Swansons Nursery

I want to send a special thank you out to Katie who helped me in making some decisions regarding what kind of tree or plant to choose for a memorial to honor the loss of a loved one. Katie was so knowledgeable, thoughtful, creative, and kind. It was a wonderful experience to talk with her and see all that Swanson’s nursery has to offer. It’s a lovely place through and through.

I am a landscape architect and shop at a number of wholesale and retail nurseries. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to spend a morning or afternoon at Swanson’s. The presentation is great, the staff is knowledgeable, and there is so much more to see than plants alone. Even my dog enjoys the trip — the nursery is dog friendly! I recommend for my clients to look at plants there often — and the September sale is fabulous. One of my favorite places in Ballard!

I LOVE Swansons! Granted I don’t frequent tons of nurseries as I’m not as free-​roaming as those of you with personal vehicles, but Swansons is at least partially responsible for a blooming interest in gardening and an improved skillset in caring for plants. This place is a paradise! I have been to a few other nurseries around Seattle, and this is by the far the biggest. The first time I came here I spent 2 hours just walking around looking at everything they had to offer. They have a great selection and every time I go back there are new plants in stock! I always find what I am looking for at Swansons and I always leave with something I didn’t plan on buying, too! :~) I honestly really look forward to my trips here (despite how awkward bussing home is with all my new babies) and shopping here is really relaxing. The staff are nice and helpful, and seem knowledgable about the plants. The prices are slightly more than what I would expect to pay (maybe 20 — 30%) however I am happy to pay a premium here because I know the plants are healthy and they have what I want (vs shopping at like a hardware store that doesn’t even care about their plants). They have a rewards program called Swan Dollars where you get 1 for every $ 10 you spend in the store. They are redeemable twice a year, I believe! They also have sales — in fact they just had their fall sale (and I got three plants on my wishlist plus soil for less than $ 40). Personally I feel like my Swansons purchases are probably some of the best investments I’ve made financially. :~) My only gripe is that their selection of cacti is really small, and NONE! of the cacti are labelled with their species which I think is a very bad practice. I’m not sure why this is, as their selection of non-​cacti succulents is very good and they are all labelled! They even have lithops! I have never purchased containers here because I prefer thrifter methods, so I can’t comment on the price or selection of those.
They also have a café that is sort of tucked away in the houseplants section of the store and easy to miss. It has a koi pond with some huge, friendly fish in it! I had breakfast and tea at the café the other day and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was! Prices at the café are pretty standard, but I feel like the meal I had was a lot better quality than most cafes I’ve been to in Seattle. I had their caprese breakfast sandwich, which uses real mozzarella (not low-​moisture), and both the tomato and basil had great flavor. The customer service at the café is up to the same standard as the rest of the store, by the way.
Swansons certainly has a lifelong customer in me!

I went to Swanson’s the other day to get some supplies. They were pretty helpful. The only thing is that:
Swanson’s got rid of their plant container exchange program!!! BOO!!! :(
I was really sad about this because buying containers for plants can get really expensive, and their program has been a godsend.
Also, they were out of tomato cages, which was really a bummer.
The guy at the info desk was a bit rude and acted like we were wasting his time by asking him questions (isn’t that supposed to be your job when you work at the info desk?)
However, the other 5 employees we ran into were super helpful and friendly. The guys who helped us load the potting soil into the car were very nice, and the lady in the area with the trellises helped us figure out a low-​cost alternative for tomato cages. Also, the people at the checkout stand were super helpful in helping us find a potting soil.

Super Amazing. More than a nursery. It’s like a garden wonderland. Brought some international visitors and they loved it. Very well informed and educated staff, charming café and wonderful plants. Worth the dollar extra over a super store.

If you live in the north end this is your place. Great selection and I can always find someone to help me and/​or answer questions. And then there’s the café! Swanson’s couldn’t be better.

The best plant nursery in the northwest by far!
I love this place– They have a wide variety of plants from different types of Herbs to Exotic Flowers, even Eucalyptus trees! It’s really fun to walk around on a sunny day and just enjoy how pretty the blooms are. Inside, they have a unique gift shop and an Organic Café. They also have an indoor Koi Pond/​Tropical waterfall area you can sit by while you drink your coffee!
It is slightly more expensive than your average Plant Nursery, but they really do carry it all and the staff are very helpful, so I think that balances out the prices. The yard décor/​furniture is extremely pricey though. Even the ceramic pots were imported and more high-​end.

Best people, great prices, and such wonderful variety. I love this place. They have a lunch café, sweet fish to look at too!

This place is a wonderland of plants and gardening tools. Probably the best nursery I’ve ever been to. I went there for herbs for our almost empty garden boxes, and came out with such a variety of different herbs, and new knowledge of the vast spread of varieties available for each plant. There were more varieties of lavender there, than I knew existed! When we were checking out, the cashier gave me great advise about planting my new tomatoe plant, and how to get the most out of it. I can’t wait to go back!

Great nursery lots of selection. Some stuff is cheaper at Homedepot or lowes. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. There café looks very good didn’t eat there tho. Maybe next time !

First of all, I would like to say that I appreciate Swanson’s atmosphere and overall selection. That was something that I immediately enjoyed even walking through the parking lot.
However, when I was finally able to locate an employee (who was not assisting someone else, anyway) and inquire about a specific plant’s ability to live indoors, I was met with a rude and abrupt statement and no further explanation before the employee walked away. Maybe I just caught the wrong person on the wrong day, however, my whole experience has just been disappointing.

Swansons is really the best, especially in terms of service. I had gone there and bought some mesclin and rainbow chard. I was really bad about watering them and had not replanted them for a week and a half, so they were starting to die. I called Swansons for help and they let me come back and return the plants in exchange for new healthy ones. they then gave me more tips on how to keep my plants alive and happy.
They also constantly have a bunch of sales going on and have a great selection of pretty much everything!

Another place I’ve never been to in over a decade in Seattle. Normally, for me the closer the better and if I can get it at the local Fred Meyer, that’s cool. That is until you own a home, it springtime and you’ve got the nack to plant.
Then, you take a mecca to Crown Hill and to Swansons. It’s a oasis of plants, greenhouses and just everything you need for the yard spread out like a huge place. I brought my camera as it almost seemed to be at a botanical garden, but it’s really a huge garden center.
The good, is there’s plenty to spend money on just like going to Ikea where you need to plan out where to walk and they even have a snack bar. The bad is you’re going to start filling up your cart with $ 5 of this and $ 12 of that and don’t even think about how much a pot costs.
You’re not get out of here for less than $ 100 as this place is just like going to Ikea or Costco.

We went for a reindeer visit, and got a ton of ideas for next years outdoor layout. This place was clean, nice and had awesome plants. I can’t wait to come here next spring to stock my garden!

I went for the holiday stuff. They have reindeer and a camel for the kiddies. There are two sleighs that you can have your photo taken in, and a little playhouse. The vest part is the Christmas train though! It was Frozen themed this year and the kids loved it! Lot ‘s of little things to find. There’s a café for snacks and hot cocoa too. Very fun little outting :)

Awesome time for Christmas real reindeer and camels to pet coy fish pond bella scenery with the plants kids love it no matter what you celebrate its FREE FUN for the whole family. If you go during the evening which we did the neighborhood around the corner sorry terrible at directions is known to have bea lights every house in like a 5 block neighborhood had lights to display. Reminded me of my California neighborhood as a kid very similar to the brady bunch

We love Swansons Nursery. This is our go-​to spot for indoor plants in Seattle. The quality and service is great and the plants we have purchased from here thrive, whereas some of the indoor the plants we have gotten at another local plant store have struggled or died. They are definitely pricier than a Home Depot or Lowes but their selection is better.
Swansons Nursery is a pleasant place to browse and window shop too, we like to come look for plants and get a coffee and pastry at their café and usually buy something every other time we come.
There is a free parking lot on site and during the holidays, they have live reindeer on site!

Found this place after reading about it on a local Seattle blog and SO GLAD I DID!
The displays were inspiring and creative, and when I spoke with people they were super helpful and friendly. I have just moved to Seattle from NC so it is a little intimidating to think about how I will have to change my gardening habits. This place made me feel like I was «home» and I wanted to cry I was so happy.
There is a lovely café with a koi pond that has a large seating area and I can’t wait to take my mom when she visits in a month or so. The gift shop seems very well stocked too.
This weekend is exciting to me because I will attend a free seminar related to yard renovation. It should be interesting and perhaps I will meet some of my new neighbors.
The best part, I will be able to ride my bike to the nursery because it is very close to my new home!

So many things are done right here; from how they have plants clearly labeled with great product information, to informative staff who all seemed intent on helping be find exactly what I needed, to the spacious rows so you can shop even when it’s busy without bumping into people!
I spent a good amount of time exploring all of my options, and still didn’t see everything!
Checkout was easy, with plenty of staff to check you out. Nothing makes me more angry than a store that doesn’t staff to take my money efficiently!
I live in West Seattle but will be back for more! It’s worth the drive!

My boyfriend and I were tired of our drab indoor space and decided to get some starter plants for our home. One of the associates, Karen, helped us choose a few beautiful and easy plants to care for. We got a peace lily, ficus and a tropical leafy plant.
We will definitely be back for more indoor and outdoor plants.
Side note– there is a beautiful café with a koi pond inside the indoor plant greenhouse. It was reminiscent of the Volunteer Park Conservatory. A great spot to meet friends or sit with a warm beverage and book, I’m sure.