4-year-update: All the plants I have purchased from Rana are absolutely THRIVING. Also, I am very grateful to the Rana staff for their willingness to help me troubleshoot a few of the plants that got initially a slow start. (Turns out a few of the plants needed more sun. I had planted them in what I had *thought* was a sunny spot...but it was East-facing and Carmel gets a lot of fog. Later I transplanted them, at Pedro's suggestion, into the sunniest spot on my property, on a south-facing bank -- and voila. Problem = solved.) Zooming out a little, it's also worth keeping this saying in mind: "First they sleep, then they creep, then they leap." The reality is that drought-resistant CA natives can sometimes be a little more slow on the "leaping" process than common ornamentals because their energy will be going more into root production and establishing a symbiotic relationship with the soil mycorrhizae* during the first couple years. By year 3, all my plants from Rana had truly started LEAP and now they have graduated from drip irrigation and are their own self-sufficient beauties. The plants from Rana are truly top-notch. Go in with some foundational plant knowledge, and prepare to leave very, very, happy. P.S. *mycorrhizae = the fungal network through which most CA natives get much of their water. (It's one of the basics of understanding CA native plant ecology.) Even if you didn't know that, you should at the very least know the plants you want by their specific epithet (i.e. scientific/Latin) Name before attempting to shop wholesale. ________________________________ Dear other Yelp reviewers: Stop complaining about lack of labeling. The labels are indeed there, with at least one white label tag per each section of plants. It's not Rana's fault if you feel overwhelmed or if only know the Common Name of a plant and/or have no idea how to identify it visually. It sounds to me like maybe you shouldn't have been attempting to shop wholesale to begin with. Want to go buy some Toyon? The label at Rana (and just about all wholesale nurseries, for that matter) will read "Heteromeles arbutifolia." Toyon is just the Common Name. In other regions, people might call it California Holly. (One plant usually has several common names.) That is the wholesale nursery only uses the Scientific Name...to avoid ambiguity. So please, to those grumpy Yelp reviewers out there...how about you spend a little more time studying up on your plant knowledge, and a little less time complaining about a nursery who is simply doing things by the industry standard for wholesale? read more

Love this place. People are super knowledgeable on local native plants. They are also helpful and the prices are very reasonable. We have a bank on the Carmel River and it's been eroding. Now we have lots of native plants that are supposed to be along the river and help the river. read more

Driven past the sign for this nursery that it was open with native plants for sale many times and decided to finally check it out. Actual experience was weird and unfriendly. As another reviewer mentioned, nothing is labelled and the plants are spread out so hard to find. Definitely go knowing what you want and they do have an inventory list online. That being said, the one person who came out to "help" us seemed eager that we leave rather than browse (got the vibe she either didn't want to help us or thought we were going to steal something.) Pretty odd in contrast to the welcoming sign on the road. Don't recommend, there are nicer nurseries in the area with native plants and better customer service. Don't know why they even bother selling to the public. read more

Lovely experience shopping for spring plants. Rana has a large selection of CA Native plants and some traditional drought tolerant selections as well. read more

The owners wife/daughter? is openly hostile, self centered and she treats the employees like garbage. The nursery manager was helping me with a restoration project. The owners daughter walked over and rudly pulled the manager away from helping me to help her friend. She and the friend stood around a discussed their travel plans while the manager did all the work. She couldnt be bothered to help us or ring up her friend. When the manager came back to help us with our purchase he was noticeably shaken and apologized repeatedly for being pulled away. I heard through the garden club he quit. Dont bother with this place. read more

Horrific experience with the owner and his wife. If I could give them a -10 I would. Dishonest. Confrontational when questioned. The worst experience and unprofessional behavior I have ever had in my life. Completely blindsided by his lack of professionalism. read more

I had a horrible time dealing with the owners, especially the wife, who has such an attitude! They certainly do not know how to treat paying customers, as they have the attitude that we should be lucky to deal with them. Plus I get the feeling that some of their employees might not be legal. Don't waste your time. read more

They used to be strictly wholesale, but Rana Creek went "public" this past year. Located about 20 miles down into the Carmel Valley. It's a scenic drive, the terrain reminiscent of parts of the South of France. They specialize in CA natives and have a good selection of native plants, though you might want to call in advance if you need something specific. They produced a few of their own namesake cultivars, such as Rana Creek speciosa gooseberry or Rana Creek gigantic deer grass, that are not easy to find, so what better than to go directly to the source? Some of the best prices I've seen yet for healthy plants (and not undersized like in some nurseries) all in a beautiful setting. Knowledgeable, friendly staff. Combine the trip with a relaxing lunch or a wine tasting in Carmel Valley. read more