A curated list of nurseries, garden suppliers, newsletters and plant societies for Southeast gardeners.
Nurseries & Garden Suppliers
Located about 30 miles northwest of Downtown Atlanta in Cherokee County, this is a nursery that's worth the drive and time to get there — 40 to 50 minutes from the top of the Perimeter, depending on traffic. Among other things, they offer plants that are Southern favorites that will bring back memories of your childhood (for those of us from the South!), unusual Japanese maples, conifers and other hard-to-find plants. If you grow roses, they have staked a claim to have the best roses in metro Atlanta and the know-how to successfully grow them. The yellow-flowering shrub rose Lemon Zest and hybrid tea Neptune with its smoky lavender flowers in my garden are testimony to that claim! If you have children, bring them. They can feed the fish, check out the chickens or pet the donkeys while you shop for garden treasures in this gorgeous rural setting.
This small native plant nursery is a great source for plants native to the Georgia piedmont ecoregion where it is located and throughout the southeastern United States. As a former member of the Steering Committee of the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, I have a special love for native plants. Planting them in our gardens is critical for maintaining biodiversity and providing a source of food, shelter and nesting places for wildlife. If you can't make it to the nursery, no problem. They deliver within 40 miles of the nursery (for a fee) and they are a vendor at various plant sales around the metro area (see their website for upcoming sales). They also have a waitlist for plants (several native azaleas and northern spicebush in my case). On top of that, they will recycle used nursery pots even if you didn't buy the plant that is in the now-empty container from them!
If you are a plant geek, you will want to check this nursery off your bucket list. Located in the city's historic Grant Park neighborhood, GardenHood, as its website says, was founded by plant people for plant people. They specialize in offering rare, under-utilized and hard-to-find plants. I'm proud that a few of them, including several native viburnums, are in my garden. I've also enjoyed being on their email list. When one of our inevitable climate challenges — searingly hot dry spells or freezing temperatures dropping into the teens or single digits — I can count on them to hit my email inbox with an article suggesting steps I can take to help my plants survive.
Stick around for lunch: Especially if you are also a food geek. It would be a shame to make the effort to get to this intown nursery and not stop by Six Feet Under. This pub and fish house specializes in oysters, shellfish and other delights from the sea. Try to grab a seat on the open rooftop with a view of historic Oakland Cemetery. Many famous Atlantans are buried here — including Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind; the legendary golfer Bobby Jones; six former Georgia governors and 27 former Atlanta mayors — and its 88 acres feature more than 1,600 catalogued trees, 19th century Victorian plant beds and vibrant native flora, including Atlanta's champion Cherry Laurel. If your timing is right, you may even be able to join one of the special tree walks offered during specific seasons.
I met the owners, like the owner of Peony's Envy in the Beyond the Southeast section below, in the vendor area at a Southeast Flower Show. Longtime Atlanta-area gardeners will remember this show for its large, landscaped exhibits and sprawling vendor section. Ever since, Maple Ridge has been my go-to source for Japanese maples and conifers. They have selections of the maples and conifers I cannot find anywhere else. The website describes that selection as one of the largest collections of Japanese maples and conifers in the US. A true dwarf thread-leaf maple and conifer (regretfully, I don't remember the names) have center stage along the sidewalk by the driveway. I marvel at their small size every time I look at them. The nursery is open for appointments (reservations recommended) and they ship plants securely tied to the packaging to help ensure safe arrival anywhere in the country.
This is my go-to local nursery, and I go to Pike a lot! Pike is by far and away the most visible retail metro Atlanta nursery, with 15 stores in the region and another four in Charlotte, N.C. Pike wasn't always the main name in Atlanta plant nurseries. Long-time Atlanta gardeners will remember a time dating to the mid 20th century when Pike Nurseries, Green Brothers Nursery, H.G. Hastings Nature and Garden Center and Frank A. Smith Nurseries competed to see who would become the region's dominant retail plant nursery. All are gone from the retail scene now except for Pike. Interestingly, my 'local' store in the East Chastain neighborhood near Buckhead was once the location of Frank Smith's nursery, before he sold the site to Pike. After several ownership changes, Pike is now an employee-owned company.
Founder and owner Mario Cambardella — I like to think of him as a Nintendo-style Super Mario for the plant world — has started what must be the coolest gardening idea I have seen. Servescape is an online garden center that sources plants gardeners can't find at their retail nurseries. The process is simple, and Super Mario provides this service without charging a finder's fee. Here's how it works: You look for a plant on their website, order it, they will find it for you and deliver it at no charge to your door (with a minimum order). I'm a low-budget guy, and I find the minimum ($250) is often more than my plant budget allows. No problem. You can also pick up your order at their Chamblee office. Based on the number of plants I see outside their office waiting for pickup or delivery, I am not the only one who thinks the idea of an online nursery is a good idea. This spring (2026) Mario sent an email saying Servescape was having a BOGO sale of overstocked plants. It started at noon on a Saturday at the Chamblee center in the plant holding area. I thought I should get there early and arrived at 11:45. I was late. But not too late to score a blue Lobelia, two Pennsylvania sedge, four Southern Shield ferns and a few other goodies. As I was leaving, the parking lot was full, people were parking along the street and walking up the drive to the plants. I could see dismay on their faces because they knew the good stuff was gone. I actually felt sorry for them. Beyond plants: Servescape also sells a soil amendment called CLM – Complete Landscape Mix. It contains hen manure compost, worm castings, river sand and Permatil (expanded slate). It is especially formulated for use in Georgia's clay soils. I get a bag (or two!) with every order.
Stick around for lunch and antiques: The main drag (and side streets!) in Chamblee have become a destination for foodies. It's been a destination for antique shopping for a long time.
This is a family-owned garden center, nursery and working farm located on 65 acres in the rolling pastures of Milton, a semi-rural northern suburb of Atlanta. Somehow, this garden center has flown below my radar and I have not visited — something I plan to correct. It has, however, been highly recommended by an accomplished and trusted gardening friend.
Stick around for lunch and shopping: Historic Crabapple offers boutique shopping and restaurants. The charming heart of the area offers a chance to spend a day in a tranquil, pastoral atmosphere away from the frantic pace of Atlanta. The drive from Midtown or Downtown Atlanta is 45–90 minutes, depending on (as always in Atlanta) traffic.
Visitation by appointment only.
A great source for hard-to-find roses, especially for collectors and serious rose growers shopping for the exhibit table. In my experience, the response to emails and phone calls can be slow but worth the wait.
This is a family-owned business established in the Raleigh area in 1986 by the renowned plantsman Tony Avent that specializes (as the website says) in collecting, creating, propagating and sharing unique, rare and native perennials. They offer more than 1,500 perennials to choose from. You can order online or shop in person during one of their eight Open Nursery and Garden weekends. The inventory features plants I can't find anyplace else. I am thinking particularly of palms, for which I have a special fondness. Their Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Snow Cream', the largest plant with the largest flowers I have seen, is spectacular. I have three, all strategically located near pathways to pick up the strong fragrance of winter flowers. On my one visit years ago, I thought I was going to go into plant overload!
This is a specialty nursery offering a wide variety of own-root roses shipped in a three-quart nursery container. They schedule two big events in the spring — a festival and an annual open house. Roses I have ordered from them arrive beautifully grown and well-packed. They begin taking spring orders in the fall. It's a good idea to order in advance to have the best chance of securing your top selections. Check the website for the date you can begin placing your order and for information about how to do that.
I was introduced to owner Jim Young and Purely Organics, which operates as an order and delivery business, when the Greater Atlanta Rose Society began using him as the vendor for its spring fertilizer sale. As the order sheet clearly showed when it hit my in-box, he sells more than fertilizer. But the fertilizer! Oh my. He invented the blend and formulated it for roses. My roses (plants and flowers!) have never looked so good. Check out his recommended fertilizer program for using the fertilizer on roses in the Southeast. He also developed his own fish emulsion. I use it as a foliar spray on everything throughout the garden. Great results there, as well! Young does ship products and, in the case of the rose society, delivered pre-paid orders — with no delivery fee! — for a group sale.
This is a nursery devoted to roses with a home base in Shropshire, England. Their U.S. location offers high quality English roses for American gardens. While the "Austins" can work in any setting, I find them to be particularly effective for gardeners (like me!) who want a cottage garden look. The staff has been excellent in offering advice when I have called with questions about choosing or growing roses in my garden, much of which is in high shade.
I found out about this family-owned farm in the Kittitas County Valley in central Washington state from a story in The New York Times. They have the largest collection of garlic in North America that is available to the public. And that's just the beginning. They also sell other organic seed products, including shallot sets, seed potatoes, asparagus crowns and sweet potato slips. If you grow edibles, be sure to visit their website.
Noted rosarians John and Louise Clements founded Heirloom Roses as a family-operated business on their small farm in the Willamette Valley in 1973. The family operating the business has changed, but the Clements' legacy continues — a commitment to quality roses and the preservation of rare and unique varieties.
Located in the Denver area, this is a growing and shipping operation rather than a traditional retail location open to walk-in customers. However, they do welcome visitors by appointment. All their roses are own-root (grown from cuttings as opposed to grafted onto the root stock of a different rose). The plants are shipped in one-quart (5") pots via UPS. These are small pots! In my conditions, I pot the plants up into one-gallon pots and let them get established in the larger pots before planting them in the garden. If a rose you want is out of stock, they have a wait-list system that I have found to be effective. The description of their roses includes an American Rose Society rating, which I have found to be very helpful in deciding which roses to order. If miniature roses is "your thing," they have a nice selection.
This has been my go-to source for peonies (I have about 20) since I met the owner, Kathleen Gagan, at one of the old Southeast Flower Shows — when they were big, landscaped shows and had a large vendor section. You can obtain their plants online — Peony's Envy ships bare-root plants nationwide in the spring and fall — or at one of the flower shows and horticultural events where they are vendors (also nationwide) throughout the year — check out the schedule on the website. Events, classes and workshops are also held at the garden, which is easily accessible from Philadelphia or New York. Peony's Envy has, according to the website, "one of the most extensive peony collections in the United States — a living library of woodland, tree, herbaceous, and intersectional cultivars, with trails that invite visitors to wander and discover at their own pace." Attending an annual Peak Bloom Party in May is on my bucket list! I am especially fond of herbaceous peonies and mix them in with native and non-natives in my sun garden. When visiting the website, be sure to sign up to receive email alerts.
A longtime garden-to-table advocate, Renee Shepherd is also a pioneering innovator in the world of seeds. World, in this case, means she introduces international seed varieties to home gardeners and gourmet restaurants. Whether your 'tastes' run to vegetables, culinary herbs or ornamentals, you will find seeds and seed blends you are not likely to find elsewhere on her site. Shepherd knows her seeds will sprout and produce great plants in your garden because she trials everything she sells. In case you are wondering, she does not sell chemically tested or genetically engineered seeds. Seasonal offerings include saffron crocus bulbs (have you priced saffron lately?), sweet potato plants and seed potatoes.
Printed catalog available seasonally; free on request.
The printed catalog is available seasonally. I love it. I love their website even more. For one thing, they offer plants I don't readily see elsewhere (I am thinking Phlox Jenna). For another, plants I have bought from them this year (Phlox subulata 'Appalachian Blue') and two native swamp azaleas (Rhod. viscosum) arrived beautifully grown and packaged. They also offer a fabulous selection of pottery and garden accessories.
Subscribe via link on his website. Podcast also available on the site.
Zimmerman is a longtime rose grower and gardener who lives on an upstate South Carolina horse farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He is owner of "Paul Zimmerman Roses Consulting & Design," is an independent consultant to Jackson & Perkins and designs gardens all over the United States. He has a simple theory about roses: They are flowering gardening shrubs and should be treated as such. He travels internationally and shares a garden focus that extends well beyond roses.
Garden Clubs & Conservation Groups
Massee Lane Gardens, a 100-plus acre botanical garden between Marshallville and Fort Valley, is the historic home of the American Camellia Society and their camellia collection. Massee Lane Gardens has been designated as "A Garden of Excellence" by the International Camellia Society. There are affiliated societies in various Georgia communities.
The nonprofit society, which was formed in 1947, is one of approximately 550 local societies affiliated with the American Orchid Society. It offers two forums for the public to learn about orchids and to get orchid questions answered. One is at monthly meetings and the other is at the Atlanta Judging Center where orchids are evaluated for American Orchid Society awards. The Atlanta Orchid Society is the sponsoring society for the Atlanta Judging Center.
This Columbus-based 501(c)3 organization was founded in 2010 with a mission to protect the Chattahoochee River through the use of science, education and advocacy. You can volunteer to help the continuing effort to fulfill that mission by filling out a form on the website.
Based in Darien, this regional organization serves the Georgia coast and is dedicated to promoting the preservation and use of native coastal plants and habitats. The group is managed by a volunteer board with one part-time staff person and welcomes volunteers. See their website to learn how to offer your time and talents.
The Garden Club of Georgia is approaching its 100th anniversary (it was founded June 8, 1928), a reminder that its history almost goes back to the nation's first garden club, The Ladies Garden Club, founded in 1891. With close to 350 member clubs, the Garden Club of Georgia is one of the largest state garden clubs in the U.S. The state headquarters are located at the state botanical garden in Athens.
The society was founded in 1954 by some of Atlanta's most high-profile gardeners and social luminaries. Today's membership is more diverse but still makes an impact on the gardening scene through outreach in which members have donated bulbs to schools and rehabilitation facilities, public gardens and cemeteries. Members have also rescued daffodils from the bulldozer, giving some new lives in public spaces and others new lives through the society's bulb sales.
Whether you grow one hosta in a pot on an apartment patio or have hundreds in a wooded landscape, the society welcomes everyone interested in hostas. Information about joining is available on the website. The society is based in Ball Ground.
The society is one of the older plant societies that originated in the Atlanta area. Two garden club judges from an Atlanta garden club started the society after World War II. Meetings and shows in the early days were held at the downtown Rich's Department Store. Competition for Best in Show honors was fierce! Membership has grown through the years as more people have been introduced to gardening and the society has educated the public on the planting and care of this beautiful flower.
The society is a nonprofit that champions the stewardship and conservation of Georgia's native plants and their habitats. The nine chapters accomplish the society's mission through plant rescues, habitat restoration, community-supported propagation, habitat certification and other activities.
The founders' focus on perennials has expanded to include educating about holistic garden design and expanding knowledge about the broader horticulture ecosystem.
This network of more than 75 Georgia universities, botanical gardens, zoos, state and federal agencies, conservation organizations and private companies is committed to ecological land management, native plant conservation and protection of rare and endangered plants. While headquartered at the state Botanical Garden in Athens, it works on projects statewide.
Founded in 1957, the nonprofit society is one of the oldest plant societies in the greater metropolitan Atlanta area. Its members share their knowledge and enjoyment of America's national flower through regular meetings, at a major spring show, by collecting cuttings and rooting old garden varieties and community outreach. The society supports the rose garden at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
The trust is a regional conservation nonprofit that works with private landowners, the state, and federal initiatives to protect environmentally significant forests, wetlands, and riparian buffers in the Ocmulgee River basin throughout Middle Georgia.
Founded in East Point in 1981, the society is dedicated to helping gardeners grow roses. Members do that through a newsletter and mentoring program plus meetings with speakers on all aspects of rose growing, fun social events and an annual show.
This non-profit organization is dedicated to the study, appreciation and conservation of Georgia's native flora. Membership is open to all, with categories for individuals, families, students and more.
This is a non-profit coalition that brings together organizations, educators, scientists and communities to advance a connection with nature, outdoor learning, and environmental stewardship in Georgia. It is the backbone organization for environmental education and outdoor learning in the state.
Monarchs Across Georgia works with teachers, students, families, communities, businesses and others to study monarchs and restore butterfly habitat across Georgia. Its mission is to inspire caretakers of the natural environment through monarch and pollinator education. It is a committee of the Environmental Education Alliance.
Atlanta is often called a city in a forest. Trees Atlanta is a nonprofit community group that seeks to ensure Atlanta remains an urban forest. Trees Atlanta has planted and cared for more than 180,000 trees in metro Atlanta, which is part of its mission to protect and improve Atlanta's urban forest by planting, conserving and educating. See their website to learn how to volunteer in that mission as an individual or a group.
The society serves Middle Tennessee by sharing knowledge and information through a monthly newsletter and meetings that feature regional and nationally recognized speakers. Important information it shares includes advice and instruction to grow roses in the specific soil and climatic conditions of the area. The society is hosting the annual meeting of the American Rose Society in October.
This is primarily a volunteer-driven organization. Membership is free. The easiest way to sign up or renew a membership is to visit the society's Facebook page. They routinely post registration forms (usually via a Google Doc link) at the beginning of each membership year for new and returning members.
The alliance serves diverse communities of landowners, managers, policy makers, partners, educators, students and more, across the natural longleaf range and beyond to emphasize the ecological, economic, social, and historic importance of this once vast ecosystem. That ecosystem once dominated the Southeast, stretching from Eastern Texas to Southern Virginia. The organization takes pride in welcoming, respecting and valuing different perspectives.
This nonprofit facility located in Cape May Point, New Jersey focuses on environmental research, wildlife conservation, and regional history. It operates at the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, a critical stopover along the Atlantic Flyway for migrating species, including the monarch butterfly. Its partnerships include Cellular Tracking Technologies, which developed a groundbreaking tracking initiative to study monarch butterfly migrations and is headquartered at the nearby Tech Village at the Cape May Airport.
This is a continent-wide citizen science program in which thousands of volunteers across North America track and report wildlife migrations and seasonal environmental changes. Originally from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, the program is now operated by the Monarch Joint Venture.
This is a national conservation nonprofit that implements conservation actions for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The group implements these actions through four main pillars: habitat, science, education and partnership.
This is a global organization founded in 1990 to promote the appreciation, conservation and cultivation of Phalaenopsis orchids. If you are not familiar with Phalaenopsis, they are the primary orchids you see for sale at grocery and box stores. Tom is a former member of the group's board and founded and edited the organization's magazine before the board migrated the publication to an online-only presence. The group maintains a vibrant presence on Facebook.
This is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates, such as bees, butterflies, and freshwater mussels. The society was founded in 1971 and named after the extinct Xerces blue butterfly. Its work focuses on applied research, habitat protection, and public education.