Madison Gardens — Local services in Orange

Such an adorable little shop. I wish I had found it before I went to Lowe's and spent 3 times as much, literally. They sell citronella plants under $5. They were $16 at Lowe's and the difference in size was not 3x. The flowers are very fairly priced. The biggest deal is the generic pots for plants. I believe they are under $2 and under $1 for plastic saucers to fit under. They have a nice selection of pots but if you need quite a few half gallon size pots, this is the most economical place in the area. I really wish I had known about them first. Highly recommend! I would describe staff as sweet. They were all so soft spoken and kind. I'd give them more than 5...

This nursery is lovely. The plants are leading and well cared for (and probably half the price of the anemic plants for sale at home centers). The selection is great--I found celery plants there, which I'd never seen for sale before. I bought four tomato plants for $4 or $5 and a well designed container with three plants for $19.

When I asked after a specific variety, a staff member was honest with me about her assessment of the plants they had for sale at that time. (She said they'd bloomed Watt and no longer looked interesting because they'd been in the greenhouse.)

Well worth a visit, or even worth making a day trip of...

Madison Gardens is a right-from-the-farm fresh market that's open throughout the spring, summer, and fall. No need to wait until Saturday morning for the local farmer's market to get delicious local veggies and fruits. The staff are friendly and will guide you to items that are fresh from their farm or brought in from a neighboring place. There's a pick-your-own herb garden in front, and lots of seedlings and plants. It's not a large grocery, just a simple storefront with whatever is fresh on any given day. Eggs, too. They close up in the winter. Madison Gardens is my go-to for...