Garden Nurseries in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Spring has sprung and it's time to start planting vegetable gardens and sprucing up residential landscapes. Gardening in Florida requires special planting skills due to the hot, humid temperatures, tropical winds, sandy soil, salty air and water restrictions.

Last year, my husband and I moved to a beach house nestled in between the Atlantic Ocean and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Environmental conditions in this area are not conducive to gardening and my first attempt netted nothing more than dead plants.

In order to avoid a repeat failure, we embarked on a journey to local garden nurseries to learn from the experts. Most of the garden centers in New Smyrna Beach are owned by local residents; many of which are master gardeners. Not only are they familiar with the terrain and environmental conditions, they are happy to share their knowledge to ensure their customers' gardening success.

Thanks to the gardening expertise received at the landscape nurseries we visited, we are confident this year our yard will be the envy of the neighborhood. Our garden nursery journey netted us robust vegetable plants, hardy flowers, and an enormous bag of "secret" top soil, along with gardening tips for keeping plants happy and healthy during the summer months.

Lindley's Nursery and Garden Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Our first stop was at Lindley's Nursery and Garden Center, located at 1232 Canal Street. Lindley's is a family business owned by Debbie Pell and her two daughters, Jennifer and Lauren. Upon arrival at Lindley's we were greeted by a friendly Labrador Retriever named Tanner, carrying a tennis ball in his mouth. According to the staff, Tanner is in charge of public relations. Not only is Tanner great at PR, he is a master at catching a tennis ball!

Lindley's Nursery and Garden Center has been part of the New Smyrna Beach community since 1972. The nursery consists of an open area where trees, shrubs, grasses, palms, citrus trees, annuals, perennials, and outdoor tropical plants are showcased. The enormous indoor garden center showroom features houseplants, pottery, wind chimes, indoor water fountains and garden art; many of which are crafted by New Smyrna Beach artists.

The staff at Lindley's Nursery was extremely helpful. With their assistance we were able to select suitable "beach" plants. Our selections included: Mexican Bush Sage; Blue Daze, a perennial with tiny blue flowers; Coreopsis Sundancer, a drought tolerant daisy that attracts butterflies; African Daisy Sunrise, a pale yellow daisy; and African Daisy Trailing Lavender with deep lavender petals and a dark blue center.

Lindley's Nursery and Garden Center provides everything you need to create a gorgeous beachside or mainland garden. Their expertise can help anyone acquire a green thumb! Vegetable plant and flower prices are affordable and range from $4.50 to $20 or more for exotic tropical plants.

Lindley's Nursery and Garden Center
1232 Canal St
New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168
Phone: 386.428.7298
Website: www.LindleysGardenCenter.com
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday 11 am to 4 pm
Closed on Monday

Garden Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Our next stop was Garden Arts located at 407 Flagler Avenue. Garden Arts is attached to G.A. Dolly's Gifts and can be easily spotted by colorful garden art and windsocks adorning the chain link fence. Street parking is limited; however, a public parking area is located directly behind Garden Arts with direct entry into the facility.

Offerings at Garden Arts include a wide selection of herbs, annuals, perennials, cactus and succulents, hanging flower baskets, houseplants and a bountiful collection of gorgeous orchids. Garden Arts offers a nice selection of planter boxes, mosaic containers, indoor and outdoor fountains, whimsical metal art, garden stakes and windsocks.

Not only does Garden Art offer a nice selection of vegetable garden plants, they also carry hard-to-find herbs. We purchased grape tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, dill, basil, parsley, garlic chives, cilantro and cat grass.

We were not familiar with cat grass, but one of the staff members eagerly explained that cat grass is an edible herb specifically for cats. We were intrigued by this plant since we have two cats. She recommended planting it in a container and placing it in a sunny area in the home easily accessible to our cats.

Garden Arts also carries potting soil, fertilizers and pesticides. We purchased an enormous size bag of "naked" potting soil and bag of "secret" ingredients, which we were instructed to mix with the bag of soil. According to our helpful gardening expert, the secret plant mo-jo practically guarantees gardening success.

Prices at Garden Arts are very affordable. Herbs range in price from 75 cents to $4 and the average cost of vegetable plants is $2.50.

Garden Arts
407 Flagler Avenue
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169
386.427.8221‎
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm
Closed Sunday

Bountiful Earth Bamboo Garden Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Bountiful Earth is a bamboo garden nursery and Native American gift shop located at 1200 W. Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach. Visitors can select from more than 100 types of natural bamboo plants ranging in price from $20 to $400.

As one who practices feng shui, bamboo is one of my favorite plants. However, before visiting Bountiful Earth, I believed that bamboo was an invasive plant that would quickly take over your yard. Thanks to the staff, I discovered there are two types of bamboo used in landscaping and flower gardens - clumping bamboos and running bamboos. Clumping bamboo can be contained, while running bamboo grows and spreads quickly.

Bountiful Earth primarily sells clumping bamboo, although they do offer a few running bamboo plants for people who use this hardy plant as a barrier. We were informed that bamboo is one of the most sought-after plants in Florida because it protects buildings from tropical winds.

Bamboo is highly flexible and will bend and move with the winds, as opposed to being uprooted like palm trees. The sandy soil conditions of Florida are not conducive to secure root systems and trees can easily be uprooted during hurricanes and tropical storms.

We purchased one Bambusa multiplex Riviereorum, also known as Chinese Goddess, for use in a large flower planter. This particular bamboo is bush-like with delicate foliage and can grow up to six feet tall.

The gift store of Bountiful Earth offers a unique collection of bamboo and hardwood flutes handcrafted by the owner, Chuck Theroux. Visitors can also purchase Djembes and hand drums, which are perfect for drumming on the beach; a monthly event offered through Tai Chi by the Sea.

Bountiful Earth, Inc.
1200 Canal Street
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
386.427.3330‎
Website: www.bamboo.ws
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday through Friday 11 am to 6 pm
Saturday 11am to 5 pm
Closed Sunday and Monday