Sloat Garden Center

Love flowers!
This is a convenient place to stock my garden supplies. The shop also gives me inspiration for my garden.
The staff are amazingly knowledgeable about plant needs.

It's a local company. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable especially when you're a novice like I am. Patient, accommodating, going out of their way.

I return there again and again.

Swung by for 2 pots of California poppies and Sol was the sweetest! She was very knowledgeable about the plants I asked about and super friendly. This location doesn't have as many selections as the one by ocean but has beautiful blooms.

Good place to get organic soil for plants and veggie garden. Occasionally, I also find plants that I like. Their selections of pottery are okay, but I prefer mine from another nursery as theirs seems more curated. This is the place to get Christmas trees and wreaths though as we came by during the holidays and they carried a wonderful selection.

I had gone back several months later, and it felt right. Like I mentioned above, it doesn't take much to make me feel happy or feel like a valued customer. Just acknowledging my presence gets a few stars...anything more, icing on the cake. The owners unexpected response made me feel valued, and I appreciate it.

Large selection of indoor and outdoor plants that are in good health. They also sell different types of soil, moss, plant food/fertilizers, carnivorous plant food, and pottery. Most of the pottery seems to be about 5", but you will see limited selections in other sizes, too. The pottery selection changes all the time, so if you see a style that you like, snag it before it's gone forever!

From my experience, the staff here has been pretty helpful and knowledgeable about plants and their different watering/lighting needs. They also have a membership card if you are a frequent shopper.

I spotted a beautiful stone pot for my fiddle leaf fig that looked just like a photo I saw on Pinterest a year ago.

Turns out this suddenly chic tree I bought 2+ years ago is a member of the ficus family. Even brown thumbs such as myself know ficus trees are easily shocked (cue leaf drop) so I hope repotting won't be traumatic; I've grown to like this gigantic tree that thrives despite my benign neglect.

The kind staff at Sloat Garden Center was helpful and wasn't annoyed when I made a last-minute decision to purchase another pot just a second before they were just about to drill a drainage opening on the bottom of the planter I'd just paid for.

[I'm indecisive that way]

With advice on how to move my root-bound beauty to its new, roomy pot, I was heartened that after seeing my overwhelmed expression they called after me,

"You got this!"

I'm a rehabilitated killer of all things green and I needed that boost of confidence.

I'll be back: I have visions of planting a tiny, apartment-sized herb garden...

I used to love coming here to get my plants and supplies, but not anymore. In fact, I won't be coming back after being talked to in a very rude manner by one if the employees who wasn't only a jerk, but he was completely wrong about the needs in treating my house plant.

I came in looking for house plant soil because I was told by a friend that the current soil looked old and needed to be replaced. When I approached the register and asked a couple of questions about their Sloat brand house soil, this tall guy with blonde hair immediately started talking to me with this loud, arrogant attitude and crazy-ass looks. The entire time, he gave off this condescending you-don't-know-anything-and-I-know-everything look, and made sure his voice was loud enough so everyone on could hear him speaking. Even when I showed an image of my plant in it's current soil and pot, he just continued being a complete jerk about it and just stared me down. After allowing him to ramble on, I simply asked what he thought I needed for my plant. He told me to use a plant food, rather than change the soil. I paid for the item and thanked him for helping me, but he just stood there staring at me as if I had wasted his time. Something told me not to trust this douche-bag, so I went to the other Sloat Garden Center and asked someone there. Shared the same information and image, and was told by the amazing staff that the soil DID need changing. He even went further by sharing tips on how to do it. He did include that the plant food that I bought from douche-bag would help, but that was optional and changing the soil was what really mattered for optimal plant health.

Noticing similar Yelp reviews that may have to do with the same person. The owner needs to stop with the defensive responses and train this guy to be a better employee, or just stick him in the back because he should NOT be serving customers directly.

My partner and I have been on a long journey of cozying up our apartment, and plant acquisition has been a big part of that ride. As such, we are always looking for new plant stores to feed our habit. Sloat garden happily fills our needs.

Many plant stores in SF are quite small but the Sloat center in the Richmond is spacious. It has a large outdoor section (with appropriate outdoor plants) and then an indoor section with a lot of more apartment friendly varieties. They also have a large selection of pots and other planting accessories.

Most importantly, the plants we have bought here are healthy and have faired well in our home. This is something to call as some stores don't seem to have consistently high quality nursery sources.

And in case you're wondering, if you're more of a hardcore gardener, they'll have you covered too. We always see many people leaving with several bags of soil, etc. Definitely recommend for all your plant and gardening needs!

Having shopped here for years, I have had ups and downs with this location. This review is to call out Sasha. She helped me out to find the perfect plant furniture for my beloved begonia and rubber plant. She was so kind and helpful and went out of her way collaborating to find the perfect things for them. I'm so grateful for her. Please take good care of Sasha, Sloat Garden Centers because she takes great care of us customers.