Loen Nursery

I went to Loen Nursery with a $40 coupon for which I had paid $20. It was no bargain considering the quality of the plants. Don't go there if you want quality plants. If I lived closer to Loen's I would have returned all the plants I had purchased, but Loen's is about a fourty minute drive from where I live. The grounds were attractively arranged. Attractive, but not very customer friendly. Poorly organized with mixtures of plants scattered all over. I couldn't find what I was looking for. I wandered around and finally found an employee and asked for some help finding the type of plants I wanted. I was directed to a small area with a small selection of sun loving plants. This employee had a badge that identified him as a "carry out" person. He had no horticultural knowledge and said he would send someone else to help me, which he did. I was looking for plants for a planter box in the sun that would bloom throughout the summer and I wanted flowers that would be tall enougn for cutting. They had practically none of those so I had to settle for mostly plants that were low and semi trailing, about 8" - 10" tall. I purchased some Marigolds because there wasn't much else in color and the marigolds they had were the short variety, not good for cutting. I purchased them because there was little else. The tallest plants I was able to find were a Shasta DAisy that was unsuitable for the planter box and a few Gerbera Daisys with a very small selection of colors. When I got home and unpotted the plant I finally purchased I found they were all badly root bound, some so thick with roots that I needed to cut them off with a knife before I could loosen the soil around them. One had 1/2" of roots around the bottom of the pot. These were plants that should have either been repotted or sold at a discount. I went to Walgreens this afternoon to get some things I needed. Outside the store were racks of plants for sale. Not only were the plants cheaper, but they were of much better quality and there was a large variety of heights and colors. The quality of the plants at Loen Nursery was not nearly as nice as the quality of what one would find in a discount store like Grocery Outlet. Loen's prices were that of a first-class nursery. I was very disappointed and do not recommend Loen's if you want quality plants for your garden. I'm going to call LOENS tomorrow and tell them what I thought of their stock.

I discovered Loen's through a Groupon - just what they want. But they continued to haggle over details on the Groupon and to use questionable business practices over my 5 or 6 visits this year. So I am done and will let my many gardening friends know there are friendlier places with more honest pricing. What's good: Plant quality is excellent. They have excellent sanitation and care so you don't see bedraggled plants. Ever. Selection. Everything they carry is good to grown around here.Organization. Plants are grouped logically. Some collections, like Roses, are sorted by type and alphabetized by cultivar. Wow! What's not so good: Prices. Very high - as high as the most glamorous and convenient nursery center anywhere. Even though they're out in the boondocks requiring time and money to drive. And even though they grow much of the plant matter in their wholesale division and could offer it at more competitive prices. Deals. They make up for the exorbitant prices with sales you learn about when you walk in or from their mailing list. Or from a Groupon - like I bought. BUT watch the fine print. Much is excluded. On my last visit, all plant material was at least 40% off with some items 50% off. Why did I give them my money ahead of time with Groupon to get the same deal as people walking in. They did not want to hear this and acted like I am being too entitled.

They were very knowledgeable with care of shrubbery and also a good price.