The sales person hyped up a tree I was looking at and said the high quality justified the high price. Went on about rootstock and blah, blah, blah. Said if there is any issue they would replace for no additional fee. I'm good with plants but this tree never took off. I returned to the store with the dead tree and the staff surprisingly couldn't find any record of the transaction. They talked down to me and treated me like a scammer. Total disconnect between the people who do the sales and the people who gatekeep the returns. Avoid this store if at all possible. They are not honest people. read more

The staff is extremely kind and helpful. Very knowledgeable as well. I love their lifetime plant guarantee and I heard they offer a senior discount. read more

Love coming to this Armstrong when I get the chance! I live in vista so it's a little drive but one I'm always willing to do. They have one of the best selections out of the Armstrongs around. I always find what I'm looking for and everyone is so helpful and goes out of their way to help. The management is extremely nice and so helpful with returns/exchanges/price matching. I always look forward to coming here and hope it stays open forever!! read more

Armstrong Garden Centers - Strawberry pot and plants I was able to get here - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

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6/27/2026 around 1 pm - The workers working in the plants and pots area were very kind and answered my questions. The cashier on the cash register facing the inside of the building was very rude during check out. She didn't see the price tag on the pots I wanted to purchase and when I showed it to her she said $9.99, even though it clearly said $8.99. When I corrected her, she started giving me attitude. She didn't notice that my child had a watering pail she didn't scan during the first transaction. When we got to the car, I noticed the pail and went back in to pay for it. Got back in the line the same cashier and while I was waiting in the line she decided to help customer from the other line even though the other side had two open cashiers. I got to the register and realized I forgot my wallet so I went back to the car the grab it. Had to stand in already existing line of 3 customers formed inside the building, then she rung up customers from the other side again before helping me. Even though I had already waiting behind 3 people. It felt very discriminatory. We came here because we wanted to support local small business instead of a big box store. I was extremely disappointed by my experience here. read more

Everyone is so knowledgeable there. The classes are great and I've learned so much about Gardening from them. They have a great selection and try to help you get whatever you want or need if a plant fails for some reason they will take it back and refund you. I think that is going above and beyond. read more

Amazing! Jerzy and the manager Warren were super helpful explaining how to manage our plants and very friendly! 10/10 highly recommend coming to this location :) read more

First off, Paige was absolutely terrific, and was always there when we needed something or had a question. Shedid her best to help us find saucers to go with the pots we had chosen, but that's where the one star goes missing because there is a definite discrepancy between what pots are on the shelves and what saucers are available to match those pots. We spent quite a lot of extra time searching pots and then hunted for saucers for the five plants we had selected, but it ended with disappointment. And it certainly was a bit puzzling as well. But Paige was indeed the silver lining to the cloud and we'll be happy to return again with our fingers crossed. read more

Do yourself a favor and come down here for your garden needs. Better selection than those big box stores. Wide variety of flowers, herbs, shrubs and bushes. And a variety of sizes. Gallon or larger are available. And the variety of garden pottery is also quite extensive. If you have questions, the service here is exceptional. Again, as compared to the service at big box stores, the people who work here have great insights into what will work for your garden needs. read more

Armstrong Garden Centers - Great pottery and wonderful Lavender and Lantana - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Brian was the person that assisted me and my husband . We don't know anything about plant h was so helpful knowledgeable patient refreshing . Amazing service . We came home with a beautiful indoor plant and a understanding of how to take care of it . Thank you Brian for your service . We will be back . read more

Armstrong Garden Centers - Indoor plant . - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

I was so happy when I discovered Armstrong Garden Centers. They actually have people that will help you pick our plants! Such a novel experience - haha. I have had great success with their plants. And as a bonus, they carry my favorite plant! read more

Purchased multi flower hanging pots twice in the past 5 months. The first time was four months ago and got two of them and they lasted that long. Second time again two new flower pots however I had an issue with one of them a week later and the manager was kind to replace it. Always love waking around and buying some of the wall geckos. They are either hand made or metal. Nice location. read more

Conveniently located on El Camino Real NB near Home Depot, this is our third favorite Armstrong Garden Center -- larger than the Del Mar location but further from home. The associates are friendly and helpful; selection is very good. read more

I am so impressed with the customer service at this business! I have always had good experiences here, but Paige provided my husband and I with outstanding care! I can't express how helpful and kind she was to not only us but other customers, too. She was quite informative about the products, and she really went the extra mile with an extra big smile! read more

With our abundance of free time during initial COVID lock-downs, we began tending to our garden more often than we were ever able to do. It's always been an interest of mine but it was a luxury to being able to spend what seemed like endless hours tending to our yard. The exterior design of our home is French country but when we moved to SoCal nearly 20 years ago, we felt inclined to plant palm trees in our backyard which worked out well -- but alas, tastes change. While beautiful and full of life and color, we grew tired of our Bougainvillea plants that lined our fence so we decided to remove those and a bunch of Robellini palm trees that were getting pretty leggy. We now fully embrace the home exterior and decided to plant flowers and bushes that reflect the intended look of the home. During the slow "renovation", we initially purchased the majority of our larger plants / trees through a wholesale grower but we recently came to Armstrong to purchase some of the flowers that would line our pond and seating area. It was the final pieces of necessary color and final touch. Every single plant and flower that we purchased was so healthy and really thrived from the moment when we planted them. The Iceberg rose bushes, gardenia flower and even the sweet pea shrub has completely thrived and is full of beautiful purple flowers. We planted these around our waterfall / pond and makes it so colorful. Our backyard has never looked so full of life and color. We are now enjoying every minute of our time outside and providing the necessary TLC to keep it going. We are grateful Armstrong played a small part in our enjoyment. The staff was super friendly, helpful and willing to answer any questions you might have. You pay a premium for this but if you love your garden, know you are getting QUALITY. That is what Armstrong is all around. read more

After a year, my Hydrangeas are looking fantastic! So I decided to come and get more plants and couple of pretty pots/saucers to make the garden a little prettier. There were great options to pick from. Twice, an employee grabbed my cart to use for their own use or to give to another customer without asking if the cart belonged to anyone in the vicinity. So after getting a cart for the third time, I had to make sure not to take more than 2 steps away from it. They definitely have lots of cute items to beautify your garden. The nice gentleman who completed my sale was nice enough to get couple of the hanging plants that I couldn't reach. He also offered to help me to the car as I had purchased lots of plants and heavy containers. I guess I'll be back again as their plants seem to last longer than their competitors. read more

Have amazing plants. Staff knows about the plants so are helpful. It's been four weeks and the flowers are still vibrant and healthy.

Angelica was especially helpful and personable! Superb customer service. Refreshing to have that kind of attention

Great customer service and plants offerings broad. Love the location. Though not as cost effective as other locations.

I've never left a review for a garden center store - actually, don't review many things at all. But in this case, I was compelled to share my experience: I went in to buy a gardenia plant for my Mom, for her birthday. She was with me, and I told her to speak with the girl who was helping us, so you can determine exactly which one you'd like. I believe her name was Raylee (?), and she could not have been any nicer or knowledgeable. It's so refreshing when you have such an amazing experience from a customer service aspect. Very rare, in my opinion, although I will say the employees at this particular Armstrong's are generally pretty great. Anyway, she answered everyone question and needless to say picked the perfect one for my mother. Then when I went to buy the soil, she advised me to buy a bigger bag, not because I was being up sold, but because it was cheaper than buying the smaller bags. Then she offered to carry the plant to the car for me while I grabbed the big bag of soil. Then she informed me the plant had a lifetime warranty, which I was not aware of. The icing on the cake was when she said to stop by and let me know how the plant was doing for her. I mean I probably won't go that far, but just the offer was pretty impressive. So again, this is a ridiculously long review for a simple visit to a garden center, but we'll deserved, in my opinion. mattcr123@gmail.com read more

Yes, Armstrong is usually more expensive than a big box store, but the quality, service & expertise exceeds those stores, by leaps & bounds! Join their rewards program to earn money back to apply to your next purchase, it won't hurt as much! read more

Excellent layout and deflection of garden needs. Beautiful and extensive variety of houseplants. All kinds of tools, fertilizers, tchotchkes. Abundant amount of annuals, perennial plants as well as fountains, pots etc. Easy entrance/exit. I would shop Here again. read more

Armstrong Garden Centers - Snake plant - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I used their design service and then had them do the work. Gary Chapman was so easy to work with. He respected my budget and selected plants that suited my taste. Good job all around. read more

I have had incredible experiences at this garden center! Each time I come, every employee is so helpful and kind. As someone who is not innately good with plants, I always leave feeling confident and reassured that I got the best plant for my home Today I was helped by Simone and they were absolutely amazing! Highly recommend this beautiful place. read more

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Super friendly and knowledgeable staff and great assortment. Sooo much more knowledgeable than Home Depot.

I just stumbled across Armstrong last week while taking a walk in the neighborhood - waiting for a friend to have a medical procedure... I thought the prices were a bit high but I had to consider the location ... I'm sure it's not cheap to operate a business in Encinitas. The selection was pretty good and I found an unusual Kalanchoe that I hadn't seen elsewhere. It was pricey at $5.49 but for something that small it wasn't worth shopping around. The employee at the front desk was very friendly ... oops, forgot to get his name. Overall a good experience. read more

Stopped in here to peruse the selection. Great selection of succulents, agave, and cactus. Unfortunately, the prices were incredibly high. $45 for small Artichoke Agave, which is on sale at Home Depot right now for the same price but for an Artichoke Agave 5 times the size. A very large Golden Barrel was for sale for $200, maybe that is a fair price for that rarity. A large San Pedro cactus, $450. That's just nuts. Then regular bougainvillea vined up on those bamboo supports, for sale for $11 at Home Depot, was $45. Outrageous. On the flip side, they did have some plants that you can't find at Lowe's or Home Depot. But if you're after rare and bizarre, why not go to Solana Succulents in Solana Beach? Walked around for about 10 minutes, but no one that walked by offered to help or even say hello. :/ read more

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I'd like to give my sincerest thanks to this particular location and staff. There is a houseplant I have been searching for and for a long time. Once the word got out on social media that Armstong Centers were carrying it about 2 months ago, people flocked and within minutes all of them were gone. After calling around multiple locations, I decided to call Encinitas. I knew they did not have any in stock that day, but I called anyway. Instead of hearing, "we sold out, good bye," the girl offered to put me on the order list, took my info and subscribed me to their garden club. I thanked her for doing that, but wasn't expecting anything else after that. To make a long story short, I now have the plant with no hassle. All I can say is thank you and I can only wish good things for you. read more

I really enjoy popping in to this Armstrong location. They are a smaller location, but when I'm looking for seeds or starter plants for my veggie garden, they always have just the thing. The staff here is quite knowledgeable and they have always been very helpful to me. Make sure to sign up for their rewards club, you'll always get valuable coupons for great shopping deals. I stocked up on 4" veggie pots this week, even though it was cold and rainy, and as I was checking out, the cashier pulled his personal heater up from under the counter to help me warm up as I paid. It's little things like that they always make your day. Great location, great staff, just a bit smaller so you'll have to check to see if they have what you're looking for. read more

The team at Armstrong could not be more helpful if they tried. They are well educated about their products, and are always eager to help and give advice. A pleasure shopping here. read more

We just picked out containers and plants for our entryway, Nolan was so helpful and extremely knowledgeable about the plants. A great sense of style also regarding color of blooms and ultimate size. Thank Nolan, you are outstanding at what you do! read more

The young lady was so helpful this morning with our granddaughter. Her fairy garden is off to a wonderful start because of the suggestions, time spent and personal service provided by the young staff member. I'm sorry I didn't get her name but both our granddaughters can't wait to return and show her pictures of their fairy garden projects. What great customer service and I appreciate the personal time devoted to our two little ones, it made our shopping very special indeed. read more

The plants here are amazing and you can't beat the lifetime warranty. All of the fruit trees I have bought here have grown up to be wonderful heavy bearing trees. Warren is the an amazing resource and why I keep coming back to the store. His 1st hand knowledge in his own backyard is most helpful and I have used his tips to become a successful suburban farmer. Thanks again Warren for all of your help!! read more

I have two dying indoor palms and showed up at Armstrong ready to spend 10x the value of the plants themselves on pots, soil, fertilizer, automatic watering systems, lasers, LED lights, etc. Brian thought I may be going a little overkill on the solution, so took some time to learn about my problem, then made some simple recommendations and gave me a plan of action. I spend about 1/10 of what I thought I would on this visit, but thanks to the traditional and honest customer service, I'll only be shopping with Armstrong for my garden/plant/green-thing needs. Mike read more

It was a bit understaffed but even so the employees were very kind and Tracy took her time and patiently answered my neophyte questions. She took an interest in my plant and even asked for a progress report. read more

I go here willing to pay higher prices for service and today was my last visit. I walked in knowing just what I needed and an employee named Susan was less than helpful. In fact she was downright unfriendly. I waited until she was done with another customer before approaching her and followed her to the register to ask where my product could be found. She tossed a laminated card at me with no words. Just too busy to help although she was doing nothing at this point. Didn't say a word as I told her what I wanted and checked me out without one word. What the heck? I left grumpy and the only reason I added another star is due to the nice kid who loaded my car. Alexander. He was super sweet. Susan, nope. read more

Lovely garden center and super helpful and friendly staff. Prices are fair. My favorite in this neighborhood.

Had a great experience here the other day. Everybody was very helpful, nice and knowledgeable. Great selection of organic vegetable starters and herbs. Willing to order custom fruit trees. I enjoyed strolling around and will definitely be back. The only recommendation I would like to give is to stop selling RoundUp. There are enough studies out showing how terrible Glyphosate is for soil, bees and humans. The general store feel seemed kind of organic and RoundUp/Glyphosate doesn't really fit in nor should it be used by the everyday home gardener. read more

Brian helped me select plants for our background that we had very specific requirements for. He was SO helpful and walked me around showing me options and explaining pros and cons. We will absolutely be back for our plant needs! read more

The employees are rude. I came in with a picture of an issue I had with a plant and was bluntly told "I don't know (with attitude). Said I should ask someone else in the store. I then showed a picture of another plant I wanted and was told to look in the back, not helped at all to find the plant. Once I had all my items to purchase this same person was a sweet as pie. Just didn't want to help at all! Their prices are way higher than some of the nurseries in the area so I think I will stay away from Armstrong! Thanks for reading. read more

First off, let me start with "why" only 3 stars. It's because of the prices. A little over the top for most things. But, if you want quality--this is the place. Great selection and I mean a great selection. I love the variety of roses they carry. Staff seemed pleasant but a little introverted. Would have enjoyed an open conversation with some of them. I tried to start up a conversation but was given a one word answer and off to their tasks. Too bad. read more