Portland Nursery

02/01/09

Really helpful staff and great selection

by portlandAaron at Citysearch

My wife and I have been shopping at Portland Nursery for several years and they usually have an amazing, if somewhat overwhelming, selection of plants and trees, many of which I've never even heard of before seeing it there. But the people who work there are very helpful in providing information about to grow them. The information desk has also answered questions for me over the phone.

They have been helpful to us when we don't know what plant to stick in a particular section of our yard. After describing the conditions, we are usually walked around the nursery and shown a bunch of different options. This is very helpful because it's a pretty big place.

I also like that I can usually find smaller sized versions of bigger plants to save money.

I recommend it. We enjoy going there even if all we do is look around.

03/16/08

Always a Great Selection

by aroid at Citysearch

Always a great selection. The selection of plants tends to be weighted on just the side of standard varieties. You can still find good oddities and rare finds. The prices are sometimes totally out of whack. Mundane plants that I could buy in front of Fred Meyers can be over priced here, but then some are surprisingly cheap. I honestly don't know how it works. Customer service is pretty standard for a nursery. It isn't Macy's so i understand that the customer does need to at least make an effort to find an employee in such a large space. But once you do they are very helpful and readily walkie-talkie other employees if needed.

• Pros: Large volume of plants
• Cons: Parking is *always* sucky once the weather warms up.

11/25/07

at least the guys who work there are beautiful

by felineguy at Citysearch

if you're like most people, you like male gardeners plastered with tattoos. this is the place to look at them. sort of like a zoo, but instead tattoos on cute guys. extra points for crazy teeth! it can really take the edge off the sneering, sullen, know it all conduct. soon i lose all contact with whatever they're sniveling on about and focus in on their tattoos or teeth and it almost seems like i'm talking to a person with the disposition of a soft puppy. i try to keep my questions as obvious and stupid as possible asked in the most clumsy way i can manage...the near eye rolling is priceless....

• Pros: guys, tattoos
• Cons: attitude, near eyerolling

08/05/07

Terrible customer service

by nativepdx at Citysearch

Has Portland Nursery always been this bad? I was told that Portland Nursery had one of the best selection of plants in town, which it appears that they do, however the customer service was so bad that I couldn't stay long. I also don't plan to go back. I asked someone at the counter if anyone was able to help me with indoor plants. I felt as though I was irritating this person simply asking for help. He pointed and said, all of the indoor plants are here. Bottom line - the staff seems annoyed if you don't know everything under the sun about plants and doesn't appear to want to help customers at all.

• Pros: Plants seem good
• Cons: Terrible customer service

07/27/07

Terrible customer service

by lonestarpirate at Citysearch

While Portland Nursery has a nice selection of plants, their customer service was bad enough that I will not visit again. A plant novice, I asked a few simple questions and received very curt answers that were condescending in tone.

• Pros: Plant selection
• Cons: Customer Service

06/16/07

Lousy Customer Service

by ibid at Citysearch

Probably the best selection of plants on the whole in the city - however they carry plants which are considered invasive to native habitat, like the butterfly_bush. They also get low marks for carrying very few native plants, the lack of which is damaging native habitat.

But I'd have to give them lower marks on customer service, especially on Stark Street. On more than one occasion I have experienced the bitingly rude remark when I've asked them a question they think has an obvious answer. More often than not they will simply point across the vastness of their non-native plants when responding to questions about where something can be located - rather than lead you to the item. You're left to zero in on it yourself - if you can even find it.

Today I went in looking for a simple solution to my fuschia which never seems to get enough water. I wanted a connector to a recyclable water bottle that you slip into the soil after you fill the bottle - keeping the plant well fed on vacations. I was first told that if I valued my plants, I would install a drip irrigation system. Pretty rude, huh? But she wasn't done with me yet.

Leading me over to where such a thing might be located (she thought she had seen them before in their store) she sniffed - 'yeah, that's the kind of thing you can probably buy at Wal-mart.'

Point taken.

• Pros: Vast selection of non-native plants.
• Cons: Poor customer service skills.

02/23/07

Fantastic Customer Service

by hedgehogcp at Citysearch

The staff at the nursery are very helpful and will answer any and all questions you may have. The selection is good and they will go out of their way to help you find the right plants for your need, location, and budget.

• Pros: Customer Service

Find answers to your perplexing planting dilemmas.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
When the staff at Portland Nursery asks if they can help you, they really, truly mean it. Customer service is king here, and there are no stupid questions. People have been known to bring in the leaves of their sick plants and receive just the right remedy. As a full-service nursery, customers find all the right stuff here to make gardens grow--not to mention treating soil, killing weeds, decorating and attracting birds and butterflies.

05/31/02

Awesome quality, selection

by SueOstermann_Citysearch at Citysearch

This nursery tops my list for its plant selection and quality. I've always been pleased with my purchases here and the staff is enormously friendly, always willing to answer questions from a beginner. A great place to get your soil or compost tested. Some cute gardening-type gifts here, as well. It can get enormously crowded on warm weekends and parking can be a struggle, though. Service is still efficient, even when it's busy.

• Pros: selection, quality, customer service
• Cons: parking