Friendly service for the most part, one employee told me a plant wasn't what it actually was...100% I was positive and then she got corrected by IM guessing a senior plant person. (know your plants or stay quiet and ask a senior plant person) Besides being overpriced but that falls into the category of "EVERYTHING IS OVERPRICED, EVERYWHERE" I like the place. uBer close and easy to Navigate the grounds. Thanks for not closing! read more

I have three geraniums, one flowering maple, alyssum, camellia, and blue salvia from here and as long as you know how to pick them out, or ask for help, these will keep thriving at home. There is an older gentleman that knows exactly where everything is or if they don't have it. Really helpful when there is so much to look at! They also have plant food, soil, etc. I got a water meter which is super helpful with the hot and cold weather here. read more

See all

The staff was very helpful and accommodating! I will go back! They helped me find some plants that I needed by my description of what I wanted. read more

It makes me sad to write this review .. I am an avid gardener and loved going down to my local Armstrong's to roam the aisles and chat to the super friendly staff. Sometimes I would come away with a trunk filled to the brim and sometimes I would walk away with a brain full of knowledge and new ideas. Since the change of ownership and now under the Summerwinds brand this store is not the wonderful haven is use to be for our neighborhood. 95% of the original staff are gone and those that now work there are not knowledgeable and sadly not very friendly. This past weekend I was searching for some plants and approached a sales person to enquire about a plant and if they had it or if they would be coming. She replied "yes, we will have that in a few weeks" I said "great because I bought a number of these last year" and tried to strike a conversation. She turned to her colleague and started talking to them and ignored me. I then said "excuse me - do you know about any more of this type coming in?" And the look she gave me was that of 'are you still here' - and walked off. Just awful - absolutely not a good representative for your store. I could go on but I won't. So sad ... I give them 6 months and they will be closed. read more

The staff are very friendly and helpful every time my husband and I shop here. I liked the nursery which was previously at this location and wasn't sure at first if SummerWinds would be good. The prices are on the higher end but it's worth the quality of their products. They have a great selection of flowers, fruit trees, garden decorations, pots, and indoor plants. We have purchased a variety of things including soil and some indoor plants. They are on South Novato Blvd in a small shopping center. They have a parking lot in the front and back of the building. read more

This place is AMAZING! Whenever I'm heading to / from the city, I stop by here to pick up something unique. The plants are beautiful, widely varied, and not found anywhere else (in my experience). Staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. 10/10 highly recommend read more

I never thought I was a plant person but here I am writing about plants... Long story short, I've killed several plants at both my house and office (a couple are still doing well) so I wanted to get some professional advice on not just selecting a good set of plants for my environment but also how to care for them (beyond a google search). I hit up SummerWinds as I've always wanted to check it out (I go to the O'reilly's quite frequently) and once I went in I wondered why I waited so long to check it out! The place is large! A fully enclosed barn-like(?) indoor area and massive outdoor areas flanking the sides and rear. When I got there I was surprised so it took a minute to take it all in. I asked Andy for some help locating the plants that would be best for my situation. The selection is AWESOME!!! I could of easily blown a decent amount of cash but I used some restraint. After walking around with some guidance I picked out a couple cool new leafy friends for my office. Feeling good about my picks I walked up to check out and Chris(in the front of the house) and I got to talking and she pointed at a couple really cool compositions which started the whole process again. After a couple more minutes I got all my picks and went to check out. My daughter even picked up a cool hanging prism. After everything said and done it came out to $103 which I thought wasn't bad for ~8 plants, some planters and a cute lil prism. My wife, daughter and I were so impressed that we signed up for the rewards program. I guess we'll be back! :-) read more

See all

Wow! What a lovely nursery. My family just happened to be in Novato when we stopped into SummerWinds Nursery. We are so glad that we did! The staff was so friendly and knowledgeable and the plant selections were beautiful and well cared for. Through the help fo Chris, we were able to select two beautiful cherry blossom trees as well as a gorgeous rose bush - as well as great pointers as to how to have the most success for maintaining their growth! We are thrilled to have found such an excellent nursery. If we lived closer, I am sure I would go to SummerWinds quite often. Unfortunately we live quite far... but I will tell you it was worth the drive to find some great trees to brighten up our yard!! Highly recommend SummerWinds Nursery - great staff, great selection and just a beautiful nursery to walk through and look at all the selections!! read more

See all

This nursery changed ownership about a year ago and everything has gone downhill since then. The quality of plants has declined and it is pretty sad. I used to love coming here and getting good quality plants that last long, but now we are getting low quality plants at a higher price point. The plants visibly look sad. It's legit slim pickings around here On one occasion I came for a sunflower plant. I found one but The leaves looked so bad that I was hesitant to buy it. Because I have a green thumb and I bring everything back to life I figured I would go ahead and purchase it but I didn't want to purchase it at full price. I brung it to the front checkout area and expressed that I would like to buy the plant but not at full price because it was obviously unhealthy. A cashier lady that I was not even speaking to decided to come over and tell me "I do not have to buy it" in a condescending tone. Excuse you? I know I don't HAVE to buy it But being as though it's the only one you have left I will buy it but at a discount, if possible. I was taken aback because I was not even addressing her. She took it upon her self to interject and address me personally. Is she management? no. Every time I come in she is standing behind the counter not helping anyone or doing anything. After making my purchase I let her know that I did not appreciate her condescending comment and that as a customer who has spent a lot of money here I didn't appreciate her comment and asked her to clarify her intention behind it. She proceeded to apologize because she knew she was out of pocket. I say all of this to say this place is not what it used to be and it is hard to spend money here. I can buy mediocre plants from grocery outlet and the local stores. At this time I would not recommend read more

See all

I've made this nursery the only place I run to when on a gardening binge. The staff who work there since being Armstrong are my favorite! They've always been personable, helpful, and always so full of knowledge (newer staff seem green when asked questions but hey - got to start somewhere!). Their choices of plants are always fun to stroll around and look at, and I certainly enjoy seeing the new arrivals. I proudly boast 10+ rose bushes and trees that have been doing very well. So far the fruit trees I bought are starting to produce so I'm getting excited on those! I bought all my greens starters and so far they have continually been great feeding my chickens! read more

SummerWinds Nursery - Novato - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Novato, California

See all

SummerWinds came out with a directmail piece today (2/2/23). I noted they were offering a tree I'd been looking for, so I trudged through pre-rush-hour traffic to their Novato location to purchase one. Trees are typically pretty pricey, so I was pretty serious about buying should the selection prove robust. I arrived at 4:30 pm, plenty of time before they closed. There was no one outside to help. I wandered around, trying to find the tree in question, and finally went inside the store. There were three employees in one corner, yacking it up. They reluctantly paused when I... you know, a customer... walked up to them. No one greeted me. Having 25+ years in Corporate Sales and Marketing, I've been to many stores the world over. I can safely say that a friendly greeting works well in encouraging sales. I asked about the tree in question from the day's directmail piece, cited its name. The three employees stared at me. These were not teenagers. They were adults, old enough to know how to treat a customer looking to buy a $200+ item. At my request, no one said anything. I said the name of the plant again because no one could hear me past your (obsolete) disease blast shields. Then the 30-something male employee made a flippant remark and turned way, the 40-something female muttered something sour and turned away, and the 50-something woman (who must've been low on the totem pole) felt compelled to check her computer to see if they had any such inventory. They of course did not, but they did have "a bunch of other trees somewhere." Hm. Do you think this makes me want to spend $200+ for a tree at Summerwinds? Even if you try to suck up to me for this review? Try NO. I'll take my business elsewhere. Enjoy going out of business. UPDATE: Tried to find someone at Summerwinds corporate to communicate this to... but they have no way on their (jailware) site to get ANY kind of customer service. I'd say this looks like a bait-n-switch foreign scam-company, but they're allegedly based in Boise, Idaho. read more

I recently signed up for a class on creating Fall decorations with pumpkins and succulents and I am so glad that I did! I was the only attendee in this (free!) class. The instructor, Suzanne was amazing- patient, creative and knowledgeable. Her instructions and inspiration gave me the skills and confidence to create a beautiful arrangement. I'm anxious to try out my new skills on my own and will definitely return to Summer Winds for plants and gardening supplies. I highly recommend their classes and workshops. Thank you Suzanne and Summer Winds! read more

This used to be my go garden store as it is just down the street from my house, but ever since it changed hands it has gone downhill. Today I called to ask if they had a vegetable plant I was looking for I was put on hold and when the person came on the line she had to go find someone to help me. After waiting, for over ten minutes I hung up. Two weeks ago I called to see if they had a particular tomato plant. The person who answered the phone ask me if I meant a tomato bulb or a plant? What???? About a year ago, I went in for advice about one of my citrus. No body could help me and finally the manager came over and didn't know much about gardening and starting searching on her phone for and answer. I had already done this at home but wanted advice from a trained gardener. No help. I thought I would give Summerwinds more try today. After no help again, going to go across town to Sloat where I get much better service. read more

Plants are beautiful no matter where they are so this review is not about them. It is a sunny and windy day here in Novato, California because of the climate things are bound to fall down and possibly break. I found a broken pot and asked the front counter attendant if they would sell it at a discounted price. Chris immediately informed me that the product would be going into the trash. "That's going to the dumpster right now!" Snatched the broken pot out of my hands and speedily exited the building to toss it. This was my first visit and I was not greeted with a warm welcome nor were any of my questions answered. I did not expect much seeing the negative reviews but I gave this establishment the benefit of the doubt; the nursery would probably do way better without Chris. I will let my neighbors know not to give this business any of their time or money due to this extremely unpleasant experience. read more

SummerWinds Nursery - Novato - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Novato, California

See all

After 2 bad experiences, it is time to write a review. I first tried this nursery out about 6 months ago. After reading so many positive reviews, I went out of my way to check this place out because I prefer to support small local businesses. I was just buying soil amendments which are quite large and heavy bags. The pricing was slightly more expensive than my regular place but I didn't mind since it was supporting a small business. Now, if you go to the Ace on 4th St in San Rafael and you want soil or amendments, you fill out a form and they pull the product and load it into your car for you. If you go to any Sloat you might load your own cart if they're busy but they ALWAYS offer to help you load your car. My experience here couldn't have been MORE opposite. Not only was it impossible to navigate the soils and amendments because there were skids blocking the paths that I couldn't get my (barely working, janky) cart through, but it also made it impossible to get a cart close enough to many of the items I wanted to put them in the cart without having to pick them up and WALK them through the section back to my cart. On my first visit, an employee looked on while talking local gossip with a customer, never once offering to help me pick up my 7 large bags of soil/amendments. Now, I should explain (not that it should matter) that I'm 5' nothing and just over 100 lbs so these bags are almost the size of me and half my weight! I also have a fused spine with rods holding my back up, but it's usually not a problem because most stores have CUSTOMER SERVICE and HELP people with large and heavy items (because it's also a liability, duh). I checked out some of the house plants inside the enclosed area but they were OBSCENELY overpriced so I passed. When I finally got the cart to the register after pushing it on non-working wheels all the way there, no one offered to help me load items into my car despite it not being busy at all and there being multiple workers hanging out. I figured I'd caught them on a bad day and decided to give them another chance this past week because again, I was hoping to support a small local business. This time I was the ONLY customer in the store. No one helped me load my large and heavy bags and when I got to the checkout there were 3 strong-looking employees hanging out chatting, 2 of whom walked away to continue their conversation when I rolled up. Once again, not a single offer to help me load my car, even when I said "wow, no one is going to help me with this?". Nope! To add insult to injury, when I got home I looked at my receipt and noticed I'd been charged twice as much for my Worm Castings as was on the pricing sign. I'd rather support Ace all day long than go back to this place and it's really a pity, but there you have it. I cannot UNRECOMMEND this place adamantly enough. read more

Very nice and helpful! Good selection of plants and nice pot selection. Always a little different than other local nurseries!! Nice gift section!! You will always be able to get what you need at this store. read more

Good selection of plants, planters and the staff are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, even years after buying my plant they will answer my questions :) much prefer to give this local company my business vs. The big box stores like Home Depot where you basically get zero service. Happy to support this small business and appreciate the great selection and customer service! read more

So much of what I have bought there has died. Their plants are always overwatered to the point of being soggy, you take them home, there is no root structure and the plant falls apart when removing it from the container. Another experience this weekend. No more! read more

When the only Half decent nursery gets taken over by another nursery that feels like a nursery for geriatrics complete with generic classical music playing. No thank you. read more