Keeping in mind the Green Mountain State's famous and verdant natural landscape, it should come as no surprise that Vermont has its share of great nurseries and garden centers. People value a beautiful garden here, so get yourself started at these 10 great garden centers and nurseries in the state.
This farm cultivates about 45 acres of land. Their farm stand and nursery are the main outlets for the plants, fruits, and veggies that they grow. What’s more, though, is they have run a local Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) program promoting their produce for about 10 years, offering various pick-up points and a pre-buy opportunity.
B&B Nurseries was established in 1984, and it is a family-run business that is located on almost 40 acres. Serving homeowners, stone masons, landscapers, and businesses, the nursery offers fruit trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, bark mulch, screened topsoil, compost, and stone. Staymat, crushed stone, fertilizers, and pond supplies are also available.
With a crew that has reportedly “100 years in combined horticulture experience,” Elmore has developed their own proprietary cold-hardy varieties of plants. With 37 years of observing and working with horticultural in a Northern Vermont climate, Elmore has developed plants that have been proven to do well in the cold. Their fruit trees are hand-grafted on site and guaranteed to be healthy and hardy.
Boasting an annual pumpkin patch, a corn maze, and their famous cider doughnuts, the EVN is the Northshire’s favorite place to buy flowers, herbs, and plants. In the shadow of Mount Equinox, the nursery had been family owned since 1979, and with three generations of horticulture professionals, landscape designers, and gardening enthusiasts at the helm, EVN is dedicated to serving the local community and its customers.
Founded in 1967 by Elmer and Bertha, Brown’s nursery was supposedly started with only seven plants. From those humble beginnings, the nursery has grown to specialize in producing, selecting, selling, and installing cold-hardy, northern flora. Design installation of complete landscape projects are also a large part of their business, and they pride themselves on their broad knowledge of northern plants.
Established in 1980 in an 1840’s brick house at the end of the village, PPN grows over 900 varieties of flowers and herbs. Specializing in heirloom and medicinal plants, the nursery also supports a seasonal tea room that serves English teas and finger sandwiches in their display garden or conservatory. Perhaps, though, just witnessing their 142 varieties of phlox, a North American native, in bloom may be spectacle enough to attract customers.
Specializing in herbaceous and sub-aquatic plants, ferns, and shrubs, VWPS grows native plants from seeds and cuttings that have been hand-collected in Vermont. A wholesale nursery, this supplier sells plants to "stormwater and ecological restoration industries" throughout the northeastern United States. VWPS also offers wetland consulting services to the public and private sectors.
Who knew there were so many hostas? You have got the mini hosta, the chartreuse hosta, the fragrant hosta, and the giant hosta all growing on a farm nestled in the heart of the Green Mountains. They grow over 500 varieties here, many of them field grown, which results in larger, more hardy varieties than you will find in other nurseries.
Ed Burke, a University of Vermont graduate, founded Rocky Dale in 1981 to offer the local area unique conifers, trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. The nursery and gardens skirt his barn and 1856 farmhouse. So, Rocky Dale is as much a community meeting place as it is a nursery, and the staff pride themselves on providing expert horticultural advice.
Establish 1994, Heather and Brian Bessette started out with a 24-by-60-foot greenhouse and a desire to grow high-quality plants locally for themselves and their community. Now, with over 20,000 square-feet of greenhouses, and an on-site shrub and tree nursery, H & B specializes in a vast array of ornamental nursery products.