big box store. Support the folks in our community, who do so much to make this a good place to live. read more

Eight (8) days ago I ordered by phone 5 yards of mulch, 1.5 yards of topsoil, grass seed, and straw. Paid $50 delivery charge. Same exact order I placed the year before with no problems. Scheduled delivery for 4 p.m. on a Thursday and I take off work to meet them at my home. 5:00 p.m. and still no delivery or phone call. So I call them. They say they're running late. Can't tell me how long it will be. So I say fine. A few minutes later they call me and say that they can't deliver the mulch or topsoil on the same load. I'll either have to pay an extra delivery charge or for their labor to shovel it off the truck. Guy on the phone isn't a bit sympathetic or apologetic for the fact that they're late or that they didn't bother to tell me this when I placed the order last week. I cancelled the topsoil, seed and straw. Poor customer service. They simply don't care and make no apologies for their failures. Highly recommend that you go somewhere else for your nursery or landscaping needs. read more