Re: saving... I started a word document table earlier this season to help me keep track of all my local favorites. Now I can just add a "rating" column for GW recommendations :-)

{{gwi:276423}}

Wow! So many places I have not been yet!

I want to mention a great local Garden Center
Country Brook Farms,
on Lowell Rd. Hudson, NH -(right on the Mass border)
(running to look up the phone number, back in a minute)
603-886-5200
This place has a HUGE selection of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, 2 story barn FULL of gift items!
my 2nd choice already mentioned Lake Street Gardens in Salem, NH

In southeastern Vermont:

Off exit 3 on I-91:
1. Walker Farm, Dummerston, VT: ­ great selection of perennials, unusual
annuals, trees & shrubs, organic vegetables, organic farmstand. Nice
website(­ see below).

2. Brattleboro Agway: ­ large variety of perennials, along with the usual
stuff. The plantswoman at this Agway really knows her stuff and takes
great care of the plants ­- definitely a cut above other Agways, more like
a specialty nursery.

Off exit 5 on I-91, Westminster VT:
3. Allen Brothers ­ gas station/store/farmstand/ice-cream stand and now
garden center. Greatly expanded their garden center this year; the plants are pretty
conventional, but in nice shape and most at very good prices. Be sure to
try some of the locally-baked pies that they sell in the store (by the
piece, if you want)

1/2 mile up Rt. 5:
4. HarlowÂs Organic Farm Stand ­ usual and some unusual plants, pricey, but
they have great seasonal displays, have a nice café, and sell good organic
produce (one of the suppliers for Whole Foods Markets)

Here is a link that might be useful: Walker Farm

I've gotten lost in the volume of responses. Is someone actually compiling a list that can we can print? How wonderful that would be!

The Umbrella Factory ,in Charlestown RI, down the road from Ninigret park, they always have something different, although they're not that big, and I think their gardens there alone are worth the drive, big wild plants really exuberant! They also sell some pond plants.
Down the road from Salem Country Gardens is The Herb Farm, also in Salem CT, the owner, Ann is so nice and helpful, and she also usually has something unusual.She has an/per/and herbs as well. Next year I'm going to spring for a hanging basket, they are huge with great color combos.
I went on driving tour of NE CT nurseries a couple of years ago, and one of them was the Varigated Foliage in Eastford, and now I've been reminded to go back, Thanks!

Does anybody else have SE CT suggestions?

This is not a SE CT recommendation as requested, but, if you're willing to drive a little further, check out Cheshire, CT.......to be precise, drive the length of Rt. 10 in Cheshire and you'll see at least a half-dozen nurseries, most of which are pretty good.
My favorite is Tower Farms - massive greenhouses full of annuals at this time of year. Outside, they have a nice selection of shrubs and just about any perennial you might want. One of the sales people is very nice and full of information about plants (look for a petite, gray-haired lady) - I always enjoy talking to her. If you get on their mailing list, you'll receive coupons for 40% off at the end of the season. This is how I was able to afford some shrubs that I was coveting last year.
Just one minute down the road from them (going west)is another great nursery - Dietrich Gardens.
Does anyone else shop at the above-mentioned nurseries?
Marilyn

In the last 2 or 3 weeks have gotten the chance to check out some of the nurseries mentioned on this thread.

Russell's: lots of stuff, friendly staff, expensive. Would probably shop there if closer, but 1 hr. away from me.

The Mixed Border: Pretty drive through Hollis. Pretty country nursery (even chickens running around). Plants well organized according to botanical name. Extremely helpful, friendly staff.

Merritt Nursery (mentioned in the Hosta forum), So.Hampton:
Prices average to expensive. Nice country setting. Small and quiet, but a good selection. Best part--a great dairy bar right up the road! Yummy homemade ice cream.

Rolling Green Nursery-Huge place, huge selection, but expensive. It was fun to "window shop."

Lake Street Garden Center(Salem) & Churchill's(Exeter) are 2 I have frequented over the years. I like both, but they are expensive. Churchill's is very attractively landscaped and I love to stroll around. Church. is also extremely kid friendly. They have a large playground and have recently added some farm animals. One time I was there with my tot and a staff member approached us and asked my son if he would like to help feed the fish in the pond.

Wentworth Greenhouses (Dover): This is my new favorite nursery! I checked it out yesterday and the 40 min. drive was worth it. They had the healthiest plants I have seen anywhere so far AND great prices!! Very friendly, laid-back staff. Great selection. I got 8 lucious, healthy plants for $40 - 3 qt. size perenials, 4 6" pots annuals, and 2 4" pots stonecrop. They are also going to try and get a particular lilac for me.

Hollandia Nurseries & Gardens
103 Old Hawleyville Rd
Bethel, CT 06801-3039
Connecticutgrown.com

Big selection, knowledgeable staff, cute gift shop.
Has 2 locations, near each other, this one is the original.

Wendy, HOuse by the Side of the Road is on Rt. 101 between Wilton and Peterborough NH.

Love Uncanoonuc on Mountain Rd. in Goffstown, NH. Great selection of very healthy hardy plants. They print out a sheet with cultural information on all your purchases. Great and helpful staff.

Deanne

Marilyn, I discovered Tower Farms in Cheshire this year. It was recommended by an employee at Broken Arrow so we stopped on the way home one day. They did have a nice selection of large, healthy plants. Worth a another trip for sure.

Sue

Has anyone ever been to Plant Quarters in Plympton MA? I just stopped down there last weekend with my mom and WOW, what a selection of Hostas!! I think they have daylilies as well but didn't check them out. The proprietor, Suzanne i think, was very helpful and knowledgeable. She even has a couple of hosta registrations (Firefighter's Angel and Awesome Illusion.) The prices were steep (10$ for a mini hosta) but they were very healthy and the selection is worth the price!! Check out some pictures I took and my purchases (click on link then click "view without signing in")

Here is a link that might be useful: jen's hosta purchases from plant quarters

One of my favorite garden centers is a family owned and run place in Carlisle, MA called Rainbow Mums (also Phillippo's Greenhouses) owned by Mark and Kathy Phillippo.

They are very unique in that they are only open from mid-July through mid October and that they specialize in mid to late blooming perennials and shrubs, grasses, fall mums and asters.

He grows everything himself and everything is very high quality, no pesticides, uses only ladybugs..... They have been in business for over 20 years are are very passionate about their product. Ask a question of Mark, and you will get an education!

His property is gorgeous, the ride is beautiful, and there's ice cream nearby. Actually, this is also near Seawright's and Blanchette's, so you could do all three in one loop.

The address is 305 East Street, Carlisle.

Phone# is 1-800-677-MUMS.

They don't have a website yet, but are working on it. You can call for directions.

This place is really a hidden gem.... At a time of the summer when other garden nurseries plantings are scarce or looking pretty sad, Mark is just gearing up with healthy, blooming plants.

If you go, mention Cindy sent you. I just might be there myself. And I'll want to know what you think so post your experience on this thread.....

P.S. Important!!!

I forget to mention, Phillippo's Greenhouses takes cash or check only. No credit cards. Perennials and shrubs are all one price $11.90 for a 2 gallon container. Yes and they are HUGE! Mums will range in price from $4.50 for small pots to $29.95 for large hangars and different sizes in between.
If you forget, there is an ATM nearby.

Hi,

I was wondering if any of the nurseries on this thread might have a good fall display of perennials and shrubs that anyone might be aware of? I didn't have time to read the whole thread, so if I missed something, I'm sorry in advance. [g] I will go back and read the whole thing if that information is in there.

Adam

I was just reviewing this thread. There are so many names to choose from which is great. I wonder though if we could narrow it down to the top 5 or top 10 in New England? We could start by everyone offering the name of the ONE, just ONE nursery they would go to if they could only go to one.

Adam

Southern VT:

1. Equinox Valley Nursery - Manchester
2. Olallie Daylily Nurseries - S. Newfane
3. Mettowee Mill Nursery - Dorset

Have to second McCues in Woburn MA. Bought a summer chocolate mimosa a few weeks back..it's not doing so well (most of the branches dropped right off like a day after i planted it, probably shock). Mentioned it to a staff member and she GAVE me another one to try. Very excellent of her and I hope the second one will do better in a different spot in my yard.

Hi Jen,

I just took a look at your photos of the hostas you just bought..really nice, and I am not the biggest hosta fan. I am looking for a couple though and really liked the Fire and Ice. One I tried this year, was Hosta Guacamole..it is supposed to be fragrant too, although it didn't bloom this year.

Adam

So where is everyone??? No one's posting this time of year? I guess everyone thinks there aren't any decent nurseries out there this time of year. I posted about Rainbow Mums weeks ago and I'm surprised no one has followed up. Been there again recently and they still have a great selection and it all looks fresh and healthy.

I'm going to Tower Hill Botanical Plant Sale tomorrow, 9/10 in Boxborough. First time I will have been there. I'll post and let you know how I made out in the next few days.

If you have any other garden center suggestions, please post in this thread soon. I am going to take a copy of this thread and try to put it in a form people could download and refer to easily.

What a great thread!!

1. Ladd's Garden Center, Route 32 Windham, Connecticut www.laddsgardencenter.com Website isn't recently updated but contact info is good. They have everything, and I mean everything (including a water garden area unlike any I've seen). Looks like nothing from the road but go down the hill in back and plan to spend a few hours.

2. Dondero Brothers Landscaping and Nursery, Pinney Street, Ellington, Connecticut. New place that knows plants. It's where I found my Chionanthus retusus.

3. Have to 2nd (or 3rd) Garden Sales on Route 83 (Oakland St) in Manchester, Connecticut. A shack by the road gives way to hostas, roses, more hostas, unusual pers and herbs.

4. Windham Gardens, Enfield, Connecticut. Only open in Spring and Fall (e-mail me for directions -- I'll meet you!!). Healthy $1 perennial starts, hanging baskets for $12 that are huge and still blooming, single-mom owner who knows her stuff.

So many more, but these are where I go when I've gotta "get it done."

Martie

Just go to Allen Haskell's in New Bedford-Hard to find & expensive but it is much better than any other. A visit is truly an awesome experience.

Dwightri--Good for you for bringing this back up. And at the best time of year. I will add Rogers Spring Hill in Haverhill MA, on the North Andover/Haverhill line. It is a longtime, full-service nursery, with perennials, shrubs, trees, some annuals and nursery supplies. It is certainly the best in this general area, tho I wouldn't drive a long distance for it. But I have found things there no one else had--like the lilac, Syringa x 'Aessissippi'.

Hmm, with all the NH folks running up and down Rt 89, 202, and 114, I'm kind of suprised that no one has mentioned Stone Falls Gardens in Henniker. they also give the 10% PPP discount

Here is a link that might be useful: stone falls garden

Add to the list...

Quakin' Grass Nursery in Brooklyn, CT. Unusual stuff-lots of conifers and woodies, large display garden. It's off the beaten path but not far from Logees. Worth the trip.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Quakin' Grass Nursery

Cochato Native Plant Nursery
373 North Franklin Street
Holbrook, MA
phone: 781.767.9770

gazing over cochato's vast array of hosta (over 300 varieties), my long-nursed disdain for those misbegotten lumps of suburban organic matter lessened somewhat. still wouldn't allow one in my yard, but found it a moving sight, nonetheless.

seriously, though, cochato's a fantastic smallish nursery run by knowledgable plantspeople, specializing in uncommon shade & water garden perennials.

their website appears to be down, but, if memory serves, they generally open on memorial day.

We don't get out that way much, but I like the one in Peterboro. Not sure what the name of it is, though. It's on the corner by a red country store.

And I'm very fond of several home-owner stands on my drive home from work (whichever way I go). There are a number of homeowners that sell stuff at their houses for cheap.

Please do not post here any more. I have started another thread. Please post in the new thread below...

Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite Nurseries (2006) - New Thread

Any recommendations of nurseries that sell larger trees?

We are looking for trees that are like 8' to 10' already. Like some Waldorf Pines (I think that is the name) and perhaps other similar.

A.J. Tomasi in Pembroke is the only one we could find so far in Southern MA.

Lighthouse: You may want to repost your question as a new message. I don't know the answer to your question, and am afraid not to many people will see it here at the bottom of this thread. Asarum

Thank you asarum. Took your advice. Good point.

Kane's Flower World in Danvers, MA, route 114
Favorite because it's got GREAT prices, interesting selection of plants for indoors and outdoors, great prices, great prices, funny name.

For S.E. MA my favorites are:

Tranquil Lake in Rehoboth, tranquil-lake.com Specialize in Iris & Daylily (huge fields of them) and other perennials. Great festivals, workshops etc.

7 Arrows in Attleboro. Their specialty is shade plants, hostas, herbs etc. They have a tea room, spices, classes, dogs, cats and fowl that roam the gardens and a very charming, holistic ambience.

Araujo Farms in Dighton is my one stop shopping for annuals from veggies to flowers. They have a ridiculous amount of plants in several greenhouses.

The Bloomin Barn in Swansea, thebloominbarn.com, is a cute little place that has a nice variety of annuals & perennials. Also a folksy shop attached with primitives, metal garden sculptures...

For the Plymouth area, my favorite is a little hard to find, but worth it for a small garden center. It's Plymouth Gardens on Summer St. They have a nice selection of annuals and perennials, some of them hard to find. I love their heucheras!

Here is a link that might be useful: Plymouth Gardens

Okay, I like Avant in Dartmouth, MA, and of course someone mentioned NEWFS, BUT I am working at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland for the season, so they are number one.

Has anyone changed their opinion on any of these garden centers since this was last posted? Any new ones to add?

pm2

I have some more South East Mass. nurseries:

Blueview Nursery in Norton. A contract nursery with good specimen quality plants. Horses and ducks to enterain the kids.

Sylvan Nursery in by Horseneck Beach (south of Fall River). Worth the drive.

RF Morse Nursery in Wareham. Good end of season specials... got Hellebores quart sized for 2.00.

Boston Tropical in Plainville (aka half price plants on their sign). This is like an factory outlet store for plants. Some of the contract nursery tags say irregular, and they are not always specimen quality shaped. But for a naturalistic setting, they will grow just fine.

On the 495 loop; Westons Nursery, developers of many of my favorite Rhodies!!.

Bigelows Nursery in Northboro. Great plant selections and fields covering the hills.

I think Weston Nurseries is very reputable and have been around for many years. They offer quality material and have introduced many Rhododendrons. They are pretty expensive though and the last two times I went for a sale...of 20% off, I came home with nothing. :-( Just a little too expensive for me. I think probably their pallet sales would be a great way to do it though. I am waiting to see if any of the nurseries will have a 50% off sale after November 1st. So far I haven't seen one.

pm2

interesting seeing how many folks we haven't heard from in a very long time. I guess we've discussed that already, haven't we?
marie

Rainbow Mums and Perennials

Carlisle, MA 01741
(800) 677-6867
www.rainbowmums.com

This place is amazing!! perennials, hostas and all types of grasses - they used to open mid-July but are opening May 30th this year -

Bay State Perennial Farm Whately, MA

36 State Road (Routes 5 & 10)

Phone: (413) 665-3525 www.baystateperennial.com

Bay State staff are kind, plants are healthy and diverse.
Lovely, lovely place.

Here is a link that might be useful: baystate perennial farm

We've lost 3 nurseries in the Falmouth area, including 2 of my favorites. Luckily Ponscapes on Rt 28a in Bourne is still there, and Flower Garden Farm on Sandwich Road, Falmouth is going strong (I just picked up some solid gold hakone grass, gartenmeister fuscia and an assortment of tender perrennials there).

We lost two in Lexington: Doran's which had been in that family for 200 years and Lexington Gardens the home of the original Victory Garden with Jim Crockett. I can't believe I can'g just stop by after work or on Sunday morning and get my pansies and supplies there. Still, it will not drive me to Home Depot. I'll just drive a little more and spend a few cents more at Wagon Wheel in Lexington, Blanchette's and whatever locals I can ferret out.

Marie

My favorite local perennials nursery is Rolling Green in Greenland, NH. Their selection is HUGE.

For trees and shrubs you can't beat Stratham Circle Nursery in Stratham, NH.

In northern NE, my favorite for perennials (and annuals) is Equinox Valley Nursery in Manchester, Vermont. I've never bought anything from them that did not thrive, and they have nearly every variety and colour of all my perennial favorites. It is like taking a gar*den tour to visit them!

Here is a link that might be useful: Equinox Valley Nursery

After perusing most of this thread, I realized it started in 2005!
The local places I frequent are:
Rolling green Nursery in Greenland
Churchills in Exeter - expensive, but I love their displays
Lake Street Garden Center in Salem
I used to travel for work up 101 and came across several garden centers that I loved, but can't think of the names of them right now.
I'll be sure to check out some of the places mentioned here in Southern ME and NH.
Tara

My favorite nurseries tend to be the ones at botanical gardens, because they often sell specialist plant species. The more unusual and rare the better in my opinion!

This thread is awesome and very inspirational. I think a lot of the information contained within it is timeless and priceless. I have been offered a managerial position at a very small nursery in my hometown which has been struggling ever since it first opened about 6 or 7 years ago. The management has changed hands at least 3 times since then. It has a lot of old, pretty unsaleable stock in my opinion, which I intend to donate to local community based projects if I do take over the reigns.
While I've never actually managed a nursery/garden center before I have worked in retail in the green industry with about 5 years experience under my belt.
My only reservation is that this town is very small so the only way I'll make a success of this business is by creating a good name and reputation for sound and knowledgeable advice and service. I am passionate about plants which most people pick up very quickly upon talking to me. I'm almost fluent in botanical Latin and Greek, which helps me a lot. I spend a lot of my free time propagating native plants with which I would intend to supplement the wholesale orders I'd acquire for my stock.
If anyone knows the names of any must have books on how to start and/or run a plant nursery please feel free to share the titles with me.
Alex

Seems like a difficult business to be in some days. :-) I did a quick search on amazon and came up with this link and another at the bottom of my post.

http://www.amazon.com/Operate-Financially-Successful-Landscaping-Business/dp/1601382286/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1279400638&sr=1-1-fkmr2

I would say find a business that is successful and see if you can pick their brain. We seem to be seeing a lot of nurseries going out of business, isn't that true? I would think it's expensive especially if you have to keep greenhouses going. I know Lexington Gardens went out of business a few years ago, and you could see it coming for quite a few years. I was told by someone in management that the cost of fuel to run the greenhouse became outrageous. I know the owner was older and started to have health issues too.

As a potential customer, I like that you are inclined toward natives and would love an organic direction as well. I travel a distance to make purchases that are in line with those two basic ideas. I drive 50mins to the NEWFS to buy native, mostly organically grown plant material. I drive the same distance to purchase organic vegetable starts in the spring, in years I don't start my own. I travel to Maine and combine a day trip to justify doing it, to purchase popular perennial and annual 'plugs' once a year in early spring, because so many nurseries that are close to me don't offer a plug size and have just about stopped offering the old '6 pack' size. I buy tiny shrubs from Bluestone Perennials because no one local offers that size and it makes it really affordable. I think a lot of people buy from them because of that and their frequent sales and great customer service.

I was going to suggest that if you could model your business on one that didn't need heated greenhouses, you might be ahead of the game. Don't know if that is possible. It would certainly cut your costs, but limit what you offer.

Anyway, maybe others can offer their own reasons why they shop at one place or another and what they are looking for in a nursery.

Here is a link that might be useful: So you want to start a plant nursery

I know this is an older thread, but since my GW search only turned up 2 postings for Natureworks, I decided to post here. I was hoping to add my vote for NW as a favorite but alas it is not to be. I know today's economy (at mid-May 2011) is still a struggle for many, so it would seem reasonable to expect that a small local business would go the additional mile to court a new customer. Perhaps NW is not struggling in this economy. I tried for over 3 weeks to get them to contact me to discuss landscape design + planting, as well as use their spring cleanup service. An initial email reply to my inquiry via their website seemed promising since their reply was within 24 hours. However, that promise was short-lived. That initial email said they would send me info on prices and services. A week later, not having received anything, I telephoned them and was assured by the gal who answered my call that she would give my info to the person responsible for following up on such requests and that I would be contacted. It is going on 3 weeks and I have heard nothing from Natureworks. If this is the way they handle clients at the initial stage what would they be like providing services after purchasing?? It is interesting to get such poor customer service right off the bat. I was "retired" last June after dodging the corporate reorganization bullet several times so my finances are fairly restricted. I don't spend my money at businesses who don't appreciate my patronage. Needless to say I will not be revisiting this company again. Although perhaps this is a blessing in disguise: I stopped in at a local small garden center less than a week ago and am already well into discussion and planning for the work I need done. It turns out that the designer is also the owner, and that what on the surface appears to be a not-very-active business is much bigger than it seems. I know they do good work since I have for the last couple of years admired a house they landscaped that I pass by every day with my dog. They definitely fly under the radar.

There aren't too many nurseries in the Dedham to Attleboro area.

Briggs Nurseries on rte 152 Attleboro,,huge nursery with wonderful employees who are at your beckon call. Open year round

Lovells Nursery on Rte 109 In Medfield,MA. lovely family owned nursery with extensive selections.

Tree World on Rte 1 Plainville seasonal.