I've purchased a lot of fruit trees from Crestview Nursery. They usually have a wide variety in the spring.

Thanks! I've seen the sign on the highway driving by and they have a website but it's so incomplete and unchanged in such a long time, I couldn't tell if they were still in business or not.

Are you looking for anything specific? I've been trying to grow just about everything that fruits in N. Florida, had a lot of success and a lot of failures so far!

Thanks again! Fruits would be good! Trees/shrubs especially. I will definitely be paying CN a visit in the spring. Of course there's raspberries and figs here already.

Ok, I admit, I'm looking for fru-fru ornamental shrubs, variegated foliage, and more Coleus, haven't seen a store with more than a handful of varieties, house plants & tropicals, ramblin' roses (up to my limit of knockouts!)

Also having a terrible time trying to find butterfly host and nectar plants. I've lived here 5 years and still no Asclepias! Trying to get a slip of my Mom's passion vine before the GF cats eat it all has been tricky, it would be so much easier to buy half a dozen plants.

Where are all of the Flax, Silene, Phlox (tall and creeping,) daylilies, beautiful variegated Lamium, Monarda, Veronica, Polemonium, Baptisia, Brunnera, Thalictrum, Dicentra, Hostas, Columbine, etc...? Haven't seen Heliotrope or Streptocarpella since moving down here. (Going by memories of OH, some of these may not work in AL...) Flats of perennials in general seem like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I buy my rare ornamental and tropical plants from Krautz greenhouse in Calif. I have always gotten great plants in 4 inch pots, that grow very fast. I get my dayliles from Maryott's Nursery in Calif. They are a rust free nursery. I buy my brugmansia from Mark on the brugmansaia forum. Most of my plants I get at the plant swaps here in Texas. Barbra

Thanks for that. Hoping for suggestions for in-person shopping...

In OH I used to love going to...

DeMonye's in Columbus.
Baker's Acres in Alexandria.
Bakers Village in Powell.
Oakland nursery in Columbus.
Strader's used to be good until they went commercialized with multiple locations.

Looking for places like these...

Well, if there aren't places like this along the coast, folks might think it's worth a little drive to Dothan Nurseries. It's about 90 minutes away from me, but I had to go over there for another purpose. I never even looked at the outdoor plants, spent the whole hour I was there in the house plants. I've already picked a day in March for a return visit, with more time and a bigger vehicle!

Just want to say that I sympathize! I live just east of Destin, and I know the pickin's are slim. If you get down this way, you might check out the Niceville Garden Shop on I-20 (John Sims Pkwy), or Thomas Hicks in Santa Rosa Beach (2 locations). Both are locally-owned, and offer a better variety than the Big Box stores. The Niceville Garden Shop is quaint and small, and leans toward the backyard gardener. Thomas Hicks is more of a landscape provider.

Heythere, thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely check those out when I can. Not that one is needed, but it's great to have a reason to drive to the beach.

I've got to say more good things about Dothan Nurseries. I'm fortunate to have other reasons to be near there on Mondays, so I've been by twice more already. This place is HUGE and AMAZING and it's so beautiful, like a park where you can buy the stuff and plants. I've been 3 times and it's been different every time. New plants, new displays, lots of action and high quality plants and ideas. I feel confident in calling this place a destination, worth driving to Dothan if that's the only reason for someone to go there.

I live 45 minutes north of Panama City Beach & I have bought from 2 nurseries several times in Chipley, Maphis Tree Farm & Piney Grove Nursery. The website for Maphis needs some help, but they have a pretty good selection of fruit trees. I haven't bought anything but fruit trees from them, so I'm not sure about their ornamentals. Piney Grove Nursery has a HUGE selection of trees/shrubs, no fruit. We have bought several trees from them also & have been pleased with them also. I have been to Just Fruit & Exotics outside of Tallahassee once & it is an awesome nursery. I have ordered/reserved several fruit trees from them for the next planting season & will be going to pick them up myself, it's about a 2 hour drive for me.

Here are the links for all 3
Piney Grove

Maphis Tree Farm

Just Fruits and Exotics

This post was edited by ditchdoctor81 on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 9:42

I have used Dodd's Natives in Semmes, AL a few times.

http://www.doddnatives.com/

The Mobile Botanical Garden has plant sales in the spring and summer so I'll usually hit those too.

Unfortunately, most of the nurseries in the Mobile are commercial only.