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| - I've been to just about all the Summerwinds in the greater Phoenix area, and this one in particular is an honest middle of the road for me. I really want to give 3.5 stars, but since half-stars aren't allowed, I will call it 3-stars for now.
When I hop nurseries in my off time, I'm typically looking for succulents and some desert plants, i.e. things that will thrive in our ridiculous climate out here. In that regard, I am rarely disappointed by their selection. There's often a plethora of choices when it comes to agave, one of my weaknesses, and also smaller, ground cover succulents and aloes. What's more, I often find new stuff cropping up, rather than the same old plants being re-stocked. They also tend to have some odd-ball things now and then, like variegated A. murpheyi, some A. tequilana 'sunrise' and I recently picked up some A. parryi v. hauchucensis as well as a very nice A. havardiana, both for what I consider to be very competitive prices. They've also had a couple selections of A. ovatifolia, including the ubiquitous 'Vanzie' clone (not named on the tag, but obvious from the growth habit).
In terms of layout, this place is somewhat typical of the SummerWinds chain, part indoors (mainly the supplies, chemicals, tools and so on) and part outdoor retail area. A good portion of it is heavily shaded from above, so you won't fry while perusing perennials, hedge plants, ground cover or roses. They also have a good selection of pottery here and a few odd bits of statuary, but most of that is uncovered and out in the blazing sun. The only other thing that is really out in full sun is most of the agave and just about all the cacti. If you're looking for either of those, go when there's some cloud cover or go early in the day, otherwise the experience is not pleasant, especially in the warmer months. I understand these guys need a lot of sun, but I dare say they are getting a bit too much, even for these desert plants.
That actually brings me to another point. You need to be careful with your agave purchases at this location, at least as of right now. I have found numerous plants with signs of what is almost assuredly agave mite infestation, and it seems to be spreading through the open stock, now that we're in the summer months when they are most active. Much of the A. americana seems to be showing tell-tale tract marks, lesions and staining near the base of the leaves. Additionally, there's a nice batch of A. bovicornuta that recently came in, almost all of them showing signs of infestation. They have since spread it to the A. salmiana directly adjacent to them, which is an absolute shame as those were well grown plants when they originally arrived some time ago. Treatment is expensive (look up the price on Forbid-4F!), so I understand why they are hesitant to treat with an effective miticide, but why not at least quarantine the infested plants? No customer with their heard screwed on straight would buy them, and if you're offering a warranty, it's a claim waiting to happen. Far better to send it back to the distributor or just buy some miticide, treat them out back and put them back in circulation when they're clean. That I see it spreading between plants betrays the fact that no treatment has been done, or at least not an effective one.
It's a shame, and gives me pause when making purchase decisions. I really try to limit myself to only buying clean looking plants with no symptoms, displayed far from the obviously sick agave. A customer shouldn't have triage your plants like that, and this is the primary reason I give them 3 stars instead of 4.
That said, if you're not looking for agave, I have not noticed any other issues. And, again, there are some gems to be found here that are free and clear of any mites. I've picked up numerous things, and none of them (knock on wood) have come back to bite me with a mite infestation cropping up. For anyone with a collection or planning to add several varieties of agave to their landscape, please be do your homework on agave mite and know what to watch for, before making a purchase here.
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