Harlow Gardens — Attraction in Tucson

Recently I commissioned Harlow Gardens to do a substantial amount of tree planting, tree replacement and irrigation addition and remediation. The firm was recommended to me by an associate; having been through 4 such organizations during our 4 years in this home, I was skeptical as those previous experiences had been from unsatisfactory to disastrous (in the case of Green Things). I had some exploratory discussions with Mr. Harlow (Bill) that were very encouraging and confidence building.

We collaborated in a scope of work which he documented very well. It became the plan for the budget, plant selection, manning, and so forth. Before it was finalized he made several visits to our home and ironed out successive details and made VERY SURE that he and I were on the same page. Cost & pricing were clear to my relief.

The job was staffed by several individuals that were very experienced (one had been with Harlow Gardens for 20+ years) and they were gentlemen, as well. I enjoyed communicating with them as did my wife.They worked diligently (during the Green Things engagement I called the owner to note that one of the staff was on the cell phone a lot and one of the others was bright but inexperienced-she said to me that she knew that! By that time it was clear that my project on the job training for the fellows!) and efficiently. Broke only for lunch; I appreciated their disciplined approach.

What was done was done properly.

Now for post-completion support & follow up. Prior to working with Harlow Gardens such a thing had not happened with other contractors.

Bill Harlow conducted it personally and attended to the "punch list" work, of which there was very little. He advised me the manner in which his firm stood behind the work. He further committed to driving across town to our NW location each quarter of the year, 4 times. QED!

Inasmuch as we are on 5 acres and developing what I describe as a "desert garden" I will be working with Harlow Gardens in the future.

As can be seen, compared to dismal experiences that preceded this I am very enthusiastic about this nursery and all of the many employees that I have had the pleasure of meeting/working with.

Since the initial project with Harlow Gardens, there have been two additional, which I think speaks for itself. The staff in the nursery are bright, helpful, and very knowledgeable about plants. Atmosphere is great! The installers that have been out to my home are likewise productive, intelligent and purposeful in going about their work....

I think Tucson is fortunate to have an enterprise like...

2 days ago between me, my sister and mom we purchased well over $120 worth of plants and accessories etc. I recommended this place to them from a previous plant I bought. Mind you, I am new to plants/gardening and received an adorable pot that I was super excited about and wanted him to have ‘hair’. Since I am new to plants and don’t know much about them, I transplanted this plant into this pot. It started to die the next day after purchasing/transplanting, I called spoke with someone on the phone they informed me to come in and it will not be a problem to replace or credit me, they would also help advise me on what I can do in the future.

I was happy about this because I do want to know what I could have done differently. It was a $9+ plant. Nothing crazy. I spoke with Gloria who was honestly very rude and condescending… laughed at me when I told her I cut the roots and transplanted it into this (adorable) pot. Said I killed it. Obviously, I know I did something wrong, I didn’t need to be ‘made fun of’ or laughed at because of it. I asked if I could get the same one or one she would recommend for this pot. She showed me one she would recommend and then stated you have to buy it. I informed her I spoke with someone who said they would replace or credit me. She stated because I killed it they would not honor. I asked to speak with a manager (apparently they don’t allow that) she called on my behalf laughed as she explained what I did and spoke with Debi. Debi informed her they would not honor/credit or even give me the plant she recommended (which was the same price) but they would give me a $4 succulent because I killed the plant.

I will not be buying anything else from this place. It was $9+ plant and I spent so much on other plants. Never would I have thought I would be made fun of for learning a new hobby but also humiliated in the store for killing the plant and not even getting to get credit for a plant I bought 2 days ago!!! Worst customer service...

Mr. Harlow,

You are a very unethical businessman and person. What you have been told by Tom is a lie and he knows it. You both will have to answer to your consciences. I know the truth and as God as my witness I did in no way lead Tom into believing I wanted the putting green covered by rock. During our walk through it was specifically shown to him what I wanted done to the small patch of worn chip green and no discussion of the current condition of the putting green was ever discussed. He made a mistake and is unwilling to admit it or his orders to the maintenance people were misinterpreted and he is covering for them. For you to infer the condition of the putting green demanded rock coverage is laughable.Thinking that you were a reasonable man and businessman I wasted my last two Thursdays getting estimates as I was willing to split the cost of replacement of the putting green. From the tone of your email it seems that you are unwilling to budge from the supposition that Tom may in fact errored in performing my request. The wording of your estimate says to remove the putting green "area" not the putting green period. That wording and Tom taking a sworn oath of truth is what is up for debate in a court of law. Send me a very detailed itemized bill and I will pay what I owe. As much as I would love to have my day in court to expose your dishonesty my time will not allow it. Upon receipt of your bill I will come to your business and give you a certified check in exchange for the final lien waiver release. It is an absolute travesty that you and your company are getting away with this...