I tend to agree with you. I have always purchased my Tomato Plants at the Portland Avenue Nursery and the BH is buying more of her Annuals there as well.
Jim

Yes, this is a nursery that's busy enough to have zero need to be nice to it's customers. Been like that for years IMO. If you as a customer disappeared, they would never notice.

I tend to go to Watson's for a cup of espresso and some good ideas. Then I head to Vassey, just a few blocks away and get better plants, for good prices from really great people.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reviews about Vassey (none are mine)

never heard of Vassey's but will be checking it out. Thanks for the info.

Maybe the cape fuchsia they sold you was better than Moonraker? If you're not happy with an employee's trained response find the owner. He or she is probably overwhelmed in trying to provide the best plants for everybody. They certainly don't want to be slammed on the Internet. Home Depot and the other chains don't give a hoot about plants other than the dollars you want to spend. Better help? Better plants? They really don't care whether plants live. die, or are labeled correctly. The grower is held responsible for everything. They get paid only for plants that are scanned at the register. Whether the chains or you don't water the plants because they're guaranteed hurts, too.

Like the chain stores independent garden centers here are often staffed by inadequate help and/or owned or managed by people who seem to have certain ideas that not all of their customers might think are sound ones. Terrible pay is typical, so that it appears owners or managers may therefore sometimes not pressure clerks etc. into being completely on the ball. There also seems to be a move in the direction of big box style approaches anyway, where employees out in the sales yard are constantly kept busy unloading racks and watering, labeled with red vests so they can be easily spotted by shoppers but then told to only address those who approach them first.

Those who are trained and motivated are liable to end up behind the scenes, in an office rather than out mingling with the shoppers. It may be necessary at some places to learn who these management employees are and pounce on them when they happen to be out in the yard at the same time as you are there, rather than attempting to find out anything useful from the clerks or laborers you find working with the plants or facilities.

Gripes and desires may need to be expressed to the businesses themselves before improvement is seen. The tendency is to complain to others outside the operation, those directing them may otherwise think they are doing fine.

My thunder has been stolen, but anyways... I have only been to Watson's a couple times (wasn't too impressed in general, BTW) but my guess is that the quality of staff is diminishing as the business struggles to remain competitive and turn a profit. Probably a lot of people there are disgruntled about pay too.

I agree that it might help to communicate more with the nursery staff about your specific problems instead of letting it go. But at a certain point you might need to give up on your favorite nursery if they can't offer adequate service. Given the challenges facing the nursery industry (increasing overhead, difficulty retainig qualified people, turnover) I'm sure good service will become increasingly difficult to find and it may be necessary to pay more for your plants to get it. At some nurseries you can even pay a lot for poor customer service.

I don't know Watson's, but consider this: the majority of customers want the majority of their plants in April and May.

Your favorite nursery may offer to make an attempt to order in or notify you when something particular you'd like is available. Remember, if they are trying for you, they are probably trying to do their best for a whole lot of other customers. They have a two to three month window to grant most all those wishes. And it is just plain humanly impossible often times.

I'm laughing to myself because anyone who would defend Watson's has obviously never been there. I personally know both owners and the employee attitudes are of no concern. Watson's is a very nice nursery and they have a very elitist attitude. They do! They know it!

It's worth the visit and then so is Vasseys.

I don't know about the other plants but Phygelius 'Moonraker' has been available to retail nurseries from a popular Northwest grower/supplier for most of the spring.

I went to Vassey's for the first time this Saturday and liked it very much. It's a completely different atmosphere from Watson's -- less boutique-y, quieter, friendlier. The plants were gorgeous and yup, priced slightly lower than Watson's. The employees were helpful and friendly.

Kristin

Be careful what you ask for - I have a 'Moonraker' and it's a thug. I'd gladly let you dig up a dozen runners for free!

Oh, but such a pretty thug!

Kristin

Runners come up near the parent plant. A plant spreading via creeping roots or reseeding a bit (not expected from this one) does not make it a bad actor unless it is insisted that all plants in the garden remain static, like tombstones. This is a common desire.