Arbor Gate Comments

We used arbor gate's horticulturist to help us replant our damaged landscape after last winter's freeze. We had been a very good customer of the nursery for some time. The horticulturist made several suggestions for replacement plants which we accepted with some later modifications. It took longer than expected for them to obtain the plants, but in general, everything was working out fine until the day of planting. The crew they sent was not knowledgeable in planting. About all they could do is dig a hole. The horticulturist came along, but took off during planting to do another job. She explained that the crew foreman was quite experienced and capable, but I found out from him that he'd only worked in landscaping for 3 weeks. The plants were all mostly small even though we had requested the largest they could get. They planted quickly without regard for what appeared to be the "front" of the plant, then failed to water in numerous plants. There was no guarantee on anything. Our bill was well over $3000, so we felt very "ripped off" to put it mildly. At least 6 weeks have passed, and we've never received a call back from them to ask how things are going with the plants or to survey our satisfaction. After this experience, we will never use Arbor Gate again.

Arbor Gate is a nice nursery and the staff is helpful and friendly. Everything seems clean and organized. It is a little pricey, but not as high as others. I prefer lower prices to the helpful and nice staff, but overall it was a good experience and I will probably be back.

I have visited most of the garden centers on this list and
I am going to comment on some of them. Arbor Gate is a nice
garden center, very pretty venue. Plant selection is only fair.
Probably more herbs and perennials than trees, shrubs and tropicals.
Not too many unusual plants for the plant collectoPrices are high.

My husband brought me to the Arbor Gate for my birthday, as I had heard it talked about often on Randy Lemmon's show. It was well worth the drive from Bay City. The people were so helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. We bought fruit trees and they are growing well and looking healthy. I loved the items in the gift shop, especially the little ceramic birds.

Follow up:

I may have said the Arbor Gate was pricey, but that was before I went to RCW. RCW is at least $10 more expensive per tree, and $20 more expensive for avocado trees.

At least at the Arbor Gate you know exactly what rootstocks you're getting, even if it is $40 per tree instead of $25.

While they carry a great selection and are touted by Dr. Bob Randall, the Arbor Gate's products carry a very high mark up. Additionally, their salespeople can be very pushy trying to sell you their own brand of fertilizer. The profit margin on their "Arbor Gate Mix" must be huge, because they push it for everything, from citrus trees to herbs. In particular, there is an older guy who's kind of a jerk about it. Buy your fruit trees from the Arbor Gate only if you can't find the right rootstocks somewhere else. You can get muscadines, blackberries, and blueberries for much cheaper (cheaper even with shipping) from ison's. Don't buy common herbs, common annuals, or fertilizer there, it's super expensive. Do buy Dr. Randall's book on Year Round Gardening in the Greater Metro Houston Area.