Hi Alkane,
If you search this forum only with the word nurseries plugged in, you will come up with several threads discussing various nurseries and what people find where.
Since some of these threads go back a little, you might want to make sure the nursery is still in business. NJ Botanical and Kaufell Gardens are two that I can think of mentioned that are gone.
One must is Rare Find in Jackson. They have a website you can search. Popes is suppose to be near there, I haven't gone.
Fairweather Gardens in Greenwich also has a website.
Woodside Nusery (daylilies and more-nursery is for sale), Blue Sterling (only one openhouse per year - conifers, roses and woodies) and Fairweather have a common openhouse usually in July.
Atlock and Ambleside in Somerset - no websites. All these and more are mentioned in these posts.
I find things everywhere, even at the Big Box stores, you never know. Every nursery is fair game.
Soon, there will be plant sales also. Frelinghuysen in Whippany is having theirs weekend of May 5th & 6th (May 4th by members only, fee). Rutgers will have some and then some societies will too such as the African Violet Society of Morris County- April 14 & 15 at Frelinghuysen. The Chrysanthemum Society has their shows there also and sends out lists of cuttings in winter, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: nursery post search

Rare Find Nursery in Jackson has a good reputation and has a website. Cape May Bird Observatory Research in Goshen on Rt 47 in Cape May County has a nice plant table and also an extensive garden which is made up of mostly natives adapted to coastal New Jersey's sandy soil. The gardens are worth a special trip in early fall when the asters come into bloom.

Thanks for the info all

If you are considering roses at all, the Jersey Shore Rose Society will have it's annual pruning demo right in your town on 3/31 @ 1:00. It is in Veterans Park, Rt 35 South, just south of Ft. Monmouth. This is a "no spray" garden, meaning that all of the roses are disease resistant and get minimal care. We don't sell plants, but are available to advise in case you are interested in roses.

There are a lot of nurseries in Monmouth County (Sickles in Little Silver, Dearborn in Holmdel, Colonial Nursery in Lincroft, Barlow's in Sea Girt, Middletown Garden Center in Middletown, Forcellati's in Wall, Brock Farms in Colts Neck and Freehold, Littlebrook Farm Herbs in Howell Township to name just a few). I'm like Loretta, I'll drop in anyplace and you may be surprised at what you can find.

I'll add one of my favorites to the list, Well-Sweep Herb Farm in Port Murray.

Here is a link that might be useful: Well-Sweep Herb Farm

If you go to Well Sweep, try to take a nursery tour.

Since I've been gardening in your neighborhood for over a
decade (I'm over in Freehold), I can assure you that there
is quite a range of nurseries in Monmouth County. Diane's
list above covers quite a few: for quality and diversity
(on her list), I'd second Barlow's in Seagirt and Sickles in Little Silver (a tad "upscale" but some terrific sales in the late Fall!) In addition, I recommend Cicconi Farms
in Jackson (just over the line in Ocean County) - while
there, check out RareFind Nursery (down the road) in
late May just to experience their 5-acre Rhododendrum display woodland! In East Windsor, there's Tony's on
Route 130-N for terrific annuals at good prices; in Howell, there's Paterson's on Route 524, between Freehold
and Farmingdale, run by the nicest old-time farm family
you can imagine; and half-way between Eatontown and Freehold on Route 79 (in Morganville) there's Morganville
Flower Farm, a long-time local who suddenly expanded and
got serious about five years ago and now carries some of the most interesting annuals and an eclectic collection of perennials.

For my money, I avoid the two Brock Farms outlets because
of their inferior quality and (in my experience) simply
lousy service, as well as totally erroneous information!
There are loads of the BigBoxStores in this county, but
each of their nurseries is ONLY as good as that nursery
manager - and turnover is wild! - so one season, a paricular Home Depot, Lowes or Walmart might be great, and then lousy the following season. . .and all the BigBoxes
are starting to be way overpriced - you can find almost
anything they carry, better and cheaper, at a local nursery. . .but as Lorretta and Diane both said, ANY
collection of plant material is worth a quick look!

If you are into any serious shrub purchases, I can tell
you a way to purchase from a local wholesale nursery (at
retail), but it's a little too complex to explain here, so
send me an E-mail (through MyPage) if you'd like the info.
In addition to Monmouth County, I can also suggest quality
nurseries all over NJ, as well as Pennsylvania, New York , Connecticut, and even several in North Carolina. . .and in case you're wondering, yes, I confess to collecting
nurseries - it's almost a hobby!

Carl

"...and in case you're wondering, yes, I confess to collecting
nurseries - it's almost a hobby!"

It's part of the sickness.

I love Well-Sweep......... Buy most of my perennials from them. My daughter and I did one of their workshops last summer. We had a great time. I posted them on the Rate & Review Vendors forum.

I, too, will recommend Rare Find Nursery - it's well worth the drive! Very nice and knowledgeable people there, and I know that at least one of their staff is a specialist in landscaping with native varieties.

Rutgers has several plant sales - check their website for more details, but the Ag Day is coming up April 28, with many rare/heirloom/native ornamentals, herbs and vegetables, as well as fun and food for the whole family.

http://www.events.rutgers.edu/njaes/event.asp?id=8242&d=200705&u=all&c=

Subsequent plant sales at the Rutgers Gardens in New Brunswick are in May and July. (I attended the May event last year and it was excellent!) There are also lovely gardens to wander through both to relax and get inspiration.

http://rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu/

The Master Gardeners of Monmouth County will hold their Spring Garden Day on May 19, 9a-4p - Plant sales include native, drought-tolerant, herbs, vegetables, etc. Answers to gardening questions, children's garden games and crafts, 4H demonstrations & displays and, of course, refreshments.

There are also some very nice display gardens here in Monmouth County - check with the Monmouth County Parks System for specifics (I particularly like Deep Cut Gardens on Red Hill Rd. in Middletown, but then, I haven't visited Holmdel Arboretum yet.)

www.monmouthcountyparks.com

New Jersey is blessed with good conditions for growing a great variety of plants, and Monmouth County is right in the middle of it all. Have fun looking, and a great time gardening!

Diane

As a Master Gardener-in-training, I shouldn't have failed to mention that the Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension is always there to help with various gardening matters as you plan, develop and maintain your garden(s). You can call or visit the office, or even e-mail a question; link for the web site is below.

I'm very pleased to be able to report that the emphasis is on good cultural practices and other Integrated Pest Management principles rather than turning first to pesticides.

D.

Here is a link that might be useful: RCRE of Monmouth County

Shame on all of us in Monmouth County! How could we have
forgotten to mention Gasko's Family Farm in Englishtown,
the home of the original $7.00 full-flat of impatiens -
their claim-to-fame is low price and bulk-buying - but it's
worth a trip just to wander throught all those HUGE greenhouses and see acres of plants growing on. . .plus,
they have the best prices on mulch, potting soil and peat
moss anywhere, even cheaper than the BigBox stores. Now
who could resist a 6" pot of three hyacinths for $2.99?
The exact same item was selling for $5.99 at a Home Depot
ten miles down the road! It's best if you can go during
the week, especially this time of year. . .weekends are
rather reminiscent of the Garden State Parkway on a summer
beach day, but instead of cars, it's bumper-to-bumper steel
wagons overflowing with plants!

Here is a link that might be useful: Gasko's Family Farm