Plant Nurseries & Garden Centers in Iowa

Full-Service Retail Garden Center. Top products: Chrysanthemums, Geraniums, Vegetable starts, Houseplants, Orchard apples. Wallace's Garden Center, located in Bettendorf, Iowa, is a comprehensive horticultural facility that specializes in the retail sale of ornamental plants, seasonal flowers, and edible crops. The business operates extensive on-site greenhouses where it manages large-scale production, including an annual crop of 10,000 chrysanthemums and a wide variety of vegetable starts, herbs, and flowering perennials. Their operational model bridges the gap between commercial growing and retail, providing high-quality plant material directly to home gardeners and local landscaping enthusiasts. Beyond plant propagation, the center offers a diverse inventory of gardening essentials, including soils, mulches, fertilizers, plant care accessories, and decorative garden goods. Wallace's is deeply integrated into the local community, hosting educational workshops, gardening events, and providing professional landscaping advice and custom planting services to support year-round garden success.

Full-Service Retail Tree Nursery. Top products: Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, Houseplants, Pottery. Bentley Ridge Tree Farm, established in 2008 and based in Grimes, Iowa, is a comprehensive retail nursery and garden center. They specialize in a wide variety of plant material, including shade trees—many of which are grown on-site—shrubs, perennials, annuals, and indoor houseplants. The business serves both residential homeowners and wholesale clients, such as landscapers and developers. Their core offerings are supplemented by professional delivery and planting services, as well as horticultural education through workshops and seasonal events. Beyond live plant sales, they provide essential gardening supplies including premium soils, fertilizers, and tools. Known for their community-focused approach, the farm operates with a mission to help customers curate and maintain their outdoor spaces, leveraging an knowledgeable staff to provide expert horticultural advice, planting demonstrations, and tailored landscape solutions.

Specialty Floral and Pumpkin Farm. Top products: Dried floral arrangements, Strawflowers, Statice, Pumpkins. Howell’s Greenhouse and Pumpkin Patch, located in Cumming, Iowa, is a multi-generational family farm with origins dating back to 1878. While historically focused on conventional row crops and livestock, the operation pivoted in the 1980s toward horticultural specialty crops, specifically focusing on the cultivation of flowers for drying and preservation. The farm currently maintains three acres dedicated to growing strawflowers and statice for floral arrangements, as well as 18 acres of pumpkins. The business has shifted its primary model toward agritourism and agri-tainment, hosting school field trips, seasonal events, and public farm experiences. Their horticultural operations support their retail offerings of preserved floral products and seasonal produce, while also maintaining educational and recreational spaces including a corn maze and animal exhibits. The farm continues to operate on its historic land, blending traditional agricultural roots with modern greenhouse production and visitor-oriented programming.

Full-Service Retail Plant Nursery. Top products: Annuals, Perennials, Trees, Shrubs, Herbs, Vegetable starts. Culver's Garden Center & Greenhouse is a long-standing horticultural operation based in Iowa, serving the Midwest for over 40 years. The business integrates three primary sectors: production, retail, and professional services. Their production department maintains over 49,000 square feet of greenhouse space, where they cultivate a wide variety of flowers, herbs, and vegetable starts. The retail division functions as a comprehensive garden center, offering a vast inventory of trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials, alongside a gift shop. Beyond retail, Culver's operates as a significant design-build landscape contractor, providing professional installation, lawn maintenance, tree care, and snow removal for both residential and commercial clients. With a workforce of over 150 employees, the company emphasizes local production and provides specialized landscaping and horticultural design solutions tailored to the climate of Eastern Iowa.

Full-Service Garden Center Nursery. Top products: Ornamental Shrubs, Perennial Lavender, Native Perennials, Indoor Tropical Plants, Trees. Established in 1948, The Green Thumbers operates a sprawling 5-acre nursery and garden center that serves as a comprehensive horticultural hub for the community. Their core business centers on the retail sale of high-quality plant material, ranging from ornamental shrubs and perennial grasses to native plants and indoor tropical varieties. Beyond their extensive plant nursery, they offer professional landscape design and build services, catering to residential clients looking to enhance their outdoor spaces. The business maintains a multifaceted retail environment that includes a full-service floral department and a gift shop. Their operations are supported by a team of professional horticulturists dedicated to plant education, evidenced by their active advisory content regarding plant care, pest management, and landscape design. While they also incorporate a cafe and specialty food shop into their location, the primary foundation of the enterprise remains their robust nursery and horticultural expertise.

Full-service retail garden center. Top products: Annuals, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Vegetables, Herbs. Goode Greenhouses is a comprehensive retail garden center and nursery based in Des Moines, Iowa, serving both residential gardeners and landscaping enthusiasts. The business operates as a full-service horticultural supplier, offering a diverse inventory that includes annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, roses, and evergreens, alongside edible plant options such as berries, potatoes, onions, herbs, and various vegetables. Beyond its wide range of plant stock, the greenhouse functions as a complete resource for home horticulture, providing essential gardening supplies, tools, and bulk landscaping materials like mulch. Goode Greenhouses emphasizes customer education and support, offering practical digital tools on their website—including mulch coverage calculators and planting density guides—to assist customers in planning their garden projects. Their experienced staff provides personalized guidance on plant selection and care, catering to those looking to maintain classic garden staples as well as those seeking newer plant varieties. The facility serves as a year-round destination for gardening needs, fostering a community-focused environment that supports successful planting throughout the growing season.

Retail Garden Center Nursery. Top products: annuals, perennials, shrubs, houseplants. Canoyer Garden Center is a family-owned horticultural retailer operating multiple locations across Iowa and Nebraska, including Ankeny, Grimes, Papillion, and Lincoln. The business focuses on providing a wide array of high-quality plant materials, specifically catering to home gardeners and landscape enthusiasts. Their inventory features a diverse selection of annuals, perennials, and shrubs suitable for the Midwestern climate, alongside a robust offering of indoor houseplants. Beyond retail sales, Canoyer Garden Center serves as a horticultural resource, employing a knowledgeable staff that provides expert advice on plant selection, garden maintenance, and landscape design. By maintaining a family-centric business model, they emphasize local expertise and community engagement, offering seasonal favorites and gardening supplies intended to help customers create and sustain healthy outdoor environments. They provide a physical retail destination for both novice gardeners and experienced plant collectors.

Full-service Retail Garden Center. Top products: Ornamental trees, Evergreen shrubs, Perennials, Bedding plants, Mulch. Sherbondy's is a long-standing horticultural operation based in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with 44 years of experience serving the local community. As a retail garden center and nursery, they specialize in a broad array of plant materials suited to the Southwest Iowa climate, including ornamental trees, evergreen screening shrubs, flowering perennials, roses, and various bedding plants. Their inventory is curated to support both residential landscaping projects and gardening enthusiasts. Beyond plant sales, the business functions as an educational resource, offering regional expertise on lawn care and plant maintenance. While they maintain a retail-focused facility at their 16th Avenue location, they also emphasize a community-centric atmosphere, opening their grounds as a venue for professional and personal photography. Their core offerings extend to soil amendments and ground covers such as mulch, serving homeowners and local garden hobbyists with a commitment to regional horticultural success.

Houseplant and botanical retailer. Top products: Rare houseplants, Potted greenery, Custom plant styling, Commercial plant care. Art Terrarium is a specialized houseplant shop located in Highland Park, established in 2017. The business functions as a retail horticultural hub, focusing on the sale of a wide range of interior greenery, including common indoor favorites and rare, sought-after botanical specimens. Their operations cater to both residential homeowners looking for indoor plant decor and commercial clients requiring professional plant styling and ongoing maintenance services. Beyond retail, Art Terrarium acts as a community resource by hosting educational workshops with plant experts and collaborations with local makers, fostering a focus on plant education and interior botanical design. Their core offerings are centered around providing curated plant selections, consultation for indoor plant health, and professional installation services for both personal and business environments.

Full-service retail garden center. Top products: Annuals and perennials, Shrubs and trees, Garden supplies, Lawn care products. Steve's Ace Home & Garden is a multi-generational, family-owned business established in 1988, serving the Dubuque and Peosta, Iowa communities. Operating across three distinct locations, the business functions as a comprehensive garden center and retail home improvement destination. They focus on providing a wide variety of horticultural products, including seasonal annuals, perennial plants, ornamental shrubs, and landscape trees designed for the Tri-State area climate. Beyond plant life, they serve as a core supplier for residential gardeners and local landscaping needs, offering soil amendments, fertilizers, pest control, and gardening tools. Their mission emphasizes community-focused service, providing both retail plant offerings and the necessary supplies for outdoor lifestyle maintenance. The company acts as a central hub for home horticultural projects, supporting both amateur hobbyists and homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor spaces through reliable plant sourcing and expert seasonal guidance.

Full-service Retail Garden Center. Top products: Annual and perennial plants, Vegetable starts, Trees and shrubs, Bulk mulch and soil, Landscape stones and boulders. Cedar River Garden Center, located in Palo, Iowa, is a comprehensive horticultural business operating for over three decades. The facility functions as both a retail garden center and a landscape supply yard, serving a diverse clientele of homeowners and commercial contractors. Their nursery operation is extensive, featuring eight greenhouses and over 11,000 square feet dedicated to perennials, with a strong internal focus on seed-starting and plant propagation—having grown over 40,000 vegetable plants from seed in recent seasons. Beyond their diverse inventory of trees, shrubs, pond plants, and ornamentals, they provide a full suite of hardscaping materials including bulk rock, compost, mulch, and flagstone. The center differentiates itself through a 'living library' approach, utilizing on-site display beds for educational purposes and customer inspiration. They offer professional design consultations and full-scale landscape installation services, positioning themselves as a one-stop shop for outdoor living projects in the region.

Retail Garden Center Nursery. Top products: Trees and shrubs, Perennials, Planting mix, Garden tools, Fertilizers. Earl May Garden Center is a multi-location horticultural retail business operating 28 family-owned stores across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Established as a comprehensive resource for residential gardening, the company provides a wide selection of nursery stock, including trees, shrubs, and seasonal plants suitable for regional landscapes. Beyond live plant material, their inventory includes organic planting mixes, specialized fertilizers, lawn care products, and garden hardscapes. The business caters to homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor environments, offering professional advice on topics such as weed management, screening vegetation, and vegetable gardening. They maintain a strong focus on community engagement through local staff expertise, educational resources, and a loyalty program, positioning themselves as a centralized provider for both novice and experienced gardeners seeking to maintain healthy landscapes.

Retail Garden Center Nursery. Top products: annuals, perennials, shrubs, houseplants. Canoyer Garden Center is a multi-location, family-owned horticultural business operating across Iowa and Nebraska. Serving both novice and experienced gardeners, the center provides a comprehensive selection of ornamental plant material, including seasonal annuals, hardy perennials, diverse shrub varieties, and indoor houseplants. Their business model centers on retail operations that prioritize plant quality and customer education, offering expert advice to help clients design, cultivate, and maintain outdoor landscapes. With a history rooted in a family tradition of nursery management, the business functions as a local destination for gardening supplies and botanical inspiration. They cater primarily to residential homeowners looking to enhance their green spaces, providing the necessary plant stock and horticultural guidance to support local landscaping needs throughout the changing seasons. The Ankeny facility serves as a key hub for providing regional plant support and gardening expertise to the local community.

Retail Horticultural Garden Center. Top products: Trees and shrubs, Planting mixes and soil amendments, Garden tools and supplies, Bird feeders, Outdoor furniture. Earl May Garden Center is a well-established horticultural retail chain operating 28 family-owned locations across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. With a long-standing history of serving residential homeowners, the business functions as a comprehensive resource for outdoor living and gardening success. Their core offerings include a wide selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, and seasonal plants, supported by expert advice on landscaping, lawn care, and plant maintenance. Beyond live goods, they provide essential horticultural supplies such as specialized planting mixes, fertilizers like Nutri-Gro and Tomato Tone, and various gardening tools. The centers are designed to be a one-stop destination for both novice and experienced gardeners, offering educational resources through their blog and seasonal garden calendars. Earl May focuses on helping customers curate their landscapes through natural screening solutions and tailored gardening projects while also providing high-quality outdoor furniture to complete the home landscape experience.

Full-service retail garden center. Top products: Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Garden supplies, Outdoor furniture. Earl May Garden Center is a multi-generational, family-owned horticultural retailer operating 28 locations across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Established with a deep-rooted commitment to gardening expertise, the company serves as a comprehensive resource for residential homeowners and gardening enthusiasts. Their core offering includes a wide selection of ornamental trees, shrubs, perennials, and seasonal plants suited for the Midwest climate. Beyond live plant material, they provide essential horticultural supplies, including specialized plant fertilizers like Nutri-Gro and Bloom Builder, organic planting mixes, and lawn care solutions. The company distinguishes itself through educational outreach, offering resources on plant screening, lawn maintenance, and vegetable gardening via their blog and store staff. They also curate outdoor living essentials, such as Amish-made outdoor furniture, bird feeders, and ergonomic gardening tools. Their mission focuses on fostering community engagement and providing the necessary expertise and products to help customers cultivate and maintain thriving outdoor spaces throughout the seasons.

Regional Retail Garden Center. Top products: Trees and shrubs, Garden tools and supplies, Plant fertilizers and soils, Bird feeders and accessories, Outdoor furniture. Earl May Garden Center is a multi-state horticultural retailer with 28 family-owned and operated locations across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. As a established garden center, they provide a comprehensive range of horticultural products including trees, shrubs, perennials, and seasonal plants. Their operations focus on supporting residential gardening through the sale of organic planting mixes, specialized fertilizers like Nutri-Gro and Tomato Tone, and an extensive array of garden tools and equipment. Beyond plant sales, the company offers educational resources through their blog and garden calendar, focusing on lawn maintenance, vegetable gardening, and landscaping solutions such as plant screening. They cater primarily to homeowners looking to improve their outdoor living spaces, providing both high-quality plant material and the necessary hardgoods, including outdoor furniture and garden accessories, to maintain healthy, productive landscapes.

Retail Nursery and Garden Center. Top products: Ornamental plants, Trees and shrubs, Perennials, Grills and smokers. TNT Landscaping & Nursery, established in 1989 and based in Ankeny, Iowa, operates as both a professional landscape design-build firm and a comprehensive retail garden center. With over 25 years of experience, the company maintains a physical nursery facility that serves as a primary source for plant materials in the Des Moines metro area. Their horticultural offerings include a large selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials, supported by a staff that includes Iowa Certified Nurserymen and a registered landscape architect. The business caters to both residential homeowners and commercial clients, providing comprehensive landscape installation services alongside their retail nursery operations. Their facility on Ordnance Road functions as a hub for community gardening needs, blending nursery retail with outdoor living solutions, including a dedicated barbecue equipment center. The company emphasizes longevity, local community ties, and professional design expertise as core components of their business model.

Seasonal Garden Center and Produce. Top products: seasonal flowers, pumpkins, fresh produce, firewood, eggs. Kroul Farms is a family-operated agricultural business located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, with a history dating back to 1946. Evolving from a traditional corn, soybean, and livestock operation into a diverse, modern marketplace, the farm focuses on providing seasonal goods to the local community. Their horticultural offerings include spring flower sales and custom container services, alongside a robust produce operation that features a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. The farm emphasizes sustainable agricultural practices, including the use of cover crops, crop rotation, advanced mulching, and homegrown compost to minimize chemical intervention. Beyond their plant and produce sales, Kroul Farms operates as a seasonal destination offering pumpkins in the fall, firewood, and eggs. They serve primarily homeowners and local residents, maintaining a strong focus on family-oriented values, land stewardship, and seasonal freshness.

Retail garden center and florist. Top products: potted plants, floral arrangements, cut flowers. Busy Bee Garden Center operates as a diversified horticultural retail destination and floral design studio. The facility features on-site greenhouse operations where a variety of seasonal plants are cultivated and sold. Beyond its core nursery and greenhouse function, the business maintains 'The Bloom Shop,' a specialized floral design service that utilizes fresh, locally grown cut flowers from the business's own gardens to create custom bouquets, corsages, and event arrangements. The center serves both local homeowners and event clients, providing a combination of horticultural retail and professional floristry. While the property also hosts a small cafe operation, the business remains anchored by its seasonal greenhouse production and established gardening offerings, serving as a regional source for ornamental plants and fresh floral goods.

Retail Garden Center Nursery. Top products: Trees and shrubs, Perennials, Planting mix, Garden tools, Plant fertilizers. Earl May Garden Center is a regional network of 28 family-owned and operated retail garden centers serving Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Established with a focus on comprehensive outdoor living, the company functions as both a nursery and a horticultural supply retailer. Their core offerings include a diverse selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials, supported by a wide range of gardening essentials such as organic planting mixes, fertilizers, and specialized tools. They cater primarily to residential homeowners looking to enhance their landscapes, offering professional advice on topics ranging from lawn care and weed management to edible gardening and privacy screening. Beyond plant material, they maintain a physical inventory of outdoor furniture and birding supplies. Their business model integrates retail sales with educational outreach via their gardening blog, which provides seasonal guidance on plant selection and maintenance, positioning them as a primary resource for regional horticultural needs.

Retail Horticultural Garden Center. Top products: Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Garden Supplies, Lawn Care Products. Earl May Garden Center is a multi-generational, family-owned horticultural retailer operating 28 locations across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Established with a deep focus on supporting home gardening, the company provides a comprehensive inventory of plant material, including trees, shrubs, and perennials tailored to the Midwest climate. Beyond live plants, their offerings include professional-grade fertilizers, organic planting mixes, pest control solutions, and specialized garden tools. The business serves both residential homeowners and hobbyist gardeners, offering expert advice through store staff, a corporate blog, and seasonal gardening calendars. Their operations emphasize practical solutions for landscaping, such as privacy screening, lawn maintenance, and vegetable gardening. By combining retail plant sales with patio furniture and outdoor living accessories, Earl May functions as a one-stop destination for regional horticultural needs, focusing on sustainable plant health and landscape aesthetics.

Retail Horticultural Garden Center. Top products: Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Garden Supplies, Fertilizers. Earl May Garden Center is a multi-generational, family-owned horticultural retailer operating 28 locations across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Established as a comprehensive resource for residential gardening, the company specializes in the retail sale of ornamental trees, shrubs, perennials, and seasonal plant varieties. Their business model centers on empowering homeowners and local gardeners through a combination of high-quality plant stock, specialized soil amendments, fertilizers like 'Nutri-Gro,' and garden maintenance equipment. Beyond living plant materials, the stores provide a wide array of outdoor living products, including Amish-made furniture, bird feeders, and tools designed for landscape enhancement. The company emphasizes consumer education via regular blog content on topics such as lawn care, pest control, and vegetable gardening, positioning themselves as a regional horticultural authority for landscape design and backyard cultivation.

Retail Ornamental Plant Nursery. Top products: unique and hard-to-find plants, common garden plant varieties, gardening pottery. Piney Ridge Greenhouse, located in Johnston, Iowa, is a long-standing horticultural retail operation established in 1975. The business functions as a traditional plant nursery and garden center, focusing on the sale of both common plant varieties and unique, hard-to-find ornamental specimens. Beyond their plant selection, they provide accompanying gardening pottery and rely on a staff composed of experienced gardeners to offer specialized advice and landscaping solutions to their customers. Their operational philosophy is built on environmental responsibility, emphasizing earth-friendly growing practices, up-cycling, and waste reduction. As a seasonal business, they typically open in the spring and cater to local homeowners and gardening enthusiasts, aiming to provide a high-quality, personable customer experience. They are deeply integrated into the local community, emphasizing sustainable growth and long-term customer relationships.