Chelsea Garden Center West

I honestly don’t understand all the negative reviews on customer service. Maybe they have changed all their staffing since then? Regardless, very helpful and well informed sales associate helped me select the right climber for my yard; patiently covering the various options and planting information so I left well informed.
Great selection — a legit nursery not a florist with a few succulents for your terrarium.

Lots of bad reviews for both locations… hmm… Anyway, I had great experiences at both locations. We were on the hunt for Prayer Plants «Marantha». We were successful at both locations!!! Until that time, the only place I was able to get one was at the Urban Garden Center uptown, and we had gone to Home Depots as well as about 15 nurseries within the 5 boroughs, Westchester County, Rockland County and New Jersey.
I first visited the Brooklyn site on a late Saturday afternoon. Quite a selection of both indoor and outdoor plants. Located in the Red Hook section, actually a few blocks away from «Red Hook Garden Center», which seemed to have a good selection as well though not as big as Chelsea Center. I will admit that the prices are a bit higher than usual though, which is why I took away a star. The staff there was very helpful. While walking around I was asked by about 3 different people if I needed help with smiles. At the Brooklyn location, Rose was very helpful with advising us on indoor plants. She seemed to know her stuff which was reassuring. We visited the Manhattan site the next day in the early afternoon and the space is similar to Brooklyn location. The Staff there was just as helpful and knowledgeable. We dealt particularly which Kil who also seemed to know his stuff. As mentioned before, as far as the prices go, it is more expensive than other nurseries, including the Urban Garden Center, uptown, where I had good experiences with as well. I will update my review if anything changes, such as the plants dying sooner than expected.

Great service today at Chelsea Garden Center West. I was asked if I needed help shortly after I walked in, and they helped me pick out two plants that will do well in my basement apartment. When purchasing, one of the leaves was cut so they gave me a discount. I went to another store and bought pots but forgot soil. I went back to Chelsea Garden Center to ask how they recommend potting them, and they offered to pot them for me. They didn’t charge for this. After they were finished, they even brought the plants out to my car. Wonderful!

Avoid this place at all costs. The longer story is below but the bottom line is that the staff and owner’s approach to customer service can only be described as inept and indifferent.
For Mother’s Day, I wanted to plant a lilac bush for my wife. I call Chelsea Garden Center a month before to see if they had any in stock. Rose, the manager told me it wouldn’t be a problem but if I really wanted to make sure they would have one in stock I should call 10 days before and I could reserve one. I called again 10 days before and could not reach Rose. I left 4 messages for her over three days and never heard back. Every time I called, they would tell me she was with a customer and they’d have her call me as soon as she was done. Finally, I just started dealing with the woman who answered the phone, Gina. She told me she had one of the trees I wanted in stock. I asked her if I could reserve it and pick it up on Mother’s Day morning. She said sure and took my credit card number.
When I showed up to pick it up, she told me she didn’t have one in stock. I said, but you already charged my credit card for it –how could you then sell it to some else? She said, well, I can order you another one. I asked to speak to the owner, David. I told him that I just wanted him to know what it had been like to deal with his business (I run a business and I would want people to tell me if their experiences had been like this one). I tried to tell him about the lack of call backs and about them selling my tree even after I had paid for it. He was COMPLETELY indifferent. He did not once apologize. All he did was make excuses and took no responsibility. He said people take the sold tags off merchandise and he «couldn’t be responsible for that.» All I was looking for was «Gee, sorry. That is very frustrating and shouldn’t happen. Can I order you one and deliver it to make it up to you?»
I then asked for my money back and he sent me inside to get it. When I asked the clerk for it, she said, «I don’t do that.» When I asked her name so that I could include it my report to my credit card company when I disputed the charge, she started yelling at me and told me «I can get aggressive too.» I eventually found a manager who did refund my money but I can truly say that their customer service sucks and having talked to the owner, it starts at the very top.
If you can avoid doing business with them, please do. If you choose to do business with them, DEFINITELY done trust what they say and be VERY wary of giving them payment without the merchandise in hand.

Eh, weak service but a great selection, leaving us conflicted but purchasing some plants with no help from them.

I have driven by the Garden Center several times on my way to Fairway and have always wanted to stop by. It looks so cute and inviting! Yesterday I finally had the chance to visit and was not disappointed by the selection. I walked to another nursery nearby and didn’t see anyone there (customers or workers), and their selection seem limited by their lack of space. When I returned to the Chelsea Garden Center West it was bustling, and despite that at least three different employees asked me throughout my visit if I needed any help. The prices do seem a bit high, but the manager at checkout noticed some of the plants I selected were not at their peak and gave significant discounts for each of them and packed them up perfectly to take home. I only wish I could have purchased more, as they have a really nice range of plants and flowers. I will definitely return in the future!

The worst service I have ever experienced. After spending multiple thousands of dollars on planter boxes and shrubs the Garden center refuses to stand by the quality of their products.
Half of the plants died in a few weeks. I let them know and I was told that I had «bad dirt» and I would need to pay them to replace the dirt before they replaced the plants. Only problem is that the other plants are doing fine and one’s that they planted in their dirt also died. I removed the dead shrubs and the roots bound and the clay ball over the roots were never broken up. It wasn’t the dirt, it was how they were planted by Chelsea Garden.
They also failed to bring one plant that was on back order and never refunded me for that either. I’ve reached out several times to resolve the issue but I stopped after the responses did. Now that my $ 400 Japanese maple has since died I’ve decided to write a review.
Spend your money somewhere else!

Chelsea Garden Center is the most incredible nursery in the entire tri-​state area. Every single time I have bought plants from either their Manhattan location or their Red Hook, Brooklyn location, the staff is kind, incredibly knowledgeable about all of the plants and willing to take the time to help each and every single customer. Chelsea Garden Center is like walking through a complete oasis among a crowded urban environment. I have several tropical plants in my apartment, which are doing beautifully. Any questions that I have had regarding my plants, I have called and they have been answered immediately and in detail. Chelsea Garden Center is also a family owned business. The owner is positively fabulous, so kind. New York City should be lucky to have such an incredible establishment within the city and Brooklyn. Chelsea Garden Center definitely beautifies our beautiful city like no one else does. I have read that they maintain the New York Times building and their interior garden, as well as the plants surrounding Union Square. If anyone is familiar with Metro-​Tech in downtown Brooklyn, they put the most incredible holiday display, with a fabulous huge Christmas tree filled with lights and ornaments. They also maintain a lot of downtown Brooklyn. Chelsea Garden Center is a blessing for New York City. I would recommend any plant lover to only buy their plants from Chelsea Garden Center. They are the most knowledgeable and kind, always willing to answer any and all questions.

I never write reviews but I just had a wonderful experience with Chelsea Gardens in Red Hook. I went to talk to them (after having a bad experience with another nursery) about replacing some hedges along my driveway with something less damaging to my car. I dealt with Keith who was charming, friendly, knowledgeable, professional and efficient. With some of his suggestions, I selected some suitable bushes. He scheduled the job a few days later. I promptly got a call from the installation crew confirming the appointment. Two guys showed up on time, worked steadily and quickly, did a great job and cleaned up perfectly. It looks beautiful and is just what I wanted. Yes it was very expensive but sometimes expensive is worth it!

The nursery onsite is pretty well stocked, but after purchasing plants from this nursery I found spider mites on 3 of the 4 plants I purchased. I would double if not triple check any plants before purchase at this location.

If you like to pay more for less then this is the place to shop! The selection is poor, the manager has no manners, and every item is 5 times elsewhere. This is just not a place for passionate gardeners, or smart shoppers.

3.5 stars…
This is one of the most well stocked nurseries/​garden centers around. The first time I came here it was because I was looking for a basil plant and the previous 3 places I checked in the neighborhood didn’t have any. All their flowers seem beautiful and they have a great selection of pots, planters, and a lot of other shrubs, herbs, and so on.
I came here a second time looking for activated charcoal/​carbon for a terrarium and the girl had no idea what I was talking about. It’s too bad they didn’t have it but I don’t expect everyone to have a degree in horticulture or to have experience with terrariums. What did bug me is that I had to wonder around on a busy Saturday for awhile before I found someone to help me. I also just needed a small bag of soil, and everything they had was very expensive (something mentioned in almost all of the reviews here).
I liked this place as it’s one of the most well stocked local garden centers within a mile or so of me but I’m sure to check out Lowes down the street first before I resort to coming here.

I really like the Chelsea Garden Center in Red Hook. The prices are on the high end for BK, but the plants are always healthy. The nursery is spacious and well-​organized. And even on busy weekends, if I look confused [typical] someone on staff will approach me and ask how they can help. Shopping here is just a pleasant experience.

Avoid losing your time with Chelsea Garden Center:
— They are disorganized, their email inbox is full and it seems like they don’t check it very often (we are in 2012 how can you have a full inbox?! (especially if you are a business!)
— Once we finally managed to have the landscape architect come to our place to do an initial estimation of the project (for 100 $) it took him over 4 weeks to get back to us with a plan!
— After waiting for such a long time we wrote him an email asking for the next steps to start the project and he NEVER replied to us!
Summary: a TOTAL waste of time and money.

We were charged $ 65 to deliver 1 small tree and 1 small bush a total distance of 1.8miles. The 2 delivery people tried to hustle my 9 month pregnant wife out of an incremental $ 20. Do not go to this place period!

The place next door seems more reasonably priced. I buy plants and trees from multiple garden centers around NY and it never fails, everything I buy from them dies in a few months.

I have to disagree about the friendliness of the staff. They have a beautiful selection of ceramic containers and I bought a few for my stoop. Very heavy ceramic containers that I couldn’t manage carrying. The staff was great about helping me get everthing into the car, and letting me know when they were getting more spring annuals in. I found the service excellent. Do agree that they are pricey, however.

Pretty much appalled with the girl working the register! Everyone else was pretty nice and helpful! I was pretty much amazed at how rude this girl was. Didn’t thank me for my nearly 100 $ purchase on a few herbs and flowers! And rolled her eyes numerous times. This was my second year going here for plants. NEVER again. Almost didn’t buy them due to her terrible attitude.

Nice selection — I got some gorgeous Swamp Milkweed there among other things. It is pricey, but the plants are generally quite robust and in very good condition, so I consider it a good value.
Of course you can get a few of the more common plants over at Lowes on 9^th Street for about half the cost, but unless you get there right after a shipment arrives, everything will be showing signs of severe neglect.

Wow! Recently discovered this garden center while on a recent trip to Redhook to grocery shop at Fairway, which for me was also a new discovery. Chelsea garden center has a spectacular selection of indoor and outdoor plants, as well as garden furniture, fountains, and statuary. If you’re the gardening type, then this is most definitely a place to check out. The only drawback is the outrageous prices. I spent $ 40 on a small shrub that could easily be bought for much cheaper, like at Lowes. The upside, in addition to the array of flora, is that the staff really seems to know a lot about phytology and cultivation, which is ideal for the amateur gardener like myself.