One of the few remaining garden shops in the city, Chelsea Gardens has moved around like a gypsy over the past 10 years expanding and contracting as their fortunes rose and fell -- and real estate has grown pricier.
They seem to be settled now. Notable for their great selection and knowledgeable service - which is thin on the weekends, Chelsea offers a large selection of indoor and outdoor plants, along with furniture, soil and everything you need to keep your plants happy and healthy.
I live nearby and have a garden but I rarely use Chelsea Garden Center. It's true, their prices are sky-high. The service is friendly but hard to actually experience. On the weekend, the few staff are spread very thin.
I order plants from White Flower Farm (www.whiteflowerfarm.com) and shop the Union Sq market instead.
For bigger projects, rent a car (a lovely Ford Escape, perhaps) and head to New Jersey. They don't call it the Garden State for nuttin'.
www.bbg.org
It's too late for this year, but the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has an outrageous plant sale every May. It's worth getting a membership just to get in early. Great prices, enormous selection with lots of fabulously weird specialty plants, AND genius advice from the hardcore BBG volunteers. Nowhere else will an elderly and charming retired botanist be available to discuss the needs of your ferns!
Year-round their gift shop sells a smaller selection of seasonal plants, and is a great resource for picking up an orchid or bonsai tree. You get healthy plants, AND your money goes to keep a beautiful garden going!
I think the Bronx Botanical Garden has that same kind of plant sale, too.
I had seen some bamboo fencing in a Miami Home Depot (6"x15') for around $18. I thought I would like to use some on my NYC balcony and found the same product at the Chelsea Garden Center for over $200. That's a lot of markup for friendly service. More like a friendly mugging!
This is directed to Gary Trout, Which Miami home depot store did you see this bamboo fencing. I'm looking for some at a good price!!! Thank you!!