Their wreaths this year are spectacular and extremely reasonable. I had them make me one size…read morelarger and it's gorgeous and hanging on my balcony rail.

Wow. What excellent service. I wanted a gift for a couple of friends that just bought a house in…read moreMissoula. How about a gift certificate for next spring gardening. Shane was so helpful on the phone. Check that off my list!

This afternoon my mother and I spent about $150 at Caras, and at checkout we were overcharged to…read morethe tune of $57. The receipt showed that I had bought a plant for $57 when I had not. The woman at the register had made a mistake when typing in the code. It's a big mistake but stuff happens and I could live with that. What was NOT ok is that she never apologized and she acted like it was a huge inconvenience to refund us the amount she herself had over charged us and then she demanded the Caras bucks back (not that I care about the bucks but her entire attitude was that we were the problem). Basically both myself and my mother were made to feel less than. I'm sorry, maybe 57 bucks isn't much to her but it's a lot to me and being treated like that was a slap in the face. I will shop for my plants elsewhere in the future.

Went in yesterday and asked a young man who works there what kind of plants could I plant directly…read moreonto lava rock. He gave me several options, one of which was a plant called a jeweled orchid. It was beautiful so I bought it ($20). I also picked up an air plant that has just finished flowering which excited me because I didn't know they flowered. The next day a friend came over and saw the the beautiful job I had done wiring the jewel orchid to a large lava rock to which she informed my orchid plants will absolutely NOT live on a rock and not only that but unlike other orchids, it needs deep loamy soil. I looked it up online and she is right. She also informed me that once an air plant blooms it will never bloom again and is at end of life (so should not even be for sale). Bottom line I received some very poor advice which cost me $35 and still left me without the plants I wanted. Also, as an aside, they are insanely expensive. They were selling a plant for $67 that I bought for 10 bucks from Walmart. Same size, same apparent health.

My mom and I purchased one of the super trees 20 years ago . Mine ended up being a humongous…read morecottonwood tree . It is excellent for shade but right now it looks like a snow storm and a total mess in my yard. Now it is too large to remove due to it being so expensive .

A friend of mine moved to Missoula, and I went to Evans Tree Farm for a housewarming gift. Their…read morestaff is super knowledgeable and willing to help you figure out what will work best. They have a great selection of trees, plants, and their peonies were like nothing I've ever seen! I bought one peony plant for my friend and she loved it so much that she came back for 2 more. I can't recommend them enough!

Marchie's is great, and with nurseries like these, it's not difficult to see why Missoula is called…read morethe "Garden City". For the passed two summers, I have purchased veggies and flowers from Marchie's. The 1 - 3 inch veggies I purchased: various habanero, banana, and bell peppers, and the squash and tomatoes, all grew like Jack's beanstalk. The flowers I purchased didn't fare so well. The Lobella died straight away, the snapdragon did OK, and there was another orange flower that died straight away - I can't remember the name of it. I do not blame Marchie's for these flowers dying - I think a lot of that has to do with the gardener, i.e. me. The prices at Marchie's are pretty fair, and the salespeople are wonderful. They offer very helpful gardening advice and product recommendations, and are sincerely happy to be there. Judging a nursery on a 1- 5 star scale is subjective, especially based on the gardener, and that gardener's lack of green thumb. However, I feel like the strong start these plants received from the gardeners at Marchie's attribute to their success once they are in the permanently in the ground. Marchie's is a fantastic example of of a product being cared for and loved by the companies owners and employees, and thriving because of it.

Stopped to buy a dozen lavender plants. Stood at the counter as the only worker was talking to a…read morecouple about asparagus. Wasn't acknowledge, walked around for 20min, came back, still talking about asparagus. Stood there 10min, no acknowledgement again, walked off, still talking about asparagus. Apparently new Missoula transplants can't Google "asparagus"! Went to Pink Grizzly, received immediate assistance, paid in cash, & on my way. Highly recommend Pink Grizzly Nursery!

I contacted Ibey through their webpage to re-jigger a mess, add to the system, and fix coverage for…read moredead spots. They contacted me promptly, came out to review and offered an estimate. They returned today (very timely) to do the work we'd discussed. So far it looks and works great and will save water and enhance my yard and garden.

These people came highly recommended from a friend when I need somebody to install our sprinkler…read moresystem a couple years ago. Each year there are dead areas in the lawn and I don't know the reason. I have called and they send out a guy who does a few things, but doesn't spend the time to see the and fix reason for dead sponts. He came out 3 times still no change, but sure received the bill. All I can say is find somebody else. There are plenty of other people in Missoula.

This store is so fun! When I decided to try brewing cider for the first time, I dropped by this…read morestore. Phil helped me, walking me through all the steps and supplies I'd need. He inquired as to my tastes before making recommendations. It was a great shopping experience. They have a good selection of bulk grains, brewing equipment, bottles & glass as well as indoor gardening supplies. Some sweet guitars hang on the wall as well. Great place!

From the owner: We started as an eco department store in 2008. As our garden selection grew, we moved clothing and…read morehousewares to another location and added home brewing supplies to the gardening store. The partnership split and we took on the name Summer Sun and moved to our current location in the end of 2012. At that point we added our extensive beer department and respectable wine department

I was in Missoula for a week. I stopped by this HD to pick up a few things and I have to say the…read moreservice was really good. Much better than what I get back home in California. I normally shop at Lowe's but I have to give credit when it's due. I had a big box truck and the parking lot was super easy to park in. Like I said service was good and rather than just telling me which aisle the staff member walked me to the item and then discussed the pros and cons of the tools I was looking at picking up. I left impressed.

The only reason I went here is because Lowe's panel saw was out of order. This was my first…read moreexperience at this Home Depot and it was awful. First of all, I walk in the lumber side, I need some OSD for a project I'm working on. At most I needed two panels cut down to size. The cashier I talked to when I first walked in was extremely dismissive, like I was completely bothering him and that I was the biggest idiot on earth. I asked if the panel saw was working, and if someone could cut some OSD for me. He said yes and to just grab a cart and bring it over to the cutting station. There were about 15 carts around full of various lumber and only two actually available around the plethora of forklifts. Then, I realize that there is no way I can lift a panel of OSD by myself, so I try to grab a panel of hardboard, which is still not very light. I end up at the end of the aisle in the cashier's eye-line, trying to balance this 8ft panel on my head to try and get it on the cart. We made eye contact twice, not once did he offer to help or even made an attempt to call someone over, he simply went back to his phone. (Might be a testament to current men in their 20s but I digress, chivalry is dead). Also, multiple employees were walking around, not one asked if I needed help, which I clearly did as this giant panel was almost un maneuverable for me. I finally get it into the cart and make my way to the cutting station where the young woman working actually did offer to help and called someone over to cut my panel, and finally, when I had some semblance of hope, he said the width can't be cut smaller than 12inches, I needed 7inch width by about 3 feet. At that point, I left my cart at the station and left them to help the man behind me. I walked out without a purchase past the same cashier that watched me struggle for 20 minutes to get a 4' x 8' panel into a cart and ended up so frustrated and pissed off at the service, specifically the cashier who saw me struggling and did nothing. I will never be back.

The Clark Fork farmers market is one of my favorite things to do in Missoula. It's open on Saturday…read moremornings until early afternoon during the warmer months, and it's always packed with amazing local vendors and so much good food. You'll find live music, food trucks, coffee stands, pastries, meat, salmon, fresh veggies and fruit, beautiful flowers, and even fresh milk. It's the kind of place where you can come hungry and easily spend a couple of hours wandering around. It can be a little overwhelming because a lot of the vendors carry similar items, but I usually rotate through to help support as many as I can. Vendors typically prefer cash, although some do take cards, so it's smart to bring a little of both. Also bring a bag or two because it's very easy to walk away with more than you planned. The vibe is super friendly and local in the best way, and it always feels like a snapshot of what makes Missoula so special. If you're in town on a Saturday, it's definitely worth checking out.

My family and I have been coming to this farmers market for years now. It's an outdoor market so…read moreit's only open in the warmer months on each Saturday. There are various vendors here and you can find so much! They sell fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, and flowers. You can also find items such as honey, fresh baked pastries and bread, beauty products, clothing, and much more. Food trucks are also scattered throughout so there are plenty of options. I find that most of the prices are very reasonable, even though I never mind paying more to help support a fellow Montanan. I almost always run into someone I know, and even though the market itself is rather big, it still has a small town feel to it. Make sure to bring a bag or two with you for all the goodies you buy. Parking is free on the weekends so you don't need to rush through.