GANIM'S GARDEN CTR

Before I went into Ganim's, I knew virtually nothing about gardening, landscaping, etc. All I had were some pictures I had pinned on Pinterest, ideas that I wanted to try. My husband and I met with Kevin (we didn't have an appointment, just said we needed help and he offered) for over an hour. He was beyond helpful. Rather than brushing us off or leading us to super expensive plants and then tossing us a pamphlet, Kevin gave us his undivided attention. He looked through our pictures and made suggestions, being careful about price and effort involved. He took the time to explain what I now realize was the most basic planting information--dig a hole double the size of the root ball, use a soil builder, etc. He hand-picked every plant based on our pictures and our tastes. Then he carefully went over how to plant and maintain each plant. He helped us decide where to place each plant and flower (we brought in pictures of the bare flower beds), and he had a great eye for design. 
As for the actual products, couldn't be happier with the quality. Each plant has "made it," and that's with two people who have killed every flower or plant they've ever tried to grow before! Kevin asked questions about the sun/shade of our yard, soil, etc. and helped us pick plants that would work. And they have held up. I am especially impressed with the BUMPER CROP - the soil building product that we pretty much bought in bulk as we built our landscaping. Talk about a great product--it really does make "eh" soil more hospitable for plants!
I've been back to Ganim's many times since we first walked in and talked to Kevin, and I've worked with several different employees. They have different demeanors (some are more friendly than others), but all are extremely knowledgeable. I've gone in with pictures of plants to ask what the problem was (powdery mildew, I learned) and how to fix it (a product called Infuse). I am a big believer in Googling things, and that has helped. But it's really nice to be able to walk into a store and ask a human being for personalized advice. I really like this place and prefer it to the Home Depot garden center. highly recommend for green thumbs and novice gardeners--they really have it all here.