Far West Nursery - Santa Cruz, California

Ysabella D.

I’ve come to Far West over a dozen times this past year, and usually every experience I have, is quite pleasant. However last week, my friend and I showed up at 4:38 (22 mins before closing) and were basically greeted with “hurry up it’s gonna get dark soon”.

We were there less than 10 minutes, and the entire time we were attempting to look around we could feel our presence was not wanted. They were hovering over my friend and I in what felt like attempts to rush us along. We left at 4:46, and they rushed to lock the gate up after us. If you want to close at 4:30, change your business hours to 4:30. It’s a bummer, had I actually been able to enjoy my visit, I likely would have left with double what I had on the cart.

Andres R. (.

I was very impressed with the quality of the plants, inventory, value, and tidiness of this nursery! Late Fall and Winter is the end of the season which means less variety and limited inventory. I feel they still had a great variety of plants throughout the nursery. I am looking forward to visiting this nursery in the Spring and Summer during the peak of grow season. It was easy to find and parking was ok since it was empty. The nursery itself was clean, organized, and almost all plants & products were labeled with common and botanical names! I will definitely be coming here again. It shot up to one of my favorite local nurseries. With all that said...why rate it a 3?!

Unfortunately, and especially during these difficult pandemic times, I expect customer service to be excellent at small businesses. We can easily go buy somewhere else. Customer service fell short when I first arrived and continued that way while I shopped around for nearly an hour. I got a greeting about 5 minutes after arriving and it was only a hello from a stranger after I said hello (ended up being an employee...or the owner for all I know). I didn't know if he was an employee or a customer leaving, just saying hi. There was no interaction afterward asking if I needed help to find anything. Not by a single person and there were apparently 3 employees present when I arrived. That was disappointing to get any help until I was ready to leave. After that, the interactions were cordial and pleasant. For that alone, I deducted 2 stars. I would be glad to update this review in the future. It would have taken 5 seconds to ask me with if I needed help. That would have been all I needed for a 5 star rating. I am not too local but local enough that I would be willing to make the 45 minute drive more often to spend my hard earned money here.

Harvey M.

Excellent selection. Knowledgeable staff. Fair prices. Browse the grounds for a very pleasant experience. A must visit if you are in the area.

Livi W.

Really great selection of plants and supplies, and at reasonable prices too. They had a killer selection of mature cacti for around $30, and I had just come from a different nursery that had very young and minimal selection of cacti for almost the same cost. Far West also has higher quality of plants that seem very healthy. Staff is also knowledgeable and friendly. Definitely worth the visit

Annie K.

This is a wonderful hidden gem! Hands down the friendliest team of plant experts and the most welcoming and reasonably priced nursery in Santa Cruz. Traci is a well of horticultural knowledge and really knows her plants! She gave me some excellent advice and went above and beyond to make sure I felt fully educated to care for my plants. Edgar was also very sweet and helped me to the car with my new ceramic pots! There is no hard sell happening here, just really wonderful friendly people who care a lot about plants and customer satisfaction! All plants looked healthy and happy and very well looked after too! Glad I found my new favourite nursery, I will be back!

Joy O.

I absolutely love this nursery! The selection of plants is amazing and the staff is so kind and helpful. A special thank you to Gretchen for sharing her knowledge and helping me choose plants for my dad's garden.

Mark S.

I've been making a point to shop there first for several years. While it doesn't provide the selection of big box stores, the service is superb. The folks there happily answer all my gardening questions competently and offer suggestions when asked.

Rob L.

Wonderful and extensive selection of plants available at this nursery. You never know what you will find!