8 Favorite Online Retailers and Local Nurseries for Buying Outdoor Plants
Home & Garden Insider
8 Favorite Online Retailers and Local Nurseries for Buying Outdoor Plants
When it comes to selecting the best place to buy outdoor plants, discerning plant enthusiasts have their preferences. Business Owners and Founders weigh in with expert opinions, sharing insights that highlight the unique strengths of their favorite retailers. The first insight comes from a Business Owner who praises North Haven Gardens for its quality and expertise, while the last insight is provided by a COO who recommends Lowes.com for reliable online plant shopping. Discover a total of eight expert insights in this comprehensive guide.
- North Haven Gardens Offers Quality and Expertise
- Local Nurseries Provide Tangible Benefits
- Nature Hills Nursery Ensures Customer Success
- Garden World Excels in Plant Health
- Geraniaceae Specializes in Unique Pelargoniums
- The Sill Commits to Sustainability and Education
- Cistus Nursery Offers Rare and Native Plants
- Lowes.com Provides Reliable Online Plant Shopping
North Haven Gardens Offers Quality and Expertise
My favorite local nursery for purchasing outdoor plants is North Haven Gardens in Dallas, TX. Their selection is unmatched, offering a wide variety of native Texas plants, seasonal flowers, and hardy trees that thrive in our climate. What sets them apart is their knowledgeable staff, who understand the unique challenges of landscaping in the DFW area, from extreme weather conditions to clay-heavy soil. With over 20 years of experience in tree care and landscaping, I've come to appreciate businesses that provide both quality products and valuable expertise, and North Haven Gardens excels in both areas. They even host workshops and events, which is a bonus for professionals like me looking to stay up to date on industry trends or for homeowners wanting to learn more about their garden.
My qualifications as a certified arborist and years of experience in the field have taught me the importance of selecting the right plants for long-term success. When I work on a project, I prioritize healthy, robust plants that will not only complement the client's property but also thrive for years to come. For instance, a recent client wanted a low-maintenance yard that still looked lush year round. With the help of North Haven Gardens' expert advice and my deep understanding of native species and tree care, we created a stunning outdoor space that has been resilient through droughts and freezes. It's these types of partnerships that make such positive outcomes possible.
Local Nurseries Provide Tangible Benefits
As an experienced florist with more than 10 years of experience, I highly recommend local nurseries over online retailers. There's something irreplaceable about being able to touch and see the plants in person, as well as talk to knowledgeable staff who understand your local climate and soil conditions.
One of my favorite nurseries is a family-run one that specializes in native plants. They stand out because they not only sell plants but also educate customers on sustainable gardening practices. Their plants are always healthy, and they even offer free repotting services if you buy a plant and pot together.
If I had to recommend an online retailer, I'd choose one that offers detailed care guides and eco-friendly packaging. For example, The Sill is great because they make plant care accessible even for beginners. The key is finding a source that genuinely cares about plants and their customers.
Nature Hills Nursery Ensures Customer Success
Nature Hills Nursery stands out as my go-to online retailer for purchasing outdoor plants. Their site offers exceptional growing zone data and detailed plant descriptions that help ensure successful gardening outcomes. They take the guesswork out of online plant shopping by carefully packaging and shipping plants at the optimal time for each growing zone.
What really sets them apart is their commitment to customer success after the sale. Their care guides go beyond basic instructions, offering specific guidance for different climates and growing conditions. Each plant listing includes comprehensive information about mature size, growth patterns, and maintenance requirements, which helps avoid common landscaping mistakes.
I also appreciate their rigorous quality control. Every plant is inspected before shipping, and their "Green Guarantee" means they'll replace any plant that arrives in poor condition. This takes the risk out of buying plants online, especially for more expensive specimens like trees and mature shrubs.
The seasonal growing tips and zone-specific planting schedules they provide have proved invaluable for timing garden projects correctly. This kind of detailed guidance is especially helpful when you're working with challenging growing conditions or trying to establish plants in areas with extreme weather patterns.
Garden World Excels in Plant Health
One of my favorite local nurseries for purchasing outdoor plants is Garden World in Melbourne. Over the years, I've found their selection of plants to be not only extensive but also incredibly well-maintained. Their staff are knowledgeable, which is something I value deeply as a horticulturist. They take the time to provide advice tailored to specific needs, whether it's about soil conditions, local climate challenges, or choosing the right plants to attract pollinators. Their dedication to quality is unmatched, and it's evident in the thriving health of the plants they sell. I've used their plants in several client projects, including a particularly complex garden renovation where the client wanted a mix of native Australian species and ornamental perennials. Garden World's range of native plants was a perfect match, and their team even gave me tips on grouping species for optimal growth.
My years of experience and certification as a horticulturist were instrumental in turning that garden into a success. With their advice, I knew exactly how to prepare the soil and ensure proper irrigation for each plant species. My understanding of plant biology and landscape design allowed me to create a garden that balanced aesthetics with ecological health, which earned glowing feedback from the client. This experience reinforced why I always choose retailers like Garden World: their passion for gardening aligns with my own, and their resources enable me to deliver exceptional results for my clients.
Geraniaceae Specializes in Unique Pelargoniums
You know, a very interesting local nursery in the Bay Area that sells some really cool plants you've never heard of but would probably love if you saw them is Geraniaceae, which specializes in Pelargoniums, Geraniums, and Erodiums. For the Frog Park Climatescape project I recently completed - which is a garden of plants from summer-dry climates of the world - I got quite a few really cool, lesser-known Pelargoniums from Geraniaceae. One smells like oranges, another grows huge, has huge, maple-leaf-like leaves and blooms profusely in shade. Each attracts different kinds of pollinators, and they've been tough-as-nails drought-tolerant. To visit the nursery, just make sure to email or call ahead, and it can be best to peruse their huge catalog online before doing so, so you've at least got a few pre-selected plants to check out once you are there.
The Sill Commits to Sustainability and Education
One of my favorite online retailers for outdoor plants is The Sill. What makes them stand out is not only their wide variety of plants but also their commitment to sustainability. They offer a carefully curated selection of plants that are both aesthetically pleasing and well-suited to different environmental conditions, making it easier for both beginner and experienced gardeners to find the right match. Additionally, their educational resources and plant care guides are incredibly helpful, empowering customers to make informed decisions and care for their plants long-term.
For a more local option, I've also had great experiences with Bunnings Warehouse. They provide a broad selection of plants and gardening supplies at competitive prices, and what sets them apart is their excellent customer service. Whether you're in the store or browsing their online selection, they often provide expert advice and a sense of community that helps you feel confident in your plant choices. This personalized touch, coupled with their loyalty rewards and in-store gardening workshops, makes them a standout in the local market.
Cistus Nursery Offers Rare and Native Plants
I work with landscape designers all day, so I had heard about Cistus Nursery in Portland, OR long before I had a chance to go there. The location, on Sauvie Island, is a bit of a drive from almost anywhere in town- but totally worth it. Cistus specializes in plants that like dry summers and wet winters (which is exactly what we have here in Portland). This means natives, such as Manzanitas and Oaks, that you have a hard time finding elsewhere. But it also means plants from the Mediterranean, Central and South America, and New Zealand. Every time we go both me and my landscape designer husband see plants we have never seen anywhere else. And they do sell some plants online, just in case you can't make it to Portland's Sauvie Island.
Lowes.com Provides Reliable Online Plant Shopping
I've trusted Lowes.com for all my outdoor plant purchases, and they've never let me down with their service. They have large variety of outdoor plants in many sizes, and their reputation as a well-known and reliable e-commerce service makes shopping with them simple and worry-free. As a true plant lover with a special passion for outdoor greenery, I find joy shopping their organized and easy-to-navigate site. They work with multiple vendors, ensuring I have access to the best options available, and their prompt deliveries always bring me beautiful, healthy outdoor plants. Lowes is by far my favorite choice for all my gardening needs.
