The scoop on 'Merrifield Garden Center'

I purchased online a quart of weed killer. They shipped a container that was unsealed, with one third of the contents missing. There was no leakage in the box it came in.
i emailed them back with the problem and never received any response.

I have shopped at Merrifield for about 10 years now and have been happy with their products and service every time. Yes, they are a bit pricier than their competitors but the difference is more than worth it if you consider the trove of information they provide, the helpfulness of the staff and the honesty of the business. I have had two issues with dead/unhealthy plants and they replaced them free of charge each time- even after pointing out what I did wrong with pne of the original plants. In other words, it was my fault it died but they said if the plant was healthy to begin with then it would have been okay. I will continue to go to them first when I need a plant, tree, bush whatever. The extra cost is worth it.

Best plants in town, wish they weren't as expensive but I can find what I want. Good quality, helpful staff, popcorn to munch on when hungry. Good seminiars. Purchased a groupings of hen's and chicks, diffeent names and very happy with the. Etc Etc,
Thanks, Linda hall

I have purchased several items from Merrifield over the past 10 years (Row House in DC and now house in Vienna).

The prices are a bit higher...definitely ... which is why I buy only what I can't find elsewhere (or for convenience). Most of all, I love to go because of the helpful staff. I went yesterday after having to buy to replace items from an order that did not arrive and it was great to talk with someone about the different options of heuchera that I had not considered as well as some other ideas. I had called earlier in the day to request some things to be put aside and it was nice to arrive ... see everything I wanted to the side and I appreciated the fact that what was picked out was the healthiest and most mature of the bunch. Also...I don't recall anything that I have bought from Merrifield not growing or thriving. Everything has been very healthy.

I may not go here all the time...but when I need ideas and friendly staff and to browse...I would pick Merrifield each time.

I have purchased many perennials and vines from the MGC at their Merrifield location last summer and also this summer. Everything from tiarella, plumeria, many clematis, jacob's ladder, callirhoe, salvia, nepeta, etc. I purchased 2 huge pyrancantha last year which are thriving and a huge wisteria (5' tall) this season. Overall they have great quality and the customer service is amazing. Their annuals are expensive so I typically get them some place else unless it's something unusual that only they sell.

Well, first of all let me say that Merrifield is extremely overpriced for the quality of merchandise they offer. We had 5 azaleas, 1 dogwood and 1 Japanese maple planted in our yard. All 5 azaleas died along with the dogwood and Japanese maple. They replaced the azaleas with heather, replaced the dogwood with another dogwood, and the Japanese maple with a redbud. The heather have all died but look like they may be coming back. The dogwood is very much dead and the redbud made it through the winter.

We asked for a quote to replace the dogwood and the heather and figured we would get a discount since they provided the plants that have died twice! However, they offered no discount. Also, we have bought mulch from them for 2 years now and have paid 3 times the amount per bag that you would pay anywhere else. In addition, add the cost of labor and you are talking about very expensive mulch.

I had heard that Merrifield was a great nursery and we spend around $3000 the first year we used them, and $800 last year, but no more. I will put the mulch down myself and go to some of the smaller nurseries where the plants are better and cheaper!

After we completed renovated our house in Fairfax City, we called Merrifield Garden Center for landscaping advice, which as I recall cost nothing. We went ahead with the project which included a new driveway, entry, and an accent fence. We were completely delighted with the result. After we moved to Oakton, we continued to work with the same designer. We're busy reclaiming the woods from non-native invasives and turning it into a woodland wonderland. It's been a great experience all around.

I’ve purchased pesticides and herbicides from merrifieldgardencenter.com and I can say that their customer service has been nothing but superb. The few times I’ve had weed and insect crisis and ask their customer services representatives for help, they quickly transferred me to a so call “plant clinic” where a highly knowledgeable representative helped me, and recommended some great products. Best of all they offer great products like Bonide!!!!!!!! Five Stars for Customer Service.

This is a primo garden center and generally regarded as one of the best in the area. They are hard to beat when it comes to selection, knowledge and plant quality. You could easily spend two hours browsing their selection. They even have some wonderful display gardens at the Fair Oaks location (the only one of the two that I have visited). The biggest drawback for MGC is the price. Many of their items are priced significantly higher than other area garden centers.

I go there for the dirt only. I really love their brand of potting mix. The staff is a little too arrogant for me. I was there recently shopping for ingredients for “compost tea”. The sales guy keep trying to tell me how to make sure my compost pile dissolves and sell me enzymes to help me. Ok first of all I like everything organic. What he was giving me was not even close. Second, I don’t need to break it down because it cooks in bubbling water for 5 days. So why would I break it down. None of the good stuff would be left. He told me I watch too much TV and did not know what I was doing. I was shocked!!!!!! I research everything I do. I don't just see something on HGTV and say that’s it. This is not the first bad experience I have had there, but it will be the last. I am looking for somewhere else who has nice dirt and better prices. I spend a lot on plants and plant care. It’s averaging a minimum of $600.00 a month. Please keep in mind that this is only for an apartment. Wait to you see what I spend on a house. They lost a good customer with me.

I enjoy browsing this place. I am impressed by the selection. The annuals are in awful shape so I prefer to go to Cox farms in vienna, va instead for annuals because although they have less selection, always have quality plants. Merrifield has a nice selection of shrubs, and perennials also. Their prices are a little high though. Overall I like browsing this place, but am discouraged by the terrible condition most of their annuals are in, as well as many of their perennials. The only plants that seem to be in GOOD condition for the most part in the whole place are the shrubs. I still go from time to time to comb the entire place in hopes of finding goodies in good condition:)

They have a great selection of plants and, when not busy, have some of the most helpful and knowlegeable sales staff I've seen at a nursery. I love browsing their plants.

At times they deserve a negative rating for their prices. I was charged $52 for a flat of impatients a few years ago. When I returned them before getting them to my car, even the check-out person was floored by the price. I still support Merrifield as I hope those higher prices are used to retain their above average employees.

Having recently completed a home renovation, I requested the MGC to do a landscaping consultation, for which they charge a $50 fee. A very personable and clearly highly qualified landscape architect came to my home, but rather than give me any ideas or plans for the work to be done, I was surprised that all of the time was spent giving me a sales pitch to hire the landscape architect, for a significantly higher fee.
I'm sure that this person is a great architect, but what I thought I was paying for was ideas, even initial off-the-cuff-ideas, but not a sales pitch to engage this person. So what I basically ended up paying for was for someone to come to my home and give me a pitch. That doesnt really seem like a landscaping consultation to me. How about you?
Caveat emptor, again.

I stumbled across Merrifield Garden Center while searching for seed for Stone Mountain watermelon and discovered that they are a dealer for one of my old time favorite seed companies, Wetzels,. Thanks to the them I now have seeds for the Stone Mountain and the Blood Turnip beet. Great service, generous packets, good prices and a good selection of childhood favorites.

I have bought many things from MGC in the last four years, shopped at both locations, bought both plants and accessories, and even returned stuff. They have been nothing but friendly and helpful every time. The staff is very knowledgeable and the stock is consistently interesting and healthy. They do a good job of stocking primarily things that will do well locally. I have not made use of their landscape services (my neighbors might think I need to), but I have seen their work and it is very good. I haven't seen them plant things that will likely die so they can make money off replacing the plants. I am very lucky to live around the corner!

We thought our new home was beautiful to begin with. But now that we have added the finishing touch of a Merrifield Garden Center landscape and dramatic waterfall, it is a dream come true!