Where in Utah are you? There's a nursery in Bountiful I like because they have some very knowlegeable people who work there and they sometimes have items that aren't stocked at a lot of places (like soil sulfur, eddha iron chelate).

There's one in Layton I like for their variety of plants.

Their names are fairly similar, so I sometimes mix the names up (J&L vs J&J).

When I bought my new house in 2001, I got a killer deal from Tri-City Nursery in Kaysville. I bought 42 trees, 205 shrubs, and a few hundred perennials from them, and they were willing to bargain on the prices pretty well.

I live in Utah County, so locally I often go to Cook's Greenhouse Nursery in Orem.

If you like seeds, you really need to see Granite Seed Company's website. They're in Lehi, and I've been very happy with seeds I've bought there. They are a bulk seller of seed, so go there when you need a lot of something. But they have some great natives and unusual things.

I've also been to Wasatch Shadows in Sandy a few times and liked the service and selection.

Oh, and there's also Linden Nursery in Lindon (they refuse to misspell the name of the tree like the town founder did). I didn't buy many plants there, but back when I did the whole new landscape in 2001, Linden Nursery had this great landscape designer working there who would draw up a very detailed landscape plan for about $400. Made blueprints with complete plant lists and hardscape elements and everything. It was great to have his help in shaping my yards. I don't know if they still offer that service.

I have to admit, though, that if I need run-of-the-mill stuff, I just go to Wal-Mart, Lowes, or Home Depot. Low prices are good.

oh my gosh, there are so many...Box Elder County has Willard Bay Gardens (specializing in unusual perrenials) Also, Alpine Nursery. Cache County has the Green House (huge variety) and Fonsbeck Greenhouse (family owned great prices and good deals) In Layton my all time favorite is J&J not only a nursery with scads of plants but one whole 10thousand square foot greenhouse is devoted to home and garden decorating items. Look at Dex online to find addresses.

I second Cook's in Orem for their variety of unusual plants - cannas, hardy hibiscus, hardy banans(musa basjoo), elephant ears, etc.

I've found a nice thing or two at Vineyard in Orem - yuccas, various trees(even Dawn Redwood, Large leaf Catalpa).

Even Lowes will come up with unusual plants - hardy agave, yuccas, bamboo etc.

Good luck, Alan

Millcreek Gardens on 9th at about 35th south.

I feel guilty for not mentioning Glovers when this thread first appeared. Not so much for a wide variety but for the knowledge of the people. There are two owners on site most of the time and they really know their trees and shrubs. They are open Sunday in season which is really important to me. Their products are expensive but I have never had a failure.

I second Millcreek Gardens on 9th at about 35th south. They have very nice stuff and very knowledgeable people. I could be biased, since I live within walking distance.

I've done a lot of mail order from High Country Gardens. They have a good selection of plants that are water-wise. Very nice Penstemon, Thymus, Agastache, Salvia etc. Some plants have been somewhat small, but all have been very healthy and have taken off nicely.

Crystal

Here is a link that might be useful: High Country Gardens

I like Alpine Gardens in Brigham (Perry actually) because they will often have some of the more unusual conifers. There is a place called The Rock Garden out on the north end of ogden that is great!!! It can be pretty hard to find as it is in the back ykard of his house. It is across the street kitty-corner from a new WAlmart. He has lots of unusal stuff-conifers, Japanese maples and grasses. He is probably the best source for ornamental grasses in the state. His name is Gale Allen. His nursery is a one man show and you may not always find him there. Willard Bay Gardens is the best place in the state for perrenials. There is a lady in Brigham (Edna Secrist) that has the very cheapest prices for a somewhat limited selection of perrenials. She sells out of her yard. I usually pay $3 for well established gallon plants. Some are as hight as $4. She propagates her own and they have all gone through one Utah winter.

I'm a HUGE devotee of Willard Bay Gardens. Best place in Utah for perennials and small natives. Barney and Della are very knowledgeable and always willing to help.

I'll have to check out some of the others mentioned. I'm going to need a lot of plant materials this spring.

Where exactly is Willard Bay Gardens? How would I get there going north on 15 from SLC?
If I go up there, what about Edna Secrist? How do I find her?
What kind of perennials do you remeber she had?

I would not buy anything from Glover's.
I had a very bad experience in 2003, spent alot of $$, and quite a lot of the perennials failed to thrive.... turned out they gave me bad planting advise, as I later learned.
Was a beginner to perennial gardening back then.
When I went back to talk to them about the problem, they had very poor customer service.
Told me basically they were not going to do anything cause I should not have gone on the advise of the salesperson to tell me if a plant should go in the shade or full sun.
Well "hello!!" isn't that why I went to Glover's instead of Walmart? For their knowledge??
Since then I have learned colombine and foxglove like shade and full sun is not their friend like I was told by Glover's. A few days later when I went back for something to plant behind to grow taller, they told me that delphinium would be a good choice it would grow to be about 6 feet,,,, yah right....Not theirs maybe two feet! LOL
My strawberries from there must have been the STERILE everbearing variety. For all these years they have done nothing but get green and pretty. I have done EVERYTHING imaginable to get them to bloom and produce... nothing.
Yet the ones from Walmart gave us lots of berries!
One of my friends later said she bought two flats of pansies and they were all dying, she knows my pansies always look great, so she asked me to come take a look.... They were fried! They were in FULL SUN at the advise of Glover's salesperson(was probably the same idiot that sold me mine)...when I told her what the problem was, she said Glover's were even selling them on tables in full sun, and I remembered that they were cause I bought a few flats of pansies from them too.

That was an expensive lesson to learn, but do research on your plants before you plant and do not go on the advise of salesclerks!

I decided that I just would not work with Glover's again.

I like the variety of herbs that I can find at Western Garden center across from Trolley Square. I wandered in there one day, not really thinking that they would have what herb I was looking for, since other places didn't either... and they not only had the Lemongrass I was looking for, but they had a huge variety of unusual basils and then I noticed all the bareroot roses that they had.... WOW! What a selection! Every Jackson & Perkins rose offered in the catalogue was there! And priced about what it would cost to order from the catalogue! I promptly bought the lemongrass, one each of the basil and two lavender roses.

Anyone know about the nursery in Uintah, South of Ogden? I heard it was really big, but nothing more. What do they carry? How are their prices? If I am going to go up to Willard Bay and Brigham Cuty, might as well check them out along the way.

Sorry to hear about your experience at Glovers. Mine was the opposite, although I only talked to the owners not the yard workers. And I have an advantage in the my girlfriend was the floor manager at Western Gardens downtown for 5 years until she retired last February so I am not dependent on their advice. Everything I purchased did fine. And their bulk materials are great. I have a pickup so my mulching material comes from there in bulk. I will admit that I want to try bulk bark from the Salt Lake County Municipal Landfill because I really approve of their recycling effort. I use the Glovers stuff around my vegetables but will use municipal products in the front beds.

I have gotten mulch from the dump before.
I think it was about 10 bucks, maybe 20 for an entire pick up full.
The pick up I took there had huge sides built up on it. They just came over with a huge front loader and dumped a huge scoop in the back! The entire truck lower almost to the wheels! That stuff is heavy!
It was really good stuff too...
I did find a few rocks and chewed up pieces of plastic in it, but other than that... it was real clean stuff!

I would recommend the dump to everyone who can find access to a pick up..... TOTALLY worth it..... Word of advise though......
make sure that you have a good wheelbarrow or two, several teenagers with shovels to get the stuff outta the bed of the truck once you get home! LOL
Took me close to a week on my own to do it!
Glutton for punishment, I went back 2 more times to get more!!

I agree with many. Willard Bay Gardens is THE place to get natives and drought tolerant plants. Alpine nursery just to the north in Perry is also a nice place.

Keep going north and you'll drive through Brigham City. Just beyond Brigham is another nursery--or I should say a gal who sells plants. Even if no one is there, you can leave your money in a box on her porch. She has an amazing variety. It's best if she IS there. She'll take you on a tour of her garden, and show you plants that do well in various conditions. It's a very pleasant way to spend an hour.

To find Willard BAy Gardens from SLC get off of the freeway at Smith & Edwards and get on the old highway going north to Willard. It will be on the east side of the road quite a ways up the road.
Nedra Secrist sells out of her yard. She is a very nice lady who loves her perrenials. Every plant in her yard is her absolute favorite. Drive east on 600 south in Brigham. Her home is on the south side of the street several blocks up. After mid-April when she gets the pots out of her greenhouse you can't miss it.
She really has a good variety but will generally only have one variety of any one species. So if your are looking for something very specific she likely won't have it. The one noteable exception would be hostas of which she has 6-8 varieties. Unless she raises her prices this year the 4 inch pots are $2, the gallon pots $3 and the hostas $4 or $5. I have bought probably close to 200 plants from her the past few years and I don't think that I have had anything fail. If I have it was my fault.

I admit that I am a bit partial to the nursery I work for which is Olson's Garden Shoppe. There will be a new store opening in Lehi this year and I will be part of the management team if everything works out as planned.

songbirdmommy,
The nursery in Uintah/ South Ogden is Valley Nursery. I have shopped there for years ( it was the place my parents would go when I was young ). It is where I get most of my vegtable plants & some perrenials & herbs too.

Willard Bay Gardens is awesome too.
J & J Nursery in Layton is good too. I get most of my houseplants for home & work from them.

HTH

I have to put in a vote for Willard Bay. It's worth the 90 minute drive three times a year for me. They have the best variety of anyone and the prices are very reasonable. If you let the owners know you're looking for something unique, they have tons of great ideas. I take a few friends with me and we fill the whole van with plants when we go. You can also e-mail them with requests for specific plants and they'll do their best to accomodate you.

Does Willard Bay have a website?

Last week I went to Valley Nursery in Uintah and I loved it!
I bought three flats of pansies and had a hard time making up my mind on which colors, there were so many to choose from!
They had lots of violas too in amazing colors!
They are HUGE, they have easily got to three times the size of Glovers!
Then I get finished planting my astibilles, hostas and ferns, I will have to go back and see what are in all their different buildings.

When I bought my pansies, they were so nice, the guy offered to carry all the flats to my car and load them for me!
Lets see Walmart give that kinda personalized service!

Speaking of Walmart, Saturday, I was at the new one in Sandy where the old Quarry used to be, and the are selling tons of plants there that are;
1) NOT zoned for UT!
2) TOO early to survive the Spring
3)A huge variety this early in the season... Lemon trees, every kind of veggie you can imagine...
Almost every customer out there was buying tomato plants, and I overheard one of the customers ask if she should plant it in the ground or in a container, The salesperson said, "you could go home and plant it in the ground, or we have some potting soil back here you can get for a container."
I hate that alot of these places hire people who have NO CLUE what they are talking about and make themselves into "an authority " on the subject of plants, just because they work in the garden center.
Bet they barely know the difference between a pansy and a petunia!

The worst thing is, in a week or two when that tomato plant is freezing to death, struggling to survive, that customer is going to rip it up outta the ground, go to customer service and complain about it.
Walmart(with their dumb employee giving wrong advise), Wrong for selling it too early to begin with will gladly give the customer back the $$, then turn around and NOT pay the grower who foolishly sold it to Walmart to begin with!

That garden center was a buzz of buying frenzy.... Some grower, thinking all the product was headed for a zone 9-11 will go out of business later this year!

I like Walmart, but not when they are stupid and make someone else pay for their stupidity!

I like this little nursery called Vineyard Nursery just west of Orem off Geneva Road. Not fancy but their prices are about 25% less than everywhere and it feels really homey!

I've seen that one in Vineyard and wondered if it was good. Thanks for the tip, nutmeg!

Hi all. I am new to this site and am excited to join in. Has anyone been to Engh Gardens? Their main store is in Sandy on 700 E and about 8100 S. Their staff really know their stuff. I have had good experiences there. They also offer alot of free classes, have workshops for kids, and of course everything is always so beautiful. Love it!

I had an appointment in downtown SL this morning, so I decided to take a roadtrip to Brigham City and see what Nedra Secrist's "yard sale" was like. I came home with a trunk full of perennials! Even with all of the road construction on the way, it was worth the trip. Her prices were $4 for a gallon pot and $3 for one about a quart size. She said that she grows everything organically in greenhouses on the east shore of Bear Lake. She had a nice selection of plants - nothing too unusual, but healthy and growing well.

Geez Im jealous you guys have all the BIG nurseries up north :)
For southern Utah there aren't many choices: Walmart, Lowes, PlantWorld, or Star Nursery.

PlantWorld sucks. Super high prices, badly grown trees, baaadly organized layout (roses next to pavers next to veggies). I never know where to find anything.

I liked Star Nursery for a long time because they are based out of Las Vegas and have a lot of 'desert' plants and amendments that are desert-soil specific. Their staffs knowledge is so-so because they have a lot of seasonal-only and non-english-speaking help. If you buy parts for a water system from them, they will help you design and pick parts for the system, which is a good service.

Lately though I've been favoring plain old Lowes mainly because they have a one-year-money-back guarantee if I kill it. :D I like that! Also I can find some plants that aren't normally grown in this area but that I can play with making microclimates for (like blueberry bushes). I also got some great roses from them on clearance for $3.00! They only problems is the nursery is small and there isn't a lot of stuff.

Thats my vote for southern Utah!

Willard Bay makes a great field trip but I like to dash off somewhere closer on a whim & since I'm in Salt Lake I'm dashing to:

Empire Gardens (Wholesale & retail, easiest way to find it is to head north on 700 East and around 3600 South look for a tiny street marked "Empire" on your right.) Bring a checkbook & look for Ruth. Knock on the door if you can't find anyone. Great for gallon pots of drought resistant perennials, shrubs, trees, whatever. When folks stop by in the fall to ask where I'm getting such great plant material, this is generally where I've been. Family relationship with Millcreek Gardens.

Millcreek Gardens (around 36OO S on 900 E) This is where I get my cocoa hulls for mulch. (Ask for discounts on multiple bags and soon your garden will smell like chocolate too!)

Cactus & Tropicals (corner of 2000 E & 2700 S) I go here year round due to frequent tempting orchid deliveries. Lots more than the name suggests. Friendly knowledgeable staff, many with a sense of humor which I appreciate during gardening challenges.

not a nursery per se, but fun for gardeners:

Farmers Market (8am Saturday at Pioneer Park) Consider the lilies near Borski Farms & Caputo's on north side of market, heading east. Empire Gardens has a sampling of plants further west on that north side walkway. Lilies, houseplants, trellises & more around the market. I purchased stone and metal garden garden benches from a local artist here, great finds for gardeners throughout the market. Organic farmers happy to talk shop, specialty growers of perennials & houseplants, artists who will handcraft something fabulous for your garden.

Plenty of great food, fiddles, and organic coffee to keep up your strength while seeing and being seen. Great stop for newcomers to Salt Lake as well, you'll see a lot of Salt Lake at once!

There is a nursery on Airport Road in Provo called McCoard's Garden Center. I haven't seen it mentioned here, but it's a great place. If you take the Center Street exit in Provo and head west to 3110 West (Airport Road) and take a left, it is a half mile down on the right. I told them they should advertise more. They have great deals on perenials, and premium annuals. They also have a large selection of waterwise and native plants. The people there will always take the time to explain not only how to keep your plants alive but get high yields and keep them looking beautiful. If you haven't been out there, it's a good learning experience for any new gardener. Plus, they have free classes during the summer on how to grow roses, herbs, and great vegetable gardens and they even have a chef come out and cook with the herbs and vegetables (samples to taste). He also gives out free cookbooks that contain the recipes. Afterward, Robyn, an amazing gardener, answers any questions that people have on how to make their gardens grow better. Amazing woman. You're gonna love it! They have a family run wholesale business with over 50 greenhouses and have been running the front retail shop for 6 years. Nearly everything is home grown and if they have something that you need more of, chances are they will have more in another greenhouse.
One more thing, they have a huge selection of hanging baskets, indoor plants and tropicals. Just ask one of the sales clerks to take you to see the indoor selection. Over 6 full greenhouses of indoors and tropicals. You might miss that if you don't ask because it's off the beaten path.

tri-city (Van Bloem bulbs- elephant ears= hard to find but they have 'em, berry bush bare roots), wasatch shadows (bulbs, rose selection), red butte's spring plant sale and weber water conservations garden show plant sales (willard & . Those weren't mentioned so I thought I'd throw those out :-) willard (uncomparable selection), valley (largest selection & experienced staff in the peak season), j&j (tomato plants are heavenly), J&L (roses, staff, lady bugs for sale in april, seeds)....

To the person that is from Southern Utah...
There is an AMAZING nursery in Cedar City that is totally worth the drive from St. George.
It is called Ladybug Nursery.
I bought so many plants, both annuals and perrenials there a few weeks ago and they were SO reasonable!
The flowers all look great and I will definately go there again!
For the little ones, they have a fun sandbox with a little house and tonka toys to keep both boys and girls occupied while parents shop.

Ladybug Nursery is located just off Hwy 56, on Westridge rd. in Cedar City

I use J&J nursery in Layton and Valley Nursery in Uintah (they are at the mouth of weber canyon in ogden.)

I like Western Garden. I worked there in the 80's.