Pike Nurseries

In the midst of refining my black thumb I found a love for Pike Nurseries. I have a true love for growing things and want so badly to be a good plant mom. Being close in proximity, I frequent this location and can honestly say I have that warm, fuzzy feeling when I think of my experience. Not only is the store well kept with a wide selection of inspiring greenery for plant lovers alike, the staff is overwhelmingly kind and knowledgable. Armed with tips and know-​how, the team at Pike helped morph my thumbs into, dare I say… a «lighter» green. Thank you, Pike!

So I have to admit that I was a little intimidated coming here today. Last time I tried to get a plant potted here was Mother’s Day 2015 and it was packed. Given that I am a plant newbie, the idea of another crowded experience made me dread coming.
Thankfully it was very quiet this morning when I went. I had two plants I wanted to get potted. So John at the store helped me find the appropriate plants. Though one of the ones I wanted was already sold, he referred me to another choice which worked. He hold me that one of the planters would contact me regarding when it would be completed.
Within an hour, I got a call from Steve who was one of the planters and I think he is also the owner. He mentioned that one of the pots would not work and suggested some other options. Then I returned with another pot which was smaller and thus decided on a smaller plant.
When I returned to pick up the plants, I did not like the larger plant potted because it was crooked and would be difficult to straighten out. Steve graciously offered to pot another plant for me right then and it worked. Yeah! Everyone working there that day was also nice and helpful in general.

How would you expect to be treated by a company if you were about to drop over $ 10,000.00 for products? Here is how I was treated by this location. I was turned away at the door ten minutes before closing. Then to top it off I left my car in a parking spot on the other end of the lot as far away from the building as I could get it and they toe it away. Now mind you there are 5 other cars parked right next to the building but they are not toed. Do I still want to spend $ 10,000.00 on plants with this company? Hell no. I will go to Home Depot where my property is respected and they understand customer service. I urge you to never use a pikes nursery for anything. There are so many other companies out there that are willing to go the extra mile in customer service. You would be foolish to settle for less. I was and ended up paying the price in time and unessacary costs for the towing company.

Pikes is my top day to day place for getting plants and just general plant-​lusting. I love this Pikes. I like all of them, but this one is just the one that makes me happiest. (Being fairly close to me doesn’t hurt of course.) Nice layout, excellent stuff, and some very knowledgeable staff — especially the flower gal (Catherine?) with the salt and pepper hair. She’s been able to point me to all sorts of specific plants I’ve asked about, and also been very good about quickly knowing when Pikes just doesn’t carry something (like Carolina sweet shrub.) I rarely go to Lowes or HD for actual plants — they have a lot, but a very limited, big box selection. Pikes has a much great range of stuff, and they try to buy from responsible growers. I’ve always been confident I’m getting healthy plants, grown by producers that do their best to limit their use of heavy chemicals.
Its a small perk, but the coffee machine really is nice too. I always stop for a little — makes me happy, and I have no doubt it helps the owners’ bottom line since it keeps me coming back.

So I have had two good experiences and 1 bad.
First the bad: Basically the person at the register was rude and couldn’t care less. Really got me angry.
Next the good: The manger there was super helpful in helping me find a few plants and a planter. Another time one girl was very knowledgeable about bonzai’s so i bought one! I love it :) She was super nice, helpful and friendly. Great for a local nursery in general.

Sure, this location is big, but I wasn’t impressed. Service wasn’t all that helpful. For friendly, knowledgeable service, I like Lowe’s and Home Depot. I was also not all that impressed with the flowers selection here, either. When I was there, I saw lots of rotting flowers! The plants I got at Lowe’s lasted much longer. I just don’t get the high reviews here. Overpriced for the quality.

I. Love. Christmas.
Especially when I get a tree (I have skipped it a year or two here and there, sadly). And when the Boy takes me to procure one and we get a beautiful one at a place where NPWH like Pike, even better.
Mom brought over a wreath for the door and a tree-​themed front door mat, and last night J and I went to Pike by my house to get this girl a tanenbaum. It is perfect! We got a bigger one than I thought, about 6ft, but it fits perfectly in my living room. The folks at Pike were so nice and helpful, tying the tree to my car, after trimming the bottom and top as we asked, etc. Oddly, though, they are currently out of lights with green cord– the cashier was nice enough to inform us that the ones we picked had white cord, so we decided to find lights elsewhere– so decoration will have to wait til we get lights first. And at something like $ 39, a deal.
It was my first visit to this particular Pike, as I usually go to the one on Roswell Rd when I ever do, but I shall definitely return for other flora needs!

Pike is my go to garden shop. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly, and helped me pick out plants that could thrive at my work where there are no windows. That’s right, not an ounce of real sunlight. They knew just what I needed, and those plants have been growing strong for six months now. Thanks Pike!

I really love going to Pike Nurseries for the selection and quality over the other nurseries nearby even though they are definitely on the pricier side. The staff have always been super knowledgeable, friendly, and on top of it– they know now that my green thumb is less than vibrant and are willing to help me determine why I’m struggling with my impending gardening before I jack it up. If all else fails, they have a godsend of a return policy. :)

I have been shopping at Pike Nurseries for years. The prices are higher, but I always thought the customer service was worth it. Unfortunately, Pike’s ridiculous return policy has driven me away for good. I can no longer justify shopping there. I recently spent over $ 200 at Pike on my tree, wreath and poinsettias. I bought several poinsettias, and two of them shriveled up within days. I tried to take them back, but Pike would have none of it. They actually blamed me, even though I explained that the other plants were thriving. I can’t believe Pike is so short-​sighted that they would throw away a long time customer over two little plants. Home Depot and Lowe’s have much better return policies. The bottom line is you can shop risk free at Home Depot or Lowe’s and pay less. Why go to Pike’s?

Confessions of a garden store junkie — I visit Pike and Home Depot at least once a week, and I’ll drive to Lowes and Hastings too. This review has been a real struggle to write since Atlanta natives always refer to «Pikes», not «Pike»!
Strengths:
** Pike’s customer service is up there with Hastings as the best in town. If you need to find a particular pest control product (they have a ton of options, organic and traditional) or help picking out the hardiest perennials, Pike’s team is happy to help and knowledgeable. They’ll also help you pick out an attractie assortment of plants that avoids my perpetual issue — schitzo garden effect.
** Selection is great. Pike has a consistent, varied, and dynamic selection of plants. They consistently have more options and more varieties than any other store in town (except Lowes for a few weeks in the early Spring). Pike has a great herb/​veggie selection, as well as perennials, ground covers, annuals, trees, shrubs, vines, bulbs, hard goods, you name it. The selection does not turn over as frequently as the big box stores, who tend to have fewer plants but change them out at least once per week.
** In stock status is great. Pike always looks put together, neat, and organized. The plants are in good condition.
** Facility is the best in Atlanta. Most areas are covered so rain or burning heat aren’t issues, unlike Hastings, which I always seem to end up visiting while it’s raining.
** Pike’s has landscape design services, which I haven’t used. There is a discount on plants when using the services.
** Pike has occasional sales, but I haven’t found them to be exceptional. You can check out their weekly flier online at
. They also have a reward program, but it’s nominal and doesn’t make up for the higher prices (below).
Weaknesses:
** Pricing at Pike is higher than the big box stores. They’re much closer for small containers, but for pots 1 gallon or larger, Pike will often be $ 8-​$ 10 more for comparable plants.
** Return policy. For some reason, Home Depot and Lowes will take back any dead plant within something like 6 months for a refund, and without a receipt they’ll take it back any time. I witnessed a lady return six pots with only dead leaves in them for a full credit with no receipt at the Home Depot. Wow! Basically, buying plants at the big box stores is risk free. Pike only has a 2 – 3 day return policy, and they require plants to be in sale-​able condition. While the Pike policy is completely reasonable, the big box policy is awesome for consumers.
Hope this helps! Pike at Lindbergh is definitely worth a visit for garden aficionados, especially if you’d like to talk to a knowledgeable sales associate. Happy gardening.

Lolita was dying. She was all young and pretty, attracting the attention of all. One day she started withering. Then came the jaundice. Was she not getting enough love and affection?
I literally walked in here with my orchid to get some help. Did you think I kept a young sex slave around? Sorry, I don’t play for the other team! The guy was quite helpful — asking questions, diagnosing the problems, and offering solutions. He was quite knowledgeable in what needed to be done and what items to get. Turns out she needed more nutrients, different soil/​bark, and a bigger pot.
This nursery had what I needed at a decent price. Their greenhouse is full of lovely plants and pots. The staff are friendly and helpful right off the bat. They seem to know everything about the plant and the different varieties of that plant just by looking at it.
Lolita is recovery quite nicely. She’ll be preening for everyone soon enough!