Strader's Garden Center

I have a love/ hate relationship with this store.

Love:
Beautiful and diverse variety of plants and flowers
Well stocked
Close to home
Lots of parking

Hate:
As several other reviews have mentioned....the staff is unfriendly bordering on hostile. You will be made to feel like a hassle if you ask for help.
Expensive

I will be forever grateful to the staff here at this location of Strader's. My sister and I were on the hunt for a specific flower. My grandmother's favorite flower, a white amaryllis. She passed away and my mom couldn't find one in her hometown so we went on the hunt. After calling around to many nurseries in Columbus, the folks here answered and made our day. They had one and shared that it was in full bloom, tall as can be and absolutely beautiful. They offered to save it for us so we rushed over to pick it up. The staff had set it aside for us and once we saw it, it felt like it was meant to be. The universe was looking out for us. The flower was about $25 and they didn't exaggerate on the description. It was breathtaking.

We browsed the rest of the nursery and were impressed at the large selection of indoor plants they offered. They also have a ton of pottery to choose from. It was hard for me to avoid taking a new pot home (I'm a bit of a collector).

The staff here went above and beyond and I can't thank them enough. This flower was placed on my grandmother's casket and gave my entire family a reason to smile on such a difficult day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I stopped by today (late fall) to see if they had any plants I was interested in getting into the ground before winter. When I walked in their north green house, they had several plants for sale and a sign next to the berry plants that announced a fall sale and said 50% off. Some of the plants were a little hit, but this is typical when it is the end of the season and places may do a sale to unload inventory, so I suspected nothing other than what was advertised. To clarify, I approached a floor person and they said that they thought the sale was over and that greenhouse was just being used for storage. (This wasn't true because I have been in that greenhouse many times buying plants in the past.) I didn't want to address initially because I had another obligation I had to leave for and I suspicioned this might take awhile due to confusion.

While heading to the other obligation, I called and asked for a manager to clarify because it didn't sound right. I talked to someone who took down my name and said they would call me back. No one called. I stopped in and asked for a manager on my way back from the other obligation (at this point still not upset) because I just wanted to clarify what was going on, b/c I was interested in some plants, and judging by the look of a few, they needed some attention. The manager wouldn't even come out to answer any questions. They had another employee come up and said she was the one who could help me. She said I could in fact buy the plants (as they were marked for sale and apparently the greenhouse wasn't just being used for storage), yet I knew she wasn't the manager I requested b/c she had to go to the back office to ask if the sale still applied.

After being told the sale didn't apply, even though there were no dates and the sign said fall sale (and it is still fall), I let the employee know there was a sign right next to the plants advertising the sale. She dismissed me in a way and essentially told me just because there was a sign doesn't mean there was a sale. (What?) She then called someone on the walkie to remove the sign.

Shame on that manager and the lady he used for cover for not handling correctly in any fashion, and for not having the professionalism to do their job and interface professionally with a customer who has legitimate questions for clarification. I was even told by the last employee that customers don't go out there at one point, which I know is false (and why would they have plants with price tags still on them and special sale signs next to them) unless I ran into the only garden center/nursery I have been to that doesn't want to sell plants. Pathetic customer service on multiple fronts! I work in management and have managers that work for me.

Sad to see somewhere I used to love to go to handle this so poorly. Taking my business elsewhere from now on.

Pros:
Huge selection
Great location on Riverside
Lots of people to help answer questions

Cons:
They close right on time so don't be a minute late
Parking can be a challenge for a truck
Prices are crazy high

Pro tip:
Be sure to visit the store on the property for gardening supplies and other fun decor for your yard

We initially stopped into check out the Christmas tree selection. They still had several varieties available from which to select in a nice range of sizes and prices. The trees are kept off in the greenhouse to one side, and a friendly staff person approached us and made some fun Christmas-themed chat with the kid before offering assistance. Once we had the tree selected, they took care of the tree and sent us with the tag to the register and said pull the car around when ready, and they'd load it up. While there we also checked out the store, which offered plenty of holiday themed greenery, including wreaths and other decorative pieces. There is also a wide selection of artificial trees (including a white one that looked like a snowman!), plus ornaments, indoor/outdoor decorations, and treetoppers. The kid is a plant lover so we also ended up in the Houseplants section, which had a good selection divided up into sections based on how much light each type of plant needs. We ended up with a Hoya Kerrii heart shape (very cute). There is also a good selection of pots, ranging from arty to traditional to amusing (loved the ones with legs!). There are also traditional gardening supplies, plus some fun pet items like socks and ornaments with different breeds of cats and dogs on them. There is a good sized parking lot available.

Straders is my happy place. The collection is amazing, especially in peak season. I will honestly go there if I need a boost in my spirit because plants make me really happy.

I found everything I needed for my garden, and I'm excited to see them grow. I like that they have a section that is more or less native plants in their first greenhouse off the right of the entrance, although it's not labeled as such.

I think the one thing I'd like to see more of is know-how and knowledge on plant identification and companion planting. A lot of things are still labeled "houseplant" or "foliage" and it would be an even more valuable experience if I could confer with a staff member or team who is well versed in the plants they sell.

Straders management- consider staff-wide introductory courses in horticulture! Imagine the increased customer satisfaction and loyalty you could experience! Happy customers generally means = happy profit margins.

All in all, still one of my favorite garden shops. I come in with a lot of my own research and experiential know how and that usually guides me to the right choices. Also, Google is a pal when you're stuck!

After writing a 5 star review for Strader's great selection, I'm sorry to demote them to 1 star. Of the 14 boxwoods we bought (close to $2k!), zero survived after a year, whereas plants of the same type planted nearby (from Oakland) did fine. Despite doing everything to save the ones from Strader's (and getting professional advice too), we had to rip them all out and replace. Strader's gave $0 towards new plants and came up with a ridiculous, evolving set of excuses for not standing behind their product. What a waste of time and money. If you're looking for cheap annuals, Strader's might be OK, but if you're putting in the time and money for perennials, I wouldn't risk going to Strader's. There are better choices.

I visit Straders a couple of times a year for indoor and outdoor plant purchases. They have a decent selection and I like that if you buy mulch, you pay inside then drive around back and have it loaded dire try into your trunk.

The greenhouses can get busy, especially during spring and summer weekends, but are very large.

They seem to have a large staff, but the staff are usually watering, restocking, or cashing customers out, so you're generally on your own to find plants and appropriate pots. I've definitely walked the greenhouses multiple times before I've been able to either find the plant I want or get pointed the right direction.

That said, they have generally healthy plants at decent prices with a good selection of indoor and outdoor pots.

Honestly, there's a lot of stuff here! Landscaping stuff, bird feeder, plants, etc.

Tbh I found a lot of the trendy plants. They're much smaller, so they were cheaper. That means they'll be harder to care for since they're still growing til maturity.

I found a small monstera deliciosa and string of raindrops. Wow!

My friends found small palm trees, a small bonsai, and more!

Can't wait to come back!

Another place I've been to many times, and I know I reviewed before. It's big, with a diverse selection of plants and supplies. Good service. I can always find what I need here, plus things I didn't even know existed. Big parking lot right off Riverside. Decent prices. I come at least once a year, even if other places are more convenient.