Gowanus Nursery

The plant selection is very good — 5 stars — and there are many native options.
However if you are an inexperienced gardener (like 80% of New Yorkers?) you might leave disgruntled. Customer service is this place’s downfall (2 stars).
If you know your stuff, walk in, choose, buy, leave, be happy.

Gorgeous, healthy plants! I have read reviews where the staff was criticized, but they were nothing but helpful to me. I will definitely be buying all my plants there. Parking is a bit of a challenge, but doable.

this is a good little neighborhood garden store. nice selection, knowledgable staff, and reasonable, middle of the road pricing. i feel like the staff could have been a bit more cheerful/​helpful. they seemed to really love the other middle-​aged women shopping there, but it took a little effort to get them to help me, a single early 30’s guy (i felt kind of like a kid trying to hang at the grown-​up table). with that said, they weren’t necessarily rude, but i just didn’t really feel welcome there, which is a bummer, but i’ll still always choose to support small neighborhood spots over the big-​box stores.

I want to love this place because I’m local. I will settle for liking this place but i cannot. I agree with the the other about the customer service or lack of. The three stars are for the selections and health of the plants. They do have a good selection and the plants are very well taken care of. If you know what you want and want to just pick up the plant and leave then this place might be for you.
However, if you have questions or even a minor inquiry, don’t ask the lady I got or you will get a rude reception. I asked a non-​descriptive question about where the plants come from and was greeted with some aspirated sigh and silence. Then I proceeded to offer country of origin answers which were followed by a bunch of «no» answers. I suppose it would have been easier if the brunette just told me where the plant came from– never found out from her. She walked away without answering. I suppose I wasn’t worth her time.
Once the «cranky» woman left, there was another staff personnel that answered my question. She witnessed the exchange. Simple answer, «local, east coast». I left with some plants because they do have nice plants but I will try to avoid the place if I can help it.
I’m not a person who requires much help if any and I do not feel as if people need to automatically be nice to me or entitled to amazing customer service but the Gowanus Nursery lady (first encounter) was bordering on «rude for no reason». In the end, I don’t want to go back because I want to stay far away from encounters such as this one.

Their selection is decent and their prices are middle-​of-​the-​road, but their customer service is pretty terrible. We went in last weekend looking for plants for our terrace in our new apartment in Brooklyn. We walked over there with our dog. No dogs allowed. While this struck me as a bit odd for an OUTDOOR store, it didn’t really bother me — I understand not everyone is as welcoming to dogs as the Apple Store is. Rather, it was the total lack of «ooh, sorry, would you mind tying your dog up?» or anything remotely resembling a pleasant human interaction which rubbed me the wrong way. The woman working there was just very blunt and cold about it. She just looked really annoyed we brought him in the first place (as she did with the other couple who did the exact same thing as us).
When we looked at plants, the same woman barely acknowledged us, like we weren’t worth her time or something. When we finally flagged her down to ask a question, she seemed legitimately annoyed that we didn’t know off the top of our heads whether a certain strand of geranium needed full sun or not. We’re not exactly new gardeners but we did have some pretty simple questions on a few plants, and were treated like total idiots for bothering to ask.
In short, the woman we interacted with (who might have been the manager, actually), needs a major attitude adjustment and a serious coaching in human decency if she wants to stay in business. We bought $ 15 of plants and bolted to Home Depot for the rest of our needs — so much for our noble intentions of supporting a local small business.

My husband and I were so excited to find some plants to spruce up our apartment, so we gave this place a try. We are beginners and new to plant ownership, so we were looking for a small neighborhood place for knowledgeable advice. Needless to say, we did not find it here.
We spent a good 30 minutes looking around the nursery and found some truly spectacular plants and pots. We picked out a few and were ready to check out. The ladies behind the counter seemed nice with other customers, but when the woman saw what we were buying she gave us the third degree. «You’re not planning on putting THAT plant in THAT pot are you?» I replied yes, but would you recommend a different pot? «Well are you planning on putting it indoors?» Again, yes. «That plant doesn’t like it indoors», and she just pointed to some cactus and said these are the indoor options. Then another customer behind us grabbed the plant we set on the table to purchase and put it in her basket. RUDE.
We felt so discouraged and unwelcome that we left without buying anything. How do places like this stay in business?

I am such a fan of Gowanus Nursery and the staff there. Gowanus has transformed my terrace and exponentially increased both my own plant knowledge and my gardening skills.
To get a sense of the magic going on at Gowanus nursery check out their FB page–
nursery.
Really! Magic!

I witnessed an interaction here that just suggests the owner /​manager should not be in business. She has the staff cowed and is quite clearly bi polar. Deeply unprofessional in her dealings and over promises, then can not deliver. Appalling communication both by e mail and phone.
I would not advise doing business here unless you are just going in to pick up a plant for your window box, or yard. Once the ‘Boss’ is out of the way the staff tend to warm up a bit, but its really no excuse.
My advice: Avoid this place. Personally I will never go back

This is my very favorite nursery… incredible and fascinating selection of the beautiful and the unusual. This is the place to go if you’re bored of the usual suspects. And the prices aren’t bad, either.

This is a one of a kind nursery in the NYC area: great variety, unusual plants, good prices and friendly knowledgeable staff. I’m frankly a little surprised at some of the reviews as I’ve always found the staff to be genuinely helpful and approachable. I suggest you see for yourself and pick up some plants you won’t find anywhere else.

I like the plants and selection and I give them 3 stars for that, but I have to agree with others the owner is just plain rude. I am a serious gardener and a regular at this establishment following them when they have changed locations. My advice is don’t bother with their annuals they are overpriced. But their selection of vines and bushes is superb.
But if you are looking for advice go elsewhere. You have to know what you want and which variety because you can’t expect the staff to be knowledgeable or help you. The owner who is knowledgeable does not share her expertise the best you can expect is a fleeting answer she is just plain rude. I find that amazing that a small business owner would have such a consistent bad attitude, It is inexcusable.
However the plants are healthy and I have a shade brownstone garden and I have difficult time finding shade tolerant plants. but if you can find them elsewhere as conveniently go.

Run away from this one !! Don’t walk away, RUN !! This was my 2^nd (and last !) visit to Gowanus Nursery. My first was last year, as i was just beginning my roof garden, and had been told by others about Red Hook Nurseries being splendid. We happened on this nursery per chance late afternoon, after coming from Chelsea Garden Ctr. The woman (owner) told us abruptly ‘we’re about to close, so please make your purchases quickly’ (it was around 4:30 pm, and i noticed their signage said they closed at 5); regrettably, i bought a number of perennials and grasses, and chalked it up to her having a ‘bad day’; I returned this year (i really like to support local Brooklyn business); I wanted to purchase quite a bit more this year, and when i discovered it was the same shop (different location now), i thought i’d give it another whirl;After collecting many hundreds of dollars worth of plants, i asked the staff member who had assisted us (REALLY helpful) if i might get a ‘bulk discount’; she looked at me, looked over sheepishly at the owner, and said ‘Well…you can try, if you want to get the wrath of Khan, she’s in a really bad mood today.’. I decided instead to approach the owner and ask her for a slight discount on future purchases (i was planning on buying some bulk rose bushes); she didn’t even make eye contact with me, and simply said ‘that’s NOT how we operate here, and if you don’t like it, just leave’, then summarily walked away. I gotta tell you, i have never experienced SUCH a level of rudeness and arrogance from a retailer in my life. The level of anger of this woman in direct contact with her own clients makes me think, she better wrap her business up, and just talk to her plants ! Some folks are NOT cut out to work with the public ! I will patronize other local nurseries like Chelsea Garden, Shannon’s, and Liberty, all in Brooklyn. Please AVOID this overpriced and snotty-​nosed unhelpful establishment AT ALL COSTS. This REALLY gives Brooklyn a bad rep !

Was recommended to this place and was a pretty regular customer. Probably spent hundreds. Never got service that was remotely personal. I admit, I ask lots of questions b/​c I’m passionate about gardening but, regardless, I feel the service is substandard. Just hung up with them and was told «Im sorry, I can’t answer any more questions. You’ll have to come in. We“re just too busy. You understand.» (note, the call lasted less than 2 mins) No, sorry, don’t understand substandard service after I just told you how many plants I purchased from you. Plus, it takes 45 mins to get there from where I live. So, I’m going to have questions. The correct answer would be, «we’re slammed, can I take your number?» I went to Crest True value this year for that very reason. Spent $ 300 so far. Alex, one of the sales people, made me feel like I was the only person there. They were busy too. On the positive side Gowanus has a good selection. Wish they would just be more polite. See you at Crest True Value on Metropolitan!

My wife does most of the gardening on our terrace, but while loitering around Gowanus Nursery, I fell in love with the wonderful selection, (carnivorous plants! aquatics! cool spiny things!), and the wonderful staff. Now I’ve ‘friended’ them on FB, and always look forward to a visit.

i have been past this place countless times in the two years that i’ve lived in red hook and i now that i’ve finally stopped in, i rue all the time i’ve lost shopping at other nearby garden centers (chelsea on van brunt? BOO! liberty? eh, you’re alright). i wandered in en route home after work, already laden with shopping bags to see if they had pitcher plants or some other carnivorous botanical to help with our sudden and inexplicable fly problem at home. i wasn’t expected them to have anything like this, since the 3 other places i called didn’t and didn’t even seem to know what i was talking about. but the wonderfully friendly and helpful woman working there immediately led me to two beautiful specimens that were already potted. she told me that they also had an unpotted guy for less money. who tries to convince you to spend less at their store? amazing! i took the potted one which was extremely inexpensive, esp. in light of all the online research i did on these suckers. she wrote down the genus and species name for me so i could google the plant and get more info on it and its care. she gave me a bunch of teeny tiny pumpkins for free and was so enthusiastic and sincere that i can’t wait to go back. they have a really expansive selection of amazing things. like scented potted geranium leaves in rose, verbena and mint chocolate (!!!). such a great find, i can’t believe how many times i missed out before now!

A tranquil oasis in the most unexpected of places. Just a hundred yards from the noise and ugliness at the mouth of the Battery Tunnel sits this little gem. The plants are all healthy, with lilly pools and large colorful flowers dotting the yard. The prices are good, and among the more common plants, unusual varieties are aplenty. The staff are friendly, as is the furry stray who has found a tranquil home, lying on his back in the breeze next to the cash register.