8 Plant Nurseries in Ames, IA

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.

Exotic and Succulent Nursery. Top products: exotic garden plants, tropical succulents, rare foliage. Ames Greenhouse & Antiques, established in 1968 and located in Ames, Iowa, functions as a dual-purpose horticultural and antique retail operation. The business specializes in the cultivation and sale of a diverse array of plant life, with a specific focus on organically grown garden plants and rare tropical succulents. As a family-operated establishment, it caters primarily to local homeowners and plant enthusiasts seeking unique botanical specimens that are not commonly found in large-box garden centers. Their horticultural offerings are characterized by a curated selection of unusual foliage intended to provide aesthetic appeal for interior and exterior garden spaces. Beyond their greenhouse operations, the business integrates a vintage retail component, offering antiques, glassware, and jewelry, creating a specialized shopping environment that merges gardening with collectible goods. They maintain a consistent retail presence in the Story County area, serving the communities of Huxley, Story City, Nevada, and Boone.

Retail Annual and Perennial Greenhouse. Top products: annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, garden supplies. Holub Greenhouses Inc. is a family-owned and operated horticultural business based in Central Iowa, established over 40 years ago. The greenhouse specializes in the cultivation and retail sale of locally grown plants, including a wide selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetable starts. Their core operational philosophy centers on providing flora specifically adapted to thrive in the unique climatic conditions of Iowa. The business serves both novice gardeners and experienced horticultural enthusiasts by offering not only high-quality plant stock but also professional guidance and technical advice. Beyond plant sales, the greenhouse functions as a comprehensive gardening resource, supplying necessary garden tools and supplies to support the full planting-to-harvest lifecycle. Their mission is rooted in community service, fostering local gardening success through sustainable, climate-appropriate growing practices.

Christmas Tree and Conifer Nursery. Top products: Christmas trees, Potted trees, Wreaths, Greenery. Strautman Tree Farm, LLC operates a 90-acre horticultural facility specializing in the production and retail of both field-grown Christmas trees and container-potted trees. The farm offers a 'Choose & Cut' service during the holiday season, allowing customers to harvest their own trees, while also maintaining a stock of pre-cut trees. Beyond primary tree offerings, the business produces artisanal holiday greenery, including custom wreaths and decorative branches. Their horticultural operations cater primarily to residential customers looking for windbreak solutions, landscape beautification, and traditional holiday supplies. The facility includes on-site retail infrastructure for tree stands, decorations, and seasonal accessories. While the farm provides light hospitality services such as complimentary cider and cookies, the core business model is centered on the cultivation, management, and retail sale of conifers and ornamental nursery stock.

Specialty Bonsai Tree Nursery. Top products: Finished Bonsai trees, Pre-bonsai plant material, Bonsai pottery and display stands, Professional bonsai soils, Bonsai tools and supplies. DaSu Bonsai Studio is a specialized horticultural business dedicated to the art and cultivation of bonsai. The studio focuses on the cultivation, training, and sale of finished bonsai specimens and pre-bonsai plant material, notably including Elm bonsai varieties. Their operations extend beyond simple plant sales to provide a comprehensive suite of resources for the bonsai enthusiast, including professional-grade bonsai soils, specialized tools, and companion plants. The business also serves as a purveyor of traditional bonsai display aesthetics, offering imported pottery, display slabs, stands, and suiseki viewing stones. Target customers include bonsai practitioners and hobbyists seeking both live plant material and the technical accessories required for long-term bonsai maintenance. In addition to their retail offerings, DaSu Bonsai Studio provides educational content, including bonsai training notes, articles, and scheduled classes, demonstrating a commitment to the technical and artistic education of their clientele.

Native tree and shrub nursery. Top products: Native seedlings, Forestry trees, Wildlife habitat plants. State Forest Nursery is a specialized horticultural operation focused on the cultivation and supply of native trees and shrubs. Primarily serving landowners, reforestation projects, and conservation-minded customers, the nursery emphasizes the production of high-quality seedlings suited for wildlife habitat development and forest restoration. They operate on a seasonal sales model, managing their inventory cycles to align with optimal planting windows for forestry and ecological land management. Their offerings typically include a variety of indigenous woody species designed to bolster local ecosystems and improve environmental health. By providing specialized plant material, the nursery supports large-scale planting initiatives and individual land improvement efforts, maintaining a core mission of sustainable forestry and conservation through the responsible propagation of native plant life.

Retail Greenhouse and Nursery. Top products: annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetable starts, garden supplies. Holub Greenhouses Inc. is a family-owned and operated horticultural business based in Central Iowa, serving the local gardening community for over 40 years. The company operates as a retail greenhouse and nursery, focusing on the production and sale of high-quality plant life suited to the regional climate. Their core product catalog includes a diverse selection of annuals, perennials, culinary herbs, and vegetable starters. Beyond plant sales, the business functions as a horticultural resource, providing expert cultivation advice to both novice gardeners and experienced growers. Their operations are centered on the philosophy of 'Rooted in Iowa,' emphasizing the benefits of locally grown flora. By offering seasonal planting guidance and specialized garden supplies, Holub Greenhouses supports the complete lifecycle of a plant from container to harvest, maintaining a reputation as a trusted provider of healthy, climate-adapted plants for home landscaping and kitchen gardens.