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September 26, 2005
Garden Center Recommendation?
Can anyone recommend a moderately priced garden center in Brooklyn? I live in Fort Greene and we have a couple cute small garden shops, but they're expensive. I'm wondering if there are large garden centers further out in, Brooklyn, similar to those you find in the suburbs.
Comments
brooklyn termninal market
Posted by: sba at September 26, 2005 9:26 AM
There's also Lowe's and Home Depot. There's a new Home Depot in Bed-Stuy with a fairly large Garden Center. Gowanus Nursery on 3rd St is pretty large, but might have more in common with the expensive ones in your nabe.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2005 9:38 AM
The Lowes and Home Depot are good for hardscape (brick, fence, etc.), but the plant selection and quality are not good.
Posted by: renogirl at September 26, 2005 9:47 AM
I love that place in the triangle park on Flatbush near the clocktower...but there's also the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Eastern Pkwy -- the plant shop has really good quality plants (which is not always the case with Home Depot et al) for reasonable $$ and a discount if you're a member of the garden. The bonus there is the money goes to a great garden. They have a huge fabulous (and frenzied) plant sale every May.
www.bbg.org
And there's a very nice suburban sort of nursery on MacDonald Ave across the street from Greenwood Cemetary.
Posted by: LG at September 26, 2005 10:53 AM
Also, the farmers' market is pretty good.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2005 11:21 AM
Also Shannon Nursery on Fort Hamilton Parkway. Great outdoor selections as well as several, awesome greenhouses.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2005 1:15 PM
oops, I got my streets confused...the good suburban style nursery across from Greenwood is Shannon on Fort Hamilton Parkway.
Posted by: LG at September 26, 2005 2:33 PM
Try Mill Lane Nursery, 1875 Ralph Ave (at Flatlands). 718-241-3172. I found a wide selection of plants there, decently priced too.
Posted by: Roz at September 26, 2005 5:15 PM
mill lane nursery still owes me $200 on a "guaranteed" sky rocket spruce that died within a year....
Posted by: sba at September 26, 2005 6:46 PM
Brooklyn Terminal Market is okay but boring. Shannon is okay too....but boring. Home Depot and Lowe's are pushing these businesses out because they all carry the same boring stuff and Home Depot and Lowes can sell for cheaper and don't even care about the quality of the plants...it's all about volume. The nursery on Atlantic under the Williamsburg Bank is overpriced. There is nursery on Caton and E. 7 (again standard stuff but better than Shannon.) We need a good nursery in Brooklyn. I am lucky enough to have a sister who is a local professional gardner and she goes out to these great wholesale nursery's on Long Island. I've gone with her and you really can't compare any of the above nursery's to them for quality and quantity of species. So with all that information in hand...hire a good gardner and have them purchase the plants for you or keep buying mundane....or hope that my sister's dream of opening a "quality nursery" in Brooklyn comes to fruition....
Posted by: anonymous at September 26, 2005 7:31 PM
professional gardeners can't be hired just to buy plants at wholesale....
of course, if you have a car and can get to the nurseries on long island (or westchester or nj for that matter), you're going to get a lot more variety. you can order from catalogs as well.
Posted by: sba at September 26, 2005 9:18 PM
It's a trip, but I still prefer Hicks Nursery in Westbury. It's an hours drive, but they have the best selection, and people who can really help you.
Posted by: Ken at September 27, 2005 1:25 PM
Which catalogues are good to order from?
To 7:31 -- I hope your sister does open that garden center! We need it. There are lots of people who would love it in Brownstone Brooklyn.
Oh, and we must not forget Gardell's Garden next to the Habana Outpost in Fort Greene. They have some good greenery to buy after you've bought your gravel, brick, and fence @ HD or Lowes.
Also, don't forget, Ikea has some really affordable and stylish garden furniture. Target as well (not sure if they carry it at the Atlantic Center, but I've seen it at every other location).
Posted by: renogirl at September 27, 2005 8:37 PM
for bulbs, i use van engelen inc. for large qtys...www.vanengelen.com
for clematis, i use completely clematis...they are on the web only at www.clematisnursery.com i bought some sweet autumn clematis a year ago, and it is already at 8ft. i also bought some japanese roguchi there as well. they have alot of info on the pruning of clematis and when i had questions, they've always been very very helpful. i really love their stuff, and the website is very informative.
for hostas (and not the "boring" kind...) walnut grove nursery at www.walnutgrovenursery.net i bought 12 hosta "munchkins" for a border, and they filled in beautifully over the summer.
i drive up to roseland nursery when i need some visual inspiration. i'm a not a beginner, but i'm no pro either. it has everything arranged alphabetically and grouped by sun/shade/groundcover etc. it helps to see things grouped together like that (for me anyway) so i can go over to the groundcover section and say, hey i like that vinca more than the pachysandra, but not as much as the bugleweed (ajuga). plus it's a good learning experience. i was never a big fan of grasses (i thought they should stay on the prairie), but after going there and seeing all the different varieties, i am now the proud owner of some japanese blood grass. i think it's stunning.
i would definitely suggest taking a class at the brooklyn botanical garden. i'm going to the fall container gardening workshop this weekend...3 hours for $30 (non-member). they also have a 6 week "design your own garden" workshop.
Posted by: sba at September 27, 2005 9:16 PM
thanks everyone!
Posted by: lc at September 28, 2005 5:15 PM
That is such good advice, sba. Thanks.
I'm excited to explore grasses, drought resistant plants, and generally more ecologically-friendly plantings.
Posted by: renogirl at September 28, 2005 11:10 PM
another really helpful site is the gardenweb forum. there is a section for metro ny, on which they discuss the particular problems of city gardening, and also what plants do well here. then you can check out the other forums by category. they have ones for almost any plant you can think of, xeriscaping (using drought resistant native plants), garden furniture--you name it. there is even a section for newbies to ask questions. it's been a great resource for me as i "learn" my way around my garden...
i'm itching to see what mr. and mrs. brownstoner are doing (or going to do) with their garden)!
http://ny.gardenweb.com/forums/nygarden
Posted by: sba at September 29, 2005 8:51 AM
Brownstoner: It would be great if next summer you could run some sort of feature on Brooklyn brownstone gardens, asking people to send in photos of their front and back yards, etc., exchange gardening advice and so forth. What do you think?
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