Memorial Day weekend is planting time for a lot of folks in New England, myself included. We actually got our veggies in last weekend, which is the earliest ever, so this weekend I focused on flowers! I managed to go to 8 garden centers between Saturday and Monday (for the blog, is what I told myself, but really, I just love garden centers) and now I’m going to tell you all about them 🙂
Rosaly’s Garden and Farmstand: Peterborough, NH
For starters, we went to Rosaly’s Garden and Farmstand in Peterborough for all of our vegetables. It’s the oldest certified organic farm in the state of New Hampshire. They have a beautiful, sprawling property, with a great view of Mount Monadnock (the photos above were taken last summer-the blue skies give that away! We haven’t had much of those lately haha). Come mid-summer it’s fun to just stroll around their fields of flowers (which they allow and welcome). This year we planted a lot of cucumbers, in the hopes of trying to make pickles this fall. We also got leeks, plenty of onions, zucchini, grape tomatoes, lots of basil, curly parsley (to add to my perennial herb bed- thyme, mint, oregano and lavender) and I think that is it. We have very small beds for planting unfortunately. How I long for a flat yard sometimes! 🙂 We’ve always had great success with starter plants from Rosaly’s!
Getting There: Rosaly’s Garden and Farmstand, Route 123 South, just off of Route 101 in Peterborough (website in the link above provides more detailed directions).
My Verdict: The best place to buy organic starter vegetable plants around, hands down.
Amazing Flower Farm: New Ipswich, NH
Settled on a back road in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the Amazing Flower Farm sells everything from vegetables to perennials to very unique annuals. They have a whole greenhouse practically dedicated to annuals, with many ready-made arranged annual baskets and hanging pots. I love the “painted” variety of Violets they had this year, the petals literally look like an impressionistic painting. I got some for my mom, and also some pansies. The colors of pansies they offer are more muted, and delicate than some of the other ones I’ve seen, which I prefer. I remember last year they had “galaxy” impatients (or something like that)- dark purple flowers with starbursts of white speckled all over them, like paint splatters. I had never seen them before. Also, it is worth mentioning that all of the plants we purchased from them last year performed really well (even during the drought!) and the perennials have all come back nicely so far this year too.
Getting There: Amazing Flower Farm, 202 Poor Farm Road {off Route 124} New Ipswich, NH, 03071
My Verdict: A go-to spot if you love making elaborate annual planters, or if you love really unique annuals.
Mason Hollow Nursery: Mason, NH
Definitely off the beaten track down a small dirt road in Mason, New Hampshire, Mason Hollow Nursery felt like finding a hidden gem. I didn’t know what to expect at all when I drove down the long dirt driveway. I was delighted when, upon going through the barn to enter, I saw a sprawling nursery surrounded by beautiful display gardens. They have a huge selection of Hostas. I mean, huge. Hundreds of varieties. I never knew that many varieties of Hostas even existed! My appreciation and fondness for Hostas is definitely growing as of late. I used to not like them, but lately I’ve been noticing their varied leaves more and loving the delicate contrast created when different varieties are planted side by side in a shade garden. I bought a couple of Hostas from Mason Hollow, along with a variegated Solomon’s Seal. They also have a really cute, friendly dog wandering around the nursery, a big Burmese Moutain dog named Nokken. Also, one tip I will mention is to bring bug spray. Maybe it was just the day I happened to visit, but there were a number of mosquitos buzzing around. That aside, it was a lovely place.
Getting There: Mason Hollow Nursery, 47 Scripps Lane Mason, NH 03048 My verdict: Expensive, but worth a trip, to see this beautiful family-run property with an elaborate and unique selection.
Pickity Place: Mason, New Hampshire
Pickity Place in Mason, NH is a magical place. Even more off the beaten path than Mason Hollow, it’s a little cottage tucked away in the woods off a winding, bumpy dirt road. Not only is it an exquisite place to have lunch and wander around their gorgeous gardens (I’ll do another, more in-depth post on Pickity someday), but it is also an excellent place to buy plants. Pickity Place has a large greenhouse out behind the restaurant which sells perennials, annuals, and a huge selection of herbs. Silly me, I didn’t take any pictures of the greenhouse while I was there because it was my 3rd garden center that afternoon and I was antsy to get home and plant, but just trust me when I say that it’s worth a trip. Also, the vast majority of their herbs and perennials are priced under 5 dollars.
Getting There: Pickity Place, 248 Nutting Hill Road Mason, NH 03048 (603)878-1151
My verdict: Excellent value in an idyllic setting. The place to go if you’re looking for a varied and unique herb selection.
Uncanoonuc Mt. Perennials, Goffstown, New Hampshire
My mom and I drove up to Uncanoonuc Mt. Perennials in the rain on Memorial Day, but sadly they were closed (we should have called first) but just being there brought back memories from when I was little. I remember going there a long time ago and thinking their display garden was the most magical place. It still is! We poked around and snapped a few photos, and then drove on to the next nursery. I definitely want to come back here though, it looks like there is a huge selection. And it’s worth it just to walk around the display garden again!
Getting There: Uncanoonuc Mt. Perennials, 452 Mountain Road, Goffstown, NH 03045 603) 497-3975
My Verdict: Closed when I went so I can’t speak to the prices or selection, but worth going just to wander their display garden.
Tanglewood Gardens: Bedford, New Hampshire
Tanglewood Gardens is a classic don’t-judge-a-book-by-it’s-cover sort of place. Not going to lie, I didn’t have high hopes when we drove up to the somewhat overgrown property. We weren’t even sure they were open. But we opened up one of the greenhouse doors and were pleasantly surprised by a huge selection, and a very kind and attentive gentleman working there. They had all sorts of vegetables, even unique things like Okra and Sweet Potato plants. There also were annuals and perennials. We went through both of the greenhouses and were happy with the selection and the prices. The plants all looked very healthy as well. Mom bought plants to put together her annual planters. We will definitely come back to Tanglewood Gardens.
Getting There: Tanglewood Gardens, 424 Route 101, Bedford, NH 03110
My Verdict: Don’t let outer appearances fool you: they have a great variety and lots of unique selections.
Fitch’s Corner: Milford, New Hampshire
Good ole’ Fitch’s Corner in Milford New Hampshire (sorry they don’t have a website that I can find to link to it). A quaint farm store year-round, but also a great place to buy plants in the spring. They have a nice selection of cottage-type perennials, my favorites. I picked up some Foxgloves and Campanulas. Both in white, I love white gardens 🙂 Their prices are great, generally everything is under 5 dollars. I didn’t even go into their greenhouse, but they do have one, and there are many annuals and perennials inside.
Getting There: Fitch’s Corner Farmstand, 499 North River Road Milford, NH 03055
My verdict: Not a huge nursery by any means, but a nice selection of perennials and a great farm store too!
House by the Side of the Road: Wilton, New Hampshire
From houseplants, to shrubs, to Cacti, to Succulents, House by the Side of the Road in Wilton, NH has it all. Numerous greenhouses are packed completely full with plants of every kind and description. This is a place a plant lover could get lost in for hours. They have an indoor turtle pond, supplies to make terrariums, and even free popcorn and cookies! I had never been fully to their section outside before, and was amazed to see the varieties of perennials they offered. I even found one of my all time favorites- a Lunaria (silver dollar plant). A couple of those came home with me. What a fun place! And right on route 101, it is easy to find. It’s also an amazing place to wander around in during the winter time, just to feel some tropical air!
Getting There: House by the Side of the Road, 370 Gibbons Highway (Route 101) Wilton, NH 03086 (603)654-9888
My verdict: An all around amazing and huge selection with generally pretty good prices.
Well there you have it, my Southern New Hampshire Nursery and Garden Center extravaganza. I hope this was helpful. There are countless other great garden places around- please share your favorites with me in the comments. I also plan to do a garden tour post, to share our plantings from this year, so stay tuned 🙂
Callista Dreaming 