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 (7190 Hill Hughes Rd, Fairview, TN 37062) 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 attached 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 recommended 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!
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!
‘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.
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!
How to Choose the Right Cuttings for Plant Propagation
When you’re taking cuttings from a plant, one of the most important steps is choosing the right material. The type of cutting you select plays a huge role in whether or not it will root successfully. In this post, I’ll walk you through what I…
The Greenhouse: What To Do Next?
It’s been several days since I’ve been able to accomplish anything on the greenhouse. I’m hoping that Monday will be the day to get things done as it’s predicted to be 60 degrees with only a 20% chance of rain. Usually the 20% chance of…
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project 2008
As autumn’s colors have wrapped us in a cloth of color we have peeked into the foliage around the gardening blogosphere. Participants from Canada to Florida and Illinois to England have offered up wonderful illustrations of fall’s foremost feature. It’s time to take a look…
My Apologies to the Sassafras Trees
Yesterday I commented on a post on Gardening Gone Wild written by Nan for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project and said how some people consider the Sassafras to be a junk tree. Inadvertently I may have given the impression that I believe it is….
Plantings Around the Garden Shed
In my last post on the garden shed page I mentioned that I would show you in two parts the plantings. Well…I’m afraid I may have to expand that to three, we’ll see! After taking some pictures today and on previous days I’m happily astounded…
Garden Tips for Before a Frost
As the first frost approaches, now is the time to take essential steps to protect your garden and set yourself up for success next spring. Below are a few simple garden tips that can help you save money and preserve your favorite plants while extending…
Discover more from Growing The Home Garden
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I'm sorry I missed it! I would've way overspent there too and wondered where in my small yard I would put plants. I'm envious- I want a red buckeye!
Excellent choices! I am so glad you made it to the GroWild sale. They are the bestest! Thank you for the link! gail
These "Open to the Public" sales are the best. I have it written on my calendar for the next local sale here! How wonderful they have so many natives….
Wow! Interesting page. Thanks a lot for sharing such page.
Your choices of plants and trees are very much along the line of what I wanted plant had we retired in Virginia instead of AZ. I love these!