Yard 'n Garden Land Inc — Local services in Vancouver

I had scheduled a delivery of 10 cubic yards to fill in some pot holes in an access road as well as spreading some gravel around the pavilion. I had scheduled it for Saturday afternoon but was called by Yard and Garden Land and asked if they could deliver it early and it 2 loads because they did not have a truck big enough for all 10 yards. (I wish they would have told me this prior to taking our order, it might have solved a lot of problems.) I scrambled making phone calls trying to make sure there would be someone at the field to direct where to dump the gravel. After ensuring that someone would be there I called Yard and Garden Land and was told they would be leaving in 10-15 minutes. At 12:22 I received a phone call from the Facilities manager of the fairgrounds stating that there was a load of gravel at the front gate (I should point out that I gave explicit instructions that the driver notify me by phone when they arrived so I could direct them where to go) the driver failed to do this. After 16 minutes, 12:38 PM, the dump truck still had not arrived so I called the facilities manager back but got no answer. I called again at 12:52 because the dump truck had still not arrived. At 12:53 pm I called Yard and Garden land to ask if they knew where the load of gravel was. They had no idea. At 1:11 pm the facilities manager called me wondering why I had called him twice. When I informed him the dump truck still had not arrived he told me he would call one of his workers and call me back. At 1:19 pm he called me back to tell me the worker told the driver to go to the 2nd ave entrance and took off. At 1:21 pm the driver of the gravel truck finally called for the first time after going to the wrong entrance a second time. Unfortunately I missed this call. I called him back 4 times starting at 1:26 pm. He never answered any of my calls. The driver finally showed up at the 2nd ave entrance at approximately 1:30 pm and dumped the gravel onto the access road. He left at approximately 1:40 pm to get the second load. I asked him how long till he returned. He said he had no idea. At 13:42 I called Yard and Garden land to ask if they would throw in and extra yard or two of rock to compensate me for the hassle and frustration I had endured. He said he would call me back after talking to the boss. At 1:54 Eric (I think that was his name) at Yard and Garden Land called me and told me that they would not be compensating me in anyway. I explained to him how the driver had explicit instructions to call me when he arrived at the fairgrounds and failed to do so. I explained to him how the driver was had vanished for approximately an hour and nobody could tell me what had happened to him or the load of gravel. I told him How unhappy I was with both the delivery service and the customer service I had received and I would like to talk to the boss (Mark). I was told the boss was operating the loader and could not talk. I told him I would be coming to the store later that afternoon to talk to Mark. At 2:47 I again had to call Yard and Garden Land because the second load of gravel had still not arrived. I was told the were loading up now and would be leaving in 10 – 15 minutes. At approximately 3:00 pm the load of gravel arrived and was dumped. I find it hard to believe that it takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel to Yard and Garden Land from the Fairgrounds, get a load of rock and travel back to the Fairgrounds. I went in at approximately 3:15 to talk to the owner Mark. When I tried to explain how unhappy I was with the service I received, he tried to tell me that his driver had called me but I never answered, when I tried to explain that it was only the second time that I missed the call he basically called me a liar, said that he had call logs then told me “we're done” and turned and walked away. I have never be called a liar by the owner of a company that I had done business with in the past. I encourage everyone on to not to business with this company. There are other companies that will...

The seasons change and I grow older. The years slip by like sand in the waves dissolving under one’s feet. I find myself wanting to sit in a garden surrounded by a cacophony of plants, the sounds of evening birds, of that invisible frog that calls to me from some small moist garden spot.

I suppose this is a sign of age, this growing urge to sit in the garden and just let the mind range.

Sunflowers and Morning Glories, Clematis, Irises of all kinds, giant Poppies, Nasturtiums, Rhubarb, Tomatoes of course… a wide variety, Calla Lilies, Tetrapanex, Artichokes, Ranunculus, Peonies, and Herbs, all wrapped in Hops and Virginia Creeper, until it is a wild little nest… mad but quiet and secure.

So I have been going to nurseries and wandering around to see what I can see, lots of nurseries, and man are they all as different as the seasons of the year. Some are snobby and some are meager in their offerings. Some are priced for the elite and some are more reasonable.

I’m not sure why Yard’n Garden fell last on the list in my explorations, but finally its day came and I ventured out like an old pirate in search of stolen gold.

It did not disappoint. It seemed to me that the place not only had more plants of wild variety, but the staff seemed happily intent on their duties and everything seemed to be thriving. More plants and varieties than anywhere else I have found.

I kind of regret having come here last, it would have served my purposes admirably. The strange red Hibiscus, the Sage, Japanese Irises, and a spearmint with large soft leaves, which I love to stroke like a lovers hand briefly every time I pass.

So this is the one. The city of plants, the hand that feeds. It is the vibrant oasis hidden in plain sight. I can only imagine how many homes it has transformed, how many old folks find respite by sitting in gardens it has fed.

I have room for nothing else, but knowing me I will still find magical plants and fit them...

I like the convenience of the location and their selection. There prices reflect their convenience. When I've compared their prices to Amazon for fungicide, they are within a couple of dollars. Their plants seems to be of good quality, my test being that so far none of the ones I have purchased have died. However, they receive 2 stars from me, because their cashiers are awful. They are combative when asking about prices or even the location of something in the store. And don't even bother having them take you to it. The women who work during the day around noon do not seem very knowledgeable about plants and how to take care of them (speaking specifically about indoor plants, which granted they don't have a large variety in comparison to outdoor plants) and most importantly, they could care less about cashing you out. I refuse to return to this store after being treated like a bug on the floor the last couple of times I've been there. When I went two weeks ago, I didn't even bother to ask questions about what I was looking for- I just spent 10 minutes trying to find it. Not one person approached me while I was aimlessly searching, btw. But their evident lack of customer service when processing payment is what has soured my opinion of...