What is your favorite local nursery to visit?

Around here most people go to Van Wilgen's in No. Branford. Its great.Lots of plants, lots of activities. There is also a small, organic place called Natureworks that I love. Lots of education at that place. I figure I 've got 1/2 a chance to visit one of your favorites in the NE.

Dave47

We have two levels of greenhouses here, those that cater to the "locals" and those that cater to the summer people. Chautauqua Institution is a cultural summer camp for everyone with an increasing number of million dollar + homes and there are two nurseries just north of the gates that carry everything the gardener with a gardener could possibly want. I visit them at least once a year, and occasionally plunk down a huge chunk of cash for something I know I won't find anywhere else. The other advantage to these is that there are people coming in all summer, and they carry everything all summer to supply the late comers - good place to get some replacement plants in difficult years.

Most of my money goes to a place in Lakewood NY called Mike's Nursery. Mike actually knows what he's doing and carries the regular stuff, plus some things that are just a little unusual. There's also a nursery in the north county near Fredonia called Luther Dean's and I always try to get up there once a year, too. He supplies some of the market stands and carries a good variety of plants.

I have a couple favorite places here in NJ. One is Garde State Growers. They are a wholesale, huge operation, that has a retail center at their growing facility. They grow for Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes etc. Usually have good prices and great plants at their place.

The other one I like is Ashes Flower Farm. They are a growing business with multiple locations in NJ and PA. Not sure if they are anywhere else.

Salem Country Gardens in Salem, CT is a good sized nursery, with a decent selection. Also, Acer Gardens, in Deep River, CT is a very nice small family owned nursery that I visit frequently. Natureworks has classes and seminars, but not that great a selection, IMO.

Ballek's in East Haddam is nice, too, lots of great pots, and great selection of perennials and rose.

I have a few here on Long Island that I hit. The Bloomin Haus is great for their 9 greenhouses filled with annuals with fantastic prices. They close for the season once they sell out. There is one by my brother's house that has great stock as well as some unusual specimens, although they can be pricey. Our north shore [The Gold Coast] has a wonderful nursery which is extremely expensive, but a good choice for single specimens as their stock is extremely healthy and well taken care of. There are two other's that I will visit as well.

This is part of the reason why I am trying wintersowing this year - hopefully will save myself an incredible amount of money!!!!

No matter how much stock I have, I still enjoy going to a nursery the way some people enjoy clothes shopping. I love browsing and I just love being there.
Thanks for the tips on new places to visit.
Anita, I guess I don't understand LI. I always thought the South coast was the gold coast and that the North Fork was more down to earth.
And if you go to the North coast & wave can Ivy, Saypoint & I see you?

I too love browsing at the nurseries - between that and a book store, I could get lost for hours!

The North Shore is the 'Gold Coast' Famous Mansions of Ford, Vanderbilt - mostly white elephants now http://www.ligoldcoast.com/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Shore_%28Long_Island%29 . The Great Gatsby was written about it and Nelson Demille also wrote a book based on the area.

and yes...I'll be the one jumping up and down!!!

Logee's! It is like a little tropical paradise - I can spend hours in there at a time, just reading about the plants, wandering around the nooks & crannies of the greenhouses, & inhaling the scent of exotic blossoms. It is a real treat to visit - there are few places you can see these types of plants in New England.
As for other nurseries, I tend to frequent many roadside stands in the Summer for deals. Natureworks & Balloks are both worth the trip.
Julie

JRush,
Hello neighbor!!
I just was thinking of how a trip to Logee's seemed too good not to make. How long is the trip?
Also, where is Balloks? I don't know of it.
Dave

I'd like to find a new favorite. I am in Massachusetts and I was enjoying Russell's in Wayland, but they didn't have a good year last year, I don't know what happened. I hope they have a better year this year. They are an organic grower which I love. I love the New England Wildflower Society. I just discovered them. I went once a long time ago and they had very little stock. I used to think they had the one big sale in the spring and then they were out of everything all season. Last year I went twice and both times they had a great selection of native plants. Apparently when they have their big sale in the spring, much of what they offer is brought in for the sale. I never go to the sale as it is too crowded.

I also like McCue in Woburn. It is a small place, but it is pretty good. It used to have excellent prices and sales, but they renovated the whole property and now their prices are about like everyone elses. They do seem to have healthy plants though.

Would love to find a few new places nearby.
Prairie

Prairie,
I guess nearby is relative but a few of my favorites are Avant Gardens in N. Dartmouth. Their catalog gives you and idea of what they have to offer (rare and unusual) but I have always found so much more on site www.avantgardensne.com, while in that area of course a stop at Alan Haskells would be in order. If your over my way there is Seaside Daylily Farm that sells wonderful organic daylilies www.seasidedaylly.com again much more is offered on site. If your looking for Heath or Heather there is Rockspray in Turo.
Katy

There's one right here in New Haven called Greenbrier Nurseries, located in Edgerton Park. Their selection is pretty small, but they always have some neat houseplants, nothing is very expensive, and the best part is that they are an occupational training center for mentally handicapped adults. So if you need something to liven up a windowsill, or something basic like herbs (they also have perennials in the spring/summer), you can feel very good about shopping there!

For all you southern CT folks, does anyone have thoughts on Van Wilgen's in N. Branford vs Fonicello's in Guilford?

And has anyone been to White Flower Farm in Litchfield?

Meg

Hi Dave - Logee's is a little over an hour drive from Guilford. 395 is a very dull route, but the best one. I promise you that you will NOT be disappointed! They have placards that explain the origin, background, growing conditions, etc for most of the plants. I usually go with another DG'er from NY state. We also visited Quacken Grass Farms in Brooklyn, CT - which is on the way to Logee's. Lots of neat varieties of plants, but the owner follows you around a little too much.
I do miss Frank's, because I used to grab their TLC plants. There are NO deals in the area any more!
Natureworks has a great garden on site, so you can see how the plants will look with other plants.
Balleks is in East Haddam, around exit 7 off route 9. They are small, but they have some really neat Bonsai & succulent arrangements. I don't get there too often. They also have some nice pots.
Van Wilgen's is great, but I have found them to be pricey. They have gotten into some more of the exotics, which is refreshing. I go there for seasonal flats of plants.
Fonicellos is sky high in prices. I can only buy if there is a sale. I did get some good deals at the end of last Summer, but it is unusual. I like to go there to look at the plants & flowers, especially when I need a fix! I wander the greenhouses.
Has anyone been to Pinchbeck's? This rose farm has always been here, but I have never gone in for some reason. I think I will make the trip this week, just to inhale :)

Meg,
I don't bother with Fonicellos and I'm about a mile from it. Not a huge selection. Van Wilgen's is big and has a lot of stock. I use their coupons as they come out ( you can get on their mailing list) to make it affordable. I like being there. They offer classes, have special events with hayrides etc that are good for the kids.
Lesser known is Wilber & KIng in Guilford. Also not cheap but beautiful. They do an annual Art show in the garden.
Whiteflower Farm had some nice gardens but not much of a sale area when I visited. I wouldn't go again

Julie, I've been to pinchbeck's. Its a great place to buy cut roses. But I never got to see anything there besides their processing center. Maybe if you call and ask. I don't believe they sell plants.

I would strongly recommend going to Natureworks when Nancy is giving one of her free Sat. am classes. You follow her around the garden, learn stuff,she's funny and she encourages you to harvest her seeds. Everything is organic there.

I had forgotten about Wilbur & King - their prices are high, but you can find some very unique varieties of plants there. They have probably the most extensive selection of perennials in the area. They carry many native species as well. At the end of the season, you can get some good deals. Their usual prices are pretty high. Of course, most things are pricey in this area!
Dave - So I snoop & find that you really ARE a neighbor - right down the road in fact! Perhaps you can come with Sequee & I when we do our next Logee's trip? We should be due to go in another month or so...
Thanks for the tip on White Flower Farm - I had wondered about that place.
Meg & Katy - Isn't there a big plant & flower show in Mass in February? (perhaps it is in RI) I thought there was a gathering of sorts there this time of year...

I don't know about the plant & flower show (I'm new to all this), but it would be great to see something like that this time of year...

I'll have to check out Wilbur &King. But it sounds like everyone's prices are sky high around here! Is there anywhere to get plants that aren't really expensive? (even mail-order--I can look at the nurseries around here and order somewhere else, I guess, if need be)

Julie, How did you check that out? You must know something I'm not aware of! I'd love to go with you.
Meg, There are lots of great catalogues. The Garden Watchdog section of DG is a great resource. For quality plants that are small but a good quality, I love Bluestone Perennials and Graceful Gardens. If you want roses, there are threads in that forum that point out the good ones. Go to Garden Watchdog for ratings, websites, etc.
Dave

She saw you showing your better side...

Actually, I don't have a better side.
Do you think Julie works for the NSA?

No, but I bet she knows where the address exchange is... :)

Been following along as I'm always looking for nurseries to check out along the way when traveling from Virginia to Maine at least once a year.

While living in Maine, every spring we'd travel to Mass to visit nurseries and attend the NEWFS open house. It was such a source of inspiration at that time of the year since Mass was usually about a month ahead of us and we were still experiencing "mud season" ! One of my favorite places to visit was Newbury Perennial Gardens in Byfield. Of course we always checked out New England Bonsai and Weston Nurseries but found alot of smaller nurseries as well. After all my years of living in New England, finally got to stop by Logee's last fall during one of their open house weekends. I've purchased alot of plants from them in the past but it was a thrill to actually visit!

I've enjoyed reading People, Places and Plants ever since Paul Tukey started it as a magazine for "Maine Gardeners". They've really grown since then and now even have their own television program which I faithfully watch every Sunday morning on HGTV.

Prairie: here's a link from their website that might help you find some nurseries: http://www.newenglandgardening.com/resources/centers/ma.html.

Here's a picture of Brunnera macrophylla 'Variegata' that I bought at Newbury Perennials at least 8 years ago. A variegated Brunnera was really hard to find back then and I just had to bring it with me when I moved to Virginia!

That's a beauty! I've just added it to my must have for the spring.

Hi Katy,

Thanks for those suggestions. I have been to Haskell's once a long time ago and that was a nice trip. He had some unusual pelagorniums at the time that I brought home, with that tricolor leaf. I haven't been to Avant Gardens yet, but I would love to go. I have looked over their website a few times and they have a lot of unusual offerings and lots of fun things for containers if I remember correctly. Both of those locations are over an hour away from me, so that is a once a summer trip maybe. I will also keep in mind the daylily nursery. I keep trying to get to a daylily nursery when the plants are in bloom and for whatever reason, never do.

Can't add anything to the Connecticut discussion, except I love the WFF catalog. Never been able to visit yet. Have bought from Logee's before. Wonderful selections. Great houseplants.

JRush...
I think you are thinking about the Providence RI show that is in February. The Mass show isn't until March.

rcn48...
I haven't tried Newbury's. Byfield sounds far away. [g] Probably West of me. Will have to look that one up. Yes, I have gone out to Weston a lot but I have found that they have just gotten way too pricey for me. Thanks for that link to People Places and Plants. I have just started watching that show and enjoy it a lot. I didn't think it had a website..great resource.

PrairieMoon, if I'm reading my map right, Byfield isn't far from you at all. The nursery is right off I-95, south of Amesbury. A quick search on mapquest indicates it's about 32 miles!

I agree about Weston - although it's a really neat place to visit and check out their plants, I always steered away from actually buying their plants because they were overpriced. Of course there were always a few exceptions :)

Did anyone see People Places and Plants yesterday when they were showing the exhibits of the giant bugs! I'd never heard of these before but now I'll be looking for the exhibit to hopefully come to a botanical garden close enough for me to visit. Here's a link for those of you who have never seen it before: http://www.big-bugs.com/

rcn,
Thanks for sharing the bugs. Very fun!

Aren't they incredible! Unfortunately the photos on his site don't do the sculptures justice. Seeing them on television really gave you a much better idea of their scale - some as tall as 20'! I think the praying mantis was my favorite - alot of detail work - if I remember correctly he said it took him three months to complete!

rcn,
I think we are the only people awake around this forum. Did you get snow too?
Dave

Dave, yeah we got a nice fluffy snow of about 7". It's already melting here though - by mid week the temps will be back up around 50 so by next weekend it will all be gone! This is definitely the BEST part about living in Virginia - no more long winters :)

Prairemoon2 -- I am kind of near you in Mass. Have you tried these ones:

Lake Street Garden Center, Salem, NH
http://www.lakestreet.com/
Rock garden plants, heirloom tomato starter plants, herbs, unusual annuals

Catalado Nurseries and Garden Center, Littleton, MA
http://www.cataldonurseries.com/
Selection of perennials, containers, fertilizers, silk flower supplies.

Griggs Farm, Billerica, MA
599 Boston Road, Rte. 3A
Heirloom vegetable starter plants, starter sized clematis vines at a good price.

Blanchette Gardens, Carlisle, MA
http://www.blanchettegardens.com
Shade perennials and other exotic perennials.

R.Seawright Gardens, Carlisle, MA
http://www.daylilies-hostas.com.
Hostas and field dug daylilies. Like the display gardens of hostas. Visit in July and August.

Mahoney's Garden Center, Winchester, MA
http://www.mahoneysgarden.com/
Large selection perennials, rock garden plants, shrubs or trees. Pricey but can find some interesting things there. Nice hanging baskets.

Sue

Still digging out myself! I have watched the prices of plants rise each year, & I KNOW they will cost more - but I still have that old Yankee mentality. Because I garden, it is hard for me to give in & pay the prices. And DG may be partly to blame for this too! I have acquired my most precious & dear plants through trades - things I could not possibly have found in any local shop. Plants that I would not have considered in a catalog or store, but ones that I have come to cherish over time. I cannot imagine how much money I have saved by trading - & it is enjoyable to me. I can't wait to get that package in the mail, full of surprises. I will always splurge at Logee's, but my main source of interesting plants is right here at DG :)
Below - Sunday morning surprise!

Ditto to Lake St Gardens in Salem NH. I just discovered them last year. Great selection of trees and shrubs. I located a very unusual Thuja occidentalis 'Filiformis' that I had been looking for for quite a while.

In Goffstown NH (just outside of Manchester) is Uncanoonuk Mt. Perennials. Terrific quality and selection. Specializes in hardy roses too (despite their name). Great display gardens too.

Russels in Wayland is also on my short list.

Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton is a classic, but too far for me generally. Also very pricey. but aren't they all getting pricey these days?

I can't believe I forgot to mention Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, near the Cheshire town line. The owner, Dr. Dick Jaynes, has been a breeder of Mountain Laurels for many years, and has introduced many new cultivars. Of course, they carry a wide variety of shrubs, trees, and perennials, and have a lot of mature specimens on the site that you can see.

Plantaholic and Saypoint do you frequent Gardenweb?

Sue

I'm sort of in the boonies of Western, MA, so there is not a lot of places without taking a long drive. A bit pricey, but I love 5 Star Gardens in Palmer, MA. They have a great selection and if you go there a lot, they have a great discount program.

I miss my old haunts like Russells and agree that Weston got pricey, but I feel they sort of always were pricey. Plantaholic, I think agree with you in that "they all seem pricey these days."

Moving here took some adjustment because there just isn't the selection you have in the Waltham, Framingham areas. I've finally come to appreciate Home Depot and WalMart's garden centers and feel lucky to have found 5 Star. I even got 4 lilac bushes in 2 gallon containers at a supermarket out here for 6.00 each. I went back and got 2 more for a friend, lol. I guess you can't keep us garden folks down, we always manage a way to find somewhere to go.

Megan

Sue, yes on GW for many years (pre-iVillage), but not so much lately. Branching out.

Megan, at least you've got great flea market/antique shows!

It is amazing how the supermarkets try to compete. Sometimes some really good buys can be had.

-Wendy

Plantaholic and Megan,
I think with the rise in energy costs this winter we are in for some major sticker shock when the nurseries open in the spring. I just visited a local nusery that had closed two thirds of their glass green house and had the remaining third wrapped in plastic. Katy

Katy, I hadn't thought of that. Good point. Ouch!
I have a $100 Van Wilgen's gift certificate (Christmas present)burning a hole in my pocket.
Saypoint, I'll make sure I check out Broken Arrow. Thanks for the tip.

I head for western MA as soon as the plant nurseries start opening....two favorites are Blue Meadow Farms in Montague, MA (413-367-2394) and Bay State Perennials in Whatley, MA (413-665-3535). Neither one is mail order, but if you can get to them, go!!!!! Blue Meadow is my favorite as it carries the "hard to find" varieties of Nicotianna, Blue Poppy, older annuals that grew in Gram's garden, perennials that are no longer "mass market," and I end up dropping a few dollars every time I go. Bay State Perennials carries the more common plants, but has an excellent selection of shade plants, as well as display gardens.

Pammy,

Have you grown the blue poppies? I just picked up a couple of packets for some people I sent them to here in Dave's, but I don't think I can grow them here in z5. It sounds like a very cool place to check out.

Megan

since i am mostly into veggies i have several seeds catalogues that i use all the time, baker creek heirloom seeds which also sells flower seeds,
tomato growers supply co.,andf a few more but if i have to get plants i go to my local nursery. mostly we have home depot and walmarts.