Retailer Spotlight: Nelson Nursery & Garden Center

Nelson Nursery & Garden Center is about 50 miles north of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, on a former dairy farm. The farmhouse, built in 1904, and original barn are still in use by the company. The area has developed over the years, so the business now straddles the city and country and has grown to accommodate the surrounding community.

Nelson Nursery is a full-service garden center with state-of-the-art growing facilities. The tree farm is no longer in operation, but some of the original retail greenhouses are. New greenhouses have also been added, and Nelson Nursery currently has over 200,000 square feet under plastic.

Mike and Jacie Lemke own and operate the business and have about 30 employees. The staff includes their youngest daughter, Katie Feckers, who manages the garden center, and Katie’s husband Mitchell. The Lemke’s other children, Donald Lemke and Lora Jacobson, along with Lora’s husband Ryan, work special events and busy weekends in May.

Nelson Nursery starts its season around the second week in January by propagating unrooted cuttings of annuals. They do some wholesaling of annuals and perennials, but their main focus is the retail garden center. Nelson Nursery sells more than 700 varieties of annuals and perennials, as well as trees, shrubs and evergreens.

The company also produces wreaths, garlands and other specialty items from balsam boughs and ships them to fund-raising organizations nationwide. Nelson Nursery is also a drop site for a statewide recycling program and collects plastic nursery containers that would otherwise be tossed by customers.

“We like to host special events,” Jacie said. “Our customers really seem to enjoy and appreciate them.” Nelson Nursery’s annual events include an open house in April with free hot dogs and drinks, “Wave Rave” weekend in May, with specials on all Wave petunias, and Customer Appreciation in September, when all live goods are sold at 50 percent off. The biggest family event is a fall festival in October, with a petting zoo, food, face painting, photos and a straw maze. Admission is free. Customers are asked to bring in a food item for charity.

For more: Nelson Nursery & Garden Center, (763) 856-2441; www.nelsonnursery.com.

Favorite products

Fountains

“Everyone loves to hear the soothing sound of running water,” Jacie said. Nelson Nursery carries everything from tabletop fountains to very large outdoor fountains. The store’s water features come from Terra Products, Alpine Corp. (pictured) and Avila’s. Retail prices range from $40 to $600.

“Probably our favorite line this year comes from Alpine,” Jacie said. “Although these fountains are made of cast resin, they look very much like stone.”

For more: Alpine Corp., (877) 710-0162; www.alpine4u.com. Terra Products, (888) 333-9988; www.terraproducts.com. Avila’s Garden Art, (800) 869-5263; www.avilasgardenart.com.

Wind chimes

Nelson Nursery loves Corinthian Bells wind chimes. “These chimes have an exceptional design and outstanding tones,” Jacie said. “They also come in a variety of colors. These are the Cadillac of windchimes.” Nelson Nursery buys the wind chimes from Fosters Inc. Retail price ranges from $30 to $100.

For more: Fosters Inc., (319) 235-6548; www.fostersinc.com.

Organic solutions

Nelson Nursery recommends Pharm Solutions’ line of organic pesticides and fungicides. “They are the world’s first and only pesticides to qualify as USDA-Certified Organic,” Jacie said. “These products really do work and we believe it is important for the safety of our environment to move away from toxic chemicals.”

For more: Pharm Solutions Inc., (805) 927-7400; www.pharmsolutions.com.

Green goods

Apple trees

The Honeycrisp apple “is a sought-after variety because of its sweet flavor and because it is crisp and juicy,” Jacie said. “It has an excellent storage life, up to seven months. It has (USDA Hardiness) Zone 4 hardiness, so it can survive in the southern half of Minnesota during the cold winters.”

For more: Bailey Nurseries, (800) 829-8898; www.baileynurseries.com.

Mandevilla

With glossy leaves and trumpet-like flowers, dipladenia (mandevilla) is one of Nelson’s favorite annuals.

“This plant will bloom profusely all summer up until frost,” Jacie said. “It is very low maintenance and does very well even under drought conditions.”

For more: Syngenta Flowers, (800) 344-7862; www.syngentaflowersinc.com.

Ornamental grass

 ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass is “very showy and can reach a height of 5 feet,” Jacie said. Customers like this ornamental grass because it’s “very low maintenance and will accept a variety of soils. It is also a good winter-interest grass.”

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For more: Emerald Coast Growers, (877) 804-7277; www.ecgrowers.com.

August 2008