When you feel low do you enjoy a little garden centre therapy? Me too!
There is something about getting out of the house and wandering through a nursery which makes me feel a little more alive.
Being surrounded by people who are doing something they love.
Hearing people talk about their designs for the garden.
Reading the labels. Looking at the planting displays and ideas.
Always leaving with an unexpected purchase and an idea and excited hope.
A lifetime ago I worked at a nursery. I used to enjoy watching people. All sorts of people explore nurseries. Gardens don’t judge you. You can be depressed or unable to hold a conversation and it doesn’t matter. Gardens are a good place to find solace and healing.
It led me to believe a good nursery realises sometimes people have little money to spend or need company and a gentle, happy space. It welcomes everyone regardless. Gives them time and space to wander and touch and dream and hope and talk to others about something they love.
Which brings me to my point… I wanted to share my favourite nursery with you. I was hoping you might feel inspired to write a post in return to share your favourite nursery with me too. If you would like to I’d love a link in the replies. I love seeing new places 😊.
And now….
Welcome to Zanthorrea Nursery!
Even the name makes me smile. Named after our Grass trees (Xanthorrea) with a humour that realises and accepts not everyone is a plant nerd and knows how to pronounce or spell that.
It is also an Australian native plant nursery. There are gardens throughout beautifully maintained to show people how our plants can be beautiful too.
Enough of me waffling… The pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy.
This is my favourite place to go when I need a boost.
Will you share yours too? I can’t wait to see nurseries from around the world!
❤ Nat
The Depression Free Garden 
I love nurseries, too Nat, although we don’t have a garden any more. I don’t actually miss it. At 80 and with arthritis I am content to admire and enjoy other people’s gardens. I enjoy my beautiful indoor plants and watch them shoot and flower with as much pleasure as any other garden. And the pots of herbs on the balcony get a lot of use. Thank you for your gardening blog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Maureen, I’m glad you get something out of my blog. Arthritis argh I feel your pain. Saw the rheumatologist today and she’s changed my injections so fingers crossed I will be able to kneel again soon. Can you find anything to give you some relief?
I’m not sure if I posted to you to tell you I nominated you for an award. A few posts back called mystery blogger award. Sorry my brain is out to lunch along with my knees.
Have you ever popped into The Propagator’s blog on a Saturday? Even if you garden indoors now you might love living vicariously through all the gardens.
I’ll pop by your blog soon ❤🌸
LikeLike
Goodness! I wish our nursery looked like that. However, we just grow things. We do not sell them retail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was sure I had replied so sorry if you end up with a double whammy reply.
The nursery has a propagation area out back which looks less retail and more organised functionally. Funnily I like peering into the production area just as much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As a grower, I dislike retail nurseries. I dislike seeing the material that I grew on display in such frilly style. I do not mind seeing them in wholesale nurseries, but the frilliness of retail seems to be rather embarrassing to them. Besides, I do not buy anything from retail nurseries. I grow whatever I want, so do not need someone else to do it for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True. Other growers take the time and effort to supply some of their plants. They take the time to show them off. The production nursery out the back is clean and tidy and organised… But not aesthetic like the retail part.
LikeLike
What a lovely nursery, Nat! I agree with your sentiments totally, I believe a nursery should be a place of peace and nurturing for the soul (which is why I’m not a fan of the ones that focus more on scented candles and tat rather than the plants). Compared to the UK they are few and far between here but I love the Hedera Centro De Jardinería https://www.facebook.com/Gardencenter015/ as the people who run it are so helpful, friendly and enthusiastic and the plants are top quality. When we bought a grapevine there, they insisted on checking it over, pruning it and giving us a bag of granular feed to take away. Great personal care and service, so of course we go back . . . and the vine is currently looking as happy as I am here! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my goodness! The building is HUGE! None of the nurseries here have that much space or look as clean and tidy! Thank you for sharing your nursery with me… I was hoping someone would… You’ve made my day hoorah! 🌸 Also it was funny reading google translate the page into English. There’s a few odd ones in there. Like plants smelling like sausages hmmm… Try again Google translate. 😂😂😂.
Seriously though… Thank you ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, you have to love Google Translate, don’t you?!!!!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my goodness, this takes me back. When I lived in Sydney there was a huge garden centre with cubby houses, a playground, show gardens and banana bread and babycinos! It was the place where I bought a notebook with…an English Rose on the cover! Which started the whole thing.
That garden centre brought me so much solace and calm. Your whole post resonates. Xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah Ali how good are nurseries that cater for kids!! An absolute Godsend. Coffee and banana bread and plants mmmmmmm that is a recipe for a good time for all. I love that you can pinpoint the exact moment your love of roses began. That is really special.
It makes sense to me that your kids would remember too. I always thought early memories have to be strong enough to make an imprint. Like your kids I can remember my Grandparent’s garden in great detail. Why… Because I was so happy and content and loved. Thank you for sharing too 😊
LikeLike
And this place is one of the few things my children remember about living in Australia (they were 3 and 5 when we left). So these early experiences are formative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That nursery is so worth returning to again and again. Sorry that I don’t have a favorite to share, but choose where to go based on what hole I’m filling — from rhodies to fruit trees. I will share a great experience I had two weeks ago at a nice nursery unfortunately called Airport Garden Center…
I’ve been oohing and aahing, wanting to add some black elderberry and had narrowed down my choice to the variety ‘Black Beauty’. I found a perfect, large specimen sitting solo down the shrub aisle next to many ‘Black Lace’ which are pretty but not what I had in mind. Affordable, too! I loaded the beauty onto my big cart. The only other plants I planned to buy that day were Geum ‘Mai Tai’ (which can be hard to find and no seed is available) and some soil amendments. I was 2 aisles away eagerly selected my few geum when a couple passed by me on their way to the elderberries. I could peripherally see them going through the pots, trying to choose one, and then the woman called over nursery staff and LOUDLY said “I called this morning and you said you had a Black Beauty!!” The sales associate said, “I’m sorry, that can happen since we don’t place holds.” At this point I wanted to run home with my plant, but I called over “Oh! I have the Black Beauty here… I think…Um, do you need it?” The woman was basically rude and came marching over muttering “Yes, yes I do. If you don’t miiiimd.” So I placed it on her cart and explained I’d be happy not to dig a hole today, blah blah blah. I just figured that she needed it more than I did at that moment. At checkout the cashier told me a nice portion of my purchase was already covered! Turns out another worker heard the exchange and paid it forward. Wow! While being helped to load items into my car, yet another worker walked up and said “You really didn’t have to do that for that woman. Thank you, we love team players.” It was a good day. I’ll be back.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow that was so kind of you! I can absolutely see why the staff paid for some of your purchases. I think people who are rude in shops have never had to work in retail. I would have given you free stuff too and paid for it from my paycheck.
How are your Geum going by the way? Thank you so much for sharing your story. That was awesome. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m still searching for a good nursery close to me, all the local garden centres are owned by the same company and have the same limited supply of plants as they are forever giving over more and more space to garden furniture, clothes and household items.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Totally feel you there. That lifetime ago I mentioned I got sick of watching the lucky staff who got to work outside. I was good at sales so I got stuck inside “merchandising” (shudders). I do understand nurseries have to do this now or they just don’t survive but sometimes I feel like it takes the joy out of gardening to be all about the pots and furniture and accessories and less about the plants.
Have you seen the newer trend your way yet… Nurseries offering evening classes or events? I love this idea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No sign of classes or events b here.
LikeLike
Hmm maybe you should start a nursery and show your local ones how it is done! 😊
LikeLike