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catbird_gw

Good nurseries for MG tour in Mcminnville??

catbird
14 years ago

Our Master Gardener group from Northeast AL (Gadsden) wants to plan a field trip and several members have expressed an interest in visiting nurseries in the McMinnville area. The problem is that there are so many we don't have a clue which ones to contact. Any suggestions from you TN gardeners about nurseries/greenhouses that would have a wide variety of plants, preferably some newer or different plants that aren't at the local big box store? We hope to get a bus load of gardeners to make the trip (2.5-3 hours), so we want places worth seeing.

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Comments (6)

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    14 years ago

    If I were you, I'd contact someone in the nursery business that is familiar with many of the growers in that area. Some of the wholesale places may not really be interested in hosting visits and others may be excited to do so. Someone that regularly visits (buys from) many of those growers would be best suited to advise you on which nurseries are worth seeing and which may not be. If you don't know where to start, write me, and I've got at least one idea of who you could contact. Then you could contact the individual locations for permission. Also, once you start talking to a few of them, they might be able to suggest other places of interest.

    I have no idea what Don Shadow's policy is on visits, but that would be one impressive place to go (if it could be arranged). Shadow Nursery is a pretty famous wholesale-only nursery in Winchester, TN.

  • irisaddict
    14 years ago

    Mary's Greenhouse is the main perennial nursery there. A friend and I try to make a yearly pilgrimage. The prices are awesome as you can see at the website which is www.marysgh.com. You can easily spend 4 hours (or more) just at Mary's. It is important to go online or get her catalog if you have time and make a list! They will even pull plants for you if you send it at least 2 days ahead of time.
    The rest of the town has over 100 nurseries. These can be 100 plants in someone's yard to a 20 acre or more site. I think you would do best to just go to Mary's and maybe one or 2 other nurseries that you get a recommendation for.
    Mary's is enough for the trip. Over 18 BIG greenhouses to go through.

    Evelyn

  • catbird
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions. We'll follow up on them Wish Mary's and Shadow were closer to each other so we could do them both in one day.

    Evelyn: Are you coming to the AL swap this year? It's in Gadsden, so would be closer to you. There are several threads going on our forum, but I'll give you the link to the one that has the directions. We enjoyed having you at the last one.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Alabama plant swap

  • april_h_o April Moore
    14 years ago

    I'd second the recommendation for Don Shadow's nursery - if you have any luck, please let me know as the Davidson Co. MG's were thinking about doing a tour there too!

  • irisaddict
    13 years ago

    I'm hoping to make it to the AL swap. It is on my To Do list.

    Don Shadow's nursery is only open to certain groups once in a while. Someone may correct me on that, though.

    I did finally manage a visit to Shadow's. Keep in mind that there are no guarantees on plants from there and they aren't exactly bargains.

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    13 years ago

    "Keep in mind that there are no guarantees on plants from there..."

    Most commercial wholesale nurseries don't provide "guarantees" like Lowes or Home Depot. I'd be a little suspicious of a wholesale grower that did publish such a guarantee (I would wonder if they were really just a retail nursery trying to masquerade as a wholesaler).

    "...and they aren't exactly bargains."

    Are you sure you're talking about the same place? Where else can you buy the highly unique things he grows (many of which, he is the only supplier) in top notch condition for less? Maybe you are talking about his retail prices (if he even offers his stuff for retail sale)?

    Don Shadow is a world renowned nurseryman! You make him sound like some ripoff fruit stand operator down the block.

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