Best Destin, FL Area Nurseries

The Gulf Coast area of the Florida panhandle has not had a lot of choice nurseries and gardening outlets for the public in the past. But since the area around Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Panama City has been undergoing such a huge building boom several nice establishments have appeared and are really flourishing. Now the Panhandle area residents and out-of-state owners can begin to take advantage of these garden Centers to pick and plant their own native trees and shrubs and to begin a foray into doing their own landscaping. A few of these nurseries even shop out landscaping services when they're too big for an individual to handle.

The Gourd Garden on old 30A is becoming a destination for many Florida gardeners. It's because of the dedicated efforts of its owner and creator, Randy Harelson, that this place is expanding and offering ever more interesting plants to visitors and residents of the towns along 30A and Highway 98. This delightful little remodeled Florida house and its one acre offer people an incredible place to buy fresh herb plants-up to 200 varieties, including even shrubs and trees. The usual sage, mint, thyme, chamomile, basil, rosemary and marjoram are offered in surprising varieties of cultivars and scents. They're available as potted plants or seedlings. He has many herbs used in aromatherapy and even decoration too. He also focuses on preserving and propagating native Florida plants indigenous to the Panhandle area specifically. He has the traditional plants of any nursery but includes fruit trees like figs, apples and berry bushes and vines. His native Florida Apple, the Florida Sweet, is a best seller. But the old renovated house specializes also in an extensive collection of not only gourd plants but also hundreds of gourd arts and crafts. At the end of 2003, the Florida Nursery and Growers Association presented Harrelson with an award for best exemplifying good horticultural practice and design, and earlier he won an award from the Florida Native Plant Society. This is an easy place to shop and wander around and the plants are well tended and healthy-a good place for coastal folks to frequent.

Emerald Coast Wholesale Plants
(850) 243-5500
411 Bryn Athyn Blvd
Mary Esther, FL 32569
Emerald Coast Wholesale Plants has been around for a bit. It's worth a visit just to see if they've expanded. There is no web site, but they do serve the area with a good stock of Florida native trees and shrubs. Mary Esther is just at the west edge of Fort Walton.

Home Depot
4385 Commons Drive West
Destin, FL 32541
850-650-4175
Before the Home Depot opened up on Commons Drive at the Bay Bridge, the Okaloosa and Walton County areas didn't have more than two or three nurseries. These sometimes weren't well stocked, with the exception of Beal's Nursery in nearby Mary Esther and one in Niceville across the Bay. All Home Depots are stocked with the same brands and there is little variation from Maine to Florida when it comes to the basic items and building materials. However, the Garden store does have some local plants that represent that area and which offer good bargains. They sell mulch, fertilizer, landscaping tools, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vines and everything in between. Many of their staff are very knowledgeable about their plant stock and can be quite helpful for shoppers. I've personally found plants here that I have never seen at the Home Depot were I live in Memphis. With the opening of this store, Destin area homeowners now have a one-stop shop for all their landscaping needs.

Beal's Landscaping & Nursery
2800 W Highway 98
Mary Esther, FL 32569
(850) 581-0725
This nursery has a bit of everything. They do extensive business with contractors who need landscaping in the area's new construction sites. The also provide landscaping and hardscaping information and services to the public and their nursery has a wide choice of ornamental, fruit and flowering trees, as well as perennial stock.