Nursery rankings
Located in the town of Star Valley adjacent to Payson, Arizona. One of my favorite all time nurseries. Their selection is always exceptional filled with many specimens and varieties that are far less common to most Arizona growers. Inside the main building you will find there seem to be an endless supply of soils, mulches, and amendments. In addition, they have a tremendous selections of seeds, locally grown bulbs, and a huge store full of plant growing essentials and extras. Great staff and a great atmosphere. The location in nestled in slope of hill so its easy to miss but it is always worth a visit. https://www.facebook.com/plantfair/
One of my favorite places to get tropical plants as well as more tradition edible plants such as citrus, figs, and mulberries. Big things to come with their operation expanding into more traditional landscape plants. It is currently setup as a backyard nursery which means you must be respectful to the posted rules for parking. And sadly, they are only open Fri, Sat, Sun, but you can always send them a request for a weekday visit. Also, it is sometimes slow to get service with limited number people available. But it definitely worth it to work with these great people. Not to mention the good prices on hard-to-find plants. *Currently temporary closed until mid spring
after talking to the owner*
A foundational part of the nursery industry in Phoenix. It is one of biggest and best family owned and run nursery in Arizona. The plants are some of the highest quality and diverse selection for trees and shrubs. Large solid selection of hard goods. Very nice atmosphere (check out the pond setup in the middle of the nursery) and great customer service. Also one of the few phoenix nursery’s that operate their on propagation yard. The cacti and edibles selection leave a little to be desired but the can be found down the street at SummerWinds. That Iconic "w" shape palm trees in the mark the front of the location.
Excellent nursery chain that is a source for basically every type of plant and planting supplies. This is a high end retail nursery so prices tend to give you some sticker shock. But deals are to be had with frequent visits and a keen eye. Additionally there is a focus on customer service that is definitely a huge plus. In other words they actually answer the phone and have good advice to be successful keeping your plants alive. Multiple locations, decent online presence, best guarantee in Phoenix for their plants.
A modern take on a mom and pop nursery located in the heart of Phoenix. Everything you would want in a nursery and I wish I could visit more! There is a great selection of almost every genre of plant from fruit trees, edibles, flowers, and desert adapted plants to houseplants and unusual cacti/ succulents. They are a great follow on social media. They also have a great indoor area to cool off and even to stop by to attend one of their fun classes. Must visit.
Located off the 17 highway and Jomax. It is easy to see off the shoulder of the highway but somewhat difficult to get to because of how the exits are setup. However it is always worth a stop to check out what is in the greenhouse and in the front sales area. Plus they have a nice area for fruit trees, tropical, and other unique plants. Prices can be a little flimsy because most are unmarked. Decent online presence and decent customer service with employees always willing to assist in some capacity. I probably like this place more than I should, but I can’t stop going back. www.facebook.com/rgcaz/
This is one of the most unique nurseries in Phoenix. Run by one of the most unique person i have ever met. A wealth of knowledge if you are willing to listen. This nursery specializes in stone fruit trees and citrus. The citrus trees are great because of the rootstock that is used. But what really stands out is the varieties of stone fruit trees that grafted on the best rootstocks for a Southwest soils. Old school but has a website that is actually pretty good for online purchases and inventory.
Great quality plants and unique items, neat greenhouse for the houseplants and , prices are on the steep side, but what would you expect. Its located next to some of the most affluent neighborhoods in all of Phoenix. Family owned, Great Atmosphere.
One of the largest nursery chains operating in Phoenix. With many locations and very large stores. It is a great nursery to walk around in because they have cultivate an atmosphere that has charm. Usually some kind of livestock (goat pens under bamboo stands.) or other creatures ( chickens, ducks, Peacocks) can be found on the grounds. They typically have a walk in greenhouse for the houseplants and tropicals and there is usually ample shade provide to keep all the plants and people protected from baking midday sun. The plants are pretty good too. With great selection of every kind of small plants all the way up to absolutely ridiculous sized specimen trees. It is everything what you should expect from such a large nursery with their selection of hard goods and plants. But the prices will sometimes make you do a double take and snap you back to reality. This is usually not the place to go if your are looking for any deals even if the advertisements indicate one is going on. The customer service is usually fine but not especially helpful.
A very unique place owned and operated by a unique individual This is primarily a citrus nursery, but they also have some deciduous fruit trees and other oddities including huge specimens of palms. Also a few interesting planting supplies such as TigerSul. They have a diverse population of poultry including the only white peacock I have ever seen. This the location of the annual Maricopa citrus festival. The nursery utilizes an old school technique for citrus tree transplanting. Most of the trees are ball in burlap with native soil. For the home grower this means a couple of things. First the trees are definitely more expensive than other trees around phoenix. It also means the trees are extremely heavy and the use of heavy equipment is a necessity. But it also means the trees should root out quicker after planting. However, if required there are also many trees available in the standard 24" boxes, but these are also quite heavy so plan accordingly. As a side note; due to the increasing home development in that area I fear this nursery may not persist many more years. So plan a trip sooner rather than later. It has a truly unique atmosphere with tremendous products.
As the name would imply focusing almost exclusively on cacti and succulents. This is great nursery for collectors looking to find that one plant they never knew they wanted. Prices are usually fair, selection is usually decent, and customer service is usually right there willing and able to help with any questions. Good online presence even selling select specimens online. I’m would expect bigger and better things from this nursery as it grows. Right off the 202 in southern Chandler.
#12 black mountain nursery
Owner owned and operated. Good selection of all the typical Phoenix plants. Not much hard goods to speak of. A interesting selection of yard art and cactus sculptures. Fair pricing. Ok customer service.
As the name implies this nursery specializes in tropicals. Located in Apache junction this nursery is run by one gentleman who is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The small place is packed with a large selection of every fruit tree you could think of and many ones you can't think of. The prices are a little on the steep side, but the quality is there. The shade cloth may be falling down in places (ducking may be required) and areas may be over grown but it makes you think you are in a distant jungle and not the desert. Absolutely worth a visit and he is a good follow on social media. Sadly its days are numbered so visit sooner rather than later.
By appointment only this nursery is the one stop shop for everything bamboo related. It a must visit a least once if you happen to be down south. I can’t wait to go back. Great helpful people. Fair prices. Check out their website it has some really good info for growing bamboo in the desert.
A nursery in Queen creek that is basically a smaller more rural moon valley with more fountains and better non plant products and information. It has a very good selection of plants and many tropical fruit trees most big nurseries usually don’t carry. Only negative is the prices are on the high side, but worth a stop if you're driving by.
Located in Fountain hills this mom-and-pop nursery is a great little gem. What it lacks in square footage it makes up for it with a solid section of plants and a very unique and interesting selection of terra cotta pottery and artwork. Worth a visit if you are out that way.
#17 Galleries de guadalajara
Located in Peoria off a major road going toward Vegas. A smaller mom and pop nursery with some excellent selection of cacti. For very reasonable prices. Reminds me a lot of the old Shady way nursery. Many hidden gems here so I recommend stopping at least once.
A old school nursery that is located right off north Scottsdale road. It is a solid nursery with a good mix of desert trees, shrubs, and cacti. The prices are usually fair and the customer service is also solid. I should stop by more, but because of its somewhat isolated location and its proximity to other wholesale nurseries it is often overlooked. Worth a stop it if you happen by.
Located in the growers corridor of South Mountain this is another solid Cactus nursery. Plenty of good quality and interesting cactus for fair prices. Bare bones for the grounds with one shade area and a small checkout window. But a surprisingly well setup website. I haven't attempted to purchase anything online but that's something you might want to look into. I enjoyed stopping to chat with the owner about the joys of trying to keep cactus alive in the increasingly hostile climate.
#20 plant for the southwest
A Tucson nursery the specializes cacti. Small in acreage but big in plant quality. Prices are pretty good, but the majority of the plant material will be in smaller sized containers with a few wild specimen plants in larger containers. A pretty pleasant atmosphere with decently helpful and friendly staff. Worth a stop at least once.
Located near South Mountain. This nursery focuses on a unique selection of rare and exotic tropical plants. Run by local plant expert Shamus O’leary “Don Olson” the former head of AZ rare fruit growers. This place is very cool with a koi pond, a large garden, a large growing area for trees in the ground and formerly a gorgeous hedge of bamboo. It is the one nursery to check if you have to find that one plant no one else has. It is also a must stop even if you don't buy anything. If nothing else you could stop at the Arizona worm farm next door to checkout what kind of plant starts, worm casting, and what other kinds of unique products they have for sale. Back to this nursery, it has a massive online presence thanks to its large following on social media. As well as having a channel of YouTube videos and a very nice website for online purchases. The prices are usually not going to do you any favors but what would you expect when looking for rare and exotic tropical and fruiting plants. Weekend sales are also a thing for those early bird "cheap bastards", I guess. One of my biggest shopping frustrations is that nothing marked for prices and varieties. Customer service is the stuff of legend, so take that however you wish. Why wouldn't you want to stop here?
This nursery would be ranked a lot higher except the it is only open on the weekends and it is on the edge of the map of metro Phoenix. There is an Etsy store where some items are for sale that are worth checking out. The owner is very helpful, friendly, and knowledgable.
has several locations in the east valley. It has everything a nursery should be without the thrills or pleasant atmosphere. Very good selection of hard goods at some location. I have heard that this business has a large property for propagation. You can find some deals here.
Located in Tucson this probably one of the biggest nurseries in Tuscon. It has a pretty pleasant environment but is pretty corporate. And the high-end retail nature is reflected in higher prices. There does seem to be plenty of free literature about growing plants in the Tucson region. Two interesting side notes: This is the only nursery's I have seen in Arizona that utilizes ebb and flow tables to water trays of 4" pots. Also, this was one of the few nurseries that spent a lot of time and effort to create the biggest fairy garden displays I have ever seen.
#25 avocado distinctive nursery
Located in a very isolated location on the outskirts of Casa Grande. It is roughly 15 minutes off the I-10 southbound to Tucson. It has a very unique selection of cacti and various annual and perennials. Also found some very unique custom-made fertilizers for sale. Very quirky. Last time I was there I purchased some prickly pear jelly and a one-gallon cactus. Prices were good but don't hold me to that. Because of its location I can only visit once and great long while.
#26 desert foothills garden nursery
This nursery is a great place to walk around and enjoy the fantastic rock structures, old missionary looking ruins, and large stand of boojums and tree aloes. They were continuing to build on the property the last time I was there. Never know what to expect but I keep coming back because they do have some interesting cactus and succulents. The staff is pretty helpful, but finding good information is somewhat scattered. Prices can also be a little elusive with many plants going unlabeled. Plus, the point-of-sale system is pretty outdated to making the purchasing side of the business a little rough for customers.
#27 eco gro llc
Located in Tucson off the main highway. This is both a hydroponic store and exotic plant store. They did have plenty of interesting succulents to look at as well as surprisingly a lot of herbs and veggies. (I thought the edibles maybe sourced from Villardi gardens.) Eco Gro is one of the main sources in Arizona for coconut coir products. Closely linked to Tanks Green Stuff the soil and fertilizer supplier.
#28 green things
Located in Tucson this place was much bigger and better supplied than I would have expected. Feels more like a wholesale nursery that also serves some retail customers. Lots of space to walk around, almost too much space. A little tough to pick something up and take it to get checked out. A little easy to get foot sore walking through all the retail space. Great selection of hard goods, especially for hydroponics. If you lived nearby, I'm sure you could get familiar enough to find the good deals.
#29 the green goddess
This is a nursery that really specializes in pottery and fountains, but it does have a decent selection of plants. Maybe it is just me, but every time I visit this nursery it is a bit of a strange experience. Don’t get me wrong I have found some good plants and pots here. It just would not be my first stop. The property itself is pretty pleasant with overhead trees and shade canopies. And there are several large aviaries that bring some festive flare to atmosphere. But I think where this nursery falls short is, investing in its employees to be helpful and knowledgeable.
#30 P&M nursery
I think this nursery could have some of the biggest potential in Phoenix. It has the common landscape cacti and trees as well as some rough looking citrus trees. But it also has some extremely rare and unusual cacti such as crested fence posts. It is located on the Salt River Pima Indian reservation which gives it great access to the majority of the valley. But the main reason people will stumble upon this place is because of its proximity to the landscape rock yard next door (A&A materials). The nursery itself is very simplistic in every aspect with no extras such as hard goods or cash registers. This means for the most part it is better to have cash. Which brings me to the main gripe I have with this nursery. The prices are pretty much laughable for much of their stock. You could look at it as supporting a local business that is that is run almost solely by the owner. But I find it too frustrating to even realistically considering purchasing anything. This place is so old school they don't even have any form of a web presence aside from a google location. To me I would consider this place as more of private botanical garden than a retail nursery. Funny enough, the only thing I did purchase from this business a long time ago was a number of empty tree boxes.
#31 Tropical concept
This is an unusual nursery that specializes in tropicals and subtropical fruit trees, shrubs, and vines. Located in far South Phoenix in an industry area. It hard to say it had a bad atmosphere because they also run an animal shelter/rescue out of the same location. But it is not a very welcoming area and the customer service is a little scattered given their best intentions. I would only recommend it if you are in dire need of some kind tropical plants such as mangos or avocados. But there many options for that in Phoenix nowadays.
atropicalconcept.com
#32 sun valley nursery
This place has a bit of a weird vibe, much closer to a wholesale nursery. Think opposite side of the same coin with moon valley. Plenty of very high quality / mature plants at fair prices. It had a system that I like where most plants are sold based on the size of the container and not the size of the plant. They had a very large selection of 24’ box citrus and other landscape trees. Two things that caught my eye were some of the biggest popcorn cassia I have ever seen and absolutely massive 24” box twisted cereus. I have never purchased anything from this business but if it was nearby it would probably be better than going to a big box store. Somewhat recently moved to a new location in northeast Scottsdale. With another grow yard near South Mountain
