that's how I feel about them

they just don't seem to have time for the average citizen. They may well be worth 27 million dollars but I'm not buying shit from them ANY MORE. ok so be it!

The funny looking little old man who was the owner lives right by St. Michael's on Ravensworth next to that other small church (Not the Lutheran one). He used to host this crappy little garden show on public access, he looks like that Aaron Spelling guy who wrote 90210.

They will hire underpaid Mexicans and the over qualified but not the aqverage citizen....well that's why they are so rich

The old guy"dr.john" was not the owner of Merrifield Gardens . he worked there after retiring from job in Federal govt. He hasn't worked at Merrifield in some time. Don't know if there was a falling out or not?

Merrifield Gardens may say they ain't going away from that corner but even if they don't sell out the county will find a way to force them to sell out for a hi-rise

"The funny looking little old man who was the owner lives right by St. Michael's on Ravensworth next to that other small church (Not the Lutheran one). He used to host this crappy little garden show on public access, he looks like that Aaron Spelling guy who wrote 90210."

no that guy used to teach at NVCC. He was a salesman because his back couldn't take the Landscaping. He was one of thier underpaid experts. The original guy who started Merrifield, and my hats off to him started as as side of the road vegetable seller as did Bill Meadows with his tomato trucks.

I and Bill Pulman and the Prohauski brothers all used to landscape going back now 30 or 40 yeaqrs now.Before us there was no landscapers only 'nurserymen," a designatiooun that stupid housewivesdraw out and use against us If you go back much further there wasn't n o landscaping. Tract housing came in, sawmills started debarking so they wouldn't ruin thier precious saw blades creating mountians of bark mulch. What to do with it. At first they would bury it in the woods. Gradually they began selling it to "nurserymen." There were years ago people who would be known as nurserymen. A nurseryman would propragate and grow his own plants. But what we have today is people who sell container grown shrubs. Meadows used to feature the cheapest catogory of plant known as row run as opposed to a real select plant known as xxx. For years Merrifiels would stick bare root decidious trees into left over baskets and shreaded topsoil and preesto they had a container grown plant which they could sell for ten to twenty times what the baroo root plant had cost them.

SHREDDED TOPSOIL!!!!

SO THAT'S WHAT THAT CRAP IS, EH?

thanks for the education, Rod - always wondered what that crap would be that looked something like shredded cocoanut husk or something whenever you'd buy a plant.....you know you'd have to change the soil as soon as you got it if it looked like that LoLz

Shreaded topsoil was suposed to get rid of the roots that might be in topsoil and allow it to be spread evenly. But if your going to haul it in a pick up and spread it by hand.....you save a lot of money by ust getting regular topsoil was my thought

Didn't one of the sons of the owner of Merrifield nursery/garden center go to prison for stabbing someone?

"Didn't one of the sons of the owner of Merrifield nursery/garden center go to prison for stabbing someone?"



wasn't that Betty's Azaelea Farm?

I guess my resentment, thinking about it. is there was and is a kind of stinginess at Merrifield. There were no jobs for the Pulmans, Prohauskies and me at Merrifield but instead they had jobs for house niger, the house whiteie and now the house Mexican, non of which we could be. Instead we sought to ealk out a living doing what the Merrifields could not.

I bought a cactus from them and asked the cashier how often, if ever I should water it and she said she had no idea..wtf

That property is worth millions!

Watson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I bought a cactus from them and asked the cashier
> how often, if ever I should water it and she said
> she had no idea..wtf

Are you also stupid enough to ask the teenage cashier at the grocery store for recipe ideas?

No, but if I was buying a cut of meat from a butcher, if he was a good, helpful butcher he would probably have a suggestion or two on how best to enjoy it if I asked. This bitch was like 45 and struck me as someone who would know, not a fucking teenager working a summer job.

And kudos on only taking a week to come up with your genius analogy. Time off from work is best spent on other things though.

Waston.. Great point, and nice analogy to drive home the point.

As for Merrifield Gardens, I like the place, good people and two attractive staff members that actually helped me find my weak excuse of a gift.. a cactus.

The property is high value, and will only go up in price, why would they sell?? I will take care of all my botanical needs at the Gardens.

Rod Koozmin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> that's how I feel about them


With your presentation of the facts, is it safe to say that you were *not* a debate champion in high school?

They hire former felons, current druggies, and all sorts of other low-lifes - such as, Greg Malone.

It amazes me that ppl drop so much $$ on landscaping...Stupid shit.

Ex-cons who scope out your home to invade later. Plus MGC is too expensive.

You guys are giving MGC a bum rap. Yes they're more than Home Depot or maybe Betty's. But it seems like they care for their plants more. Also most of the people that work there will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about plants.

Seems like a quality operation, and I'm sure the seasonal help is no worse than the help at various lawncare companies.

If you want cheapest probably go somewhere else. But don't forget if your planting something that can be in the ground for years the insight you get from them (or not if you know your stuff) is invaluable.

I stopped in back in the 90's a picked up 2 flat of impatiens. They are about the cheapest annual plant you can buy. Everybody including grocery stores sell them. Back then you could get a flat for $5-9. When I got to my car I noticed my bill was over $100. I went back to the register certain they had made a mistake. Nope, they were designer impatiens at sold $50 a pop. I took them back and bought the exact same plant at the giant that afternoon. I've gone back since then but only to window shop.

I recently went to MGC for the first time and fell in love with the place. I love the home decode section and yes that old man was there greeting people. I think the prices may be a bit higher than chains but personally I found it to be a charming place with unique merchandise. I spent almost 25 hours just browsing. I did buy a few items and bad to return one because the size wasn't right and had no problems returning it. I will be back.

What kind of idiot are you to not notice the over $100 charge until you got to the car? Did you just blindly pay whatever number the cashier asked for without noticing?



hmmmmm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I stopped in back in the 90's a picked up 2 flat
> of impatiens. They are about the cheapest annual
> plant you can buy. Everybody including grocery
> stores sell them. Back then you could get a flat
> for $5-9. When I got to my car I noticed my bill
> was over $100. I went back to the register
> certain they had made a mistake. Nope, they were
> designer impatiens at sold $50 a pop. I took them
> back and bought the exact same plant at the giant
> that afternoon. I've gone back since then but only
> to window shop.

GG6 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recently went to MGC for the first time and fell
> in love with the place. I love the home decode
> section and yes that old man was there greeting
> people. I think the prices may be a bit higher
> than chains but personally I found it to be a
> charming place with unique merchandise. I spent
> almost 25 hours just browsing. I did buy a few
> items and bad to return one because the size
> wasn't right and had no problems returning it. I
> will be back.


25hours!!!!???? GEEEEZ! Get a life!

Isn't the proper saying: "to hell with..."?

Charles....obviously 25 hours was a typo. Try 2 hours. People on this board can be so dang rude!

You all say that Merrifield Garden Center is bad, but have you ever worked there to see how the other side is like?
Most of the cashiers are teenagers and do not know much about plants but as time progresses they will know and tell you what you want to here. That Old man greeting people, is probably the sweets man you will know. Granted that MGC prices are a little high but honestly I think its worth it.
As to the lady that didn't recognize that she stepped out of merrifield with out looking at her charge, thats your fault there are cheaper ones there.
And should you judge what store hires people, have you looked around at any other stores that have teenagers working or felons? People who have criminal back-grounds get chances, they are allowed to work, so stop judging. And how exactly do you know if they are current-druggies?
their workers are the hardest workers, Welcomes everyone politely, treats new comers as family. It's a good company.

I love MGC. Go there all the time, and their clearance section is great.

When I was a kid I worked at Meadows Farms. Not good people.

I'm totally cool with felons and drug users-- it's a fucking landscape company, not a daycare center.

If you're so much of a moron you ask the teenage cashier how to water a cactus you should well, stick to cactus. Or rocks.

yes, they have the "selection"

and YES , you are going to PAY for it

LoLz

Not to mention, that Garden Center's truck drivers are all @ssholes. One car in front of me and myself almost got ran off the road earlier today. Luckily there was nobody in front of the driver in front of me so she sped up to get ahead as I slammed on my brakes. I tried to get the number, but OH, to their convenience, they scratched out the "How's My Driving?" phone number. Stay classy M. Garden Center!!! That wasn't the only incident btw.

meadows farms is much better. and they only hire US citizens. fuck the beaners and gooks.

-thinkbox out.

Thinkbox MC Wrote:
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> meadows farms is much better. and they only hire
> US citizens. fuck the beaners and gooks.
>
> -thinkbox out.


now that's not very nice..I don't think your relatives would be happy to hear you talk like that.

no doubt about it Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thinkbox MC Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > meadows farms is much better. and they only
> hire
> > US citizens. fuck the beaners and gooks.
> >
> > -thinkbox out.
>
>
> now that's not very nice..I don't think your
> relatives would be happy to hear you talk like
> that.


fuck you bitch, go tell your own relatives about it nigga.

fuck off.

-thinkbox out.

Thinkbox MC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> no doubt about it Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thinkbox MC Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > meadows farms is much better. and they only
> > hire
> > > US citizens. fuck the beaners and gooks.
> > >
> > > -thinkbox out.
> >
> >
> > now that's not very nice..I don't think your
> > relatives would be happy to hear you talk like
> > that.
>
>
> fuck you bitch, go tell your own relatives about
> it nigga.
>
> fuck off.
>
> -thinkbox out.


a little angry at your race? No wonder why you post angry things..geez, It's ok to be part beaner and act black ya know?

Why so angry? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thinkbox MC Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > no doubt about it Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Thinkbox MC Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > meadows farms is much better. and they only
> > > hire
> > > > US citizens. fuck the beaners and gooks.
> > > >
> > > > -thinkbox out.
> > >
> > >
> > > now that's not very nice..I don't think your
> > > relatives would be happy to hear you talk
> like
> > > that.
> >
> >
> > fuck you bitch, go tell your own relatives
> about
> > it nigga.
> >
> > fuck off.
> >
> > -thinkbox out.
>
>
> a little angry at your race? No wonder why you
> post angry things..geez, It's ok to be part beaner
> and act black ya know?


Think out of the box and stop snitchin

If you are a contractor and are fed up with Merrifield's prices. Check out South Riding Nurseries off of rt. 50 right next to the Sheetz gas station in Chantilly. There prices are impeccable. The quality of the plant material is generally just as good with a few exceptions. They don't have quite the selection but thats because its not a retail establishment. If your a contractor and your looking for great pricing and people that will bargain with you. There turn around time on special orders is great. They are a little under staffed but the staff they have are all certified arborist and for as little people they have they hustle to get you loaded and set to go. I deal with Matt Teese and he is great. There customer service is short handed at times but there is one guy named Coal who is great and seems to be very knowledgeable as well as quick to get you in and out. I have had much better luck with them than merrifield as well as meadows farms and country springs. The downside are the deliveries. They seem to have a problem with the scheduling although with the way traffic varies its most likely uncontrollable. The drivers are helpful but they lack knowledge. They are typical truck drivers. Not very friendly nor professional.Two seperate occasions I had my designer with me and the truck and driver smelled like pot. They just want to get unloaded as fast as they can and get out of there. Other than that they will work with you to bid out jobs with very fair price. They are my number one vendor. I own and operate a residential/ some smaller commercial job landscape company. I give them a 8.5 out of 10. Every contractor should at least check it out. There stone product is very good too with the exception of the flagstone which seems to be cheap with no consistancy in color or thickness. Definitely worth a look though. Its a huge yard. at least 15 acres of plants. Highly recommend taking a look. definitely worth your while.

I know people get frustrated with place but a few things to note. Ya thats not the owner the owner lives in clifton. I used to work for merrifield and I will say this you may pay a little bit more but the quality of their products if by far better than most nurseries. when bulk plants are seperated for nurseries they are done by quality and merrifield gets the top quality. sure from running other nurseries I know say for example we would pay 7.50 for a 3 gal shrub which merrifield sell for 29.99 but one they are paying a bit more for better quality and they guarantee their product for a year. They also pay their employees more because they only hire qualified educated people to deal with customers. I know sometimes people will get frustrated when they dont get what they want for example my position was to go to homes where a plant or several plants died or are dying to decide what the cause is or was and decide if we would warranty it. Once i had a lady in oakton who had ten dead cypress bordering her yard. long story short they died from root rot from being over saturated during a drought because the location was a low spot in the yard and her gardener turned the sprinklers on three times a day. i told her we were not responsible because that is not fault of the nursery we ensured we were selling a healthy plant and the cause is outside of our control, she had this same reaction and said she is a rocket scientist and she is positive she could water a freaking plant. well obviously not and i offered her a 50 percent discount on replacement and she refused. sure enough a week later her husband calls and apologizes for his wife telling me he hates that bitch and knows how difficult she could be and asked if i would honor the discount and I did.

oh and the county cant push them out they own all of the property beyond home depot

id have to say your an idiot for buying a cactus and asking how often to water it? its a Fing cactus!

what do garden nurseries do with all the plant inventory at the end of a season? do they throw it out? Return to the growers for winter storage?

No, they overwinter their plant material onsite. Trees they "heal in" the root balls with wood chips to insulate, shrubs they stack bags of mulch around them as insulation and cover them with plastic. Plants with marginal cold hardiness go into any available greenhouses or hoop houses. Perennials may or may not be overwintered, if they are you would typically find them on massive discount in the early spring.

Why does the MGC hire so many illegal aliens?

All you are just ass ....
Cheap ass.... merrifiel garden center is full of centroamericas.
.honduras .....el salvador....guatemala......peruvians......bolivia.
..is only one africanamerican .....
.
Brian......at lee hwy........store......only 2 mexican.....and one
Asian .....
White people ....hire white people sure.....sure.....jajaja...
There is somethig called....profits.....they know that ..
Not wonder why they are so rich......
Meadow farms suck ...like you....

Call back and ask for angel.....thats your prof ..that everything is ......trust ...

Am sitting here drinking my bud light ..waiting...
For any answer..... dumps....

angel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Am sitting here drinking my bud light
> ..waiting...
> For any answer..... dumps....


Beautiful.

Some of the illegals who work for Merrifield drive like asshats


I get feeling Merrifield doesn't care. But what about their insurance rates?

Jose.....hispanic name as pedro...and talkink bad ....agains his own people...trying getting ...
Alone with the wrong crown....... stupid..... just stupid person...you are ....you will be hispanic..
Not matter what.....

the weird old dude -dr. john is santa at the shop during christmas

bj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the weird old dude -dr. john is santa at the shop
> during christmas


Yes, Dr. John IS the "REAL" Santa at MGC during Christmas. He's done it for probably 50 years now and is the best damn Santa in the area! I was taken there as a child and now I take my kids there too. Absolutely worth the 3-hour wait to see him!!
To some he may be "the weird guy on that garden show" but to me he'll always be Santa... a guy with a huge heart who takes several hours out of his own time during the Holiday season (while most of us are too busy shopping for crap we don't actually need!) to bring smiles to the faces of tons of kids he doesn't even know!!

God bless Dr. John!!

Ive worked there since i was 14. Honestly MGC is the best place to work, as far as landscaping places go. Yes i am hipanic, but i know plenty of African Americans, and white americans as well as asians and russians. All are welcome at merrifield. The only way you dont get in is if you do some stupid shit to get fired. Yes its very exspensive, but a co worker told me once that "people dont shop here for what we sell, shit, they can buy the same stuff for 20 bucks cheaper at home depot, they come for the customer service, and the friendly smiles we have." I will never forget that, and honestly as time passed and i worked there, what my friend had told me was true. Underpaid mexicans? Im from El Salvador, and im glad they hire us "underpaid mexicans", and ex cons and druggies, because honestly, they give us a fair chance for survival. I got paid 7.25, and the the white guys got paid 7.25 too. All was fair. Immigration came to sweep out the place awhile back, and i saw one of the owners cry, not because he was losing workers, but because he was losing people he cared about, and who he knew their situation, and wanted to help. To him it wasnt about making money, but about helping underpriviliged people best he could. I love Merrifield Garden Center, and its roots are planted deep within my own life, and as a kid who worked at all three locations, i can see Merrifield is one of the best( if not THE BEST) landscaping place in northern Virginia. Wether it be to work at, or buy at, or just windowshop, The garden is the place to be.

@loader - dont get yr panties in a bunch - everyone knows MGC for what it is.

Anybody ranking on Merrifield Garden Center is either an idiot, a racist, or got caught trying to rip off the place LoLz

@ Gordon Blvd

guess youre right...i just read what some people where writing, figured id put in some words myself, lol

@loader - EVERYONE knows how awesome you guys are - the honesty is the stuff of legend. Home Depot is for noobs LoLz

Amen to that, loader. I also worked there. Though most jobs there don't pay well (due to the market for these types of jobs, not MGC), it is one of those jobs where you don't really feel like you are working. The people are passionate and everyone is friendly.

Haters are gonna hate, it's that simple. Fact is, MGC is a Northern Virginia institution and the premier garden center in the area.



former loader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ive worked there since i was 14. Honestly MGC is
> the best place to work, as far as landscaping
> places go. Yes i am hipanic, but i know plenty of
> African Americans, and white americans as well as
> asians and russians. All are welcome at
> merrifield. The only way you dont get in is if you
> do some stupid shit to get fired. Yes its very
> exspensive, but a co worker told me once that
> "people dont shop here for what we sell, shit,
> they can buy the same stuff for 20 bucks cheaper
> at home depot, they come for the customer service,
> and the friendly smiles we have." I will never
> forget that, and honestly as time passed and i
> worked there, what my friend had told me was true.
> Underpaid mexicans? Im from El Salvador, and im
> glad they hire us "underpaid mexicans", and ex
> cons and druggies, because honestly, they give us
> a fair chance for survival. I got paid 7.25, and
> the the white guys got paid 7.25 too. All was
> fair. Immigration came to sweep out the place
> awhile back, and i saw one of the owners cry, not
> because he was losing workers, but because he was
> losing people he cared about, and who he knew
> their situation, and wanted to help. To him it
> wasnt about making money, but about helping
> underpriviliged people best he could. I love
> Merrifield Garden Center, and its roots are
> planted deep within my own life, and as a kid who
> worked at all three locations, i can see
> Merrifield is one of the best( if not THE BEST)
> landscaping place in northern Virginia. Wether it
> be to work at, or buy at, or just windowshop, The
> garden is the place to be.

Merrifield groupons are worth in. $50 for $25.....DEALS!!!!

I lived near Merrifield in the 1950's when there was still a Drive In Theater nearby, and there were several garden centers in this lesser developed part of Fairfax County.

I went to Merrifield Garden Center on Lee Highway this morning to buy fertilizer--hadn't been there in years.

A very knowledgeable woman gave me expert advice on what I needed (which wasn't what I was going to buy based on my own casual research). She understood every aspect of fertilizer and grass seeding and the seasonal restrictions in this area. I hadn't been to Merrifield to shop in twenty years and this was a great experience.

I also shop at Home Depot-a lot. I like the place, but would never expect any kind of very useful garden advice from the friendly staff, who are mostly recent immigrants, who don't know much about Northern Virginia soil. I can't see comparing MGC and HD as being useful. They serve different purposes.

You always pay more for the retailer who possesses expertise about their products. If you don't need the expertise, than don't shop there. Chain stores have left America with good selections, but little personality, and minimal knowledge about their products. Choose the one you prefer, but comparing them seems pointless. If Merrifield ever closes, it will be telling us much more about our our neighborhood than just another shop becoming a unsightly, bland, concrete drainage problem.

Happy gardening everyone.

Paul