Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery

Shame on the bad reviewers! Who takes children to public places and lets them run amuk then complains when someone says something? Who takes dead plants back? Why would anyone buy plants and not learn how to take care of them? Who would blame the place they bought the plants from for the plants dying? What a bunch of weird kooks! Whether the plant lives or dies is on YOU! Not the place you buy it from — it’s your own stupidity for buying plants that you can’t grow!
My experience at the nursery was very good! They don’t have the huge selection you get at Green Acres, but you DO get personal attention! We went on a Friday and all the workers there were friendly and asked if they could help. We talked to Peter who was very knowledgeable about which trees were drought-​tolerant and would thrive in the sacramento weather. We will definitely be returning!
And guess what? We won’t bring any children and allow them to run around, nor will we buy stuff and return them when they die. (What is wrong with those people? I mean, who does that– and then COMPLAINS about it?)

Weird to see some rotten reviews of this place, my husband and I have had wonderful experiences! We are total newbies, really clueless about gardening, so naturally we’ve decided to plant this rather outrageous fruit/​vegetable/​herb garden. Each time we’ve gone in there with rookie questions the staff is always very patient and helpful — particularly Q, he even remembers us! We are trying to make the garden vegan/​organic (because obviously one needs to make things extra difficult when they have no clue what they’re doing) and he talked with us about fertilizers and compost and all kinds of stuff! The cauliflower we planted is going strong!
The prices are probably a bit higher but it’s right down the street and I loathe shopping at Home Depot/​Loews for this kind of stuff, especially as a youngish female. Plus I want (NEED) someone who is patient and can explain things that the greatest blog or Pinterest idea doesn’t quite convey.
The inside is packed with lots of breakables in a tight space so I can absolutely see why the owner doesn’t want kids running around. And trying to return dead plants??? I think I would be too embarrassed!

Really love this nursery! I’ve had nothing but great experiences here! Everyone has always been very helpful and pleasant. I love their inside gift area– they have such cute things and I always end up buying something! I do enjoy their large selection of plants too– I gave bought several plants here over the year and are still alive. I sometimes come with a group of ladies to paint too and the workers have always welcomed us which I’m very thankful for! I want to bring my mom here next time she visits me because I know she would love it! :-)

I used to come here all the time with my mother when I was young and she bought many beautiful plants here over the years, so when it came time for major front yard replacement at my first house, I came here for help. They have a decent selection and OK prices, and of course I’d rather support a local business than a large corporation.
I spent about $ 100 here in June on gay feathers, kangaroo paws, and two small pastel bushes. I told the woman helping me that I needed plants for full sun and very low water — actually I said «I need plants that I can’t kill. Will these work?» She convinced me that they would all be great and told me a little about how to care for them.
All of them died except for a cute succulent I grabbed before checkout. I kept them in the backyard before I could plant them and I gave them plenty of water every couple of days. They crisped up completely within a couple weeks and were obviously not meant for full sun. For a while I thought they’d recover, that it was just a hot summer, but they didn’t.
Today I decided to take the crispy plants back, but now I see on the receipt, «NO REFUNDS, NO REPLACEMENT.» What kind of business won’t stand behind its products? And more importantly, what kind of business doesn’t tell its customers about such a rigid and unreasonable policy BEFORE they make a purchase? What kind of business doesn’t answer the phone during business hours so I could ask them these questions personally?
On my way to Green Acres to pay more for replacements…
EDIT: To the owner’s comment, I’m sure a gardener would roll his or her eyes at my experience. But again, I came is as a plant novice and asked for advice on plant care as well as suitable plants for my lifestyle. They certainly could’ve told me that my expectations were unreasonable, and I probably would’ve appreciated their honesty, or they could’ve told me to double up on water when the heat reaches a certain degree. But if I buy «water wise plants» that need daily water and I’m not given those instructions, then I’ve been deceived by the store and employees who sent me home with that purchase.

I’m relieved to see some bad reviews of this nursery! I’d called in late spring looking for a particular tomato plant that I’d always purchased at Capitol Nursery. The woman on the phone at Fair Oaks Blvd Nursery said they had carried that variety and would check to see if there were more. They did not have more. I asked whether I could have the name of the grower they buy from so I could see what other nurseries I could check with in the area. The woman on the phone, who said she was the owner, was outright NASTY to me and said, no, I can’t have the name of the grower! I hung up the phone thinking that good customer service would have been to contact their grower to see if either they could special order the particular tomato plant, or even inquire as to where I might purchase one. I assumed that I wasn’t actually speaking to the owner because of her NASTINESS and RUDENESS, but now after reading reviews, guess I was speaking to the owner.
I WILL NEVER WALK INTO THIS STORE!!!

Wow, just wow. It’s like the Disneyland of nurseries. This store is not only beautiful to walk around in, but has anything you might need. It’s easy to find and has plenty of parking. There is an outdoor and indoor area. Tons of cute little things to look at in the indoor area. Keep an eye out for a bunch of little mini gardens throughout the store. Some are themed (beach, Halloween, etc). SO cute!
We went there looking for odd items, like a plant that requires no light. And a mini bag of potting soil for a gift basket. The employees were very helpful and friendly. I didn’t even have to ask for help. They beat me to it and offered.
The outdoor area is beautiful and well labeled. The plants look healthy and well taken care of. They are very affordably priced.
I am not a big plant person. I even killed a cactus that I received a while back, but I actually was motivated by this place to try again. Highly recommend stopping here, even if it’s just to look around!

Great service. I have bought roses, scented geraniums, Hellebores (one of the few in town who carry them — Lenten Rose). Most recently, I bought a 15 gallon male Chinese Pistache. Lovely, tall, healthy tree. It was delivered at a nominal fee and placed where ever I wanted. Optional tree planting charge, which I forego — my Gardener is going to plant. Try them out.

This is our second year for an outside garden and this nursery is a fount of information. Todays excursion to the nursery was typical. We needed more lettuce, kale, etc and they had it all ready to plant. The young gentleman employee answered all of my questions about sunlight, watering, and nutrients wonderfully.
We’ve found they change their displays by the season & the Halloween section is excellent. We bought Haloween cards to mail out to the relatives tomorrow. Too good!
Thank you friends, hug the cats, & many thanks for being who you are.

Friendly staff… I give them 5 stars.
AWFUL OWNER! So Rude! No stars for her.
She accused us of Shoplifting because my husband found a fig on the ground! She yelled at us and threw a fit! When I was trying to tell her that he found it on the ground she ran off and picked up the phone to start a fake conversation at a very loud volume…
Did she forget to take her meds?! I was shocked!!! I had NO Idea that she was the owner!!! One of her employees apologized… I felt bad for her (I couldn’t work there, not if an instable person like her is telling me how I’m not doing my job. She looked scared, and said that she yells at people all the time) we have purchased plants there in the past, and were about to buy some more but after this experience NEVER Again !! Their plants are not the best in town or anything, we like the neighborhood but this woman has no clue of what customer service is. If I were her, I would have said something like «are you thinking of buying the fig tree?». my husband and I were shocked to have been treated so poorly by this woman. I was wondering why every time we went there there were no shoppers… now I understand. I hate home depot and other stores in town but I would rather go there in the future. Want good advice? STAY AWAY! (Scary owner)

First of all, Debbie W. needs to take a pill. The nursery’s response to her review was not in any way defensive! He or she was explaining each point that Debbie W. made and why she may have perceived it the way she did. Was Debbie W. really that worried about them selling their last four pumpkins??? There are a lot of animal-​lovers in Fair Oaks, shoot, Roosters and chickens run amuck in Old F.O. so surely someone could benefit from the pumpkins. I rarely throw food away either. Geez.
While the nursery is more expensive than I wish it were (my own comment as well as others), prices are based on the law of supply and demand. If people stop paying the set prices at Fair Oaks Blvd. Nursery, they would have no choice but to lower them. Same with any commodity. That’s how pricing works. Maybe too many people from Arden Park are shopping there and don’t think the prices are out of line, who knows.
In any case, maybe next time, Debbie W., that you’re on your travels no matter where they may be, if someone is standing in a doorway that you’d like to access, try saying «Excuse me please» and see what happens, K?
Oh, and to the mother of the kid who decided to wreck one of the stores items, the clerk was probably right on telling you to watch your children. Stores are not playgrounds. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in a discount store like Target, for example, and had some brat throw a ball and hit me in the head, or a group of them run by chasing each other and screaming. The clerk at F.O. Blvd. nursery was no doubt sick and tired of rude mothers who think their kids should be allowed to behave any way they please when they’re in PUBLIC. I don’t blame her and I would have applauded and stood up for her had I been there when it happened.

I’m only giving this nursery two stars even though the nursery staff were very helpful and I enjoyed my shopping experience. I bought some winter vegetables while my kids enjoyed the ping pong table and coloring table. BUT, as we were leaving I brought my kids to see the Halloween decorations. They were having fun looking at the items, and they were being respectful, but there were a few things that required the push of a button to activate and my son decided to activate one of the little skeletons by pulling out the little plastic battery protector not realizing he wasn’t supposed to pull it. The woman working in there got so angry with him. I was standing right near him and apologized and she very rudely said «look but don’t touch.» Her reaction was so out of line considering we were in a room full of kid oriented items. I told her we wouldn’t be coming back and she yelled «maybe you should watch your children,» as I was leaving. This is the first time I’ve had such a bad experience bringing my kids with me to any retail store. I was very surprised by her behavior and because of it I won’t be going back.

Wow, this nursery has slipped in recent years. Back when they built their new store in the late 90s, it was THE destination nursery in Sactown, with beautiful stock and helpful sales associates. Sadly, this is no longer the case. The overall impression is that the store is very hodge-​podgey, with way too much stuffed in too small a space. It made walking around difficult. While by and large, the plant material was good, a lot of four inch perennials looked pretty bad. One thing hasn’t changed: their high prices. But what shocked me was the huge amount of kitschy crap everywhere I looked; I nearly fell over a few stacks of cutesy things I wouldn’t buy on a bet. Whoever is doing their buying should be stopped! Finally, I was not greeted by one of the three employees I encountered while wandering the grounds; it wasn’t until I was leaving that someone finally noticed me and asked if they could help me find something. Too late by then, kids! The garden mavens who introduced me to the fine art of nursery crawling used to call this place the Fabulous and Outrageous Blvd Nursery. Sad to say, this is no longer the case.

Staff were helpful both on the phone and in person, taking time to discuss some alternatives to my need. They were understanding when I told my budget was very tight since it was for a cub scout den, and I had a very limited amount per boy to spend on my entire project. The prices were maybe a bit higher than big-​box, so I hope they don’t get bit by the showrooming effect.

I went to this nursery for the first time yesterday, when we couldn’t find what we were looking for at Capitol Nursery. I was delighted with Fair Oaks Blvd Nursery. The people were very friendly and helpful. It’s not a huge nursery, but it has a great variety. If you go to their website, you can see what the latest stock to arrive is. They also have a big chalkboard near the entrance that advises you what you should be doing in your garden at this time of year.
One more thing, when the owner saw that I had a dog in the car, he invited her in and gave her a dog cookie. He assured me that she would always be welcome at the nursery, which was a big plus right there!
It may cost more, but I loved the place, beautiful arrangement and lots to look at and lots of help.

Debbie W.: Compare the current appearance of your nursery (weeds, out of season items and the plants — and, no, what I saw were not simply dormant plants) with the current and year-​round appearance of somewhere like Green Acres Nursery or Talini’s, which are not big box stores.
I saw no indication that the out-​of-​date seeds were marked down and your employee did not tell me they were (that would’ve been an obvious thing for a well-​trained salesperson to point out). As I said, she just shrugged at me.
And by blocking the doorway, I mean blocking the doorway. She was standing in the doorway and when I asked if there were more seeds inside, she did not step aside or invite me in etc.
Your defensive reply to my experience is shocking to me. I used to love your nursery. But with your attitude at the top, no wonder I had a bad experience. I won’t check back in the spring.

I was so happy to find a pepper tree at Fair Oaks Blvd Nursery! I haven’t been able to find pepper trees anywhere else in Sacramento. Their staff was delightful, and was happy to deliver same day and put a red raffia bow on the tree. Great customer service!

They have a beautiful plant selection here. They have very knowledgeable employees that will answer all of my plant questions. The prices are a bit on the high side but well worth it for the quality of plants.
They do have limited brands and amounts of mulch, soil and fertilizers. Typically I just come here for plants and go somewhere else for my much, nutes needs.

The staffs here are very helpful and knowledge about all the gardening questions. They have a vast selection of different plants, flowers, fruits trees, and an abundant of vegetables plants.

I go to Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery when I want to hide from the kids and the husband and relax. I always ask them to come with– «I am going to the nursery. Do you want to come?» «No!» is usually the answer which is just fine cause how can I get my Zen with them in tow?
The Nursery is filled with amazing plants, knowledgeable and helpful employees, a super cute free range garden kitty and cool gifts. The only reason I gave it a 4 star rating is some of the items are pretty pricey.
Another benefit of cruising their offerings is they put together the most amazing planters. Really beautifully creative combos of containers and plants. Again with the pricey but it their planters are like works of art.
In the fall they do to most amazing displays in front of the main building. I have used their displays to take some great pictures of the family.