Kennedy & Co

More of the same…
Stopped in Kennedy and Company late summer this year while waiting for one of my cats to receive treatment at Acton Animal Hospital across the street. As usual no cars in the lot or customers in the nursery. While walking around the nursery happened to notice and inordinate amount of the plant material (trees and shrubs) with leaf scorch– no doubt from that one brutal week of heat (90+). A young man just then walked up to me and asked if he could help me. I told him I was just looking. He then followed up asking if I was looking for anything in particular. I said, «No, but happened to notice a lot of the plants leafs looked scorched». He said, many of the plants did but that was normal in the summer months. I said nothing else to the man and told him, thanks for his time, but I really was «just looking».
Leaf scorch can happen especially in brutal sun to many plants. Many times leaf scorch does not cause long term damage to the trees or shrubs. However, however, the important question is, one, why would a nursery not try to protect susceptible plant material from strong sun by either the use of shade cloth structures, or placing it under the shade of large plant material or by situating it geographically on site where it would not get the full brunt of the sun. Leaf scorched is mostly avoidable by these practices and proper care (e.g. regular watering). It looked liked they attempted to employ such practices, but the numerous toasted plants spoke for themselves. Moreover, leaf scorched plants look far from their best. Nobody wants to buy damaged looking plants. No self respecting plants person or business owner would let his staff do this to his investment /​product. If staff either doesn’t know enough about their role in the care of the plant material while it’s in their possession, or are too lazy to make the effort to protect them, please don’t let them compound their error by trying to bamboozle people into believing the state of the plant material in their possession is out of their control and subject to acts of God. Tsk tsk!
Really don’t know how this place stays in business! If you happen to hear this line next year. I encourage you to try other nearby nurseries like New England, Russells or Weston (Chelmsford). You will not see them trying to sell leaf scorched plants.

The owner of Kennedy and Company, Mike Kennedy, ignores employee safety laws and allows employees to physically assault each other. I know someone who was verbally threatened and pushed by another employee and they let HIM go instead of firing the employee who acted in a physical manner.

I moved to Acton a year ago and have had nothing but good luck with Kennedy’s. All of the employees have been kind and helpful every time I’ve gone in and I had a particularly positive experience when I picked out a lilac tree after I was given a gift certificate to Kennedy’s by my in-​laws for Mother’s Day. I am an absolute novice gardener but the woman who helped me was extremely patient and answered all of my questions. The lilac I bought is thriving after a hot summer and harsh winter and is a week or two away from bloom! I really feel for the other reviewer who ultimately felt he did not receive appropriate customer support because that really does stink. At the same time, I am hoping that was an isolated instance. My sister-​in-​law has also bought numerous things from this nursery and everything has done well (including a peach tree and a magnolia).