My Visit To Growild Nursery in Fairview

It's not often that I am so impressed by a nursery that I feel compelled to write about them.  So many nurseries just do things the same way, the established way.  I know it works well but when a nursery steps it up a notch it REALLY works.  Growild Nursery in Fairview, Tennessee to me is an example of one nursery that steps it up!  Was it the plants that impressed me?  Definitely, but that wasn't all.  The service by the employees was great.  And it's more than just the demeanor of the employees, they knew their stuff!  They could tell me the habits of the trees, offer up examples of similar specimens that I might enjoy, and were simply a great horticultural resource.

Growild opens up to the public only a couple times a year.  The rest of the season they sell to landscape designers, contractors, and by appointments.  Their stock makes them unique in that they are one of only two major nurseries that specialize in native plants.  If you're looking for plants that are weather tolerant and grow in our rough soil conditions here in Tennessee then Growwild is the place to visit.  They would be an excellent resource for anyone wishing to restore lands that have been taken over by invasive plants like honeysuckle or privet. 

Of course I will have to admit I spent much more than I intended at Growild.  When they are only open twice a year you've got to right?  I went looking for a red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) which I'm thrilled to have planted in our garden over the weekend.  The red buckeye is a hummingbird magnet that blooms in the spring with stalks of red tubular flowers.  It's a small tree that over the year might reach 12-14 feet.  It likes partial shade but can take a few hours of hot afternoon sun.  We found a buckeye that actually had a few seeds still attacked to the old flower stalk so that we knew it was already old enough to flower.

I also have a fondness for viburnums and came home with two more for our garden.  I went looking for a 'Rusty Blackhaw' viburnum which comes highly recommend by Gail of Clay and Limestone.  At the recommendation of one of the Growwild employees I took a look at a Witherod viburnum and instantly knew it was coming home with me too!

'Rusty Blackhaw' viburnum (Viburnum rufidulum) is a larger viburnum that reaches 10-20 feet in height and has spectacular orange to red fall color.  It's now planted in the backyard where it and grow as tall as it likes.

Witherod viburnum (Viburnum nudum) is a smaller viburnum that tops out around 5'.  What made this viburnum stand out were its glossy leaves.  When a plant only blooms for a couple weeks a year its important for it to have another feature that helps it to stand out.  I planted our Witherod viburnum in one of our front yard gardens.  It has nice fall color too and produces berries that range from pink to blue.  The birds love viburnums! 

It was an exciting day for me and I think my family enjoyed the visit to Growild too.  My oldest daughter even got a mini harmonica lesson from one of the musicians who was there to entertain! If you didn't get to Growild this weekend they will open again in the fall for customers during their tree sale season.  If you've never been, it's worth the trip!

My Newest Project - A Nursery!

For years now I've had the dream of owning and operating my own nursery.  I've always loved starting plants from seed and propagating them (as you know) but until now I wasn't able to figure out a way to cross over into the business side of plant growing. This weekend I wanted to pass on to you my new project called The Home Garden Box.  

Tomato Lover's Garden Box

At its most basic level The Home Garden Box is a collection of heirloom plants that create a themed garden.  Right now we're mostly only putting together vegetable and herb gardens but I hope to have special offerings as the year progresses. But it's more than just a collection of plants, I've committed to growing these plants without synthetic chemical herbicides or pesticides and I'm only planting from non-GMO sources. I want to help new gardeners and backyard homeowners to start gardens for their families that are safe and healthy.

Fine Summer Vine Garden Box

We have 6 themed gardens all with heirloom plants already planned out.  In addition to the plants customers will also receive garden preparation information as well as a planting guide for the garden. Anyone can go to the local home improvement stores and pick up a bunch of regular plants but they don't often get good advice on how to grow them! My favorite garden so far is the Tomato Lover's Garden, because I love tomatoes, but there are several other gardens in multiple sizes that help to fill out the backyard garden. 

We're starting off as a small nursery and are only delivering in and around Spring Hill, Tennessee but are happy to make arrangements for people to pick up their garden boxes. I hope you'll head over to the Facebook page for The Home Garden Box and like us! Then take a look around at the themed vegetable and herb gardens we're assembling.

If you're nearby and we can help you start your garden this year please give us a try! 

The Home Garden Box

The First Plant Hunt: A Scouting Mission

Yesterday we went on a scouting mission. Needham's Nursery in Mount Juliet was the territory we explored. The game was scarce as the season has not officially begun, but as I said it was only a scouting mission. We wandered the paths of our quarry occasionally stopping to observe, admire, and record the potential acquisitions.





Although it was early, what we hunted for was there, lurking among the rows of vegetation just waiting to be found. We saw several interesting formations while scanning the lay of the land.


We stalked our quarry past the Hamamelis (Witch hazel) which stared at us while fully in bloom.


The path beyond the Witch hazel the trail led us to the purple foliage of the loropetalum.




Once we passed the lorpetalum we stopped to observe the dry seed pods of an extremely rare site in the south: The Crape myrtle!


We trudged on, through the rhododendrons. A native of the of the mountainous regions of our state.


Through the grasses.



As we journeyed on we observed the striking red bark of the Cornus stolinifera (Red Twig Dogwood). A great specimen for winter interest.


Resting among the shrubs we sited a Nandina domestica. Like the Cornus stolinifera it is also noted for its winter color with its red berries and red laced foliage.


During the hunt we noticed the variegated foliage of this Liriope was flourishing despite some damage in the underbrush.

The arborvitae was standing tall like silent sentinels guarding the path.

The Leyland cypress watched quietly as we crept pass.



















As we were leaving a flock of Mugo pine appeared.



Did we find what we were looking for? You can find out when the plans for the wedding landscape continue!

Plant Nurseries and Resources

Here are a few plant nurseries that you may find useful.

But first a little advice on buying plants from nurseries:

Always do plenty of research before buying any plant to make sure it will do well in your garden. Check for light requirements, water needs, soil types, recommend fertilizer regimens, and pest and disease issues. Also be aware that mail order plants may not look the same as the same plant in a local nursery. The advantage mail order has over nurseries is in the variety of stock. You may not be able to find the same plants where you are. Keep in mind that pictures from  online nurseries are representative of what the plant will one day be so don't be surprised when it doesn't look identical!

Tennessee Plant Nurseries

Greenwood Nursery
http://www.greenwoodnursery.com
Greenwood Nursery is your one stop shopping for Fast Growing Trees, Flowering Shrubs, Evergreen Groundcovers, Perennials, Organic Lawn Care Products, African Market Baskets.
phone:  1-800-426-0958
email: cheryl@greenwoodnursery.com




To have your nursery listed please contact Dave at thehomegarden@gmail.com
Thank you for visiting The Home Garden!