LOCAL PLANT SHOPS REVIEW

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the last couple of years slowly accumulating houseplants and trying desperately to keep them alive. As I embarked across the Phoenix metropolitan area to find my next plant child (or to some, perhaps a victim), I had one particular type of plant in mind: a string-of-pearls succulent. My journey and search for a

» A&P Nursery

Address: 2645 W Baseline Rd, Mesa, AZ 85202

As I entered through the nursery’s widely opened doors, friendly faces and a myriad of plant care supplies greeted me immediately. Venturing deeper into the nursery, past the small room and into the outdoor plant area, I was met by sunshaded flowers, ivy, herbs, cacti, and several small trees. Family owned and operated since 1970, A&P has a multitude of plant types at affordable prices (you can buy 4” potted herbs for just $3.29 each). If I wanted a tiny, round cactus, or a Pink Lady shrub, I would’ve gotten them right then and there. The overall layout, selection, and pricing of the store was pleasantly surprising, beautiful, and slowed my usually anxious demeanor. I could feel the warmth and serenity of the place despite its location being just off the ramp of the busy highway. Though it was the smallest of the nurseries, I truly felt present, as I heard the tiny dewdrop sounds dripping from small leaves and the gentle crunch of the gravel under my shoes. A&P was truly a local plant shop bliss. I wanted to go back just to sit in a corner and read a book. However, I didn’t find my string-ofpearls, so I moved on to my next destination.

» SummerWinds Nursery

Address: 3160 S Country Club Dr, Mesa, AZ 85210

This nursery was many times larger than A&P--and a lot more hectic. The open sidewalk pathway led me through a small maze of indoor houseplants including pothos, ferns, air plants, and small ceramic planters to accompany them. Though up slightly in price compared to my previous excursion, the costhere was still around $20.00 on average for houseplants. SummerWinds has stores across the valley and a couple of them in California, and it does an excellent job in providing great volume and variety. There was faint, upbeat music on the loudspeaker and large labelled signs directing me throughout the land. If I was interested in urban gardening or if I was looking to adopt a couple of herbs and veggies nestled in the greenhouse, all signs were clearly pointing me in those directions. They also had large trees, flowers, a small pond, and I even spotted a gray cat wandering around the premises. SummerWinds would take hours to look through completely, and some of their varieties were truly surprising. They even grow bonsai trees and sell piles of bamboo stalks. An adventure on its own, SummerWinds Nursery was an exciting bombardment of plants and plant enthusiasts. Despite its comprehensive list of plants, I still was not able to find my desired succulent. So, I carried on.

» The Plant Stand of Arizona

Address: 6420 S 28th St, Phoenix, AZ 85042

If I thought SummerWinds was a big nursery, I was not at all prepared for The Plant Stand of Arizona, a local nursery started by Eddie and Debbie Smith. As its name suggests, this place is the place to go to for plants. Hidden down a narrow street, the Plant Stand of Arizona is 15 acres large, with a huge asphalt lot filled with 4-foot-tall ceramic pots, thousands of shrubs, and three extremely long greenhouses. The first greenhouse had several larger tropical houseplants and a couple of larger backyard plants, carefully shaded in their moist and dark environment. The second greenhouse had all of the classic houseplants, ferns, snake plants, ivy, pothos, monstera, etc. They even included cleverly designed pots and macrame holders. My reaction to this plant nursery was a resounding “wow.” Walking past all of my dream plants and being able to stand amongst rows and rows of them beside me and above me was a heavenly experience. As I neared the end of the long pathway and turned around to walk back to the entrance, I felt so far away and so removed from the past 20

minutes I had spent admiring the leafy beings. Time doesn’t feel real when you are looking up at endless rows of hanging plants, weaving back and forth in neat rows. The Plant Stand of Arizona also includes helpful signs about which plants are good for air filtration. The one downside of their plant selection is the lack of specific plant type labelling, which meant you either had to figure it out on your own or ask an employee. Pricing was also around $20.00 on average for the medium-sized plants, which seemed justified for the care and varieties they offered. The third greenhouse appeared to house the ceramic planters, large tools, and even a small collection of artificial plants. I ran back and forth throughout the three greenhouses, attempting to find my notorious string-of-pearls. Yet, just as I thought that this would be the place where I could find my true love, I was let down. As beautiful, expansive, and incredible this nursery was, they still did not have my particular plant. My last plant nursery would be my last hope.

» Whitfill Nursery

Address: 2647 E Southern Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85040

Located on the same block as The Plant Stand of Arizona, Whitfill Nursery is a family-owned operation founded by Leslie E. Whitfall and currently owned by his grandson, Brian Blake. As I walked in, I noticed the barrage of color--oranges and pinks and reds and yellows and purples. It was invigorating to see so many flowers in such variety and scope; I got lost in the swirls of beauty from its potted plants. Quickly, I realized that this was also a huge property, and I was basically touring a small park with carefully curated plants. There were countless trees waiting to be planted, palm trees tied at their top, and hundreds of bushels of unidentified plants. Though it wasn’t what I was looking for, this nursery heavily specializes in landscaping and selling huge plants. Whitfill did have a few smaller houseplants located near its register, priced similarly

Whitfill Nursery

Story and Photos By: Miranda Heinrich

Address: 2647 E Southern Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85040

Located on the same block as The Plant Stand of Arizona, Whitfill Nursery is a family-owned operation founded by Leslie E. Whitfall and currently owned by his grandson, Brian Blake. As I walked in, I noticed the barrage of color--oranges and pinks and reds and yellows and purples. It was invigorating to see so many flowers in such variety and scope; I got lost in the swirls of beauty from its potted plants. Quickly, I realized that this was also a huge property, and I was basically touring a small park with carefully curated plants. There were countless trees waiting to be planted, palm trees tied at their top, and hundreds of bushels of unidentified plants. Though it wasn’t what I was looking for, this nursery heavily specializes in landscaping and selling huge plants. Whitfill did have a few smaller houseplants located near its register, priced similarly to The Plant Stand but with significantly fewer options. As I made my way around the maze of trees, dirt puddles, and muddied tractors, I was entranced in the foliage and dissociated from my own reality. There was a large artificial pond toward the back of the land, and a couple of closed off greenhouses. I clearly didn’t find my string of pearls here either, but I fell in love with yet another small adventure of endless trees, mud, and potted plants.

It’s likely that these stores will actually have my string of pearls in a couple weeks, so you might catch me making my way to these four wonderful plant nurseries again soon. My succulent is yet to be acquired, but the experiences I had in these Phoenix/Tempe locations were unmatched. Whether you are a serious houseplant collector or just a wanderer with an affinity for nature, you will find something of value at each of these places.