Which nursery was this? I want to avoid it.

I myself go to Morris County Farms, The Farm at Green Village, Great Swamp, Donaldson's Nursery and Greenhouse and, once in a while, Well Sweep. All of those places have experienced, knowledgeable staff.

It's called Victoria's in Paramus. I usually don't need help at any nurseries and this was definitely no "help".

I used to feel that way, but don't anymore. She's just doing what she was taught to do. It's not her fault. She was looking for a job, and was simply hired by the wrong place, so in my opinion, it's the owners that you should be upset at. They did not hire appropriately. But then again, could the owner find someone appropriate, and if not, he/she should have spent more time with the employee to train them properly and educate her about their business. Not an easy task to do in a garden center since there are so many variables, but just the same.

My favorite story is the time I called a well-regarded local nursery to ask for a particular kind of forsythia. The employee hesitated and then asked, "Is that a hanging basket?"

I do have to add that I'm happy if there are one or two knowledgeable employees available at a nursery. There just aren't enough experts out there willing to slave in the hot sun for minimum wage.

There is a well respected nursery here in Downeast Maine that you want to watch your step if you are perusing the greenhouses!! Some of the isles are very narrow to begin with. If you are walking while they are watering, they don't stop for anything. I had the hose between my feet and the nursery employee pulled the hose along and I almost fell flat on my face!! Now if I see a hose, I don't go in there until they are done.

yes, I know it's the owner's fault for hiring her and not really training her, not really her fault. I'm just not used to going to nurseries and feeling like I'm at a used car dealership where they must sell to make a commission! Plus, she should know what's she's trying to push on me if she wants to make a sale.

Whatever, not really a big deal - just surprised me.

I've found that at most nurseries, if you really need advice or specific help, they'll find someone who knows how to help. The two local nurseries that we frequent both have a few really knowledgable and helpful employees. As soon as we walk in, that's who greets us and everyone else pretty much leaves us alone... or says, "If you need help, I'll get Mark for you, just let me know". I guess they see us often enough : )

The five nurseries I make my rounds to every season all have knowledgeable staff. If there are students or temp help who can't answer my questions, they fetch someone who can. It's at the big box stores that things get weird. Except, at my local RKO (Rural King of Ohio - ag store); they have a person there that attended the local agriculture college, and she is a blessing. Hope they never lose her. You can see her watering and caring for all the plants and shrubs/trees that get trucked in, as tho they were her own.

njmomma; did you every try Joy's in Paramus? It's a small place on Pascack, I believe, but they're very nice and helpful. A few years ago I had purchased a fuschia there, and as I was walking away, the elder gentleman told me to make sure I put it in a shady area. Now, I did know this, but he won my respect by just letting the customer know. Recently I went there to grab some parsley for my caterpillars. The gentleman wanted to find me some better parsley, although I was happy & content taking the flat that I grabbed. I told him it was only for the caterpillars and it was alright as it. I also left with a very pretty burgundy foliage dahlia, something I'd never seen elsewhere. I shop there frequently now. I'm trying to stay away from the big box stores, Home Depot/Lowes. Now those garden department employees are horrible. I do give them credit though, they try, but they fail miserably in the garden knowledge area. I've never really had to deal with employees at any of the nurseries I go to, so I really can't help in that department. A few other nurseries that I frequent are Secor's in Mahwah, Perrone's in New Milford, De'Angelos in Dumont, DePiero's in Montvale & Ploch's in Clifton. I've recently sworn myself away from Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, simply because their employees have the personality of a brick. Never a 'hi' when you approach the register, never a 'thank you' when you leave, barely a smile.

Just a few words in defense of nursery workers with limited knowledge. Some are young people hoping to make a few dollars over the summer, help with school fees, trying to support themselves, others are working to help with household expenses etc. none of them are making high wages, but most have a love of plants and are willing to learn. It takes years to become knowledgeable in this field. Most are seasonal as well, the job only lasts 3 or 4 months in a lot of cases.
Nurseries on the other hand don't have the luxury of being able to hire part time people with a wealth of knowledge, it would be cost prohibited. If these less then knowledgeable people are pleasant and are doing their best to help, give them a break, their learning as fast as they can, you can help by being pleasant while talking with them and perhaps you could pass on a little of your knowledge. I know when I got a job in a nursery over 40 years ago I was like a sponge soaking up all the proper names, proper planting instructions, proper use of pesticides etc. etc. etc. Trust me, in a few years these unknowledgeable people because of their love of plants will become the salesperson everyone runs to when they want help, that is if we encourage them to carry on and not keep putting them down.
Just my take on it :o).
A......

aftermidnight well put and thank you.

Blueangel

That was very nicely said, Annette :-)) To a plant lover/gardener, it's hard to imagine that working in a retail nursery situation is a thankless job but it truly is. Not only is it extremely hard work under often unpleasant working conditions (the heat of summer or the cold and wet of winter and spring) but it doesn't pay peanuts! And one has to deal with the buying public which can often be a tricky and very difficult issue (if you think the nursery employees are annoying, they are a picnic compared to some nursery shoppers!!) Retail nursery workers do it for the love of plants and those that are knowledgeable and well informed tend to be limited in most situations - nurseries just can't pay enough to keep them around very long. Typically, there will be a couple or only a handful of experienced, knowledgeable staff - usually managers/buyers or owners - and the rest seasonal, non-experienced help.

After working retail for more than a dozen years and even as a relatively well paid manager/buyer, I made the move to a much more lucrative employment situation (now working for a wholesale growing nursery). I just couldn't afford to stay retail, even though I loved the work and the customers (well.....most of them :-))

GG, yes you do have to have a love for plants LOL, I think you know how I first got my job working at a local nursery. I was hired by a man who for many years was a head gardener in one of Victoria's well known parks if my memory serves me correctly. When he moved up here he started his own Nursery, a good portion of what he sold was also propagated by him.
Being a very frugal Englishman some of the plants he brought in were placed in the greenhouse grown on enough so he could take cuttings (mums for one) then grown on a bit more and then sold, and beautiful plants they were. The cuttings were then grown on and sold, the way he put it, the gravy.

The first job I had was taking the lids of oil cans (which he had a mountain of from the local garage) cleaning them, and then staining the outside of all the cans green. Here I was out back on a windy day covered in stain wading through this mountain of cans, just dreaming of the day when he'd let me loose among the plants. At the time he used these for Ivy Geraniums, Weeping Lantanas, Junipers and many more. After a few days he said to me, you'll do and I was let loose on the unsuspecting public.
I made $1 an hour, think that's bad, the kids out in the field were payed .75 cents. It was the greatest learning experience of my life, hard work pays off and good things don't come easy.
This is where my love for gardening really started, also my plant addiction LOL. Today I'm just another backyard gardener enjoying my garden such as it is.

So, this is why when at the garden centers conversing with obviously new sales people it brings a smile to my face, remembering how green I once was.

Things have changed since the 60's what you had to learn then is a drop in a bucket to what you have to know now and my hats off to those who stick with it.
A......

But when we get good service, we should also say a nice word about the nursery. Here is one of my best experiences....................

I was looking for Stewartia 5 years ago. Little did I know, when I made that choice, that it was difficult to come by. I scoured the nurseries in Vancouver, and in one of them, a nice gentleman asked me what I was looking for. He said he doesn't have it, but told me another nursery which likely will have it (and he was like - I bought it from the nursery he recommended).

He then proceeded to explain why it was difficult to find (it's difficult to propagate). Have I seen one? And he proceeded to describe it in detail. He then gave me two locations in Vancouver where I might find mature specimens to look at.

He even gave me a tour of the "trees and shrub lot" in the nursery, describing all the various trees that may be good alternatives if I find that Stewartia is not what I want.

I have never been so pampered by any nurseries, ever. I certainly haven't had that kind of service since.

And his name? Thomas Hobbs, who owns Southlands Nursery in Vancouver.

Aftermidnight, your comments are right on. MOST nurseries can't afford to hire people at anything other than minimum wage because even loyal customers won't pay the kind of prices for their plants and supplies that could support hiring of experienced horticultural staff in large numbers. And unfortunately, that's largely our (meaning we gardeners') fault. We want to pay the kind of prices that justify a kid with a lawnmower, but we want to get the knowledge of a Christopher Lloyd and the service a Tiffany's diamond salesperson (assuming you can afford to blow a cool million on a diamond bauble). Horticulture is only rarely a lucrative field.

to cactus joe: Wow. You got helped by a demigod in horticultural circles. How utterly cool. :-) It's always fun to encounter someone in the plant world whom you admire (or come to admire).

And to all--sometimes ignorant help is an enjoyable thing, especially at a high-end nursery. I know that after I finish carping and muttering a little, I feel very gratified to know that *I* knew more about (insert your choice of plant or technique here) than the highly praised help at the highly rated (and highly priced) nursery in (insert choice of location here). It's always a bit of fun to feel smug and self-satisified.

I got the same silly satisfaction when visiting RHS Harlow Carr a few years ago--their Hostas looked positively tatty and slug-shredded, while I knew I'd left mine looking hearty and beautiful. And my roses? Not even a whisper of blackspot, while a 'Brother Cadfael' at Harlow Carr bloomed bravely, completely bare of leaves except for one blackened leaf. I later commiserated with another visitor, a local, who told me the blackspot had been shocking that year due to all the rain. I chose NOT to describe how dead easy it was to grow roses in Northern Nevada, blissfully free of blackspot, seldom plagued by powdery mildew, and happy with all the sunny days at home. But after seeing plantings of incredible diversity, beauty and lushness, those tatty Hostas and battered Roses made me feel a great deal better.

Lisa

Interesting post!
While I am an infrequent shopper and customer of local nurseries and garden centers, it seems that customer assistance is a luxury that most cannot afford.
In my immediate area, there are only 2 outlets of a CA based chain and the big box garden centers. Staff is limited to a cashier in many instances. Some stores do not have anyone to assist in loading purchases, except bales and bagged amendments and mulch. Most big box garden centers no longer have managers assigned to that area.
When I do visit one of the centers, looking for a plant or plants, that they rarely have, I find myself answering questions from eager and often uninformed shoppers about some plants they like, but know nothing about.
To those of you that have independently owned and operated nurseries, with a customer assistance staff, whether knowledgeable or trying to do their best, count your blessings!
Rb

when we encounter a salesperson inexperienced or not
as no one in this field knows all.Take two steps back,
remember when you too were inexperienced asking for
that yellow flower I see in everyones yard this time
of the year,I ask how can someone knowledgable or for
that inexperienced possibly know what you are asking
for.As a retired nursery owner and one who took a part
time postion as a cashier for a box store in the garden center,I still find it funny with what consumers ask.

Blueangel

Some times the gardeners best defense against ignorant nursery employees is to become educated themselves. Reading horticultural magazines, owning gardening books, exploring the internet, ordering catalogs, using this forum etc. all contributes to a gardeners self-reliance. In our city almost all of the private nurseries have vanished and the main shopping source for many has become the box stores. The horror stories about those employees would curl your toes. Heck, the state of their plants is enough to make you weep.