Reviews of From The Potting Shed (Florist)

Cosi Neumann

My wedding flowers couldn't have been more perfect!! I spoke to a few florists early on, and most of them tried to push their own vision instead of listening to what my husband and I wanted. When we spoke to Elaine, she immediately understood the look we were going for and she and her team executed it flawlessly. Everything was absolutely stunning.

Berta Oliveira-Federau (CA)

Thank you so much Elaine and staff. Everything was absolutely beautiful at my daughters wedding on August 20, 2021. And the little extras you did were so much appreciated.

Riley Cassidy

We were very disappointed in the customer service we received from the Potting Shed regarding our wedding. The flowers were expensive and not what we expected. We are STILL waiting for a partial refund for missing floral arrangements, and the event passed a month ago. If you're getting married in Cambridge (E.V.O Kitchen, the Cambridge Mill, or Langdon Hall) consider a different floral company to save yourself a lot of stress. Our problems began when Elaine forgot about our flower consultation/party. This was touted as a special event where you could bring girlfriends and wine. I emailed her the day before to confirm since I hadn't heard from her in months (we discovered that Elaine is very communicative as she is waiting for your payment; then once she receives the money she virtually disappears). When we got to the flower party, Elaine was flustered and informed us she had forgotten. It was very busy that day because it was their open house; however I had travelled a long distance to attend the flower party, and I had no choice but to complete the consultation that day. It was not "special" whatsoever. On the wedding day, there were a number of issues. 1: My friend went to pick up the flowers for the wedding party at 12:30 p.m (I had pre-arranged this timing with the Potting Shed weeks prior). The flowers were not ready, and the staff made my friend wait in the car for 20 minutes because "they were finishing up the bouquets". We were on a timeline, and of course this pushed everything back, causing stress for my friend and the entire bridal party. 2: My bouquet was just ok in my opinion...I certainly wasn't awestruck. It was decently designed but not what I expected. It didn't include the flowers I had requested. I had specifically asked for lots of anenomes and queen anne's lace and and it was mostly greenery with one or two flowers poking out. Worst of all it lasted for about 45 minutes before it became completely wilted. It was so bad it couldn't even be used in photos. Our photographers were shocked at the poor quality. The corsages did not last long either, and those aren't cheap. It was a disappointment for my mother and mother in law to have wilted flowers on their wrists. 3: The mini garland on our seating chart looked like a wilted collection of weeds. This decoration cost $50, and I honestly could have gone into my backyard and picked better foliage. 4: There was NO flowers on the head table. We were supposed to have a beautiful display, and it was no where to be found. The other arrangements were nice enough, but again not as expected (my heart definitely fell when I saw hydrangeas- a flower that was never mentioned and one that I do not care for). 5: The greenery on the tables was sparse and not as per the invoice. There was also no greenery left for the wedding cake and the cake company had to pull some off the tables. Obviously we can't turn back time, but I expected Elaine to be reasonable in her attempt to rectify the situation. However, her customer service was very poor. I got in touch with Elaine the Monday following our wedding, and politely outlined my concerns. She sounded regretful and said she's get back to me with a resolution within a few days. This never happened. I texted her to follow up the following Tuesday and received no response. My husband called her that afternoon at 4 p.m and was met with a curt "we're closed". I texted her the next day (Wednesday) to a response that she was "sick in bed". Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I did not contact her again until Monday, two full weeks after our wedding. She never responded. I gave her one last chance the next day (Tuesday), texting her and asking her when we could talk. She finally returned my text with an email, with a poor excuse for why the flowers were inadequate. Other weddings the Potting Shed did on September 16 looked great, with tons of beautiful flowers (we could tell on Instagram and Facebook). Clearly they put more time and effort into some weddings over others. Very sad ours was put on the backburner.

Caitlin Bonaldo

Elaine and her team created a beautiful bouquet for our wedding in February. Elaine took our ideas and visions and ran with them! We couldn't have asked for more beautiful florals for the wedding party and of course our ceremony/reception location. We also took photos at The Potting Shed - what a perfect loxation! Highly recommend Elaine and all her talent!

Julia K.

Elaine and her 'buds' did an amazing job on our wedding flowers! They were absolutely stunning, and we heard so many wonderful comments about them from our guests. The colours were absolutely perfect and Elaine nailed it with the style and 'feel' of flowers I had talked to her about. A picture is worth a thousand words so here are some that show what a great job she did!! Thank you again Elaine, Julia and James Campbell Saturday August 19th The Cambridge Mill

Cheryl S

Elaine and her team were fantastic to work with! Our flowers for our wedding at Langdon Hall were GORGEOUS and exactly what I wanted. And I loved the fact that I was able to bring my wedding party and my mom/mother-in-law up a month before for our flower party :). I also ended up taking several workshops through From the Potting Shed and learned so many amazing skills. Highly recommend for both wedding florals and workshops/classes :).

Elf Gilmour

We were very disappointed with what we discussed and paid for and what they delivered. We asked for little to no greenery for the focal point flowers on the mantle and paid for flowers but the whole effect was greenery. The grand mothers wrist corsage was brown edged on the roses and looked so sad. Alot of details were missed such as the bridal toss bouquet which wasn't delivered. The cost of the flowers was expensive and we just did not get what we paid for

Donna Schmidt

As I sit to write this review I feel disappointed with our experience. We entered into agreement with From the Potting Shed to provide flowers for our daughter's wedding this past June. We had a concern about how the delivery and set-up was carried out on the wedding day. After the wedding, I communicated by email with Elaine and she said all the right things to acknowledge my concern. However, that's where the good experience ended. I emailed many times over the summer and into the fall to try and get her to respond and compensate me as she had agreed. Like Elaine, I'm a busy business owner, and that is why the way this unfolded saddens me all the more. I gave Elaine every opportunity to keep her commitment before I reviewed From the Potting Shed on a public review sight. But here I am this morning, doing the reviews on a public sight, because I feel that is all the recourse I have. I feel disrespected Elaine and I'm not the type of person that will take you to small claims court for the compensation you promised. You win. End of story. You don't need to compensate me financially as you agreed. I'm an unhappy customer. I won't be able to say anything positive about our experience with From the Potting Shed. It was within your control to bring this to a positive outcome and you chose not to. Respectfully submitted, Donna Schmidt

Carleigh Lewis

We had the most romantic, magical, fairytale wedding and we seriously couldn’t have asked for a better day. Everything went so smoothly, literally nothing went wrong. We were married at the Cambridge Mill, and we had Elaine, Nicole and her team create beautiful long tall centrepieces, and a beautiful garland for our head table filled with tons of flowers. Everything was perfect (including our bouquets). My biggest worry for my wedding was that the flowers were not going to turn out how I wanted them too, because I went on Google a week before and read all the bad reviews below. Scary right!? I had messaged Nicole and expressed my worries. Come the day of the wedding I took a sneak preview of the reception area and was in AWE! It was beautiful and they did everything perfectly. I was SO happy and received SOOOO many compliments on my flower decor. The flowers lasted ALL night including two days later (I took everything home and gave out the flowers to my neighbours). From The Potting Shed has high quality flowers, and the amount you pay is extremely reasonable. Thank you so much for all the hard work you guys put in. I loved it and would highly recommend this company to anyone.

Alex Rosano

The owner is very passionate, knowledgable and friendly, I had a wonderful time worth my mom and sister here

Olive Ojala

We hired Elaine for our wedding flowers and overall were not pleased with the level of service or professionalism. We booked them one year in advance and paid upfront; Elaine was enthusiastic about our vision but it always felt like we were just a number to her. I emailed a few times throughout the year before the wedding to go over some ideas, but they always responded by saying “we’ll talk about it at the flower party”. When our flower party came 2.5 weeks before the wedding we made a few changes, such as added an extra bridesmaid bouquet. Elaine was most concerned about getting paid for the changes, but she promised to send the revised flower plan the next day. We paid her that night (Aug 15) and didn’t see the revised plan until two weeks later (Aug 28), which was only a few days before our wedding. She had gotten a lot of our changes wrong (e.g. she didn’t have the extra bridesmaid bouquet), so I promptly emailed back to correct her. I also confirmed timing of delivery on the day, we were picking up the bouquets at 10AM and she was delivering the rest of the flowers to our venue at 2PM. Wedding Day: When we came to pick up the bouquets on the morning of our wedding they were not ready, and they had to scramble for an hour because they had STILL missed adding our extra bouquet. This threw off the morning because the bridal party was waiting on the bouquets for taking pictures. Furthermore, when they were late delivering to our venue by an hour, blamed traffic and were rude and unapologetic about it. No one could contact them, as there was no phone number listed online. This was a huge inconvenience for our baker, who was waiting on flowers for the cake, as well as added last minute stress for those setting up. They had multiple weddings booked on our same date, this may have contributed to the delays. I’m giving them two stars because the flowers were well priced and nice looking, but nothing makes up for the stress of mistakes on your wedding day.

Colin McCurdy

Beautiful flowers!

Tara Duarte

We purchased our flower arrangements from Elaine for our wedding back in December 2019. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous! With Elaine and her team, you are treated like gold from the first moment of your consultation, to the final day. I use to love visiting her stone cottage in Cambridge. When you decide to go with From the Potting Shed (and you will), you are greeting with warmth, and maybe a drink or two. We are now part of her bridal alumni group, and can't wait to be welcomed back for one of her events. The only hiccup we had was on our wedding day. There was an ice storm, and our flowers were delivered through a 3rd party. The delivery was late, and the person who dropped the flowers was rude towards my bridal party/parents, and did not set anything up which was part of what I was told would take place. Elaine rectified the situation by apologizing, and made it up by offering tickets to one of her events. My husband surprised me on our 1 year wedding anniversary with a replica of my bouquet in a floral arrangement, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Wish I had taken photos. The flowers were fresh, and lasted for a full week and a half.

Bren Irwin

We could not have been more happy with "From the Potting Shed"! Everyone was so friendly and helpful. I was so impressed with the set up of the flowers for our wedding (out in Owen Sound). From the Potting Shed went above and beyond. The flowers were gorgeous and despite the heat wave (39 C) they looked fresh throughout the entire day (and week according to the guests who brought flowers home). The flower party was a blast and a fun way to plan and come up with ideas for flowers before the wedding! We highly recommend them to anyone looking to have flowers at their event. It was so much fun planing our wedding with them. Thank you again!

Aisha Cowell

From The Potting Shed was the florist at my wedding last month; and everyone was blown away at how gorgeous not only the bouquets were, but the men's masculine boutineers and the garland for the head table, that is made to dry. It was such an easy experience from the start! I found the business on a random Instagram search, and the pictures do really convey the true workmanship that is done. I simply e-mailed the designer a handful of pictures of my ideas - and at one of my visits to "the flower farm", designs were put to life! Having their "floral party" a couple weeks before the wedding was a lot of fun!... You could basically have your bachelorette or bridal shower right then and there if you really wanted to! You easily feel like you've been friends forever! I highly recommend From The Potting Shed for your upcoming wedding, or even just to have a gorgeous floral arrangement for any occasion! Customized Floral Magic!; you will honestly feel like your wedding was staged for a magazine shoot.

Zoltan Komaromi

Great environment, a nice piece of nature. Recommended for photo sessions and for lovers of nature.

Melissa Herr

If you are looking for a fun day with your girls this is the place to go for the afternoon.

Alexandra Motts

Elaine is talented with flowers and floral design. She does not however honour her contracts. I lost 50% due to me. She insisted on instant 100% payment due one year before the event and with more than three months cancellation notice, did not honour her OWN contract. I cannot recommend a company that is only good at one part of doing business. Will be proceeding with small claims court.

Katrina Lee

READ THE REVIEWS!!!!

Carrigan Lee

Throughout my working experience for this business for three years 2012- 2015 I would go weeks- months without being paid after working 40+ hour work week. Elaine does an elegant job of designing flowers however I can no longer justify supporting her business when she repeatidly does not pay all of the staff who work for her. I have received all my earned wages since leaving however many of her staff right now are currently going unpaid, and some have been for a number of weeks.

Freyah O'Reilly

Amazing wedding flowers! Elaine is very creative, easy to talk to and does a fabulous job understanding your vision. Two of my good friends have used her for their weddings as well! Thank you Elaine!

wendi yates

Elaine's talents are numerous!

Christopher Climie

I had seen pieces from the potting shed at various events and they wowed me every time with their simple elegance. When it came time to plan for our wedding, i was able to convince my (now) husband to at least have a look at the place (he had his heart set on a family friend florist). He was just as taken back by the sheer subtle beauty of everything from the potting shed. Elaine, Nicole, Lauren, Edu and all the others bent over backwards and went BEYOND our wildest dreams. Elaine opened up her shop, and welcomed us to use it as the backdrop for our intimate wedding, providing everything we needed without leaving out any of the smallest details. We were so thrilled with our wedding, we had them come into our home and decorate for our summer garden social. Once again, we were beside ourselves with the level of quality and care that goes into every piece from the potting shed. Our entire relationship with from the potting shed has been a magical one. They have outdone themselves time and again, they have listened and understood our needs, they have created masterpieces to grace our events and they have done so every time with class, elegance, respect and care. There is no one else i would recommend, as there is no one else as suited to create the overwhelming beauty that comes from the potting shed.

Trista Di Lullo

Elaine and her team did a wonderful job on the flowers for our wedding at the Cambridge Mill in September 2015. She kept us relaxed, was easy to work with, and the florals she did were amazing. The centrepieces were bigger and more beautiful than I imagined! The Potting Shed also hosts "Bride Alumni" events which you can take part in after the wedding, which is something unique and a nice token of appreciation.

Julia Halar

Elaine did the flowers for my January wedding! Cala Lilies <3 She did a wonderful job! I even dried the garland and can't wait to use it next Christmas for our 1 yr anniversary. The flower party was a special treat. Her shop is absolutely charming, I can't wait to go back.

Trish Roy

Elaine and The Potting Shed did my wedding flowers 3 years ago. She totally captured the vision I had in my head. She was very accommodating to my requests and have great ideas on what types of flowers to use. My colours were orange and purple and represented the Fall theme. I still have the dried bouquet today! thanks Elaine for your experience and creativity! The Scarrows.

Graeme MacDonald

Would rate 0 stars if I could. Elaine Martin is a con artist and a thief, for your own sake: please do not go into business with her. She stole $4300 from my wife and I after we had to change our wedding plans due to covid, and refuses to refund us anything despite our contract stating we would be entitled to 50%. Won't post the whole story here as its a long one, but buyer beware. Do not give this women any of your money. There are many of us who have been ripped off and I'm sure there will be many, many more.

Sarah Power

Elaine is a pleasure to work with!! She finds out what you want and makes it happen within your budget. She has a real passion for what she does and loves doing it. Her work is reliable and FLAWLESS. We also didn't notice until after the our wedding that she even added little bags of water tied to each stem to ensure that the flowers and greenery would last longer! She really went above and beyond for our wedding. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for any kind of floral arrangement. We love Elaine and all the workers From the Potting Shed!!

K P

Day of wedding .. sent us wrong flowers. Grooms got correct flowers and besides party didn't, gave us a box w wrong name. Phone number is not correct, website looks like a virus and now brides crying

Lauren Dalton

We were so incredibly pleased with our wedding flowers From the Potting Shed. We ordered 3 garlands, a large arbour arrangement, multiple bouquets and centre piece arrangements, and more and it was all stunning! They nailed the look that we were going for. We got so many wonderful compliments about the flowers from our guests. 5 stars!! We would recommend From the Potting Shed to anyone!

Jill Summerhayes

Love this place, fun, relaxing, professional , educational and delicious, what more could a flower lover want?

Laura Boss

With a venue like Hacienda Sarria we didn't want to go overboard on decorations so we relied heavily on the flowers to spice up the decor. The Potting Shed delivered beautiful flowers, on time and set them up wonderfully. I was too busy getting ready upstairs to even know what was happening so it was a wonderful surprise for me to see them all the first time as I walked down the aisle. It was gorgeous. The ladies at TPS knew exactly what was necessary to help make the venue pop. Everyone there was in awe of them, especially the fireplace. They had recommended 2 15' garlands and I remember thinking that was going to be massive, but they knew what was necessary and I trusted their recommendation and I'm glad I did. It was the perfect backdrop. Very happy with them. The Flower Party before hand was great. I didn't really know anything about flowers and what all was required and trusted the experts. Glad I did. They know their stuff and were great to work with. Can't say enough good things. (I will admit that there were times when an email or two went unanswered, but a quick follow-up on my end usually solved that. They're a busy group and it shows in the quality of their work. High demand). Thank you for making our day extra beautiful.

Kristen Milmine

We had a great experience working with Elaine and her team for our wedding back in September. I had booked her about a year prior to our actual wedding and anytime I had any questions leading up to the day, either herself or Nicole (I believe she’s her general manager) were so prompt to get right back to me. We decided to go with a whole foliage look and the ladies From the Potting Shed embraced the idea right from the start and their excitement truly added to the whole experience of everything coming together. I’m extremely happy we had the pleasure of working with them and having them be apart of our big day. Xx

Marika Mendola

Do not book with this florist!!!! My bouquets were nothing like what I asked for, and it is my only regret of my wedding day!!! I emailed From the Potting Shed over a month ago about it and still haven't heard ANYTHING back, except junk emails trying to get more money from me by taking their workshops! Here is my experience: We had a lot of bumps in the road while planning our wedding, but we were very confident (maybe overly confident) in our floral pieces. After leaving my flower party, I felt so excited about the outcome and was thrilled to see my bouquets, centerpieces, etc. I re-iterated the fact that I didn't want ANY colour besides whites, ivories and a touch of champagne (if it was very light). I emphasized that I did NOT want silver dollar greenery or any muted green colour greenery, and preferred the more vibrant green such as ruscus (which were both specifially discussed at the flower party). Upon the arrival of my bridal and bridal party bouquets the morning of my wedding day, I sincerely questioned if we had received the wrong order. There were anemone flowers in all the bouquets, which had a dark blue centre and were very bold (a flower I feel should be discussed at the flower party), which I feel contradicted the white and green tones discussed previously. I was told I sent a photo that had anemones in the bouquet, but after viewing the photo among the many others I sent, there was one or two at the bottom of one of the photos. I had sent two images most recently of bouquets I loved, neither of which had anemone blooms in it. The gentleman came back and removed them from the bouquets, but then I had open spaces in the bouquets where they had been. The more disappointing and not-fixable problem was the greenery. There was NOT ONE stem of ruscus greenery in my bridesmaids' bouquets, as they all contained the muted green colour I specifically did not want. My bouquet was a combination of both, which was still disappointing. This dilemma caused me stress and tears, and took up most of my morning. As a result, I did not get any photos of myself and my bridal party together I bought robes for this specific photo over a year in advance), did not get to open and read the card from my groom, and had two minutes to give my bridesmaids and parents their gifts (I was literally telling them to 'hurry' and they didn't read their cards), all of which still cause me disappointment. The preparation of the flowers leading up to the wedding was the one thing that left me with no worries whatsoever, and ended up being the ONLY disappointment on the biggest day of my life. Still awaiting them to acknowledge this. They obviously don't care about their brides after they get their money.

Mike Shanks

Scam artist now running as School of Flowers

Brit Theis

I loved everything about what Elaine and her team did for our wedding! The bridesmaids, and my bouquets were amazing! Wild, lots of greenery and rich bright colours with very little blush tones (which I wanted to avoid), just as we discussed in our sit down – and she even managed to add in a protea, which was a last minute request on my end. From The Potting Shed also did the greenery around the Chuppah, which looked amazing in the setting on the Toronto Islands. My only wish is that there was someway to make them last forever!

Meagan Beveridge

The potting shed did our amazing flowers for our wedding this past Saturday. They were absolutely stunning, more then what I ever expected them to be. Thank you so much Elaine and the entire staff that helped make our special day gorgeous with the most amazing flowers.

Carrie Vanderloo

Elaine is an inspiration! Not only is she beyond talented, she's genuine, generous and her attention to detail is impeccable.

Leslie Anderson

We used From the Potting Shed for our wedding and Elaine and her team were incredible. It was really important for me to have locally sourced flowers with an elegant but natural vibe, and they put together the perfect package for us. Everything was flawless from start to finish. I can't recommend them enough!

Kelsey Bedford

I had a great experience with Elaine and From the Potting Shed. The flowers she made for my wedding were beyond what I had invisioned. She did such a great job with all the bouquets, boutioneirs and all they florals for the reception. I received many compliments on the from my guests as well. My father went to pick up the bouquets at 10 am as previously discussed and they were all ready when my dad arrived. They delivered the rest of the flowers to the venue and set it all up and it all looked fabulous! Could not have been happier with my flowers!! Thanks Elaine and team :)

Samantha Clark

Elaine and her team, specifically Lauren & Nicole, were a pleasure to work with. Their passion for their work and creating beautiful florals showed through in each interaction. I was blown away by their execution of my vision - it felt as though we were completely aligned as we planned the florals for my wedding day, and was not surprised to see my vision come to life on the actual day. If you are looking for garden style, lush florals - let Elaine and her team do their thing. You will not be disappointed. Also, the stone cottage is an absolute PLEASURE to visit. Pop in for a glass of wine and you will immediately feel relaxed!

Linda Vandenakker

I am waiting well over two years for Elaine to allow me to use the $125.00 certificate (that I purchased and that she still has the money for) for merchandise as classes are few and far between right now because of COVID. I have tried many, many times to contact her and she does not get back to you. I know it is only $125.00 compared to what a lot of reviewers on here are out but it is the principal of the matter.

Gillian Huber

Words can't express how happy I was with my wedding flowers. Elaine went above and beyond to make sure our flowers were perfect. The bouquets, centerpieces and garlands were bigger and more beautiful than I had imagined. Elaine is so accommodating and easy to work with. She knew exactly what I wanted and brought my vision to reality. I refer all newly engaged couples to her right away because she really is so talented - I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to do my wedding flowers. I have also been back to 2 private workshops - which I highly recommend. We did a family Christmas Wreath workshop in December and a flower arrangement for Mother's day in May. Such a fun time! Thank you Elaine and team!

Janelle Roarke

I had a very good experience with From the Potting Shed for my wedding! We required only bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and nosegays--no decorations--for our wedding, and we were treated with just as much enthusiasm as if we'd ordered full decor, which I appreciated! The flower party was a very unique and lovely touch as it was a great way to get together with the special people in my life to choose flowers and Elaine was very entertaining and fun to work with! My family adored her! Our flowers were delivered for the wedding on time and without issue. They were beautiful and I received many compliments on them. And peonies in December! WOW! Now for the "thing they can work on": When I was handed my bouquet on the wedding day, I had a moment of confusion as the bouquet was very unlike the photo I had shown to Elaine at the flower party. It was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it was not at all what I had described. It made me think that if I were a bride who was less flexible and depended on my flowers looking exactly how I had intended (especially if I had needed floral arrangements as centre pieces or decorations), I would have been disappointed. Luckily, the arrangement that was made for me was absolutely gorgeous so it worked out okay in my case! All-in-all, I'm a happy customer and would recommend From the Potting Shed to friends.

Stefanie Faria (New Town Images)

I recently attended the Weddings 101 workshop and absolutely loved it! Elaine is a gem! Such a pleasure to listen and learn from. She is extremely knowledgeable about florals and all things weddings! If you are a bride, look no further! From the Potting Shed is amazing!

Josh Oxley

Worst experience I have ever had with a small business. Would not recommend to anybody

Ana Antic

DO NOT RECOMMEND & BUYER BEWARE. I would give her 0 stars if I could. Elaine & From The Potting Shed (FTPS) promised to refund me then consistently lied & found every excuse possible to avoid providing me a refund. I got my money back after multiple requests, visiting in person, sending her a demand letter & saying I'd take her to small claims court if the $1,200 was not received in 24hrs. THE STORY: Sept. ‘20: I hired Elaine & she promised to refund me if we had to downsize because of the pandemic. After that it was incredibly difficult to get in contact with her. She took WEEKS to respond. She also makes you feel a sense of urgency by saying you’re lucky and she only has one spot left for your date. Be smarter than I was and do not fall for this. May ‘21: I asked her to confirm the refund over email and she back-tracked and said she wasn’t providing refunds… I then sent her copies of the email exchange. Sept. ‘21: She said I would receive my refund after my flower party later that month. She then ignored me and gave me an excuse to avoid giving me a refund after the party. The week leading up to my wedding I texted her daily and she ignored me all week then finally replied saying she was too caught up with other weddings and could not meet with the “bookkeeper’ until next week. Oct 14th: I went to Cambridge School of Flowers (CSF) which is her store front location where she holds the FTPS flower parties, to return the vases. The reviews on that page alone are enough to make you not want to hire her. There's complaints under the BBB too. ANYWAY, she conveniently was not at CSF when I came so I texted her asking for my refund & she replied saying now I would receive it the NEXT morning? I asked the woman working there for my refund, but she had no clue was I was talking about. I took the opportunity to ask her who the bookkeeper was, she looked confused & couldn’t answer. Elaine gave me the following excuses the next 3 days: She has a 24 hour etransfer limit. Refund will be sent Fri. Friday no money was sent and she said she’d check with her bookkeeper. I suggested she confirm my email spelling. She ignored me the rest of Friday after multiple phone calls and texts. Then on Sat. she responds saying it was a spelling issue. I never received the money after that. That same day I was on my way to CSF and when she saw me, she said UGH not this again which makes me think this is a regular occurrence. She proceeded to tell me for the 3rd day in a row that she had a 24hr etransfer limit, then she said it was a 30-day limit…then she said she didn’t have the funds…then she said she was waiting for the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper appears to be her refund-scapegoat. She used this excuse on me every time I asked for a refund. She finally left and came back with some money, but it wasn’t the full amount. Then she proceeded to tell me that I should be grateful that my wedding was beautiful & she did my flowers… like I should just forget about the money owed to me. I finally told her that I would be sending her a demand letter the next day if she did not give me the money owed right then and there and that I would be taking her to small claims. As promised, I sent the demand letter the next day and she finally sent the money within 24hrs. If you do hire her after reading this, please verify her math. She incorrectly added up the items listed on my floral plan and her total was higher than what it should’ve been. She also upped the delivery cost in my revised plan without telling me. Luckily, I caught it. After going through this I can say that the negative reviews here do not appear to be as inflated as I thought originally. She also called the police on me thinking it would scare me. If she does this just remember you’re not in the wrong, she is. The officer was extremely nice, understanding & gave me advice. I will end this by saying the flowers were not worth the money I paid. My centerpieces were supposed to be similar colors like my bouquets & the flowers were ALL white. She did not provide the service I paid for.

Eden Barkley

I had such an awesome experience with From the Potting Shed. They did the flowers for my wedding this past June and I couldn’t have been happier. Elaine and the whole team are so easy to communicate with and so much fun to be around. Lauren came up with a perfect floral plan for me and really listened to exactly what I wanted. They truly made my visions come to life! Highly recommend them to anyone.

Leah Caldwell

I hired From the Potting Shed for my fall 2017 wedding. They provided my bouquet, men's boutineers, woman's corsages and a floral crown. Although the flowers were beautiful, they were not what I had requested. I specifically stated no blue/purple and to focus on fall colours(Burgundy, orange, yellow, etc.). The boutineers and corsages were basically all blue, the floral crown was white and blue and my bouquet prominently featured blue flowers. In addition to not providing what I requested I found their communication leading up to the wedding awful and the "flower party" was a joke. I would not recommend FTPS to anyone

Chloe Desgroseilliers

My experience working with From The Potting Shed has been incredibly unprofessional and I am extremely disappointed. I signed up for one of their weekend retreats for which the enrollment fee was approximately $900. I never received confirmation that it was postponed, only finding out via Facebook a few days before I was supposed to be there. I I was relieved that Elaine offered to give me a full refund as I could not attend the new dates, and they had changed the workshop itinerary which I was no longer interested in. But So far it has been over two weeks, with a number of unanswered texts and no refund to be found. She will not pick up her phone. I am absolutely shocked that this has been my experience. I am not one to write negative reviews but I am out over $700 and did not even attend the workshop I paid for. If I could give 0 Stars, I would.

Dan Deller

Elaine and her team did the flowers for my wedding yesterday. She came recommended to me by my two sister in-laws. I read her reviews on here after committing and became nervous because at times the communication between us seemed brief and I wasn't sure what to expect. I made a make or break request without completely knowing what I was asking for. I had asked for 3 gardenia flowers in my bouquet, during a time when the gardenia plants weren't fully in bloom. She was honest and told me that it would be very difficult to fulfil that request. I called around to other florists to see if I could get some blooms, just in case, and not a single florist in the KW area was able to promise me 3 blooms during that time because of the plants seasonal blooming. So, I left it and accepted that I may or not may get the blooms. The morning of the wedding, my bouquet came in and it was just breathtakingly beautiful. Lo and behold, my 3 white gardenias were there and the smell was just amazing. The gardenia flower, once cut, starts to yellow within about 24 hours so the request I had made was not an easy one, but Elaine and her team had managed to deliver. On top of having fulfilled a difficult request, I received a gardenia plant free of charge as a gift. I was just blown away. Everything was delivered on time and nothing was left out. Our reception centrepieces were timeless, with various kinds of grapes mixed in with the flowers. Someone from every table mentioned the addition of the fruit to those centrepieces. So, my advice to you is this. Elaine is an artist, not just a florist. She comes by this artistry honestly and needs wiggle room to create these masterpieces she's known for. If you're the kind of bride who needs to control every detail or who needs constant reassurance, this florist may not be for you. However, if you're able to clearly communicate your vision and theme, and then trust her to deliver the day of you'll be very pleasantly surprised with how much more she can do when given the room to work. Elaine and team, thank you so much for creating a dreamy romantic setting for our wedding. I was 100% pleased with my wedding florals.

Tyler Slaney

Elaine has done the florals for many weddings and events I have worked. I always get excited when one of the couples I am working with chooses From The Potting Shed for their big day! The bouquets are stunning and I love to photograph them! My couples always rave about the expernce they had with her! She is my go to recommendation for wedding day florals! Her staff for setting up a reception are friendly, on time and knowledgeable!

Deanna Martin

My wedding flowers were absolutely gorgeous and the experience of making a flower plan was so enjoyable. All the staff are experienced, and courteous. The property itself is totally dreamy and I will definitely keep it in mind when planning future events. I cannot recommend this place enough!

Sarah Syrett

I enjoyed a lovely afternoon making a living wreath with a great group of ladies. We were welcomed with mimosas, foraged for greenery on Elaine's picturesque property, learned techniques for creating a beautiful wreath, and enjoyed a delicious, homemade lunch. I highly recommend Elaine's workshops and look forward to going back for another one soon!

Tiffany Johnston

I am so surprised to have to write a negative review. After meeting the potting shed I was very excited to see our flowers with plan to incorporate herbs, olive branch and assorted white buds. I LOVE flowers, so as gift, our guests were to be given their place setting flowers to take home. Centrepieces went to our moms. What I’m most disappointed by is the quality and quantity of what we’d received: our white flower scheme did not look fresh (many flowers were wilted). Place setting flowers looked extremely sparse to point of silly - so no gift in my mind. Communication fell off when needed most (consistent with other reviews) I had no idea what the tables were going to look like. Emails were returned days later with 1 week to our wedding (the busiest time for a bride). The potting shed became a single pain point while everything else with our wedding planning was smooth. Day of: Corsages were too heavy and weren’t worn, boutonnières weren’t sturdy and didn’t last the day. Wedding party flowers were dropped off in bulk with no individual names- not helpful - in end we were short. My mother-in -law didn’t have a corsage, my mom took hers off, my ring bearer didn’t have anything and my daughter didn’t end up with flowers either. Tables didn’t have any personality. With what we’d spent I know we could have presented much better than we did. I think an eager local florist not associated with our venue would have served us much better; I’m so disappointed because the flowers could have been so lovely if our money was better utilized even despite the tired stems. Further, if communication were better, to have known in advance how sparse we’d look, I would have adjusted the flower plan. Missed business opportunity with us for sure for day of wedding and in future.

Katrina Stuart

We got married at Hacienda Sarria, a very beautiful venue in KW. To turn this venue into the most stunning venue in KW was Elaine and her team at From the Potting Shed. They made us beautiful bouquets for our wedding party - they even put tulips in my bouquet (in August) because they knew of my Dutch heritage. This was so special to me and my Mom. They designed a beautiful Juliette balcony and lush garland for our table - two showstopping pieces. The centrepieces were so stunning and the guests got to take home the flowers and stone pot. This is something our guests will cherish forever and I even ordered extra for myself. I would absolutely recommend From the Potting Shed to anyone getting married or needing a florist. They are reasonably priced and design beautifully unique arrangements. Thanks again to your talented team!

Breanna Cotrim

Elaine did a wonderful job with the flower arrangements for my wedding this past February. I was very pleased with the final product and received rave reviews from wedding guests about how good all of the arrangements looked. It was a bit of a rocky road leading up to the wedding as it was sometimes hard to get in contact with her and/or receive a response. Overall, she's very talented and it shows through her work.

Holly M

Elaine creates the most beautiful floral arrangements - thank you so much for bringing your artistry to our special day.

Pamela DZ

Amazing flowers created for my daughters wedding!! Elaine and team are outstanding! Highly recommend them

Emily Goebel

I am extremely disappointed with my wedding flowers and the lack of professionalism of the staff at "From the Potting Shed". I would recommend seeking another florist and not booking them for your big day! A few reasons for this: -Despite being very clear about colour theme and flowers, my requests (which were pretty basic) were not met. In fact, some of the florals were the exact colours I said I didn't want! -They advertise having a bouquet of your favourite flower. I requested to have a few dahlias which were in-season and did not get a single one. What is worse is that there was no indication that this request was not going to be met beforehand, the bouquets just showed up without the flowers I requested. - My bridesmaid had to contact the florist to come back the day of because they did not provide the cocktail table florals that were in the agreement. The florist subsequently snipped flowers from the garland at the head table and used them in the vases on the cocktail tables. This is not what I paid for. -Upon emailing Elaine about the short-comings and problems she replied apologizing and said she would respond regarding some reimbursement, but subsequent attempts to communicate with her have been ignored. - Elaine is very eager to have you pay in full (to save the tax or some other promotion), however they are still expensive and in my experience, you will not get your money's worth.

Sarah KW (SKW)

I absolutely loved working with Elaine and her team, they did such a gorgeous job on my wedding florals! I only wish I had more occasions to utilize her talents!

Brandie Kirk

The flowers provided for my wedding were gorgeous, and of very high quality. They were in keeping with my vision down to the very last detail. From the potting shed happily worked within my budget without being pushy to spend more, which I greatly appreciated. My only small note is that you do not see examples of the flowers in advance, even though it is stipulated in the agreement that there will be buckets of flowers available to choose from to make sure they get it right. I was nervous going into the ceremony, but they delivered excellent flowers and went above and beyond in their service offering making sure everything was set up and ready to go. I would recommend From the Potting Shed to anyone looking to book flowers for their event, but do note you must have faith it will turn out ok!

Silvia Urdaneta

(Translated) The gardens are beautiful and the attention is first class (Original) Los jardines son bellísimos y la atención es de primera

Mellissa Johnson

Doesn't return calls. Doesn't pay employees. Very rude and untalented

Kristen Helou

Elaine and her team are THE BEST! They are all so kind, informative, professional and made me feel at ease and excited from the second I walked in. They have such a skilled team that works with you to create your vision, after taking a tour of their charming cottage / house. They also offer 'Flower Parties' where you can create come bouquets, as well as attend live music events, etc. The whole team was so reliable, as they showed up at the venue of the day of our wedding, they worked with the coordinators at the venue and set it up beautifully! We got so many compliments on the flowers and were told that it was the best setup the venue has ever seen - all thanks to ThePottingShed! Thank you SO MUCH!

Andrew Natalia

I was referred to FTPS by a former bride. I was enticed by the free bridal bouquet for being referred by a previous client. I went with my mom to check the place out. It was amazing. A giant property with a cottage-like flower studio and a lavender room. It was a great first impression which is her first star. Her second star is for value and price. I felt like the prices were competitive and she had you over 2 weeks before the wedding to go over everything with your bridesmaids and you got to take home bouquets that night. And that's about where it ends. I didn't get what I wanted. I showed photos of the bouquets I liked and we discussed which flowers I would like in my bouquet. I specifially asked for anenomes to match my bridesmaids navy dresses. It was the ONE flower I really wanted in my bouquet and I was stuck with a bouquet of roses. Sorry, that was a bit misleading. There was ONE single bud in my bride's bouquet, and it was still GREEN because it hadn't blossomed yet. We pulled it out because it looked like a weed. The flowers I asked for were available at the time of year. When I e-mailed Elaine to see how she was going to make this right and her simple explanation was that she didn't have a clear understanding of my vision. She promised the breakdown of the flower choices the day following our meeting and I never recieved it. I emailed 2 times and called once to follow up with my confirmation after our final meeting and I didn't even get a reply from her. THATS WHAT CONFIRMATIONS ARE FOR!! IN CASE YOU MISUNDERSTOOD YOUR CLIENT. If you had sent to me what you had promised, I would have seen that my bridesmaids didn't have anenomes in their bouquets, and that would have raised the questions to ensure the order was correct and we could have cleared up and confusion. In order to rectify, Elaine was very appologetic and offered a garden party to make a mini herb garden for myself and a few friends, maybe up to 8? maybe less? I chose not to take her up on the offer because I was just too disappointed to want to return there.

Melissa Sousa

Elaine and her team executed my vision perfectly! I loved loved loved my flowers for my wedding! I wish I could have kept them all forever. The flowers were exactly what I wanted. Elaine and her team got my vision and the flowers were magazine worthy (which is exactly what you expect from a featured company in wedding bells). The price for the flowers was very reasonable and they looked and smelled great. You really get the attention and focus from Elaine and her team to make sure you get what you want. I got so many compliments on the flowers which made this bride super happy!

Carol Passarelli

Fabulous place. Gardens are beautiful . Will definitely revisit. Think of doing some of the classes.

Alyssa Anderson

I was really disappointed with The Potting Shed's service. I felt you were trying to change my vision and straight out lied about the cost of the flower I loved the most. A $19 dollar difference at least from any other floral shop I've since been too. Not a good experience.

Alexandria Smith

Was so soo happy with our flowers for our February wedding! Elaine and her team were fantastic to work with and created pieces that were even more beautiful than we could have imagined. Flowers were great quality and made it through the whole day looking fresh and beautiful.

Katie Malcolm

There aren't words to express my gratitude to Elaine and her awesome team. She is a talented woman and makes beautiful arrangements. The flowers at my wedding were gorgeous, she understood what we wanted and worked with us (and out budget!) to help us get the flowers of our dreams. She made the process easy and less overwhelming than it could have been with a less experienced florist. She is the best!

Izabela Wyllie

I cannot say enough good things. I had my wedding ceremony at From The Potting Shed and we were the first. It was not only amazing because of the whimsical location but Elaine was there every steo of the way. She made my family, wedding party and husband feel so welcome and relaxed. Her staff was there if we needed anything and they helped organize the guests as they arrived. The flowers were beyond my wildest dreams. So beautiful and perfect. I didnt cry when I put on my wedding dress but when I put on my flower crown and saw everything together I started crying. Thank you Elaine and From The Potting Shed team it was more perfect than I could of dreamed.

Christina

I booked my wedding with Elaine over a year ago on May 29, 2018 where I paid the full amount of $2300, as she insisted that my date of June 15 of 2019 was in high demand and had other couples interested. Very shortly thereafter, my fiancé and I called off our wedding. I called Elaine and let her know the situation, to which she seemed empathetic and was willing to refund me the full amount as the date was a full year away. I was told to email her and she would follow up. Over 6 months passed, I sent numerous emails, texts and phone calls with no response. Finally, in December I was able to get in touch with Elaine (had to call from a different phone number) where she agreed to send me a full refund if the date was filled. If not, her policy stated a 50% refund with 8 weeks notice of the planned date. She once again went MIA, until April where I was told she was meeting with various couples who were interested in the date and once again, she would follow up. Here we are now, June 9, one week from what was supposed to be my wedding day and I have FINALLY received a refund of $1150 after many messages begging to move forward. Not only did Elaine drag this on for a full year, had me bend over backwards for any response, neglect to follow up with me for months when the date could have and probably has been booked, she has taken $1150 for a service that was never executed. To say I am disappointed by this woman and the quality of customer service would be an understatement. Elaine is unprofessional and is a complete scam artist, this was a horrific experience and I would strongly advise one to think twice before booking with The Potting Shed or giving this woman any money.

Sherry Brown

Poor service

Angela Jefferson

My wedding flowers from Elaine and her team at From The Potting Shed were absolutely beautiful, and we are so happy we were able to experience her team's talents. My flowers ended up exactly as I had envisioned, and were correct in regards to what we discussed at my flower party. I wanted a more "traditional" floral style with blush and ivory colours, little greenery and a dome-style bouquet, and they were able to accomplish this! Elaine is talented, enthusiastic, and kind. My only suggestion for improvement would be to be more consistent with communication. At times the team was very responsive to messages, and then closer to the wedding the communication seemed to diminish. I know they are very busy, but it did cause a bit of stress in the last busy weeks! In addition, the delivery of the bouquets/corsages was approximately 40 minutes late on my actual wedding day, however the delay did not impact me or my timeline in any way. Overall, I was very pleased with the final result and am so happy the team was able to achieve my floral vision!

Oro Trevi

We came across Elaine and her team’s work at a family function and decided to use her for a small corporate event this month. She understood exactly our vision. Focused in Italian gold, the lush designs helped highlight our bold statement pieces. Thank you all!

Tobey Reimann

Well what can I say. Elaine and her crew at The Potting Shed are fantastic, friendly, creative and gave our special day at the mill just that right touch. I trusted in them to have fun and create what ever they thought would be "us"....and they succeeded that and beyond. Thank you Elaine and all that helped with making such beautiful arrangements for our wedding! Was dreamy!

Rachel Epworth

Took a workshop on wreath making recently and was somewhat disappointed. Workshop ran from 11-2:30 but actually ran 11:40 - 1:45. Considering Elaine is running a workshop, i think she should have explained different techniques involved in making wreaths (balancing colours, textures, etc) instead of the rundown we got of just cramming whatever we want into the wreath, and she should have been making a wreath alongside us. She was a pretty absent considering she was running the workshop. Felt like we were being rushed around the property to forage for the activity and then rushed out when the meal was finished. Felt like a very hands-off workshop where I learned nothing, waste of money. Go to Michael's and buy yourself a blank wreath to shove evergreen branches in - save yourself a hundred bucks.

Shelley Carter

Elaine is a garden wizard! I have taken many courses over the years and have visited several of her gardens. She has a remarkable eye for colour and composition. She goes beyond standard bouquets and creates gorgeous combinations. Her background in fashion serves her well in the floral world too. She is lovely to work with, enthusiatic about her business and pays attention to details that set her apart from the rest. I highly recommend her for everything floral!

Rmitha

Superb site, gorgeous flowers and really nice people.

Paul Eccleston

I am surprised that the overall rating for Elaine and her team Is not a 5.0 on Google review, because it is very, very deserving. Elaine, Nicole and Lauren provided exceptional service for my daughter's recent wedding. From the initial consultation, to the Flower Party (a unique idea), to the follow up meetings, Elaine and her team understood Katie's vision and delivered on it flawlessly, and they made us feel like we were part of the florist family! They even arranged for 6 wooden pedestal stands to be made especially for the wedding to complete the overall design. We cannot thank FTPS enough for their contribution to our daughter and her new husband Matt's special day! It was beautiful. We will never forget your kindness and the special connection we have with you all. With thanks from Adele xxx

Ryan Kermer

We had a very small wedding at Langdon Hall, and had From The Potting Shed as our florist. They came highly recommended, and I see why! The whole experience was fantastic. Neither of us are very artistic people, and we were looking for someone who knew what they were doing. I couldn’t be happier with our choice! During the “flower party” (which was really fun) I don’t know if we could have given more vague instructions if we tried. But the arrangements they made couldn’t have been more perfect. Way better than we ever could have hoped for, and somehow exactly matching our vision. The bouquet was just stunning. The number of different types of flowers and greenery to give it such beautiful depth is amazing. Elaine even gave instructions on how to hold it so it looks its best in pictures! The garland on the table and fireplace was a so pretty it was a talking point all night. Throughout the whole process I kept saying “this is why you work with professionals”. We had fresh flowers on the cake, and they coordinated it directly with the Cake Box. Completely hands free and stress free for us, and the flowers on the cake was exactly what we wanted. We didn’t have to contact or see them at all the day of the wedding. They came in, turned the room into a masterpiece of flowers, and left. My only recommendation is to not stress about it, get out of their way, and let them do their amazing work. Even after the wedding was done they went above and beyond. There was a mix-up at the venue and they accidentally disposed of some of the flowers we wanted to take home. To make up for it the venue had From The Potting Shed send us an arrangement (that was stunning!) and Elaine also sent us a whole garland for free! I really cannot recommend them highly enough.

Bailey Forgeron

Hours are incorrect online. I drove 30 minutes to find a closed sign on the door. How disappointing.