Some of the worst customer service I've experienced, EVER! Rude and clueless - what a combination! How does this place stay open and what is the magic sauce for those who actually receive good customer service? read more

I've flipped 5 houses in Chester County over the last 30 years and just moved into my 6th. Landscaping is a big part of what I invest in as I both enjoy it - and I live in the houses as I renovate so I want them to look nice. As a result, I've been to most every gardening place from East Earl, PA to Phoenixville to the old Agway outside West Chester to Malvern - you get the idea. I first started going to mainline gardens about 6 years ago. They had decent pots, expensive, but nice. Then I started buying plants there (mostly annuals for said pots) and they were nice enough. Now I would normally go on weekdays so I was dealing with the core crew and not the weekend staff. This spring I've been there twice (once in April and once in May) looking specifically for small perennials with varying sunlight requirements. This is the first time I've ever visited this nursery looking at things through that lens and it was beyond disappointing. The weekend staff are probably largely college aged and know absolutely nothing about the plants. They have a covered area in the back where one would assume the shade loving plants would be kept, but nope - it's a complete hodgepodge of anything from full sun to shade and seemingly no rhyme or reason to how it's organized. Yesterday I went to find a Japanese maple. All of their trees and shrubs are in full sun. Some are marked with explanatory tags that tell you about the plant, but just as many are not. I found the perfect red maple, in full sun, and stupidly assumed it was therefor a full sun plant. It isn't. So I spent $200 on a tree that won't work for where I bought it because they have no organization for their plants around sun requirements. So the take-a-way on this is - don't expect knowledgeable staff on the weekend. Don't assume they're doing any intentional placement of their inventory and go in prepared to look things up on your phone as needed. The reason I gave them 2 stars, is that in comparison to every other nursery I go to - they arrange things according to sun requirements. Shade plants are kept under cover and full sun are not. So, caveat emptor. read more

Had them plant a green fence with one year plant guarantee. Inexperienced workers just dug holes and put the plants in without creating a garden bed as stated in the contract! A fourth of the plants died and they never replaced them. The response was we don't have time. Cannot be trusted. Go elsewhere or plant them yourself! read more

I was riding my motorcycle down Paoli Pike in Malvern on a Saturday afternoon when I came across Main Line Gardens. I was very pleased to find a significant selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials, but what impressed me most was the knowledgeable staff. Over the next 2 weeks I took pictures of my front yard and worked closely with Liz to determine what plants were best suited and am delighted with the results. Many of the plants purchased were on sale and they also offered a veteran's discount! read more

The staff is nice but they pass on the credit card fee to the consumer which kind of stinks. Their prices for flowers were decent but I might not go back because of the having to pay the credit card processing fee. read more

I used to enjoy shopping here for their good variety of plants, even though the prices are a bit higher than other garden shops. However, on several recent trips, the staff has not respected safe covid practices, including a cashier not wearing a mask indoors, other staff members not wearing masks, and not respecting social distancing (cutting in front of me close enough to brush against me). I'll be taking my business elsewhere and plan to check out Montgomery Nursery. read more

Waterloo Gardens was always closest to us, so when needed, that was where we went. But it's been years since they existed, and what was left of the company was acquired by Main Line Gardens. MLG is very similar to what we experienced at Waterloo. While the layout at MLG is not as aesthetic (not decorative or designed to showcase items and make little mini garden ideas with the inventory) like Waterloo was, it was still all very good quality, with a great variety of healthy plants. It is straightforward, which is appreciated. And all plants are priced, whereas places like Terrain, don't always present prices, which is annoying and time-consuming. Like Waterloo and Terrain, the prices were hit or miss. My perennials were $12/gallon with 20% off. Yes, please! Other perennials, like a 3gal peony, for $79.99? I wondered if it was a rare one I didn't know about, but that was very high for me. Just know your prices (or ask around) and you'll be fine. I was helped by AJ, who was very knowledgeable about anything I had to ask. He helped me with ideas for our common local soil problem (clay), and directed me to a product to help (Bumper Crop). I mentioned the homemade remedy I'd been told to try by another nursery and he agreed it was similar, but still recommended their product. I get it that they are pushed to sell, but I appreciate when a nursery can offer cheaper solutions, because we have a lot of ground to cover. This is "Main Line" gardens, so while certainly not all, there are a lot of bougie people around here, who don't care to get hands dirty, and would rather take the easy way with the high-priced product. I get it. I had called much earlier in the season for what I needed, and was happy to find their prices beat the other places called. But by the time I finally made it down there, they had run out of a lot of their perennials I wanted. So I played phone tag with Jamie to find out when more would be in and headed back. I mention this because Jamie was sincerely concerned about matching me with the right plants, and that is always appreciated. You do have to seek people out when they are busy, but I was offered help when I was there on a week day with little going on. I was approached pretty quickly, in fact. The staff seems to genuinely want to help, and they are all very polite; they just need to be working while they're out there, so they're not always looking for you. I was approached a lot faster than any visit to Terrain or Wedegwood gardens. read more

Main Line Gardens - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Malvern, Pennsylvania

I've been a gardener for well almost 30 years. New to the area I needed top soil and found MLG online. Ordered 10 yards of screened topsoil to be delivered in two separate 5 yard loads. First load full of large chunks of clay. Spent more time breaking up all the clods & chunks then I did actually spreading it which made the job twice as much work. I gave them the benefit of the doubt hoping that the next load would be better. Second load comes today and it's more of the same. Literally 40-50% clay and chunks of dirt the size of bowling balls or larger. I called to inquire if I had indeed received "screened topsoil" since I paid over $550. Lady who answered phone was nice but turned my call over to a man who didn't state his name. I said my name and my question. He was defensive, rude and absolutely refused to hear what I had to say. If I tried to state something he cut me off stating I needed to hear what he had to say. Never did ask me. Told me it's definitely not clay (I know what clay looks like) and that it's screened topsoil. I paid a premium price for topsoil because I wanted good topsoil that was ready to be spread. Not half dirt/ half clay chunks that take all day to break down with a hoe. Top it off with rude customer service and this is my last order from them. read more

Rude employees. Completely unprofessional. Unfortunately they are the only gardening store in town. The people at Potter's were so much nicer. Now I remember why I never used to go to Main Line Gardens. Insubordinate and churlish. read more

Nicest people! Great selection! Highly recommend! Plants, and they even handle landscaping.

I wish i could give a higher rating then 5 stars. They are extremely helpful, friendly, and caring. Dan has supplied me with numerous amounts of materials to complete some large, awesome projects. He takes the initiative to drive the material exactly where we are working on the property. That is true customer service, other companys just want to get in and out. thank you dan and mainline gardens for helping me get these projects done!!!! read more

Great for all seasons. Mulch in the spring. Party supplies in the summer. Mums in the fall. Christmas tree in the winter. Main Line is there to help. I also recommend for hardscaping. They've redone walk ways with blue stone and redid my paver patio. read more

Had a great visit yesterday and got all the plants needed for the front of my house. Melissa could not have been more accommodating arranging the plants so we could get a feel for how they would look. She is also very knowledgeable about what would be best for your situation. I highly recommend Mainline Gardens and ask for Melissa! read more

Terrible customer service. Called several times about damage to my vehicle they caused during snow removal and haven't gotten a call or email back. Highly recommend anyone else. read more

Main Line Gardens is a shadow of its former self. Twenty years ago it was the 'go to' nursery for serious gardeners. Perennial selection was good, and you could get well-priced starters. At some point that all went out the window and all that was available were the larger sized perennials, which I guess appeal to the casual gardener who wants a plug and play. I really haven't shopped there much over the past 10 years or so because of this. But I did buy a few plants recently. Selection seems to have improved a bit, but a month after purchase, I have one completely rotted plant and another well on its way to complete rot. Checked the website and there is no guarantee on plants. Oh well. I do like their selection of soil amendments, fertilizers, etc., but the prices are just so high. Sauder's across the street has gorgeous plants for great prices. Go there for shrubs and great customer service. Mostardi's and Agway seem to be better bets for annual and perennial health and selection. read more

I love going to Main Line Gardens. This past March I ordered mulch and received it within 24 hours - during quarantine. Great selection and knowledgeable staff! read more

First time shopper, looking for succulents. Good selection (August) and reasonable price. Will return for more.

Over priced and poor service. I feel like an abused spouse every time I go. Now I am done. Plenty of people who can help but mostly just seem to stand around. read more

Very nice selection of plants. Seem to be Reasonably priced but probably towards the higher end of pricing. Customer service is not their strong suit....certainly not warm and fuzzy. I've been there 10+ times over the last month or two and have yet to have one person approach me and ask if I needed assistance. read more

Amazing garden center will bonafide experts at your service! Matt at Main Line Gardens is a horticultural genius, not to mention just an all-around nice guy. He took the time to explain and even diagram step by step instructions for planting our straw bale garden, leaving nothing to chance. As he explained, he wants us to be successful! These people really know their stuff - great selection, wonderful staff, and reasonable prices - no need to go anywhere else! read more

We bought a Christmas tree here this year, we have bought them in the past with no problem. But this year when we put the tree in the stand, we found a hugh gash in the trunk, we didn't have time to return it and decided to put it up. Big mistake, we hope it will make it to Christmas but not likely it will make it to New Years. The thing is, the guy who drilled the hole in the bottom, had to have seen the gash. How could they put it up for sale and ask $85. read more

This is your stop for protecting your garden, and your pets from your choice of protectors since they have many pet-friendly options. We're surrounded by every critter imaginable where we live, and herds of hungry deer, all of whom seem to be out to get whatever is new in the garden beds or pots! We found the one item that works well and consistently at Main Line Gardens after trying just about everything out there with varied results - it's called Deer Out - it's based in something more than just offense to taste and scent since these are things they eventually get used to and then you're left without an option...instead it's formulated with a mint base which is a toxin to deer and all sorts of rodents (rabbits and mice included) so they all avoid it like the plague! It also smells good to humans so it's great to use on borders and pots close to entries and other living spaces around the property, rather than those horrible scent defense mechanisms that also make us gag and running from our own living spaces. I've also won the fight against Japanese Beetles this year with products I found in Main Line Garden's little shed of products for the front lines of gardening -- many of which are safe for pets, which is important to me because we have them and they are quite nosy about any new scent in the yard! They also have a nice selection of plants and a knowledgeable staff willing to answer your questions. read more

Wonderful place for all of your landscaping needs. Professional helper, Melissa, did and absolutely awesome job in helping not only to design the landscaping layout around our house but also in selecting all of the trees, shrubs and plants. Yes, a little pricey but when you add in the design value and the helpers that loads your suv its well worth it. I would highly recommend Main Line Gardens. read more

Probably the worst garden center in the area. Needed some annuals,so decided to go there since it was the closest garden center. What a mistake; should have taken the timeto drive further. Their selection is poor,quality poor and organization of the whole center is poorly designed.Checkout is tedious- have your purchases itotaled oiutside, then go insideto pay, then come out again ,most impolite,and have to be checked again before proceeding to your car. And the two old biddies at the register inside are the rudest, impersonable sales people I've never met. They didn't take my criticism in comparing them To the late Waterloo Gardens very well.They replied they've been in business over 30 years. I truthfully can't see how they've existed that long. They asked me not to return. No problem, I had already decided that for myself. I had gone there other times, again because of closeness, and always said to myself "Don;t return." Some lessons are hard to learn. My landscaper will be doing several thousand dollars of work on our property in tabout a week, and he said he uses MLG. If he wants my business he'll have to go elsewhere, Avoid this place, drive further if you have to- it'll be worth it! read more

Love this place! Matt is Sooo helpful and knowledgable. He has helped me select trees and flowering plants. Would go back for all my gardening needs! read more

What a great experience I had today at Main Line Gardens! They were helpful, knowledgeable and I never felt rushed!! After much discussion, I left with two amazing trees. Matt was especially great to work with. He explained which trees would best suit my needs as well as offered me tips on other plants that I am struggling to have thrive at my home. He really wants his customers to be totally satisfied with their purchases and have a great gardening and planting experience. The selection was diverse and all of the trees were very healthy. I was also happy with the pricing, as everything I looked at was well priced. They also offer free classes to help with other gardening endeavors. I look forward to going back for my flowers and vegetable garden needs. Really wonderful experience. read more

Very disappointed in their Landscaping design department - discussed and paid for CAD pictures , but got pencil sketches - suggested I come over so they could show me some things that would work - showed me a few . The fee paid would go toward plants but only if they did the work - that was a change of what was said at the time I paid for the pictures I never got . When I tried to resolve - via email and letter , i did not get any response . read more

Their landscape designer, they have only one, has never gotten back to me. Reached out in late April, followed up with multiple emails.....just keeps saying how busy she was and forgetting who I was each time. My second email included photographs of the area where we wanted the patio at her request. We wanted a second patio installed but the job was not huge and perhaps that is why she has been so unresponsive. During the summer I have spent over $1000 on plants, rocks, top soil, garden accessories, fountain, etc., at their retail store. I have always found their staff helpful in the plant area. The women inside, not so much. Yesterday I went to Produce Junction and purchased hydrangea and foxglove for $5 each and large ceramic pots for less than $20 while the same size at MLG was $199. Perhaps theirs are better quality but I will take my chances. We will be looking for a new place to shop next summer and they owe that to their landscape designer. read more