Plant World

I went here just before Father’s Day to buy my husband a houseplant. I had an idea of what I wanted but was hoping the staff could help with some insight on a plant that’s non toxic to both kids and dogs. A staff member named Nelson, who claimed to be a manager, was «helping» me. He suggested two separate plants and assured me they were very safe. After a quick google search to confirm I found that Nelson couldn’t be more wrong. When he showed me the store list of unsafe plants to prove his point both the plants he suggested were on it! This guy who is supposed to be a manager is beyond careless and very uninformed. Instead of apologizing Nelson became very aggressive telling me it’s not the staff’s responsibility to help customers pick a plant. If this guy is a manager then clearly customer service is pretty unimportant to Plant World. Also buyers beware– I am terrified to think what could have happened to my children or puppy had I taken Nelson’s advice!

My second year/​season (see my previous review) and I came back to plant world because of the service I received last year and this year absolutely nothing has changed. Excellent service. I arrived on a very rainy day wanting to buy a new tree for my back yard. Because of the rain you could fire a canon through this place and hit no one. I found a sales rep, gave her an idea of what I was looking for and she didn’t hesitate to put on her rain suit and walk me through the selection of trees. These people just don’t know how to screw up. I have never experienced finer service and for two consecutive years in a row. Keep in mind, I live in South Riverdale/​Leslieville area. We have a number of garden centers in the area and I bet I passed 20 or more on my way to this place but you know what? Sometimes good service deserves the extra effort and sometimes you got to pay a little more to keep the good people in business. Last year I purchased a burgundy elderberry bush with white berries, stunning in its second year and this year I bought a 7′ «twisted baby» (I think they named it after my friend James) with white flowers aka Black Locust Tree with white flowers. Stunning. I can’t wait to plant it in my yard. The plants here are so healthy and well established unlike some of the local garden centres.

Plant world has everything! Fresh flowers here are always beautiful! Also, pets are allowed as long as you carry on a leash!

They’ve got pretty much anything you could need for establishing a garden — herbs, flowers, vegetables, pots, soil, decorations. I’ve also been really impressed with the quality of their plants. I potted everything a few weeks ago and so far, everything is flourishing! Not like the crappy flowers I pick up from the convenience store that wilt after a few days (regardless of how much plant food I pour into them!).
The staff are fairly helpful and knowledgeable. They can assist you in grabbing the hanging baskets but they just use their hands and balance. So after I saw the staff lady grab the first basket, I helped myself to the baskets. And I’m 5′ 5″ and not very skilled, so I’m sure you can manage picking up the baskets on your own.
They have a huge parking lot but it was full to the brim Saturday morning. Everyone is respectful but it’s still a pain to maneuver a large cart through those aisles. If you can go during a weekday — do it!

This place always seems to cater to the seasons. Always notice this when I happen to pass by driving along Eglinton.
My mom and I visited one day and it was quote overwhelming at first the extensive varieties and things to choose from. Not knowing much at all about what exactly was appropriate for the yard (as certain flowers require a certain amount of light and so on…), the staff was helpful enough to point us in the right direction.
It’s a bit pricey, but you have many choices at your disposal. There is even a loyalty card availible at cash.

This place is HUGE. They have almost everything you may be looking for, almost.
I was lured in by their sign stating «Exciting native perennials are in!». Yes, there were native perennials, but not a large variety of them, considering how VAST this place is. I was looking for native grasses and some other flowers. They didn’t have them.
I found the prices to be pretty high, but I’ve never really been in the habit of buying non-​tasty plants. The service was friendly and there was staff all over the place to answer questions. They also had a large selection of décor and gardening supplies, but again, very pricy. $ 24 for a weeder?! Really? Those things are less than $ 10 anywhere else.
All the checkouts were open and the wait was no more than 1 person deep. I walked out with two decorative grasses and 3 flower plants. The damage was $ 56. I don’t know if I got ripped off, but I know that if these plants die, I’ll be REALLY upset.

Being the definition of a non-​green thumb (it’s more of a cement colour) this place is fantastic. My knowledge of plants is horrible and as a new homeowner, I wanted to add some greenery (rather than the «brownery» that’s there now…) to my backyard.
The staff there patiently, gave me the best suggestions as to what to plant and would last the best. as well as maintenance I also asked another individual about mulch and how much we needed and gave us an estimate of what we need to put down. All the while being extremely patient and helpful with the barrage of questions that we had.
Now I don’t have the best knowledge of pricing here vs. other places, but just commenting on the extremely friendly and helpful nature of the staff here.
For a plant novice like me, it’s 2 green thumbs up!

I love this place. Every year at Christmas they have Santa on a Saturday and Sunday. We went for the second time this year. The Santa looks perfect and is super nice and patient. Mrs. Claus is there as a helper to hand out candy canes and take photos if you ask her. There is no professional photographer, but as long as you have your own camera you can take all the photos you want and not pay a ridiculous sum for prints. They had free popcorn and hot cider, two reindeer on loan from the zoo, and best of all there is no line.
They have a huge selection of Christmas trees and Christmas decorations. It’s like a winter wonderland in there.
The staff is knowledgeable and helpful, and while I’m not a gardener myself, I’m told their plants are great.

I think Plant World is big enough to justify the «world» part of its name. It sprawls over a huge swath of land, off a rather featureless section of Eglinton near Royal York Road. They have multiple greenhouse nurseries, as well as large outdoor areas which house pretty much any domestic plant, shrub or tree that I can think of.
The prices are a little higher than the average garden centre, but they make up for it by carrying harder-​to-​find varieties, and they have good seasonal promotions too. It’s best to have an idea what you want in advance, since it can be a bit tricky to track down an employee to help you out – especially if you come when it’s busy, like on weekends or when they have sales.