Harper's Garden Centre

I accidentally stumbled upon Harper's today while exploring the area (I'm from Oakville and didn't quite know where I was going). Despite being the off season and things being sparse, what selection they do have right now is really great and reasonably priced. Lots of beautiful, healthy succulents with some varieties that few others have at the moment, great tropicals, tiny ponytail palms that NO ONE ever has that small! Even good sized bonsais for a really good price! I scored some great looking plants off the 50% off rack that are perfectly healthy. I look forward to coming back in the spring when things are in full spring and see what it's really about!

Update: 4 years since leaving this review, I now live on the border of Ontario and Quebec but I stop by here everytime I’m in the area visiting family (every couple months or so). I still love this nursery and still have a brutal time not leaving with every plant. I love the lady that takes care of the plants, I assume she’s a manager and she has been there forever and she always takes a few minutes to chat - she feels like an old friend at this point. Well done Harper’s, even 6 hours away we’re still customers for life.

We went to Harper‘s on Saturday to get a Christmas tree and they had a fantastic selection. This is the third year we have gone. It was a wonderful experience. The trees are set up so you can see exactly what you’re getting. There are also a lot of Christmas decorations/supplies that you can buy and a nice campfire. Our family a great time.

Staff is great. Always get healthy plants. Selection is not typical. You will always find something you don't see anywhere else.

Good selection but service is not the best. Staff are aloof, not best on customer interaction.

Poor customer service
Unable to provide customer service to people over the phone.
Rude and disrespectful

Fantastic selection of healthy plants and even better staff. This place truly cares about the level of service and quality of the plants they sell.

Let’s start off at how huge this place is. You will find many things you love and didn’t know you needed. My plants are all super healthy months later from here. The prices are super fair and the staff here is just incredible. Highly knowledgeable and ready to share… they go above and beyond to find the right plant for you. It’s one of my fav garden centres in the GTA and beyond.

Took the 5C Meadowland and it dropped me practically at the door of this large, bright cheerful and well stocked greenhouse. On my return trip, I simply crossed Wilson again directly in front of the store. Very helpful and lovely staff person followed me after I received initial instructions from check out on how to locate the plants that I was after and she showed me exactly where it was at. In and out in under 7 minutes.

Spent 70$ on a Christmas tree and the worker didn’t cut the bottom of the tree. It’s now not taking any water and will be dead before Christmas. We were told it’s our fault for not noticing they didn’t do their jobs.

So much variety in plants and accessories now! Love the new coffee and snack cafe, which has gluten free options! Picked up my holiday plants and they are lovely!

I bought 4 big cedars to put in my garden from this centre. 1 year later they were dead. I phoned up to find out some advice about what could be wrong as I don't want to replace them over $900 worth of plants again. The nursery advisor basically told me that it is luck of the draw with plants when they are transplanted. He didn't ask me questions about soil conditions, context, placement, etc. He really just didn't even care. When I told him I was very unhappy with the advice given to me, he just shrugged it off and went silent. I don't think that buying expensive plants from this place is recommended, if that is the kind of assistance they are going to give!

I bought 4 big cedars to put in my garden from this centre. 1 year later they were dead. I phoned up to find out some advice about what could be wrong as I don't want to replace them over $900 worth of plants again. The nursery advisor basically told me that it is luck of the draw with plants when they are transplanted. He didn't ask me questions about soil conditions, context, placement, etc. He really just didn't even care. When I told him I was very unhappy with the advice given to me, he just shrugged it off and went silent. I don't think that buying expensive plants from this place is recommended, if that is the kind of assistance they are going to give!

Very helpful and experienced staff Anything you're looking for they usually have but it's good to call 1st.

Locked me in the parking lot overnight because they put brick infont of their entrances, came back to see only 30 minutes after closing

Great selection of annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, hostas. Great staff. Good prices. Lots of parking and really not that busy.

I wish I lived closer to Harper's. They always seem to have the best tropical prices & are the first ones to have trendy rare plants. Their instagram is always active & fun too. Big love!

Love this place! They have a great selection and friendly staff. Love their everbearing strawberries!

We drove to Harper’s in Ancaster to pick a very specific cultivar of a native tree that we couldn’t find anywhere else surrounding the GTA. Absolutely beautiful garden centre with super helpful, friendly staff. We were very lucky to meet Shane who is incredibly knowledgable and helpful, and who told us that they will be looking to expand their native plant offerings, which is very exciting since so many gardeners now are environmentally conscious and looking for more native species and “nativars” to bring into our gardens. Very highly recommend this garden centre!

Got help with choosing pet-friendly plants from knowledgeable staff, lots of space to move around inside, lots of selection.

Great nursery. Recently went to their plant swap which was super fun! They had a great clearance table where I got a philodendron squamiferum for an absolute steal!

Lovely selection of tropical houseplants! Also so thrilled to have finally got a string of turtles for a good prices too!

First time here and will definitely be back! Well worth the drive from cambridge. Plants were nice and full and very very healthy. Some excellent deals that are just mind blowing. I had to ask about the price on a vouple as it seemed too good to be true. Great choice of selection.

I love visiting Harpers! Their plant selection is huge. Lots of tropical plants, too. The prices are very reasonable, and they always have a sale going on. The best garden centre in the Hamilton area for sure.

Harpers is always at the top of our list. Sharon and Aldona are exceptional! They helped my preschooler re-pot his plant and were so kind and helpful! Taught us all about seedlings and gave us confidence to keep our stuff growing.

Thank you for making our day!

Sharon and Amy are awesome. There was a slight issue with a price discrepancy and they honoured the price for me. These ladies were lovely and efficient. Truly appreciate your help and can’t wait to come back in the future!

Harpers never disappoints with their HUGE selection of tropical plants, they have a lovely variety of ultra rare - rare plants and its always fun to visit even if you aren't getting anything.

Thanks to the lovely workers today I scored big on this Pink Princess Philodendron which has been on my wishlist for a long time now. I will always visit Harpers to complete my planty wishlist!

Great selection of plants and very knowledgeable and helpful staff. There are also a large selection of gorgeous planters to choose from

Really nice selection of landscaping and gardening supplies, both for ornamental and vegetable gardens. Prices are on the high end, but good quality too. Take advantage of seasonal sales and you can get good value for you dollar. The very knowledgeable and helpful staff are great for answering any questions too. I particularly like the selection of natural stone.

Have been here many times. An extensive collection of plants, trees and shrubs. It's a very popular and busy place so finding a parking spot takes patience but it's worth it. The prices are competitive.

It's an OK place.
Despite the staff abiding by the exemptions in the Hamilton mask by-law #20-155, the staff were sort-of helpful. They couldn't give an exact price on an item nor did they bothered to scan the item to even reveal the price to me, and also, the pricing isn't wonderful, but at least I did get what I was after.

Staff at Harpers garden centre were very helpful, prompt, knowledgeable and efficient. Wonderful selection of products too!

We have been going to Harper’s for a few years for our indoor and outdoor plant needs because we love the wide selection and the staff are friendly and very helpful. When we decided to do some front yard landscaping Alex and his team did an exceptional job. We had done some research beforehand on what we wanted done and Alex was very easy going and accommodating when we wanted an adjustment on the original plan. He even added in a few embellishments that really made our property stand out! We have received so many glowing compliments from neighbours and passersby about the work done on the property. The project was done quickly and the clean up was great. I would highly recommend using Harper’s Landscaping for any of your outdoor projects. Our home was definitely transformed!

Incredible tropical selection, beautiful healthy plants! We really enjoyed visiting with our dog!

Fantastic selection of annuals, perennials, trees, potted plants and pots etc. Flowers look fresh and great range of varieties.

Great garden centre with tons of selection on all kinds of plants, trees, cacti, flowers, etc. The soil and nutrient selection is great and I saw so many cute and trendy garden accessories, planters, pots and extras that caught my eye. I could spend a lot of time in this place! Love it. I will be back:)

Great selection, lots of basic and rare plants. Good staff and customer service, they made a mistake on my bill but handled it really well and got it all sorted. Great place!

The staff really makes the experience at Harpers. They are all so knowledgeable and friendly. There is an amazing selection of indoor and outdoor trees and plants, beautiful pots and hangers, water fountains and air plants. A visit to Harpers can really brighten your day!

Great garden center with a wide variety of healthy trees! I thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Harper's Garden Centre. A multitude of containers to choose from, an ample amount of flowers and hanging baskets as well. I enjoyed my first time at Harper's and can't wait to go back!

I totally love this Garden center it was so amazing the service was 100% on point. It's laid out nicely and organized and the offerings are beautiful. Anybody in this area I highly recommend this Garden center.

Love Harper's! Their tropical plant collection is massive and they have a lot of rare plants. Lots of outdoor gardening stuff too. Very affordable as well and they often have sales. Lots their plant pot selection too!

I’ve been going to Harpers for years now, but I have to say it’s becoming the place I trust for all my gardening questions, inspiration, healthy and beautiful species of perennials, annuals and conifers; and lastly for outstanding services and care provided by the professionals that work there. Everyone is always ready to help, friendly and they go far beyond caring to make sure you are happy. Such a beautiful experience to go to Harpers! I don’t get that same outstanding care from any other gardening centre, only Harpers in Ancaster.

Shopping at Harpers is great, with helpful, knowable staff at the location. I thought I would try their garden designer's service for a small garden at my home. After a conversation about scope and agreeing to design it and telling me the price, she said to send picts and more info, she then said the 400 words about my garden was too long to bother to read. She didn't think it was important to let me know the images didn't make it through the email. So, she just ignored me for 2 weeks till she finally called back and let me know she couldn't be bothered even to read the email. They decided they were too busy for my 10x12 garden. So my two stars is a courtesy vs for everyone else that works there, not the designer.

Fantastic garden center, a must for anyone seeking plants, gardening supplies, and all kinds of decoration for the garden.

They have a great selection of immediately plantable flowers, cacti, shrubs, even trees

Definitely a plus is the knowledgeable staff.

By the end of the season they will have a huge variety of plants both indoors and outdoors, as well as seed, fertilizer, and even pond/ aquarium supplies.

Cannot say enough good things about these guys. Very reasonably priced plants I drove from Waterloo which took about an hour and the curbside pickup was swift and efficient the plant babies were packed up wonderfully and I could tell these guys really care about their plants. They even added a complimentary gift with my purchase which I am so thankful and appreciative for! My new go to, favourite greenhouse! I cant wait to visit in person when things open up!

This garden centre is a bit far for me but it was totally worth the visit! If you are looking for rare gems I totally recommend this place!

Great Selection of pretty much anything you could want: annuals, perennials, trees and tropicals. Lots of really interesting and hard to find houseplants and they carry stuff for ponds as well! Im giving them 4 stars because some stuff if very pricy like the rare houseplants.

The plants were beautiful but they don't give any info about curb side pickup on their emails. Upon arriving every entrance was yellow taped off. So me and my sister assumed it was like take out and went past the tape and up to the door and they said there was no shopping in person. I told her we had an online order and I assumed it would be like any other take out spot you walk in mask on grab the items and leave. Not shopping just picking up. Well she emphasized you "CANT" come in and was pretty rude about it. After leaving we noticed a tiny cardboard sign that said curbside pickup and the number it wasn't obvious at all. I won't order from Harper's again because of how we treated. Hopefully they add the info in the emails or put more signs up with curbside pickup info on it. So they avoid having to be rude to customers again.

I very disappointed with customer service since old owners changed. I liked before and visited this garder center often but now the variety of plants poor, prices misleading and high without reason. It was my the best garden center and now I will avoid to go and not recommend to others. The worst customer service.

Great selection of house plants. However, they have a terrible case of spider mites, and are knowingly continuing to sell the plants without informing their patrons. I even saw them try and hide the webs and mites as a person payed. Very disappointed, and lost my trust.

Friendly staff, fair prices and somewhere I would always recommend to friends & family. Many people are unaware of the demand that the pandemic has created for plants which has driven up prices for certain plants. I don't understand why people can be so hurtful and negative sometimes. Its supply and demand that affects cost.keep up all the great work Harpers!

Great selection but the price for pots was a bit excessive, ended up getting the terra cotta pots and painting them. Prices for plants were very reasonable

DO NOT BUY! Buyer Beware!

I looked into the reviews below and some of them were made by their own staff to defend their pricing. Harper’s has changed.

I bought a prayer plant from Vermeers for $5, At Harper’s it was for $19! WOW. You go to Vandermeer and they’re even cheaper. They say they’re competitive with other nurseries but if you have been shopping for plants, you’ll realize Harper’s is the most expensive for the same pot size.plus they have pests. I absolutely do no recommend! I will never buy from them again! I used to be a weekly customer until I found out another nursery was selling the EXACT same plant in the same pot for 50% less. So much money wasted at Harpers.

This place has got it right. Great experience from the time you park your car right through to checkout. My plants were healthy all season and the garden looked amazing

Local, you can get all your gardening needs here.
Love this place. Wouldnt go anywhere else.

They are always welcoming and friendly and very knowledgeable.