Merrifield Garden Center

One of my favorite places to come to in the summer. Merrifield Garden Center has been in Dunn Loring since I can remember and it’s no wonder why they’ve been so successful. To say that the flower and plant assortments are abundant is an understatement. I usually grow peppers and herbs in my garden and Merrifield usually has exactly what I need, and if they don’t I know there will be a nice rotation further into the summer.

I come here all the time in the Summer! As a child, I would always get the free lollipops and the popcorn. I still sometimes go and grab some popcorn! It’s such a nice gesture for them to give out free food to their customers.
The Garden Center has an interior with cool seed packets, gardening tools, and then a side interior room that has the Christmas items and ornaments and décor that is there year round and open year round as well. They always have such cool gifts and little things to buy. I always go to get gifts for friends and family.
The Exterior is extensive! There is a section for flowers, for ferns, for plants, for big plants, for cactus, and more! There is always such a nice variety and section!
Whenever I’ve gone here, it’s always been super clean and the customer service is always super helpful and I can always find what I am looking for! Even if the specific person doesn’t know, they quickly contact someone who does know.

It’s not the closest garden center, or the cheapest around. But I’d gladly make the trip (and do, several times a season) for the great selection and fantastic customer service. Justin was a huge help this morning, looking at photos of our problem area, asking questions and making recommendations to address our needs. They even offer a military discount and put plastic down in your car before loading it for you!

I needed 7 silver king euonymus shrubs. Merrifield Garden Center has always been the best nursery in Northern Va. They ALWAYS have the best selection and the healthiest plants then their competitors. They did extensive landscaping for me two years ago and the designer, Philip Holland, did an amazing job. Today, I was warmly greeted by Christine M. in the shrub section of the nursery. She personally helped me select my shrubs and efficiently answered all of my questions. She made my task very enjoyable and easy which I greatly appreciate. She was excellent! Again, Merrifield saved the day for me!!!

Great selection. Some staff is very nice and knowledgable, however, 75% of the time when you ask for a specific plant, the staff – before helping you look – will flat out recommend something else… that may be useful when someone says «i’m looking for something that…», HOWEVER, when you have the latin name along with a PDF on your phone of a plant you have already researched, the last thing you need to hear is, «you should buy THIS plant!!!» (I’m sure they mean well, but please don’t assume ALL of your customers are idiots who don’t know anything!)

We had such a nice time here! The layout is beautiful and the staff was SOO helpful. We came in with no idea what we needed, and left with everything we needed in order to turn our balcony into a little garden retreat. A little pricey. but totally worth the trip.

I purchased a Dogwood tree to replace one in my front yard that had died. Great selection, great customer service. The planting crew was exceptional and very professional. Can be a bit pricey but that is to be expected in this area.

Excellent garden center! The staff provided me with quality customer service and helped me explore their large inventory. Jack made sure to help me find exactly what I was looking for and Brian surprised me by offering me suite level tickets to the Wizards game that evening. I will be sure to come back for another shopping spree!

Desperately needed a replacement shovel after a big blizzard that dumped 3′ of snow here in early February. Home Depot was totally out of shovels with that wonderful backsaving bend! Stopped by the garden center hoping they had a decent selection, but the stock was down to one type which I bought, despite suspecting it could be too unwieldy for me loaded with snow. I am hoping I won’t need to use it, but you never can predict if there will be a late season snowfall.
Everyone at this store was very pleasant and eager to help. I noticed they already had a lot of early spring weed and soil prep mixes in stock. (Sadly, I saw the same shovel later in the day at Safeway Foods, priced considerably lower. Honestly, I didn’t even think of searching the local food store).

Although I’ve bought plants from here during the growing season, and they have a huuuuge selection to chose from, my review is focused on Merrifield’s unmatched Christmas offerings.
Right before the Christmas season the staff of the expansive nursery set up a huge Christmas market under heated tents. The market is a delight, with a piano player setting a festive tone for customers to mill around exquisitely lighted and decorated trees with all kinds of baubles and unique decorative items for sale. Where else can you buy your baubles, garlands, candles, and decorations while sipping punch, noshing on sugar cookies, listening to live music, and smelling the fresh scent of fresh cut pine?
For all ye who go shopping at Michael’s for Christmas trimmings, you are missing out on the finest aspects of life. Here is the business you want to patronize for your festive decoration needs.
Outside the tent, the staff are making up decorative boughs of fresh firs, cedars, pines, and boxwood for your door and window boxes. I received excellent assistance in making an advent wreath from a staff member who pointed me in the direction of wreath frame, appropriate candles, potential ideas for decoration, and advice on how best to layer materials. This lady went out of her way to be helpful and supportive. She also found me hardware from their metal framing and trellis section, a Shepherd’s Hook from which to hang a heavy lantern.
With their vast selection of items, their focus on customer experience, I would gladly drive an extra mile to shop at this wonderful nursery. You are guaranteed to have a good time here. You are also guaranteed to enjoy your decorations more because you found them at a real people-​powered market, rather than a national chain store which sells cheap Chinese junk under artificial lighting.

Wow… That is very generous of you Ariana and Kevin to offer to pick up the plants. I just returned the plants and I asked for store credit because I’m going to return, hopefully many times. I’m very happy with your attention to my issue, and I’m very happy with the resolution. I’m still disappointed, however, that there was not a sign that you do not accept perennial returns. It’s printed on the back of your receipt, but customers get the receipt after paying. May I suggest a sign at the register? Or if you have one, maybe have the cashier point it out if the purchase contains such items? Just to save yourselves the hassle of having to deal with customers like me who are too busy to think. Many many thanks for returning my stuff.

Had an awesome and great time looking thru all of the inside and outside display areas the other day. Merrifield garden Center is clean and well organized and (&) the staff and management are always very friendly and helpful, they are not Crude and disrespectful at all, the mums are well taken care of as well. :)

If you have a chance to buy you plants somewhere else, please do. Merrifield Garden Center has sold us one plant with white worms (we thing they were maggots) for $ 69.99 in it and another that died within 90 days of buying it at $ 49.99. They don’t care and basically told us off. They have the worst customer service on earth, and the highest prices in the area. Why buy from them when you have so many choices that are nicer and cheaper. Best of luck to you Merrifield Garden Center but you have lost a few customers today. Are the knowledgeable about plants «Yes» but they have gone from being a mom and pop store to a huge firm that sells inferior products for the same high end prices. Eventually your actions will catch up with you Merrifield Garden Center.

Completely disagree that Merrifield is even close to a «gold standard» of anything. Homestead Gardens is the place to go if you really want people who are a) knowledgable about gardening B) friendly /​customer service oriented and c) who stand by their product.
Merrifield is overpriced (you can get the same quality of plants (perennials and annuals) from lowes/​Home Depot.
For example… This spring I was convinced by a Merrifield employee that I should buy astilbe for my shaded bed areas. I bought 8 of them from Merrifield ($ 25/​plant) and another 4 from Home Depot ($ 10/​plant. All 8 of the plants purchased Merrifield died before the fall. The Home Depot plants survived. I was under the impression Merrifield stood by their product (and also their advice).
When I dug up the 8 dead astilbe and took them back — with receipt to Merrifield– I was told the only thing they’ll refund are trees. They also told me it was just a «bad year» for astilbe Seriously??? The hone depot ines seemed to thrive just fine. Also If a Home Depot annual dies — they refund your money.
Again… It’s worth the drive to homestead for actual expert advice… And better quality at much cheaper prices at Home Depot.

We used Merrifield Garden Center for a large, expensive landscaping project of our front and backyards. Our designer was very easy to work with and developed a design that suited what we were looking for. While there were some minor hiccups between design to completion — including out noticing that we had been overcharged significantly for a tree without being told about it – we were generally happy with how everything turned out, though Merrifield was one of our more expensive bids.
About a year and a half after the project was completed, we noticed a handful of the plants had started to die off even though we water religiously. We called Merrifield to ask whether they might be able to replace them, but were told their warranty only lasts a year. For what we spent on our project, we feel nickel and dimed.

We have shopped at Merrifield before. The selection is wide. But this latest experience has turned me off for good. We ordered a tree over Labor Day weekend. We paid $ 200 for planting. We got a call at the end of the week saying we had been undercharged. They explained that their planting fee is proportional — 65% of the cost of the tree or shrub! Two-​hundred was only the minimum charge.
We canceled our order. I think the idea that a more expensive tree costs that much more to plant is ridiculous. And I’m shocked that they were asking to charge us significantly more that far after we had paid.
If you’re going to buy a tree or shrub and need it planted, know that the sticker price isn’t at all close to what you’ll be paying.
UPDATE:
The manager who replied to my post helped me get a tree for the price I had originally paid for delivery. When I went back, I was told the tree that the earlier employee had said would work in my yard wouldn’t. But the manager spoke to his horticulturalist and we found a tree that would work that was similar (but a bit smaller) than the original.
It ended up taking way too many trips to get this all resolved, but I am glad I went through with it. I like my tree.

Merrifield is the gold standard of nurseries in the metro area, and for good reason. The selection, quality, and customer service cannot be beat.
That said, they’re pricey. Very pricey. While I realize that the best comes at a cost, sometimes these prices are exorbitant. Most recently, I had a surprise when I visited to purchase another five-​foot-​tall fiddle-​leaf fig tree like the one I had purchased exactly 16 months ago. I was able to locate an identical plant that was the same species, the same height, and in the same size pot. However, rather than being the $ 52.99 that I paid for my previous plant, this one was $ 189.99. I realize that over the period of nearly a year and a half that price changes occur. There’s inflation, changes in supply and demand, and market fluctuations. But this is a common houseplant and the cost nearly quadrupled. I promptly drove to Home Depot and bought an equally nice four-​foot rubber tree for $ 14.99 (that would be ¹⁄₁₃ the price of the fiddle-​leaf fig).

Excellent selection, excellent knowledge of plants and service. Only gripe is that the cost of planting supplies is quite high to me, but I’ll definitely be back for the plants. They are clearly great growers, all plants are healthy and sturdy looking.

Love this place for the selection and the beautiful flowers. It’s so much fun to peruse around and learn about gardening… Especially since I just moved into my first home and this is my first time attempting gardening, it’s helpful that the staff are so friendly and helpful. Didn’t give 5 stars because it’s pricey.

They wanted $ 75 up front just to come to our home and give an estimate on landscaping. They are the only firm who wanted this kind of fee. Everyone else we called was happy to give us an estimate at no charge.
Needless to say we Re not hiring Merrifield.