Wonderful family, very knowledgeable about plants and shrubs! I've used them for years to make my window boxes and gotten advice for trees & bushes in my yard. read more

Customer service is severely lacking. When I finally found a staff member, I asked about finding a vegetable plant I wanted. She had no idea and called for back up. The other staff member came over so that the three of us where all about 5 feet apart. The original staff member explained that I was looking for a plant and the new staff member did not acknowledge me and told the other staff member that the plants were sold out and "she should've planted those plants in the ground already; they won't even take now" in a scolding tone (yes, she was aware it was me looking to buy). She was offensive, she wouldn't look at me or speak to me - the paying customer, and I stood there mouth agape. She didn't care or notice because she never looked at me, of course, and just walked off. After a moment of processing the intense dismissive snobbery, I walked away from the rest of my cart and left. (Please note: I work two jobs and managed to buy the plant elsewhere and had a wonderful harvest despite the timing not being ideal. - Also, I heard later that the rude staff member was related to the owners, but cannot verify). Another time before the one above, I had gone to grab some plants and asked the staff member at checkout about a specific type of bush. She had no idea and wanted to radio in to someone else working that section. It was taking him a bit to respond, so while waiting, I said, "no worries, I'll come back another time, I don't have the time now." She ignored me and kept radio-ing, I said, "really, now is not good. No need to call him." And she continued to ignore me and call on the radio - while not ringing me up. In the end I said, "you know what, I don't need any of these items" and she finally faced me saying "Oh, are you sure? Ok. Have a great day." Just - what?!?! Most staff do not know about the plants or care, they just work there, so a heads up if you're looking for that highly knowledgable service. Driving in/out and parking is a nightmare unless it is empty. Scratching your car to fit two cars on the road is almost inevitable. The energy here is all weird. They are always frantic on the radios as if they are all always annoyed at each other or annoyed to have to do their job, the majority of staff members I have met don't respect their customers (they seem to avoid them), and it is a very cramped shopping experience. While yes, this place is overpriced, I'm happy to pay a little extra for a local business and not a big box store. That said, this isn't a little extra and they don't treat their customers well at all. We all arrive at garden centers smiling and excited for the warmer weather, it is odd to have such poor treatment when the buy in is there from the start. That points to leadership, but who knows. No longer a place I frequent or recommend, but still might go in a pinch with very low expectations. read more

Drove quite a distance to check out Acer Gardens for spring flowers and shrubs. Saw signs in the additional parking area leave dogs in your car. We left. Been to dozens of garden centers all over the shoreline and state and never encountered this before. Bought some great items in Clinton instead. read more

I am a first time home owner that is working with a very empty garden. Every staff member I met took their time with me and when I was looking at shrubs, they advised me to meet with Bill. Bill was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. He helped me stay conservative with my choices and encouraged continuity when starting out the framework of my garden. He took his time, let me challenge his ideas, and was incredibly patient with me. You can feel his passion for the craft and it radiates throughout the team members of this tight-knit family owned business. Not only did I leave with plants that are perfect for my space, but I learned a ton from my time at Acer. I really can't say enough great things about the business. This will be my garden shop for life. read more

I absolutely recommend Acer Gardens. They answer my questions, offer help and most have the most beautiful plants and garden/yard supplies. I ever grateful for their service. Kathy Delmonico 3/5/25 read more

The customer service was non-existent today. Sales people were elusive! I asked the cashier if someone could assist me. She said she'd send someone over and they never appeared. As I pulled my full cart up to the checkout stand to pay, she asked if I still needed help! I saw one employee in a golf cart with a walkie talkie and 1 plant in her cart. Two people in Acer shirts were now standing around talking. No assistance was offered. There was one other customer besides me so the nursery wasn't busy! Looks like some training is necessary! What a disappointment. read more

Dealt with some obnoxious clown named bill. Bought a pine tree for 100 dollars there on Saturday. Went back for another on Tuesday, a smaller one for another 100. Paid for it, driving out a clerk runs up and says it's 150. Long story short...they radio the boss and he says it's 150 and if we don't like it we can unload and forget it. At a real store, the price is as marked and the store eats it not the customer they lost a good customer for a few dollars read more

I stupidly paid $58 for 2 flats (24 plants) of vinca, (should have been around $34-38$) what was I thinking about? I will ever go to Acer again! Learn from my mistake. read more

Beautiful hanging plants, planters. Super helpful service. Love going here every season.

Wonderful selection and quality and everyone of its staff are wonderful! Rosemary helped me design my garden last year and it was perfect this season! Her mom and dad are so kind. Plant value is terrific. And the blue food is a big secret to all my flowers!! You're not one of a million here; they really help you. read more

Amazing experience shopping here! Don't be confused by the entrance that just looks like the driveway to a house -- there's a massive garden center hidden away back there. Some of the plants are locally grown, others are Proven Winners or other national brands that get trucked in. The prices are good and the selection is unmatched. But most importantly, Bill and Sean spent an hour talking about the space I wanted to fill, learning about the soil and sun exposure, and walking me through exactly what plants I should add and how to care for them. I thought I'd done my research when I showed up, but they gave me a crash course on plant care and talked me out of making some real mistakes. Never once did I feel like they were trying to sell me stuff -- quite the opposite! I would've gladly paid for the advice they gave for free, and for that I'll be sure to go back. read more

Went today for the first time! Awesome place. So many plants I could only imagine what it looks like in the spring. Houseplants, seasonal, trees, shrubs, bulbs, yard and garden. But the best was the knowledgeable and helpful employees! Only negative--better bring something to drink with you. This is now my "Garden Go To" place! read more

Excellent staff. Kind, friendly, accommodating. Beautiful gardens and selection of plants. Immaculate. Loving care of plants. read more

I have been working over the last three years almost full-time to restore 2 acres of formal, rock and woodland gardens. I have spent summers in the area for the last few decades. I don't think there is anyone between New London and Madison, CT with a better selection of shrubs and trees and woodland perennials than Acer. I will occasionally purchase inexpensive unexceptional plants elsewhere, but when I want a special plant, perfectly pruned, and in top condition, I always go to Acer. Their shrubs and their flowering trees in particular are exceptional. Japanese maples are numerous and a specialty. The owners are always out working and helping, and the entire staff is quite friendly and knowledgeable. read more

Hidden potential gem, but a big customer service problem. Behind a seemingly normal suburban home walking distance from my house, down a long driveway is a huge garden center. Everything from veggies to large trees. Lovely to wander, lots of variety, and Great customer service and attentiveness when you are purchasing, but when I had a problem that customer service failed. I bought tomato plants labeled cherry (sweet 1000) and all six produced Roma. I hate Roma. It was one of their own employees who helped me pick the plants, and I saved the labels and indeed the labels were wrong. I called and was told this is a known problem, that mislabeling happens with their six packs of tomatoes since those come from another greenhouse. I wasn't offered a refund, or replacement plants in the spring. I suggested that next year I'd be happy to try them again, that I love to support small local business, and I was hoping this would prompt them to offer something small to fix the situation, but, no. No offer to come by in the spring and get a few plants. "Can't you just make sauce with them" was one of the helpful suggestions. As each Roma grew and mocked me with it's mealy texture, and my neighbors joyously danced around their abundant sweet cherries tomatoes, I stopped into the garden center one day to see if our relationship could be salvaged. They eventually refunded my money (which is why this is not a one star ) , but they acted ruffled, like, "what's the big deal, a tomato is a tomato", and making glances at each other. If it's a known mistake that these plants are often mislabeled, then why even give me a hassle? I'm really sad because I'd prefer to support a small local place, but, why would I risk purchasing a large tree or redoing my landscaping with them, if this was my treatment with a tiny purchase? I've never had a problem with Home Depot mislabeling, or ever giving me a hassle when something isn't right. read more

I was all over this place when I first discovered it probably 8 years ago. As years have gone by I usually make a late Spring trip to see what they have. Prices have gone way up-many things are unmarked and Bill quotes some absurd price off the top of his head. I leave it there. More importantly they seem to never to add to their inventory and it's like Ground Hog Day year after year with the same plants, trees and shrubs. One big expensive snooze. read more

Since moving to the area 5 years ago it has been a true pleasure working with Bill and Sharon and the entire Acer family to transform my property into a true country estate. Acer is my "go to" place for all my landscape needs, plants, shrubs, trees, soil and mulch. And be sure to meet Pricilla, fondly referred to as "queen of the potted plants", creativity abounds. read more

I love this place, the selection is excellent, the layout is large...the customer service is always pleasant and helpful. Their prices are in range with all the other stores of this nature I have found. I would love them to open a coffee/tea/soda stand with tables and chairs so I could sit there and enjoy all the nature. ( hint hint ) read more

Consistently the place to go for local landscape and gardening materials. Gets bigger every year. Don't let the entrance fool you- it's huge! Family run and truly knowledge staff. read more

I LOVE this nursery, it has quickly become one of my top 3 gardening spots in all of Connecticut. Their location easy to get to from I-95, their selection is AMAZING! Great place for witchy harder to find plants such as monkshood, black snakeroot, solomon's seal and datura at very reasonable prices. The staff is always super helpful and friendly (I've been there twice now). Highly recommend!!! read more

We have been to a few garden centers but this is the first place I felt comfortable, the staff were extremely helpful and the garden had beautiful planting. Thanks to Rosemary for all her advice. read more

I needed a gift for my Sweetheart's birthday and because we are self-quarantining (we're old), it had to be delivered. Acer Gardens dropped off an amazing assortment of spring flowers. I highly recommend them. read more

I was ready to spend a lot of money to completely overhaul my very large flower beds. I have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for but have a little bit of difficulty putting it all together. I went to Acer this morning. It was not particularly busy. There were MANY employees around so I thought I picked the perfect time. I wandered around a little bit to orient myself and get a few ideas. Not a single person could have been bothered to make so much as eye contact let alone ask if I needed help. So clearly I was on my own with this. I then asked THREE different employees where I could find a particular flower and all they could do was point vaguely to where I might find them. Terrible, terrible excuse for customer service. read more

Mixed bag. I thought their nursery stock, shrubs, perennials, etc. were superb. The vegetables, for the most part, were a bit younger than other outlets and very aggressively priced. I shop for very specific varieties of tomatoes and other vegetables; and otherwise grow my own stock. I bought several tomatoes at Acer that were about 4" tall, for $4.50 each. Several days later, I visited Vaiuso in Branford that sold similar size plants for $.99 each (albeit not the same varieties). A much too large percentage of Acer's tomatoes were also what I'd term "olive" colored, tending toward, but not quite yellow. A woman told me that was because their greenhouses were "cool." As someone who once owned a "cool" greenhouse and has been growing tomatoes from seed for 40 years - not! read more

Acer Gardens is the best nursery and gardening center in the CT River Valley. I have been a regular customer for over 5 years and have never been disappointed with any purchase or any of the help received by the knowledgable staff. The plant material at Acer Gardens is beautiful. Such care is given to all of the plants that you end up wanting to take all of them home when you go there. The staff is overly helpful providing excellent customer service. All of the staff know so much about the plants that you are able to get all of your questions answered. When to plant, how to plant, how to take care of the plants...everything is explained so that you can be a successful gardener. Acer gardens has an exceptional selection of plants, especially trees. I have purchased several trees from them and they are doing really well in my yard. As a Master Gardener I am very picky about my plants and Acer Gardens has never failed to deliver an excellent variety of top quality plant material as well as excellent service. I highly recommend taking a trip to Acer Gardens to see for yourself. read more

Love this place a new find for me and so far so good - great selection and great prices - lots of great advice too

Fantastic healthy beautiful plants and trees. With lots of out of the ordinary choices. Staff is wonderful

Very disappointed. We spent a couple hundred dollars here last spring. One of the bushes did not survive the winter. (I'm a careful gardener; This is only the second of scores of new plants that I lost in 20 years). Called to see if they would replace. No response to my phone message x 10 days. Called again and a woman who demanded my name but would not give me hers was very patronizing. A Bill called, quizzed me about my placement of the plant, could identify no problem, said I could bring the plant in, but he could not replace, but might perhaps give me a deal on a more expensive plant. I suggest sticking with nurseries that have nice employees and stand behind their plants, like VanWilgens .. and Home Depot. read more

Staff is really helpful, plants are healthy and gorgeous. It's a beautiful place and I could roam around for hours. They have a great variety of annuals, perennials, roses, shrubs, etc. I will never go anywhere else! Located back off the road behind a home but the entrance is clearly marked. read more