Nursery Focus: Pike Nursery

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NURSERY FOCUS

Pike Nursery | A Landscape Guaranteed For Life

What would your yard look like right now if everything you had ever planted was alive and flourishing? A conversation with Brian Albani of Pike Nursery might allow one to imagine such a landscape. Brian is a landscape architect and designer, working within Pike Nurseries, which has been bringing their expertise to gardening in Georgia (and later in North Carolina, too) for over six decades.

Brian Albani, Landscape Architect and Designer for Pike Nursery

Pete Pike founded Pike Nursery in 1958. As the Pike website touts, their trees and shrubs are guaranteed for life. This guarantee is reflective of their commitment to the customer and to the plant. The fact that they are employee-owned also seems to speak to a commitment to the employee.

This relationship, between the nursery and its workers, the customer and the plants, speaks to the integrated services they provide—services that can transform a blank lot into an “oasis.” Brian says it is an “oasis” that most homeowners are hoping for. At Pike, a customer can have a landscape designed, installed and maintained.

Brian came to his profession because of a love of plants. Pike is unique in having landscape architects and designers available to its customers, an innovation that makes perfect sense. Brian says that he considers himself “an extension of the nursery,” positioned to bring knowledge to the customers.

Although not everyone who walks into the nursery seeks design services, Brian and his coworkers can “put together plans and designs given all the criteria of their micro-climate.” That sort of site-specific attention can be the difference between a yard that languishes and one that thrives.

And why put in a plant that will not survive? To do so can be seen as a waste of precious resources, not only of the plant and all it requires, but also the most precious of resources: your time. Brian says he is sometimes in the unenviable position of saying to a client, “Stop buying plants or accepting plants from neighbors and relatives.” These words can be hard to hear if someone loves plants, but they speak to good stewardship.

Landscape architecture is a broad area of practice, and Brian has designed everything from 100-acre developments to planned, individual lots. He is passionate about working with residential clients. When Pike sought to have a landscape division, Brian was the second person to take on this role involving landscape design, sales and installation. Being able to have a hand in all these phases has been important for him.

There are not too many landscape companies that can directly address the client’s concerns over time the way Pike does. Combine this level of service with a lifetime guarantee, and what you have is a company truly “accountable for making sure the planting is successful.”

Clients come to them from many sources. Pike has a radio show and a strong social media presence, but clients can also just walk into the nursery. Many young clients are “getting their first taste of landscaping.” Brian has also seen a great deal of interest from people who are at later stages in their lives. Specifically, he speaks of clients who wish to downsize and are looking for low-maintenance, high-curb appeal landscapes that will appeal to new buyers. He looks to tailor plans to where people are in their lives as part of an integrative approach.

This speaks to the values of Pike Nursery. Continuing education and professional development are a part of the workplace, and Pike also operates two farms. There are days when the nurseries shut down and employees tour the grow facilities and learn from seeing what is growing there. Brian says that he himself learns the most from just walking the nursery.

Although the last two years have brought challenges with supply chain and labor shortages, Pike seems to have a business plan that allows them to weather these difficulties. As we come out of pandemic restrictions and people return to their workplaces, Brian sees a growing interest in native and pollinator gardens. He believes people may move away from planting perennials and toward a more low-maintenance landscape.

Joe Sears loading a customer's car

Sometimes a landscape should match where a person is in life, but it should also have its own integrity. The idea of creating a long-lasting vision for a yard that is vital and healthy is a powerful one—and it’s the vision of Pike Nursery.

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Pike Nursery

Location: Duluth, Georgia Web: www.pikenursery.com