I've been to many nurseries in the past couple of years. Never have I experienced the above and beyond service that Brian provided. I went to Armstrong several weeks ago to buy fruits and vegetables for our new garden. I'm a nube when it comes to gardening in general so Brian's expert advice was invaluable. He helped me pick out the right fruits and vegetables, gave me advice on watering, fertilizer, harvesting, and so much more. He even drew out a plan for where each plant should go in my planter boxes. My garden is now thriving. Thanks Brian! read more

Well let me start off by saying I knew NOTHING about plants, just moved to the West Coast from East Coast and wanted to decorate my patio. Mike was so fantastic! I told him what I was looking for (something relatively difficult to kill, but pretty) and he showed me so many options and really talked me through on what the best options for my first 'starter plant" should be. Not to mention the veggie section was SUPERB. Already have my list for the next visit (which will depend on my ability to keep the first one growing) read more

They are very friendly & helpful! My grass seeds are now successfully showing themselves above the soil & all the plants I bought there are happy. Thank you read more

Every single time we had specific, unique questions (especially for indoor plants) we receive detailed answers and it was pleasant that a staff member would take the time to offer suggestions for our needs. I've been to several nurseries, and would say so far they have the largest indoor plant selection I've seen. We ended up joining the free membership since we end up almost coming here every single time for our plant needs instead. read more

The checkout is confusing. I waited in line to checkout with my items, but apparently the line I was in was for a seminar in gardening products and not the line for purchasing your items. I was confused because just a week earlier I checked out in the same place? Either the new face covering I bought from SA Company renders me invisible (which if this is true, they should be charging more for their products) or Armstrong staff should at least acknowledge me and guide me to the checkout area that actually allows you to pay for your items. I spend an obscene amount of money at this place and should probably expect better service. It wasn't busy enough to justify the wait to check out. read more

This time I stopped at Encinitas store to pick up roses that were ordered in October. I love plants and when I have problems with mildew or something is eating my rose bushes I go for advice to Armstrong's. I also enjoy looking at the nice pottery they have there and buy... occasionally, even it's pricey. The employees are always nice. Jay now is the manager there. What a nice person and an excellent manager who truly cares for his customers. As I was picking up my roses, I noticed that one of the plants has aphids. He kindly offered to spray it for me. Also gave me some excellent advices and was extremely patient as I was picking some gardening stuff. Many thanks to Jay and his attentive, helpful crew. Will definitely go back later this season. read more

Love this place! Excellent customer service (Jay helped us and was super fun to work with)and we found exactly what we needed. Beautiful plants, great prices, and lots of selection for any gardener to choose from. read more

I am a first time visitor to Armstrong Garden Center in Encinitas. As I walked through I was greeted by the friendly staff with smiles. I was perusing the outdoor plant section and was greeted by another staff member and asked if he could help me with anything. His name was Warren and he is the reason I'm writing this review. Never have I had so much fun talking about plants! He took his time and educated me on the different types of plants and helped me find exactly what I was looking for. He gave me great tips on how to properly care for and how " not to kill my plant." He was never pushy to sell me things, but the way he taught me about my plant made me want to buy EVERYTHING! I had such a great experience today and I can proudly say I'll be a customer for life. The selections are incredible and they provide everything your little green thumb heart could possibly need. Thank you Warren! read more

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This pains me to write this review, because I had been a customer of Armstrong since 1995. Remember those X-Hoses that came out a while back - the ones that shrunk up when you turned off the water? They seemed like the greatest thing since sliced bread, until they started leaking and exploding. But before that, I purchased 4 of them from Armstrong. The other day, I brought one of them back, since it had just exploded. The sales person who originally helped me was very polite, although they couldn't find my account in their computer system. So he called the manager. The manager didn't even bother to look. He told me flat out that Armstrong never carried that item. I told him I had bought them there, and that they even transferred 2 of them from their San Marcos store for the latest purchase. "Well, return them to San Marcos, then" was his curt, rude reply. I couldn't believe his demeanor. Basically, he was calling me a liar, even though the sales person listening tried to correct him. He would have none of it. He was one of those young, 30-something, know-it-alls who is clueless about how to treat customers. As the manager was leaving, I asked him, "So you're not going to do anything about this?" "Bring in a receipt, and we'll talk then," was his brusque retort, and he vanished. I told the sales person, "You know, I've been a customer here since 1995. I shop here not because you're cheaper, because the Home Depot a block away is almost always 30% less than you are. I come here because of your customer service. And if your customer service is inferior to Home Depot, you have nothing. You just lost a 25 year customer over a $25 item. I sure hope it was worth it." As I was leaving, two of the sales people ran out to my car and told me they would have the manager's manager call me on Saturday and straighten the whole thing out. No one ever called. I saw this sort of thing happen with Circuit City years ago. First they go arrogant as a company. Then they hired arrogant, clueless managers. Then they fired everyone who was good at customer service. Then they went bankrupt. By the way, I have nothing against 30-somethings. Both my kids fit that description. It's just clueless arrogance that I have no tolerance for. Also, I realize that perhaps Armstrong might not be able to get its cost back from the vendor. If they would have explained that, politely, I probably would have accepted it. But to practically call me a liar and deny that they carried the product -- well, that was too much. read more

Was in there today to find some plants. Asked for help and she told me the plant was around the corner and that's it! I went and did not find what I was looking for. I kept standing around wanting to be helped as I was going to spend a lot of money that day as I am remodeling my huge yard. Anyway, I heard a lot of good things about the customer service but when I told my wife about the experience, she said the same thing. Well they lost out on a thousand dollar sale as I went next door to Home Depot where they fully helped me with great customer service and almost half the price!! Oh I also saw this amazing plumeria plant tree there and it was $999!!! Then I googled another place and they have the same one for $225.00!!! Wow! These people are clueless!! read more

This place is pretty good. The selection isn't great and it's small but the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely can't get that kind of service at a big box store. They also have classes that you can attend. I'm going back to see what they have to say about container gardening. read more

Love this Armstrong. Staff is very friendly, and always willing to help and answer questions. They're very knowledgable as well. I wish they had a bit more of a selection of certain plants, but overall very pleased. read more

This weekend we visited Armstrong in Encinitas. Gary was very helpful in finding us the right indoor plants for our house. His customer service and knowledge of plants were exceptional. Thank you Gary! read more

Outstanding service today by two employees that helped me purchase a plant. They both went above and beyond to help me make the correct choice. read more

Great little garden center! Customer service is spot on and prices are fair. Warren took the time to help me figure out what was killing my plants and gave me a solid education and the right tools to fix the problem without over selling me. Going here made me realize that going to Home Depot for plant needs isn't worth it. These guys are experts in their craft and take the time to help you. I will be back. read more

the people that work at Armstrong are really nice and generally quite patient. The prices for their plants are a bit steep though. I haven't had much look with their herbs, but the fruit tress seem to be doing well. Let them know where you live and how much sun you get so they can advise you on what to plant and what not to plant. This will save you headaches down the road. read more

My husband and I stopped in on Saturday with the hopes of building a small garden on our patio and not a clue how to do it. We looked around at the wide selection of plants and accessories before asking for help. We were assisted by the owner. She was tremendously helpful! I particularly liked her style of customer service. She gave us an idea of what we should look for and allowed us to continue browsing under her guidelines and then followed up with us within the hour. We don't like to be followed around and constantly upsold so this meant a lot to us! She also made sure to let us know about ALL of our options as far as accessories go and didn't just point out the priciest ones! We will definitely be back to continue with our new hobby. read more

Outstanding nursery experience. I entered the gates to the sounds of fountains, the fragrance of orange blossoms, and views of lots of choices. The people are informed and willingly gave me tips that actually helped. My plants are thriving. I was already a fan of Armstrong, and this shopping trip was an extra reminder of why. read more

I don't like giving 5 stars, but this place really deserves it. Any staff member I've encountered over the years just seem so darn happy to work there! I've asked about out of season plants and have been offered (and received) notification when these plants arrived. They have a nice selection of small trees and shrubs at good prices. The best thing I could say about here is that I always find the slightly different plant I can't find at discount stores. read more

Armstrong Garden Center is not only a superior source of plants, they are also a fantastic source of knowledge and assistance. I recently stopped by with a few photos of plants I had purchased elsewhere that were not thriving -- as a result of expert advice received from Brian, those plants are now happy and healthy! Armstrong has a marvelous selection, the shopping environment is very pleasant, and the staff takes great care to carefully listen and help with any garden challenge you bring to them. Thank you Brian and the staff at Armstrong Garden Centers Encinitas! read more

Selection of plants, trees, and flowers are nice. But I was looking for a fountain. Somewhat pricey. The clerks were sparse but helpful when I had to find them to ask questions. Ended up going somewhere else but would go back for flowers for our front porch. read more

I have been to this location several times and I find the customer service terrible. The sales people seem put out when they have to answer any questions and they also do not seem knowledgable. I can ask to people there the same question and always get completely different answers on the care of a plant, etc. They do not offer to help you to your car and just a generally unfriendly group. As well, I find the quality of the flowers to be lacking and the prices to be high. I used to avoid The Home Depot like the plague, but recently I have found their prices to be almost half of that at Armstrong. As well I just bought some beautiful hand painted pots at Homegoods for less than half of what they were selling at Armstrong. Too bad, as I like the idea of shopping in a garden center but I just cant get past the bad attitudes,the inferior quality, and the high prices. read more

I went to this establishment today to buy some roses and some other items and took my goods to the counter to pay for them. A clerk decided he didn't want to wait on me and went to the next person. That person told him that I was first. He still waited on them and told me to wait a second. This kind of rudeness is unnecessary. I have choices on where I spend my money, and I will no longer be going to Armstrong. Prices are inflated anyway, and with clerks like that, who needs to darken their doorway? read more

My husband and I went to the Encinitas location to purchase plants because we started redoing our yard. When we walked in, we were not greeted by a single person who worked there. One of the staff was watering and couldn't give us the time of day. It was obvious we were in her way. We asked a question and she nodded her head; over there, not even speaking. We went to the counter for help and the cashier was chomping on gum and didn't have a clue about any of the plants. Finally found someone to help us. He was also chomping on gum and was pretty rude. After spending some time asking a few questions he got annoyed and told me to ask all of my questions at one time so we didn't have to go back and forth around the nursery. It was very obvious that they lack any kind of interest in taking care of their customers. If I was the manager or owner of Armstrong gardens, especially this location, I would be pretty worried about the customer service. It was pretty obvious that no one really cares about the customer or their satisfaction. I do not recommend this business and I plan on spending my money elsewhere. read more

This place has the worst service...ever. Every time I've come in here I've noticed, but today was the final straw. Had to track down an employee, and when I asked her for help she barely gave me the time of day and was awkward. Very odd vibes, bad service and unfriendly attitude. Home depot has far better prices. No thanks. Bye bye. read more

Flat out rude, not a scent of customer service. Unfortunate as I try to shop to support the smaller guys but Home Depot is right next door. Home Depot may not be the fastest on busy days, but they are not rude unnecessarily. read more

I have been buying assorted plants at this location for a number of years, to the point I have received their $25 credit. I bought some ground cover for my yard, and the label said "full sun, partial shade". After thriving for a couple of months, it became brown ( although the moisture tester showed moisture). When I went back to discuss, I was told that I didn't "spread the new roots, speeding them out to give them blah, blah, blah.... So "sorry, nothing we can do" was their response from the manager. I get better support from Home Depot. Just a half mile down the road. And substantially cheaper. Armstrong is going the way of these pompous "boutique" stores. I mean, it's just plants, right??? read more

Best nursery in north county! Customer service is their priority! I'm in the process of re-doing my backyard and needed advice on various plants for landscaping. They took their time with me and didn't rush through it. I'm now growing a fruit and vegetable garden on top of revamping my backyard flowers and plants. Thanks for the great recommendations! read more

We had a landscape designer come out and redo our front yard, it was a wonderful experience. Mimi is extremely professional and everything was easy for us to do. Great service from the entire team. We emailed in with lots of questions and Mimi always responded quickly and with a lot of information. I would highly recommend Mimi and the entire Armstrong crew. They were extremely attentive and completely changed the look of our house. So many people have approached us and complimented our new yard and what an upgrade it is. read more