Combining nurseries with shops and cafés, these stylish garden centers are destinations in themselves.
Petersham Nurseries, London
At this property in Richmond, on the outskirts of London, you’ll find the studied frenzy that defines British gardens: hydrangeas overflowing from rusted wagons, rows of red roses climbing faded wood lattices, and stone jardinieres stuffed with pincushions and cornflowers. There’s a seamless flow between the indoor greenhouses and leafy outdoor areas punctuated by lifestyle items—from vintage farm tables to cashmere blankets—throughout.
Then there’s Petersham Nurseries Café, a fine-dining institution helmed by chef Damian Clisby in a space filled with floral arrangements and snaking vines. With the help of their four adult children, owners Gael and Francesco Boglione recently opened a second location in London’s Covent Garden. The new 16,000-square-foot emporium is a bucolic oasis that features Clisby’s fashionable Italian restaurant La Goccia, a casual eatery, and its more formal counterpart, the Petersham.
Sprout Home, Chicago
The assortment of terrariums is such a major draw for Sprout Home, in West Town—it has a second location in Brooklyn— that it regularly hosts build-your-own workshops. The showroom, which includes a small outdoor nursery for bigger items like saplings, specializes in design-forward supplies. Much of the store is set up in vignettes—a curated mix of plants and contemporary planters—to provide inspiration.
Flora Grubb, San Francisco
“Coming to the store is an experience, whether you want to buy something or not,” says Flora Grubb of her namesake nursery in the Bayview, San Francisco. “The space is more like a garden than a store.” The 28,000-square-foot property is a statement in California cool, with neatly stacked minimalist pottery, modern outdoor furniture, and a Ritual Coffee Roasters on site.
Grubb focuses on unusual plants from other Mediterranean climates, because she’s passionate about water conservation. “Part of why people love California is that it doesn’t really rain,” says Grubb. “So we help them find plants they love, but that also use less water.” Her favorite is the abelia: “It has these giant flowers, the size of your hand, that you can bring inside for a vase.”
Terrain, Pennsylvania
This September, Terrain took over the picturesque Waterloo Gardens property in Devon for its third shop. The six-acre site has a café, a restaurant, a private events venue, and stores, including Anthropologie. Planters with the brand’s contemporary rustic look can be custom designed.
Tula, Brooklyn
Tula started in 2016 as a mobile greenhouse, with co-founders Christan Summers and Ivan Martinez driving a converted truck around Brooklyn selling plants and pottery. This fall they’re opening a flagship inside a former tool and die factory in the Greenpoint neighborhood. Tula is known for sourcing hard-to-find cacti, euphorbias, and other succulents.
Most of the plants are pre-potted in a limited-edition collection of 100 ceramics created each season by local ceramists. The new brick-and-mortar will host workshops to encourage learning about maintenance before committing to a plant.
