Sunnyside Greenhouses

The plants there are way too expensive!!! I spent more than $ 60 for four plants last week. And then I found out I can buy the same plants with less than $ 30 from Walmart, Home Depot or Costco. I will never go there again.

Nice place, I love it. it’s a bit hectic though. If you have a question there’s a some running and waiting you need to do.

This place has everything! Other reviews mention the pet supplies, tropical plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs, but I will stick to reviewing what I know well: fruit and vegetable plants and seeds, plus soils and soil amendments. Having made MANY trips to every nursery/​home improvement/​garden store in the city, I consider myself well qualified to discuss Sunnyside’s merits and shortcomings for the home veggie gardener.
Seeds: Although they don’t stock some of the more unusual seeds that you can find at other stores, Sunnyside has the cheapest seed packages (from Bowseed), and absolutely the best selection of local seeds that thrive in our climate. They also have a great selection of seed potatoes and onion sets. Their seeds are kept in a climate controlled environment all year, so I’ve had great success with germination.
Vegetable plants/​seedlings: they have a fairly good selection of different varieties in the spring, but their choice of small vs. larger plants is inconsistent. Prices are very reasonable for small plants, but sometimes small plants are transplanted into larger pots the next day, and sold for double the price. The plants are always healthy and well cared for.
Bulk products: Sunnyside has bulk bins of compost, soil, mulch, rock, sand, etc. that you can shovel, bag, and load yourself, which is a great deal compared to buying small bags.
Other products like grow lights, landscape fabric, trellises, etc. are overpriced, but no more so than other garden centers (try home improvement stores for these items). I can’t comment on their customer service, as I’ve never had to ask for help. They employ dozens of teenagers who likely know next to nothing about plants, but the store is always very well maintained, and check out is quick.

Sunnyside is absolute heaven for a girl with a green thumb like me. They have a huge selection, and just about every plant or flower imaginable. The plants I bought from them have all turned out wonderfully in my garden this summer. I also purchased some plants from Home Depot, and had to replace some of them after a few weeks as they were not turning out. Not the case with my plants from Sunnyside! Very happy customer and will continue to make the trek from the SE to shop here!

They even have animal stuff!!!
This place is intimidating. and I mean intimidating. There is SO much to look through and discover. The prices are ridiculously expensive but you WILL find so much here to fall in love with. Get your tools and soil from Rona or any other home store and stick to buying your flowers n shizz from here.
I love that you can bring pets here as well, you can really make a day of it! It makes it truly fun to start gardening when you come to Sunnyside with no idea what you want because they have everything ! You’re not leaving after spending less than a C-​Note though.
Everything is very well organized and I especially love how the perennials are placed alphabetically! So if you’re like «where da peonies be at?» Boom! P!
So all in all, it’s lily expensive. But it’s so huge you could spend day-​sies in there. So just poppy on in for a fun day with the fam jam and get your garden growing.
And yes I know how terrible those jokes were and no I don’t give a shit.

Won’t go back to this greenhouse either, the problem begins with parking and ends with service. You go inside and try to find something and finally seek some help and nobody knows anything. They will give you a pamphlet at customer service, offer no assistance and leave you on your own to find whatever it is you came there for, I’ve had better greenhouse service from stores that sell plants and aren’t even greenhouses! They think they’re a conglomerate and have a bunch of 16 year olds looking pretty who don’t know anything.

I’m suddenly a fan of gardening. Sunnyside has been an oft-​frequented destination over the years, not only when I’m looking for a new pot to transplant my favorite bit of greenery, but just for a nice wander. During the spring, summer, fall and particularly winter, I love to roam the pseudo-​tropical aisles and get away from the (often, chilly) world outside.
They have an ample selection or plants and gardening supplies, and their friendly staff is knowledgeable in everything from how often to use plant food (and what kind to use), and whether your droopy sage has a fungal infection or not.
You can also join their club – at a nominal cost, I believe – to receive additional discounts when shopping in store. I’ve toured all of the garden centres Calgary has to offer, and it’s hard to beat the selection at Sunnyside.

A fairly pricy greenhouse, but well worth it in my eyes. This greenhouse is fantastic if you are a long time gardener or you’re just starting out! They have tons of selection… providing you with everything under the sun (literally)! There are pineapple and kiwi plants, I have no idea how those would grow in Canada, house plants, herbs, annual flowers, perennials, seeds to start your own garden –there is actually everything you could ever need. They have a large assortment of planters and pots, and they have wonderful pretty colored pots as well as plain Jane black and brown. In case you aren’t in the mood to start a garden but want to sit out and enjoy the sunshine Sunnyside has patio furniture for you. Geez, this place really does have it all!
The staff are fairly hard to come by and the prices are a step above Rona, but like I said before I think it’s worth it. There is something to be said for walking through a warm greenhouse, enjoying the smell of plants while sipping a coffee on a Sunday afternoon. Pure bliss.

Moving from the Okanagan, when it comes to finding great plants, helpful advice and good pricing, we always went to the garden centres. So when planning our garden this year in Calgary, we did the same thing… holy cow was Sunnyside ever busy. They had a great selection, but it was very hard to organize. I am not sure to be honest, how it was organized and worse, neither was their staff. It’s a hard thing to staff for a few crazy busy weekends and I totally get that, but I spoke with 6 staff in the green house asking about specific plants and where to find them and not a one of them had any idea whatsoever. I finally found someone who helped me find what I need and was very helpful, but it was a frustrating shopping experience. I also found them VERY expensive — I know it’s different than the Okanagan, but $ 4.99 for an herb plant seems steep to me.
In fairness, the plants were very fresh and have transplanted very well, but I did feel like it was very expensive for what I bought.

This garden centre has it all: one of the largest plant nurseries in the greater Calgary area, a wide selection of seed, soil amendment, pots, ornaments, house plants, etc. Not necessarily as cheap for staple items as your big box stores, but they have a much wider selection and free coffee… need I say more? Beside this, they have a sizeable pet store (including a resident parrot called Sweet Pea), and a seasonal shop with for example Christmas decorations and knick knacks. When you enter there is an information desk, and the staff there are very helpful at finding you the advice you need, or navigating the massive floor plan here.
The check outs are both fast and effective because each till has one person calling out the prices, while the other tallies it up on the machine and takes your money. This may be a small thing, but it’s a nice touch because the caller has time to carefully pack your items while the financials are going on (e.g. put protective plastic bags over plants, or arrange seedlings in a tray). In the Spring it’s a ritual for many people to spend a better part of their weekend browsing the store… arrive early in the season or at least early in the day to get reasonable parking and a clear view of all the goods.

Recently went in to find out what would work in our yard at home and was really happy w how well informed the staff at the information desk were on what they had available, zoning, etc. I like shopping here year round.

It’s Spring Time! And with a balcony that tends to have a less than perfect view, I needed plants, flowers and the like to create my own.
Canadian Tire and Home Depot both had garden centre’s that were very underwhelming. I couldn’t really find anything inspiring, and it seemed they had the same things. Nothing different, nothing fun. Nothing exciting. No, Billy Buttons, Delphiniums, Forsythia’s, Heliconia’s or even Ranunculus’s.
…Actually, its very likely that they had all of those things because I don’t know what the hell any of them are.
I found «Sunnyside» a little on the «Priceyside», (see what I did there?)…but I did find what I was looking for as opposed to the less than helpful Garden Centre’s.
Sunnyside is HUGE, we could’ve spent hours in here looking at all the foliage and accessories. It goes on forever and is well kept. Within minutes I was finding inspiration, and half an hour later I had everything I needed to create my balcony garden.

Sunnyside has incredible selection for all things landscaping. Not only plants and flowers (for pots, beds, etc), but yard decorations andeven pet supplies.
The facility has a lot, and is bolstered by a dedicated and knowledgeable staff. On my most recent visit, we were buying indoor plants for mothers day. The way everything is laid out, and the detailed explanations of soil, lighting and watering conditions required for these plants to thrive was very clearly laid out and explained.
My only complaint about Sunnyside was the checkout process, which seems like it involves a lot of manual work for the people working the tills. If Sunnyside can sort out this process, they’ll probably get a bunch of 5-​star reviews.

You won’t need to go anywhere else for all your patio & landscaping needs if you’re looking for one-​stop well-​stocked shopping. Indoor & outdoor plants, perennial and annual flowers, plant pots in a massive amount of sizes, beautiful patio furniture, windchimes, garden décor, fountains, sprays & fertilizers and they even sell some pet food and live fish.
If you’re on a budget, this isn’t the place to go for your plants or flowers. A palm plant acquired from Walmart for $ 13 will cost you $ 30 at Sunnyside. Flowers like pansies or geraniums are cheaper elsewhere but what you get at Sunnyside is choice and lots of it. The plants and flowers are well taken care of and the staff are knowledgeable which is something you won’t get at Walmart. So, you decide if choice and help are worth paying extra for. Either way, it’s a joy shopping here… but avoid on really hot or really cold days. You’ll be miserable. It is a greenhouse after all so it’s vulnerable to temperature.
Oh, and if you need special plants like orchids, bonsai or twisted trunk ficus, they have em!