I'm sure we've all got some great favorite nurseries/greenhouses in our region. My favorite is a well-kept secret: LURGAN'S, near Orrstown, PA. It's a family run business and it is OFF the 'net so you won't find any website and you can't place online orders. But it is worth the trip. The place is huge (they recently added another gigantic greenhouse), and the selection is astounding. They have a truly wonderful selection of water garden plants and materials; the display of fountains, waterfalls, containers, etc. in the front is amazing. Prices are good, the quality is very good. Plus, depending on when you arrive, you can sometimes get small "starter" plants (rooted cuttings) at very low prices ($2/pot). There is not what I would call a "knowledgeable staff" on hand, so I usually go there with a copy of any good mail-order catalog I have on hand so I can look up plants and get info.

If you go, expect to spend at least 2-3 hours browsing the place.

This place is well hidden. It's back a narrow (but paved) winding rural road. Once you find PA Rte 997, however, you're in like Flint.

Great thread! I don't have any great nurseries to add but I'd love to visit Lurgan's just from your post.

Would love to visit there! Is it anywhere near Harrisburg or York?

Here in suburban Maryland, my favorite nursery is Seasons in Gaithersburg. They have a nice native selection, lots of pollinators buzzing around which makes me feel more comfortable purchasing there, and their prices are reasonable!

I've done a few 'field trips' to favorite nurseries with fellow gardeners in my area. This is always lots of fun, although it is hard to resist spending too much money! :-D Two of my favorites have been Meadow Farms in northern Virginia (huge!!), and Ace's Garden Center near Annapolis--pollinators everywhere! A huge one that I probably won't return to is Homestead, also near Annapolis--they are huge, but disdainful of natives plus I think they drench their products in pesticides. Not a pollinator anywhere.

We have some great nurseries here, too. Three of my favs are Ginders, Point Phillip Perennials and Vogels. They have very unusual plants and offer classes on pruning, hypertufa, stepping stone creations and much more. One of them sells their beautiful perennials for 2 dollars before the 4th of July!!

That sounds like a great 4th of July sale to go to, Roses!

Some good 'uns that I go to for various reasons include:

Maryland Flower and Foliage in White Marsh, MD, really great selection of annuals for ridiculously low prices. They don't take credit cards, though: both a blessing and a curse!
The Perennial Farm in Glen Arm, MD, is a wonderland of perennials. Go on Saturday to browse but don't plan on buying anything, the prices are so high, you'd think they fertilize the plants with liquid gold.
Poor Boy's in Parkville, MD, because after July 4 they clearance all their stock (quality stock they get from The Perennial Farm).
Behnke's Nursery in Beltsville, MD, very near my work and always has a stellar selection of everything. I usually just go there to browse because the prices are a little steep for me.
Valley View Farm in Timonium, MD, prices are a little better than Behnke's but the selection is not quite as good.

I have family that goes up to Root's Auction in Amish country, in PA. They get lots of flowers for very cheap up there. I've never been. Has anyone here gone there?

I love doing nursery field trips! Of course, there is the issue of plants jumping randomly into my shopping cart, expecting to be purchased!

Catmint20906 said:I love doing nursery field trips! Of course, there is the issue of plants jumping randomly into my shopping cart, expecting to be purchased!

Dang! You know, that person seems to be following me around too! I walk into a nursery or a garden center and don't you just know it...next thing I see is some plant in my shopping cart. How did that get there??

Well, I finally have something to contribute to this thread, as we went and visited a couple of really nice nurseries today, ones which I hope to spend lots more time exploring in the future.

The first is Sandy's Plants, http://www.sandysplants.com/ , which is just huge, and you ride around in little golf carts from section to section (which is lots of fun.) They advertise selling unusual and rare perennials; I know they grow hostas and succulents and salvias but I only saw a teeny little bit!

The second is much smaller but quite lovely and I wanted to justmove in, place called Lavender Fields, http://www.lavenderfieldsfarm.... They had a lot of very nice salvias and agastaches in their display gardens and clearly do a lot besides sell plants -- such as workshops and it looked like also some landscaping design and consulting.

Both are places I want to revisit often.

They both sound really nice, Kyla! Glad you were able to go for a visit. I like the golf cart idea!

The golf cart took some getting used to, but really, given the size of the place, it's only practical. And they are kind of fun.

Speaking of golf cart like vehicles, today was my first day at work since I sprained my ankle *not* using the motorized scooter. I guess it was nice to resemble a normal healthy person again, but on the other hand, I sure loved racing down the corridor at top speed with the wind blowing in my hair!

Oh. Oh, dear. Couldn't you, like, pretend to still need the little scooter? "Oh, ow! Gee, I thought I was all better but, guess not", she says, lying on the floor prettily. "Would you be so kind as to push that little scooter over this way? Oh thank you SO much! Now if you can just help me up.... That's it. Now I'm all set. What? It's quitting time already? Gosh. Well, tomorrow I'll just start the day using my scooter and I'll get more done...."

Well, I haven't returned the scooter yet, so I still have the option of using it if my ankle starts aching again for some reason.

I knew you were smart like that.

And really, I'm glad to hear your ankle is progressing that much! Very good news!

thanks, Kyla! I'm glad, too. I'm hoping to use the upcoming Veteran's Day federal holiday to catch up in the garden--my first time out there in ages!! Lots of bulb planting to do!

I need a golf cart or something just to haul stuff all over this property! I told my husband this and he said nothing like that would ever make it up and down our hill. So then I said "what about a donkey? A cute little spotted burro...maybe a miniature! he could live with the hens! I could teach him to carry burdens...and think how the great-niece would love him...."

I got "The Look."

*sigh* So much for Pedro (I had the name picked out and everything....)

Oh, there are many possibilities here! I am thinking maybe a goat cart. A sweet little wooden cart, you could totally paint it, with a goat to pull the cart (I'm sure this happens, somewhere) and then the goat can help eat the unwanted brush. Though of course you'd need to keep the goat from eating the *wanted* brush.

Maybe a donkey cart.

:D