Tennessee Naturescapes — Local services in Oak Ridge

I went there twice last season and loved what I bought each time. I'm planning on going again this spring. Some plants are small so you can get a great deal. The staff are extremely helpful and there's info on all the plants from sun and water needs to what wildlife it attracts, to special considerations. They also have given me tips on things to watch for, like to put pawpaw saplings under cloches to protect from rabbits.

The biggest benefit is that everything they sell is native and perennial so as long as you follow their instructions, there's a much better chance of the plants being happy and coming back every year than if they were random plants from a box store. And there's a much better variety than most nurseries too - for example I've never seen slender goldenrod for sale before, and a trio of them is a touch of whimsy and charm I'd have missed out...

On a visit to the nursery last week with my toddler, I was impressed and delighted with how courteous the staff were with us, taking the time to show us around all of the greenhouses and describe their growing philosophy, and with the wide and varied selection of natives available. Though I really didn't need any more plants (a common problem for plant lovers), I brought home a Queen of the Prairie, which I've never seen in a nursery anywhere, and a white beard tongue. The man who welcomed us also bid us farewell and encouraged us to return at any time to see what's blooming in different seasons and told us there would never be any pressure to buy -- we should visit just to come and look around. After our positive first experience here, I'm sure we'll return to do just that and probably buy a few...

Got my first mail order plants from these folks yesterday and I have to say that I was very impressed with the quality of the plants, the care taken in wrapping them for shipment and their communication through the process. I got 13 shrubs (dogwoods, viburnums, spice bush, beautyberry and iris) in quart pots - all had healthy full root balls, clean looking foliage and each was securely contained with newspaper packing and then placed inside a cardboard sleeve for shipping. Before I had ordered, my questions about the plants were answered promptly. Looking forward to ordering from them in future and maybe a roadtrip is in my future...