I 'm Sheri Burke, plant lover, and let me say that if there is a plant nursery on my daily path of errands, I stop. If there is a nursery on my path to my BFF’s house, I stop. If there is a nursery on my path to visit family, I stop.

This stop-for-every-nursery path of mine led me to the idea of making yearly trips with my Aunt Patti (just as crazy about all things plants as I am) with no objective except to visit nurseries and public gardens. We pick a general destination, let’s say Oregon. We make a list of all the nurseries on our path, depending upon which freeway we decide to travel. And we head out!

I drive, Aunt Patti navigates. And we have a rule: she has her side of the vehicle, I have mine, and the two cannot encroach on the other without paying rent or a free plant. We take food and drink with us because stopping somewhere to eat means less time at a nursery!

Only after we have been thrown out of the last nursery for the day do we start looking for a hotel. Luckily, we have not had to sleep in the car. We love living on the edge. So come along and enjoy with us our journey of plant nursery joy!

First Visit?

JUST A SUGGESTION! Begin with post 01 Dragonfly Farm. Find my archives here.

October 14, 2022

68 Thompson Materials & Nursery

Before new management took over Thompson Building Materials & Nursery in Sacramento, it was called Silverado. At all other times—except in my blog—I will forever call it Silverado like the locals. In writing I’ll use Thompson’s out of respect I guess. (Though it’s hard to respect that logo. Looks like it belongs on an auto parts store!)
September 16, 2022

66 Navarro’s Mixed Nursery

I parked the van, looked at Navarro’s entrance and said to AP, “Just succulents in pots. This isn’t going to be much of a nursery.” By now I trust my judgement—whether a nursery, landscape or somebody’s “garden.” And I have to say, at first glance I’m usually right. Ask AP. We hopped out anyway, well more like fell out ‘cuz the van sits high off the ground, and we headed toward the gate. “Yup,” I thought, “another ho-hum nursery,” and I got ready to be bored.
August 19, 2022

64 Good Things Come in Twos

On one of our Oregon trips, AP and I visited 45 nurseries in 5 days. (Yes we have super powers—actually more like obsessions that make us unstoppable!) Out of those 45 nurseries—plus others we visited on a different Oregon trip—there are probably 20 nurseries that AP cannot find all her photos for. She says they’re in a cloud somewhere that apparently floated away into the unknown!
August 5, 2022

63 Grass Farm’s Garden Accents

The freeway exit for this place takes you on that overpass from blog post #56 which you’ll remember AP and I crossed over multiple times before finding that damn Mexican restaurant (haha) I mean "food truck." Turns out the burritos were 5-star and we would need the nourishment before our “better than sex” experience at Garden Accents!
July 8, 2022

61 Greenhouse Garden Center

AP and I first visited Carson City’s Greenhouse Garden Center in 2019 as part of our South Lake Tahoe area nursery tour. But that entrance and that sign in the parking lot! I mean, where’s the name of the nursery? Crazy! Why hide who you are when you are this F A B U L O U S ?!
June 24, 2022

60 Plant Foundry

A few weeks ago my daughter and her hubby—and my grandson—invited me to the Sacramento Zoo. I thought, “Oooh! Not only do I get to spend the day with my grandson and zoo animals, I get to go to The Plant Foundry Nursery!”…because it’s nearby and that’s how my brain’s GPS works. It prioritizes grandson, nurseries and gardens…then Mike probably.
May 13, 2022

57 Plant and Pottery Outlet

While heading from Livermore to Gilroy on our recent trip, AP suddenly says, “Since you have the van now, do you want to stop at a pottery store in Sunol? It’s the Plant and Pottery Outlet.” I tell her I know the place and have passed it many times but never felt inspired to pop in. (Maybe due to that intimidating giant scorpion on the roof?) Then AP says that she has stopped there often, and I’m thinking, what? Why is AP often in Sunol? Does she often go garden shopping without me? Aunt Patti, woman of many mysteries!
April 29, 2022

56 On The Road Again

Aunt Patti and I needed to get away for a weekend nursery shopping trip. But instead of driving the usual rental car or taking her car—which is brand new, except that in choosing it she compromised on trunk space (eyeroll), call her crazy—for this weekend trip we decided to take a different brand new vehicle…

Sheri Lynn Burke

My journey began as a small child watching and helping my mom in the garden. Years later, I bought a home, had those kids, had an ugly landscape and thought, "I can do better." So for the next 10 years, thousands (and thousands) of dollars went to plants. But I became a serial killer as 80% of them died. "Screw this!" I said. I had an eye for design but didn't know how to keep the damn plants alive! I procrastinated for 5 years ('cuz I wanted more death) and then became a certified Master Gardener. Four years and three pieces of paper later, I got a Horticulture degree. No longer a serial killer, I'm now a landscape designer and contractor with my own business. I had to train this green thumb that I got from my mother. But, Mom, I owe it all to you!

 
October 14, 2022

68 Thompson Materials & Nursery

Before new management took over Thompson Building Materials & Nursery in Sacramento, it was called Silverado. At all other times—except in my blog—I will forever call it Silverado like the locals. In writing I’ll use Thompson’s out of respect I guess. (Though it’s hard to respect that logo. Looks like it belongs on an auto parts store!)
September 16, 2022

66 Navarro’s Mixed Nursery

I parked the van, looked at Navarro’s entrance and said to AP, “Just succulents in pots. This isn’t going to be much of a nursery.” By now I trust my judgement—whether a nursery, landscape or somebody’s “garden.” And I have to say, at first glance I’m usually right. Ask AP. We hopped out anyway, well more like fell out ‘cuz the van sits high off the ground, and we headed toward the gate. “Yup,” I thought, “another ho-hum nursery,” and I got ready to be bored.
August 19, 2022

64 Good Things Come in Twos

On one of our Oregon trips, AP and I visited 45 nurseries in 5 days. (Yes we have super powers—actually more like obsessions that make us unstoppable!) Out of those 45 nurseries—plus others we visited on a different Oregon trip—there are probably 20 nurseries that AP cannot find all her photos for. She says they’re in a cloud somewhere that apparently floated away into the unknown!
August 5, 2022

63 Grass Farm’s Garden Accents

The freeway exit for this place takes you on that overpass from blog post #56 which you’ll remember AP and I crossed over multiple times before finding that damn Mexican restaurant (haha) I mean "food truck." Turns out the burritos were 5-star and we would need the nourishment before our “better than sex” experience at Garden Accents!
July 8, 2022

61 Greenhouse Garden Center

AP and I first visited Carson City’s Greenhouse Garden Center in 2019 as part of our South Lake Tahoe area nursery tour. But that entrance and that sign in the parking lot! I mean, where’s the name of the nursery? Crazy! Why hide who you are when you are this F A B U L O U S ?!
June 24, 2022

60 Plant Foundry

A few weeks ago my daughter and her hubby—and my grandson—invited me to the Sacramento Zoo. I thought, “Oooh! Not only do I get to spend the day with my grandson and zoo animals, I get to go to The Plant Foundry Nursery!”…because it’s nearby and that’s how my brain’s GPS works. It prioritizes grandson, nurseries and gardens…then Mike probably.
May 13, 2022

57 Plant and Pottery Outlet

While heading from Livermore to Gilroy on our recent trip, AP suddenly says, “Since you have the van now, do you want to stop at a pottery store in Sunol? It’s the Plant and Pottery Outlet.” I tell her I know the place and have passed it many times but never felt inspired to pop in. (Maybe due to that intimidating giant scorpion on the roof?) Then AP says that she has stopped there often, and I’m thinking, what? Why is AP often in Sunol? Does she often go garden shopping without me? Aunt Patti, woman of many mysteries!
April 29, 2022

56 On The Road Again

Aunt Patti and I needed to get away for a weekend nursery shopping trip. But instead of driving the usual rental car or taking her car—which is brand new, except that in choosing it she compromised on trunk space (eyeroll), call her crazy—for this weekend trip we decided to take a different brand new vehicle…