For Gardens Sake

This place is by far the best nursery I’ve ever been to. The selection of plants is good, and the plants are always very healthy. The one tomato plant I purchased here is by far the healthiest tomato plant of the 14 or so I have growing. The real gem here, however, is the staff. I’ve never encountered such helpful, knowledgeable, and FRIENDLY people in a nursery! The prices are competitive, and since their plants tend to be healthier than those of stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s, they end up being the best deal. They also have a smallish selection of interesting seeds inside. As a fun bonus, the property also has big pens that are home to alpacas, goats, and chickens. You can ask the employees for animal crackers to feed to the goats… so feel free to bring the kids too! All around lovely place.

I love this place… because it’s very close to our house, and I can’t help just popping in.
Their variety is decent. Not amazing, but above average. Everything I’ve gotten from here has been extremely healthy. I also have a habit of browsing the «sale» plants at every nursery. I got some really cool crape myrtles last fall for 50% off… they are looking great this spring! They have just about any standard you are looking for: Knockout Roses, Encore Azaleas, camellias, nice perennial flowers, and tons of trees.
Also on the property is a farm, maybe? There are all kinds of birds around a lake, llamas… and more. It’s nice to walk around, but be careful, because many of the areas are very muddy!
Most importantly, the staff is always very friendly! Their prices are pretty average. I kinda use Knockout Roses as the price average comparison for all nurseries (uh, if they don’t carry Knockout Roses, then it’s NOT a nursery. Even KROGER has them). So KRs at For Gardens Sake are $ 20, and for comparison, at Lowes/​Home Depot, I think they are $ 17? So for $ 3 more, I’d much rather support a friendly local business :)

The selection for flowers here wasn’t very deep, but they have a lot of shrubs and small trees. There also were some nice clay pots if you’re looking to make a planter. The staff was helpful with recommendations (we needed plants that would do well with lots of shade). The layout is kind of all over, but things are well marked. I don’t know much about price comparison, but things seemed reasonable. We’ll definitely stop back for more next spring (assuming the things we plant this year take well!)
If you’re coming from the north (Durham), know that the entrance comes quickly after you come around the curve on 751. It’s just south of the Durham/​Chatham county line, so slow down and put your blinker on (right turn into the parking lot)!