Information on The Flower Factory

There is no better place for perennials for miles and miles around. On a busy Saturday in May their parking lot was filled with cars from several neighboring states. I met a couple from Chicago who said that they have nothing in that large urban area that offers the selection found at the Flower Factory. The plants are extremely healthy and fairly priced. We found the staff to be extremely friendly, patient with our questions, and sophisticated in their knowledge. If you need extra attention, you may want to avoid busy weekends in May, because they do draw a crowd (and for good reason).

The biggest plus The Flower Factory offers is their stunning variety of plants that you won't find at many other nurseries. Shade staples? Got 'em. Woodland wildflowers? Got 'em. Prairie plants? Got 'em. Hostas? Daylilies? Yes. And overall the prices are good (although be wary of tiny, shallow-rooted plants sold in gallon containers for gallon container prices. This seems to be a nursery trend in general.)

On the downside, the layout of the nursery can make finding what you're looking for somewhat tedious. ID tags can be a bit difficult to read and/or decipher, so you do have to know what you're looking at and, more importantly, what you're looking for. I'm a well-read (if not overly experienced) gardener, so I got along with The Flower Factory just fine. I do worry, though, that folks who don't know exactly what they're looking for or need assistance picking plants might not get a lot of help from the staff, who seemed scarce, harried, and not particularly friendly.

Bottom line: Experienced gardeners will likely want to give The Flower Factory a look just for the enormous plant variety. New gardeners who don't mind browsing and selecting plants without help should also do okay. Anyone looking for hand-holding or special assistance will probably be disappointed.

Frankly, I'm surprised with the negative reviews that were given to the F.F. I am a "transplant" myself from upper WI, and this place blows away anything else I have yet to see--and it is a passion of mine to go far and wide to see anything to do with gardens/perennials. They have an outstanding choice of plants and I rarely see one that looks too peaked, unless we've had horridly hot weather. The staff has always been very friendly and willing to help me out when I come in to identify a plant I have long lost a tag for. I have not had to wait for checkout. My favorites are their daylillies, heuchera, large variety of coneflowers, and the Hostas. I think it should be on anyones list to come visit--and bring the credit card and a good sized vehicle...you'll need it.

I have been a customer for 10 years. At first, I was excited about the variety and quality. But no more. For the past 3 years I have purchased far too many plants that are NOT well rooted. At first I thought it was just the plants I bought late in the season - put out for sale just so they didn't have to keep them over winter. But the same thing happened this spring. When I turned the pot over in may hand before planting, all the dirt fell out to reveal a tiny clump of roots. A $7 Tiarella doesn't seem like such a reasonable price when I have 5 languishing in my garden. My experience has been that plants that aren't well rooted don't usually survive the first winter. I no longer recommend the Flower Factory to anyone.

I was very happy with my experiences with The Flower Factory last year. They have a huge variety of plants and very knowledgeable people. It can be overwhelming because there are so many things to pick from but it's well worth it. The staff were very helpful; I had some questions about a plant growing at home that I hadn't bought from them...they identified it and gave me all the answers I needed. A great place and people!

I have never been to their retail store, but have bought plants from their stall at the Dane County Farmer's Market. They had a nice selection of very choice perennials, reasonably priced and very healthy.

I liked this place. The selection is way better than most and it has some real life plantings of plants sold. Luckily they have a list of where the plants are because it can be confusing. The prices are reasonable for the plants offered.

A good example of a business growing too fast. I used to like this place. Plant staff were hard to find even at the checkout during the week....although this complaint is not new. The staff I did see looked unhappy, overworked or both. Plant material did not seem to be well taken care of. Some were seriously overgrown, others underwatered. Despite the fact that it was still May, they either didn't have or sold out of the perennials I wanted.

I found healthy plants at a local nursery.

And aren't you sick of David asking you to come out to the FF because they need the money?????

Have "grown" with Flower Factory for years. I love the variety and knowledge available. It is great to find a local center that has the healthy, hardy plants that I need and haven't have them trucked in from somewhere else.
My garden is quite full with plants that have come from there.
They are also at the Dane County Farmers Market., Sat mornings-Capitol Square in Madison WI

The selection of plants is wonderful, but can be overwhelming unless you know ahead of time what to expect. Plan to spend lots of time here, and wear good walking shoes!

This place has a huge selection of plants. If you adore the hard to find plant, this is the place for you. The prices are fair, the staff knowlegeable, not as friendly as some in the area, but the plant selection is the best anywhere. If you plant it, they have it. Can be overwhelming to the novice! Worth the trip.