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Plant Nurseries & Garden Centers in Wisconsin

Explore 222 local plant nurseries across 52 cities.

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Top Rated Farms in WI

Nature's Touch Garden Center
💬 162 reviews4.3
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Nature's Touch Garden Center

Retail Garden Center Nursery. Top products: annuals, perennial plants, trees, shrubs, mulch, landscape supplies. Nature's Touch Garden Center, based in Janesville, Wisconsin, operates as a comprehensive horticultural retail destination and property services provider. The garden center segment offers a diverse inventory of plant material, including seasonal annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs, alongside essential landscaping supplies such as mulch, decorative rock, and gardening tools. The business caters primarily to local homeowners and property managers looking to enhance their outdoor environments. Beyond retail operations, the company functions as a multi-disciplinary service provider, offering professional commercial property maintenance, landscaping, hardscape installation, and snow removal services. By integrating a physical nursery with broader landscape management and a community-focused activity center, Nature's Touch serves as a hub for both residential gardening enthusiasts and commercial property owners seeking seasonal upkeep and aesthetic improvements for their outdoor spaces.

📍5035, State Highway 11, Town of Janesville, Wisconsin, 53548, US
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Groth's Country Gardens Inc
💬 157 reviews4.9
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Groth's Country Gardens Inc

Bedding and Perennial Nursery. Top products: annual bedding plants, perennial plants, tropical plants, seasonal plants. Groth's Country Gardens Inc., located in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is a long-standing horticultural operation with over 92 years of experience serving the southeastern Wisconsin region. The nursery maintains an extensive growing facility comprised of 27 greenhouses covering approximately 80,000 square feet. Their primary specialization is the cultivation of a diverse range of annual and perennial bedding plants, boasting a catalog of over 600 distinct varieties, many of which are exclusive to their nursery. Beyond their production of ornamental plants, they cater to local gardening enthusiasts by offering custom planting services for customer-owned containers, as well as a selection of tropical and seasonal plant varieties. Their operations are geared toward providing high-quality, regionally acclimated plants directly to consumers, with a strong emphasis on maintaining a physical greenhouse environment for year-round horticultural support.

📍N144W13015 Pioneer Rd, Cedarburg, WI 53012, USA
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Shady Lane Greenhouses Inc
💬 155 reviews4.8
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Shady Lane Greenhouses Inc

Full-Service Garden Center Nursery. Top products: Hanging Baskets, Poinsettias, Christmas Trees, Custom Planters, Perennials and Shrubs. Shady Lane Greenhouse, located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, is a comprehensive horticultural business serving homeowners and the local community. They operate as both a retail greenhouse and a provider of professional horticultural services. Their plant offerings include a wide range of seasonal annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees, with a notable specialization in greenhouse-grown Poinsettias for the holiday season. Beyond retail sales, the business provides extensive landscaping support, including professional planting of trees and shrubs, seasonal container garden design, and comprehensive maintenance packages covering spring clean-ups, pruning, and mid-season garden care. The family-owned operation is deeply integrated into the local community, offering seasonal workshops, educational classes, and fundraising opportunities for local organizations. With a focus on year-round horticultural interest, they also supply fresh holiday greenery, including hand-made wreaths and swags.

📍W172N7388 Shady Ln, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051, USA
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Prospect Hill Garden Center
💬 151 reviews4.6
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Prospect Hill Garden Center

Full-service Retail Garden Center. Top products: Trees and shrubs, Perennials, Roses, Vegetable seeds, Bulk mulch and topsoil. Prospect Hill Garden Center, located in New Berlin, Wisconsin, is a long-standing horticultural hub that has served the local community for over forty years. Positioned as one of the area's largest greenhouse operations, the center specializes in a wide selection of plant material, ranging from standard landscape staples to unusual and hard-to-find ornamental varieties. Their primary offerings include a diverse inventory of trees, shrubs, and problem-solving perennials, alongside rose collections and a selection of vegetable seeds from major suppliers like Livingston and Botanical Interests. Beyond live plant material, the facility functions as a comprehensive resource for regional gardeners, providing bulk landscaping supplies such as mulch, topsoil, sand, gravel, and mushroom compost, as well as seasonal items like seasoned hardwood firewood. The business focuses on education and consultation, positioning its staff as local experts capable of assisting homeowners with plant health, pest control, and cultivation techniques specific to the Wisconsin climate.

📍19305, West National Avenue, New Berlin, Wisconsin, 53146, US
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Johnson's Nursery
💬 139 reviews4.6
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Johnson's Nursery

Wisconsin Native and Hardy Nursery. Top products: Native Midwest trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Plug trays, Landscape-ready ornamentals. Founded in 1959, Johnson’s Nursery is a comprehensive horticultural operation based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The nursery serves a diverse client base, including retail homeowners, landscape contractors, municipalities, and wholesale partners throughout the Midwest. They specialize in hardy, climate-adapted plants, with a significant emphasis on Wisconsin native species often grown from locally collected wild seeds. Their operations are vertically integrated, spanning the growth of nursery stock, bulk distribution, and professional landscape design-build services. The business maintains a robust retail plant center for DIY enthusiasts while simultaneously serving as a large-scale supplier for commercial projects. Their core mission focuses on connecting people with plants through an educational approach, providing extensive resources on plant care, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable gardening practices.

📍W180N6275, Marcy Road, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 53051, US
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Larry's Bellevue Gardens
💬 139 reviews4.8
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Larry's Bellevue Gardens

Ornamental and vegetable nursery. Top products: Annual bedding plants, Perennial flowers, Vegetable starts, Herbs, Flowering shrubs. Larry’s Bellevue Gardens is a family-owned greenhouse and horticultural operation located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Operated by the Rabas family, the business specializes in the production and retail sale of a wide range of annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetable starts. Their catalog includes popular varieties such as geraniums, petunias, hostas, coneflowers, roses, and various garden vegetables. The nursery maintains multiple greenhouse structures on-site where they propagate and nurture plants to supply local homeowners and gardening enthusiasts. Beyond plant production, the business serves as a community hub for local horticultural events, including the Gardeners of Green Bay Garden Walk. They operate on a seasonal retail schedule, with distinct spring and fall production cycles, and prioritize customer service through gift certificate programs and scheduled appointments. Their mission centers on providing high-quality plant material to enhance the landscapes and home gardens of Northeastern Wisconsin.

📍2620 Continental Dr, Green Bay, WI 54311, USA
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Red Square Flowers
💬 139 reviews4.3
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Red Square Flowers

Upscale Florist and Houseplant Boutique. Top products: Fresh floral arrangements, Indoor houseplants, Planters and pots, Moss walls, Wedding and event flowers. Red Square Flowers is an upscale florist and houseplant retailer based in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, operating since 2012. The business focuses on high-end, modern, and minimalist floral design, serving a diverse clientele including private homeowners, hotels, restaurants, and corporate offices. Their product line features imported premium houseplants from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, alongside curated planters and custom preserved moss art. While they function primarily as a retail florist specializing in bouquets and bespoke event installations, they maintain a significant horticultural focus through the curation, maintenance, and custom design of indoor plant displays. Their operations involve both retail storefronts and professional plant services, ranging from botanical consulting and conceptual design to physical installation and long-term care for interior greenery.

📍337, West Mifflin Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703, US
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Burr Oaks Greenhouse
💬 132 reviews4.9
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Burr Oaks Greenhouse

📍1275 100th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53144, USA
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O'Malley Family Farm & Nursery (formerly Trees for Less Nursery)
💬 132 reviews4.8
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O'Malley Family Farm & Nursery (formerly Trees for Less Nursery)

Tree farm and nursery. Top products: Locally grown trees, Arborvitaes, Evergreens, Mulch, Christmas trees, Maple syrup, U-pick flowers. O'Malley Family Farm & Nursery, located in Mequon, Wisconsin, is a multi-generational family-owned operation specializing in the cultivation and sale of nursery stock and seasonal agricultural products. The farm focuses on growing a variety of deciduous trees, arborvitaes, and evergreens, serving both residential and landscape clients. Their nursery operations are complemented by comprehensive service offerings, including professional tree planting and bulk mulch delivery and spreading. Beyond traditional nursery stock, the 100-acre property functions as a destination for seasonal experiences, including a Christmas tree farm, annual U-pick flower events, and maple syrup production. The business manages these activities through an integrated model that balances horticulture with agritourism. By maintaining local production, they provide high-quality, regionally adapted plant material while offering additional landscaping support to facilitate local planting projects.

📍W124N11427, Wasaukee Road, Village of Germantown, Wisconsin, 53022, US
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Hann's Christmas Farm
💬 129 reviews4.8
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Hann's Christmas Farm

Christmas Tree Farm. Top products: Cut-your-own Christmas trees, Pre-cut Christmas trees, Wreaths, Garland. Hann's Christmas Farm is a seasonal horticultural operation specializing in the cultivation and retail of Christmas trees. Located in a farm setting, the business provides a traditional 'choose and cut' experience, allowing customers to harvest their own trees directly from the fields. In addition to their primary tree crop, the farm operates an indoor shopping shed offering pre-cut trees, handmade wreaths, and festive greenery. The farm functions as a destination for families during the holiday season, integrating agricultural activities like hayrides with retail services. They cater primarily to local homeowners seeking authentic, farm-grown holiday decor. While the operation includes recreational amenities such as a haystack play area and visits from Santa Claus, its core function remains the production and sale of evergreen trees and associated ornamental holiday foliage.

📍848 Tipperary Rd, Oregon, WI 53575, USA
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Hartman's Towne & Country Greenhouse
💬 125 reviews4.9
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Hartman's Towne & Country Greenhouse

Full-service retail greenhouse nursery. Top products: Annuals, Perennials, Geraniums, Custom container plantings. Hartman's Towne & Country Greenhouse is a family-owned and operated horticultural nursery based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, with over 75 years of combined staff experience. The business distinguishes itself by growing its own plant inventory on-site within its greenhouse facilities, spanning over an acre. Their core offerings include a wide range of annuals and perennials, alongside seasonal plant varieties. They serve both residential and commercial clients, offering professional guidance from staff members who hold degrees in ornamental horticulture. Beyond their plant sales, the greenhouse provides specialized custom container planting services where designers curate arrangements in customer-provided vessels. The business maintains a strong focus on local customer loyalty through a rewards program and offers convenient services such as curbside pickup and regional delivery within Manitowoc County. Their facility also features a gift shop carrying artisanal items, complementing their primary mission of providing high-quality, locally-grown ornamental plants.

📍2021 Nagle Ave, Manitowoc, WI 54220, USA
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Chippewa Valley Growers
💬 121 reviews4.5
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Chippewa Valley Growers

Full-service Retail Garden Center. Top products: Trees, Shrubs, Vegetables, Ornamental plants. Chippewa Valley Growers is a prominent horticultural retail center located in Western Wisconsin, specializing in a diverse array of plants, trees, shrubs, and vegetable starts. Catering to both novice gardeners and horticultural experts, the company operates as a comprehensive nursery and garden center committed to plant health and seasonal success. The business emphasizes a customer-centric approach, providing expert advice to help clients establish and maintain thriving gardens throughout the growing season. Their inventory focuses on high-quality plant stock suitable for the regional climate, supporting both residential landscaping projects and home gardening efforts. By positioning themselves as a trusted source for regional growers, Chippewa Valley Growers serves as a foundational resource for the local community's horticultural needs, ensuring customers receive guidance alongside their plant purchases.

📍7825 S Prill Rd, Eau Claire, WI 54701, USA
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Roots On 9th
💬 121 reviews4.7
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Roots On 9th

Retail greenhouse and florist. Top products: Annuals, Tropical plants, Fresh cut flowers, Herbs, Vegetable starts. Roots on 9th is a hybrid retail nursery, greenhouse, and professional floral design center located in Green Bay. Owned by Jamie Hemenway-Peotter, a professional interior designer, the business emphasizes artistic, texture-focused floral arrangements alongside horticultural retail. Their operations include a greenhouse stocked with a variety of annuals, tropical plants, vegetable starts, and herbs, catering to both gardening enthusiasts and those seeking edible landscape components. As a full-service florist, they specialize in custom wedding decor, sympathy arrangements, and event styling, leveraging a deep inventory of roses, seasonal tulips, peonies, and other cut flowers. Beyond raw plant sales, the business functions as a design hub, offering 'make-and-take' workshops and terrarium kits. Their customer base primarily includes local homeowners and event clients looking for a blend of high-end floral design and curated plant retail. The business distinguishes itself through its creative, design-led approach to plant care and horticultural arrangement.

📍1365, 9th Street, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 54304, US
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A+ Garden Center
💬 117 reviews4.6
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A+ Garden Center

Comprehensive Retail Garden Center. Top products: Trees and Shrubs, Annuals and Hanging Baskets, Perennials, Bulk Mulch and Soil, Vegetable and Herb Starts. A+ Garden Center is a locally-owned and family-operated horticultural business based in Duluth, Minnesota, with two retail locations. They provide a diverse range of plant material tailored for regional climate success, including over 130 varieties of trees and shrubs, 500 varieties of flowers, and a large selection of hanging baskets. Their inventory spans annuals, perennials, tropicals, and edible starts like tomatoes and fruits, supplemented by bulk landscaping materials such as decorative rock, gravel, and mulch. The business targets both novice and experienced gardeners, as well as professional landscapers, by offering high-quality plant stock, lawn and garden supplies, fertilizers, and pest control products. Committed to customer education, they provide extensive resources on plant care, including guides for fruit pollination and shrub maintenance. Beyond direct retail, they offer services such as custom plant orders, bulk delivery, and the creation of cemetery baskets, functioning as a primary resource for residential and commercial horticultural needs in their service area.

📍6150 US-53, Saginaw, MN 55779, USA
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Stuart's Landscaping & Garden Center, Inc
💬 117 reviews4.4
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Stuart's Landscaping & Garden Center, Inc

Full-Service Nursery and Landscape. Top products: Trees, Ornamental plants, Shrubs, Annual flowers. Stuart’s Landscaping & Garden Center, Inc. is a comprehensive horticultural business operating out of Wisconsin for over 40 years. The company functions as both a dedicated garden center and a tree farm, providing retail access to high-quality trees, shrubs, and annual plants. Beyond retail, they operate an extensive landscape construction and maintenance division, serving homeowners and businesses throughout the Fond du Lac, Green Lake, and Fox Valley regions. Their operations encompass complete landscape design, site installation, and ongoing maintenance services including fertilization, pruning, and professional turf care. With a large team of over 100 employees during peak seasons, the business integrates their own nursery-grown stock into custom outdoor living projects such as stone masonry, lighting, and irrigation systems. They emphasize professional horticultural advice, seasonal expertise, and project-based installations, maintaining a significant local footprint that bridges the gap between agricultural plant production and residential landscape architecture.

📍N7820 Lakeshore Dr, Fond du Lac, WI 54937, USA
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Sunnyslope Gardens
💬 117 reviews4.6
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Sunnyslope Gardens

📍4240, South Sunnyslope Road, New Berlin, Wisconsin, 53151, US
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Trees Today Nursery Inc.
💬 116 reviews4.5
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Trees Today Nursery Inc.

Full-service ornamental tree nursery. Top products: deciduous shade trees, evergreen trees, perennials, shrubs, bulk landscaping materials. Trees Today Nursery Inc., located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is a comprehensive garden center and nursery specializing in the sale and installation of mature landscape plants. The company focuses on providing high-quality, large-caliper deciduous trees such as maples, lindens, and crabapples, as well as significant-sized conifers like spruce, fir, and pine. Beyond their woody plant inventory, they offer a wide selection of perennials, annuals, shrubs, and fruit trees. Serving both residential homeowners and professional landscape projects, the nursery emphasizes the immediate aesthetic impact of mature plantings. In addition to plant stock, the business operates as a complete horticultural supplier, providing essential hardscape materials including bulk dirt, mulch, decorative rock, retaining wall blocks, and pavers. Their service model integrates retail sales with delivery and professional planting expertise, supported by a supply of soil amendments, fertilizers, and pest control products to ensure plant health.

📍1507 WI-16, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
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K&A Greenhouse
💬 114 reviews4.9
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K&A Greenhouse

Retail Garden Center Nursery. Top products: Trees and shrubs, Annuals and perennials, Houseplants, Pottery and statues. K&A Greenhouse is a family-owned horticultural retailer operating two locations in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area, specifically in Verona and Fitchburg. Established in the early 1980s and currently owned by Chris and Angie since 2005, the business functions as a comprehensive garden center and nursery. They specialize in a wide selection of locally grown plants, including trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, and indoor houseplants. Beyond plant material, the nursery offers garden goods such as high-quality pottery, fountains, and statuary. The business maintains a strong focus on community engagement and horticultural education, providing resources through gardening advice, an informative YouTube channel, and staff-led expertise. They demonstrate a commitment to plant biodiversity through a retail partnership with the Seed Savers Exchange and are active supporters of local botanical institutions like the Olbrich Gardens. K&A serves both local homeowners and gardening enthusiasts with a mission centered on providing high-quality plant stock and professional, friendly customer service.

📍5555, Irish Lane, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, 53711, US
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Mayflower Greenhouse
💬 112 reviews4.5
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Mayflower Greenhouse

Retail plant nursery garden center. Top products: potted plants, horticultural supplies. Mayflower Greenhouse is a retail horticultural business operating as a traditional greenhouse and garden center. The facility provides a space for plant care and cultivation, indicated by their service of housing customer pots and maintaining a showroom for visitors. While the business is currently undergoing a transitional period with a planned closure in the spring of 2026, their core operations center on the retail sale and maintenance of plants. Historically, the greenhouse has served as a local resource for gardening enthusiasts, offering both plant products and facility-related services to the community. They cater to residential customers interested in plant growing, providing professional oversight for plant care and container management. Their business model relies on the cultivation and sales of horticultural goods, positioning them as an established member of the local plant nursery and garden center sector.

📍726 Airport Dr, Hobart, WI 54155, USA
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Shady Acres Perennial Nursery
💬 110 reviews4.9
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Shady Acres Perennial Nursery

Perennial and ornamental nursery. Top products: perennials, ornamental plants, shrubs. Shady Acres Perennial Nursery, located in New Berlin, Wisconsin, is a long-standing horticultural establishment that has been serving the community since 1958. As a specialized nursery and garden center, the business focuses on the cultivation and sale of a wide variety of perennial plants and ornamental greenery. With over six decades of operational experience, the nursery caters to local homeowners, gardening enthusiasts, and landscaping professionals looking for plants suited to the regional climate. Their core offerings include a diverse inventory of perennials, shrubs, and seasonal plant selections. The nursery operates from its site on Martin Road, providing both a retail destination for customers to browse their plant selection and a resource for gardening information through their newsletter and onsite staff. By maintaining a focus on traditional nursery operations, Shady Acres provides a foundational resource for regional horticulture and residential landscape development.

📍5725, South Martin Road, New Berlin, Wisconsin, 53146, US
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Tehan Greenhouses, Inc.
💬 108 reviews4.6
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Tehan Greenhouses, Inc.

Commercial greenhouse and nursery. Top products: Annual bedding plants, Perennials, Vegetable starts, Flowering shrubs, Seasonal ornamental plants. Tehan Greenhouses, Inc. operates as a traditional horticultural facility specializing in the production and retail of high-quality plant life. As a seasonal nursery operation, the business focuses on cultivating a diverse array of ornamental flowers, perennial plants, and vegetable starts, catering to both residential gardening enthusiasts and local landscape needs. Their greenhouses provide a controlled environment for starting seedlings and maintaining healthy stock throughout the growing season. While their retail availability is dependent on seasonal cycles, the business maintains a focus on providing diverse plant varieties suitable for regional climates. They function as a localized horticultural supplier, managing the end-to-end process of plant care and distribution to ensure healthy, robust vegetation for their clientele.

📍1515, East Rawson Avenue, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, 53154, US
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Deerfield Greenhouse
💬 102 reviews4.9
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Deerfield Greenhouse

📍909 Graffin Rd, Deerfield, WI 53531, USA
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Fred's Garden Center
💬 101 reviews4.6
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Fred's Garden Center

📍6238, West Appleton Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53210, US
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Ivy Trails Gift & Garden
💬 98 reviews4.7
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Ivy Trails Gift & Garden

Retail nursery and garden center. Top products: trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, garden gifts. Ivy Trails Gift & Garden is a multi-location retail horticultural business operating in Green Bay and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The company serves as a comprehensive garden center, offering a diverse selection of plant material including trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials suited for the local climate. Their operations focus on providing both the physical plant inventory and the necessary horticultural expertise to assist homeowners and garden enthusiasts with landscape project planning. In addition to their nursery operations, Ivy Trails maintains a retail storefront component, curating a selection of home and garden-related gifts and decor. The business emphasizes professional guidance, employing knowledgeable staff to advise customers on plant health and garden maintenance. By operating two distinct physical locations, they provide accessible retail support for regional gardening projects, catering primarily to residential consumers seeking quality plant stock and professional horticultural consultation.

📍3200 Main St, Green Bay, WI 54311, USA
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The Nursery & Garden Center Market in Wisconsin

Wisconsin supports a robust horticultural sector with 236 verified nurseries serving a diverse range of climate needs. The industry is characterized by a mix of long-standing, family-owned garden centers and specialized production nurseries. Consumers in the state have access to high-quality plant stock, ranging from hardy perennials to specialized bulb suppliers like Holland Bulb Farms and Tulip World. Data shows that the market is highly concentrated, with activity anchored by strong regional demand from homeowners and commercial landscapers looking for species acclimated to the Upper Midwest. The overall market health is strong, evidenced by high ratings for institutions such as Chief River Nursery and Ebert’s Greenhouse Village, where customer satisfaction scores frequently hit 4.9. This stability suggests a sophisticated customer base that prioritizes quality and local expertise over big-box convenience.

Top Cities for Nurseries & Garden Centers

The distribution of nurseries and garden centers across Wisconsin is not uniform; it follows economic density and population centers. Fitchburg leads the list with 13 nurseries, functioning as a primary hub. This concentration is likely driven by its proximity to the Madison market and available agricultural zoning that allows for large-scale greenhouse and field production operations. Green Bay, Madison, River Falls, and Milwaukee follow, each hosting 11 verified nurseries. These cities serve as essential supply nodes for their respective regions. Smaller but significant hubs like Mequon (10 nurseries) and Superior (7 nurseries) demonstrate the decentralized nature of the supply chain, which ensures that gardeners in northern and coastal areas have access to locally adapted nursery stock. The prevalence of nurseries in Muskego and Oconomowoc highlights that residential growth in these suburban corridors is directly supporting the expansion of the garden center retail market.

Wisconsin Climate & Plant Selection

Wisconsin’s climate is the primary architect of its nursery inventory. Spanning USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 5, the state experiences significant temperature fluctuations, including frigid winters and humid, temperate summers. Nurseries here must specialize in cold-hardy stock. This has led to a focus on native species like Bur Oak, Purple Coneflower, and various cultivars of native grasses that are genetically programmed to withstand deep freezes. Soil types across the state vary widely, from the fertile, well-draining silt loams of the south to the heavier, clay-rich soils near the Great Lakes. Local garden centers and nurseries play a critical role here by providing soil amendments and diagnostic services to help gardeners manage these diverse textures. Rainfall patterns, while generally sufficient, can be erratic in late summer, driving a market demand for drought-tolerant perennials and shrubs. Nurseries have pivoted toward 'acclimated production'—growing plants in local conditions rather than importing them from milder climates—which significantly increases the survival rate of the stock sold at venues like Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses or Kopke’s Greenhouse.

Sourcing Plants Locally in WI

Finding the right plant for your landscape requires vetting local suppliers. To ensure you are buying high-quality, regionally adapted stock, consider the following strategies:

  • Check for Local Propagation: Prioritize garden centers that produce their own stock on-site, such as the operations at Fitchburg Farms or Kellner Greenhouse. Plants grown in Wisconsin’s climate are naturally more resilient than those shipped from warmer southern states.
  • Consult Nursery Ratings: Utilize customer feedback to identify consistent providers. High ratings for establishments like Chief River Nursery often reflect a superior understanding of local hardiness zone requirements.
  • Inquire About Soil and Hardiness Compatibility: When visiting a garden center, ask specifically if their perennials are native to Wisconsin or if they are cultivars developed for the specific USDA zone of your planting site.
  • Seasonal Timing: Respect the local planting window. Nurseries in Wisconsin, such as Minor’s Garden Center, Inc., operate based on the regional frost dates. Purchasing during these windows ensures your plants get established before the ground freezes.
  • Diversify Your Sourcing: Use large, full-service garden centers for heavy structural trees and shrubs, but look for specialized greenhouses for seasonal color and bulb collections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the best planting times for Wisconsin gardens?

A: In Wisconsin, the safest window for planting most nursery stock is between mid-May and early June, after the danger of the final frost has passed. For fall planting, aim for early September to mid-October. This allows root systems to establish in the cooling soil before the ground freezes hard, ensuring better winter survival rates for perennials and woody shrubs.

Q: Why is buying native plants important in Wisconsin?

A: Native plants are evolutionarily adapted to Wisconsin’s specific rainfall patterns, soil compositions, and extreme temperature swings. They require fewer fertilizers and pesticides, promote local biodiversity, and are significantly more likely to survive severe winters compared to non-native cultivars. Local nurseries prioritize these species because they provide essential habitat for local pollinators, which are vital for the health of the entire regional ecosystem.

Q: How do I deal with Wisconsin’s clay-heavy soil?

A: Wisconsin soil often has high clay content, which holds water and can lead to root rot. To improve drainage, incorporate organic matter such as compost or aged leaf mulch into the top 6-8 inches of soil before planting. Many local garden centers offer specific soil amendments tailored to the local dirt profile. Always conduct a soil test to determine the exact pH level before adding large amounts of lime or sulfur.

Q: What are the main climate challenges for Wisconsin gardeners?

A: The primary challenges are the extreme winter temperatures and the potential for frost heaving. Heaving occurs when the ground repeatedly freezes and thaws, pushing shallow-rooted plants out of the soil. Additionally, high winds and variable precipitation can stress plants. Choosing nursery-grown stock that is specifically categorized as hardy for your precise USDA zone is the best defense against these unpredictable environmental factors.

Q: Are Wisconsin-grown plants superior to imported ones?

A: Yes, plants grown in Wisconsin nurseries are generally superior because they are raised in the same climate they will eventually inhabit. This 'acclimation' process ensures that the plant is accustomed to the state’s light intensity, humidity, and temperature fluctuations. Importing plants from nurseries in warmer climates often results in 'transplant shock' and a lower survival rate, whereas local nursery stock arrives ready for the Wisconsin growing season.