Grassroots Nursery
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Unique Gardens Perennials!!! We love turning our customers onto plants they have not seen before, but are tried and true plants.
Our plants are homegrown, we know our plants well and will help you find the right plant for your garden or container. At Grassroots Nursery the majority of the plants you will see are homegrown on the spot in a lovely setting inhabited by stately century live oaks. We specialize in unique flowering perennials, gingers, shrubs & groundcovers.
Grassroots Nursery Weekly Preview 7/26/24
This afternoon as the recently very predictable late afternoon/evening rain arrived to drench us and the landscape, gave me pause to reflect on the six week drought that we experienced back in May. That seems like such a long time ago… A distant memory!
Anyway, the plants are all very happy these days, and we have a great collection of beautiful plants that are not only excellent pollinators, but also plants that provide fragrant flowers, aromatic foliage, as well as dramatic shows of unique colors and textures. Please take a couple minutes to check out the following video to sample some of the lovely plants we have available, not only at the nursery, but also at the Alachua County Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.
White Cat Whiskers
This is one of my favorite blooming plants! It is a prolific bloomer, with a quite unique & whimsical flower that distinctly resembles the whiskers of a cat. It blooms for many months, and performs best in light exposures that avoid the extremes of too much shade or afternoon summer sun. Check out this short video for a close-up review of this wonderful plant.
Sneak Preview 7/19/24
Well another week has seemingly evaporated into thin air… I take that back not thin air as you well know. Here in North Florida moisture laden thick humid air is what we are accustomed to. But nevertheless Speaking in figurative terms rather than literal, yes indeed another week has passed us by! So take a couple minutes and check out the short video attached to get a sneak preview of what goodies are tantalizing our senses this week. We have plants and flowers that appeal to us visually, and also exuding fragrance from flowers and or Foliage as well as tactile sensations. And of course great pollinators as well!
Greetings plant lovers! Please take a minute or two to view the following video for a sneak preview of what you will find not only at Grassroots Nursery but also at the Gainesville 441 North Alachua County Farmers Market on Saturday morning from 8:30 AM to 12 PM. Please come and check out our unique selections of summer perennials at either location.
In addition to all of our goodies you will find a rich variety of all kinds of homegrown and homemade products ranging from dairy products, fruits, veggies and a variety of meats and many other things that I’m sure you will be intrigued with. You will also find foods and drinks to enjoy on the spot, as well as live entertainment each morning.
Hosta Logic
Contrary to what many people living in North Central Florida may believe, there are certain varieties of hostas that thrive in our climate. The proof is in the pudding, and I have the pudding right here at Grassroots Nursery. I have been growing and selling a handful of Cultivars for quite a few years. Most of them do prefer shade, or even a little bit of sun is fine, however by far the most popular one surprisingly loves growing in the sun! So much so that its cultivar trademark name is “Sun Hosta”. Hostas are blooming currently, have been for nearly a month now, and will continue to bloom for another month-6 weeks. And as mentioned in the video have very lovely fragrant flowers.
I have learned from talking to folks who have purchased hostas from us, that their previous experience with hostas stem from a big box store sampling, or even ordering online a random selection. Big box stores may occasionally have Sun Hosta on their nursery shelves, but otherwise may be tempting you with a cultivar that does not perform well in our plant growing zone.
Anyway check out the brief video below that I hope you will find entertaining and informative!
A good friend of mine is about to strike up on his 80th birthday, and a few of his friends including myself intend to take him out kayaking and for dinner on Saturday. I have a tandem kayak, but need another tandem, or a pair of single kayaks for some members of our party. If you have a kayak or kayaks that you would not mind lending in exchange for a few plants from the nursery, please let me know. We prefer to have a more modern sit on top type kayak with a half back supports type chair for comfort in the kayak. Of course we would need paddles and vests also. Thank you, Bill
I am looking for recommendations for roofing contractors. I have not decided if we should go with traditional shingles, or metal roof. Someone/a company with integrity honesty and high quality workmanship and materials at an affordable price. 
Market post 7/6/24
I don’t know about you, but I surely enjoyed having a day off work this week to celebrate 4 July. Now back to work, we have put together an exciting array of all kinds of plants for Saturday’s 441 farmers market. You will find tropicals, houseplants, great pollinators, exciting bloomers…, Just take a couple moments to review the attached video and learn what goodies we have in store for you. Of course we would love to see you at the nursery instead of or in addition to the market, where you can see our full lineup of amazing plants.
In my opinion, this plant is entirely underutilized by gardeners. In some cases it’s because of being unfamiliar with it, or perhaps just not knowing enough about it and all of its virtues. I look forward to these blooming every summer! Unlike a typical ginger which will bloom for a relatively short period of time in the spring or early summer, the tulip ginger usually starts around early to mid June, and continues to bloom through September. This particular variety in this video is called Sunrise, and reminds me of some Bromeliads with the “ Painted fingernails“. Anyway they are relatively easy to deal with in the garden, and you can always divide off bulbs as the clusters continue to multiply the quantity of bulbs. Probably the most popular variety is one called Splash which is a beautiful dark pink flower, which we also have in stock, however just a little on the young side right now. They look great in group plantings to make a bold statement, or sprinkled in a garden scheme they had some nice spice, and of course as potted plants they are wonderful to have on the patio or porch or elsewhere in the garden.
Smile! You are on horticultural candid camera!
It’s sneak preview time! One would be hard-pressed to find such a unique collection of flowering plants anywhere else, as you will find in this display. Where else can you find the splendor of our collection of Rosemallow, phantom, hydrangea, oriental roselilies, butterfly vine, etc.. I cannot help myself. I just get really excited about unique plants such as these. Feel free to drop by and feast your eyes! Dee will be there to greet you and answer any questions you may have.
I must confess, I just can’t help myself! I am so smitten by these amazing hardy Hibiscus that I must trumpet their arrival again this week. Only this time I am providing close-ups of these beauties. The blooms are 8 to 9 inches in diameter, and we have a wonderful assortment of colors, not to mention the richly contrasting bronze colored foliage on three of the varieties. They are versatile and easy to care for. Just give them Sun for a good part of the day if not all day and plant them with your other perennials or shrubs in your garden, or plant them in a soggy area because they truly do not mind that. This is just the nature of a mallow. So I invite you to swing by sometime and witness firsthand the phenomenal beauty of these plants, not to mention some of the other current stars in our lineup… Like our phantom hydrangeas, and our oriental lilies with their huge and very fragrant blooms. All of these and more can be found six days a week at the nursery, and Saturday mornings at the Alachua County Farmers Market.
Sneak peek time and we hope to see you at the Alachua County Farmers Market on Saturday morning. Dee will be there with a fabulous assortment of our flowering perennials and shrubs, etc. to greet you! Right now, we have some absolutely amazing flower power led by our hydrangeas, hibiscus and oriental Roselillies. If you have not been yet, come check out the best farmers market in Gainesville. It is coincidentally the oldest market in Gainesville as well a Growers only Market… The only one in Gainesville to make that claim. You will also find good food and beverages as well as live music to round out your morning while you shop and browse the market. So take a few moments to check out this brief video surveillance of what we will have to offer in the morning. And happy Father’s Day to all of you dads out there.
The waiting and anticipation, are now laid to rest, as the wave of amazing dinner plate hibiscus a.k.a. Rose mallow blooming have now begun, and will continue to build to a crescendo in the weeks ahead, and continuing to bloom through the summer. These amazing flowers are as big as your face and are abundant and luxurious. They are easy to grow… Enjoying lots of sun or part shade. Mallows are tolerant of either normal garden moisture where you may have other perennials and shrubs growing, but they are also very adaptable to wet soils similar to the native swamp mallow that we will encounter along swampy area, streams and rivers such as the Silver River down near Ocala. Several of our varieties are endowed with beautiful Bronze/reddishFoliage that contrast remarkably well with the luminous Rich colors of the flowers, making for a very unique feature in the garden or a container. They truly are striking, and grow only to 3 or 4 feet. They go to sleep in the winter time, but look forward to seeing them again in the spring when they will be back to do it all over again. So check out the short video for a good visual of what you will find if you visit us soon to check out these beauties.
Check out the short video clip to meet a fabulous pollinating perennial… One of my very favorites. During the summertime, a group planting of this resembles the activity of a busy airport only with bees rather than airplanes. It is always covered with all kinds of bees which you can see and audibly hear very well.
One of the huge dinner plate, Hibiscus/Rose Mallow. Flowers are legitimately 8 to 9 inch diameter and provide a plethora of blooms during the summer. This particular one is proven winners variety by the name of airbrush affect. These mallows are hardy here in our zone nine year around. They freeze to the ground during the winter but but return in later spring to do it all over again. And since these ares mallows, they do not mind growing in very moist conditions although this type of wet soil is not necessary for them to thrive. And give them plenty of sun to part shade and feed well as they will richly reward you for doing so.
06/07/2024
In the attached photos, you will see the amazing ginormous and lovely flowers of phantom hydrangea, as well as oriental rose lilies, which are just beginning to crack open. These blooms are just incredibly full and luscious.. The Rosalie’s enjoy full sun to part Shade and are very fast growing. It is a tuber plant that will multiply its bulbs.
Hydrangea paniculata “ Phantom“ is by far the easiest species of hydrangea to grow in our zone nine. Contrary to macrophylla hydrangeas, these love sun to part Shade and bloom in the summer and into the fall in some cases. The huge white panicle flowerheads grow as large as your head or bigger, and are extremely fast Growers. 6-8 feet is what to expect, but can be maintained at 4 or 5 feet with a cut back in the spring before they flush out. They are deciduous just like other hydrangeas. The stems remain green over the winter time. These amazing plants can be found at grassroots nursery, and also at the Alachua County Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. On another post can be found a live shot with a customer posing with her plants that were in 7 gallon containers
05/17/2024
So if you’re thinking dahlias are not doable here in North Central Florida… Well ponder this. There are hundreds and hundreds of dahlia varieties out there, but you must select one that is considered to be heat and humidity tolerant, of which there are more than what you might guess. We are sold on a particular variety that we have grown for a few years now and always performs very well for us and our customers. Only this past weekend did once again someone drop by and mention that they bought one last year and that it is looking gorgeous this year. So they’re not that hard to do, but check out this outline for growing dahlias below.
Greetings! So now that Spring is passing us by, and Summer looms ahead of us, I am still being nurtured by several of my Spring favorites, while also keeping an eye on a few Summer wonders that I for one, always begin to get excited about. But for now, I am still very much enjoying the splendors of dahlias. These beauties will continue to bloom into early summer and have already provided lots and lots of gorgeous flowers over the past month. Anyway begin by viewing this short video highlighting some of the different varieties of dahlias that we have growing at the nursery, and then if you have not seen it yet, check out another post on our page to find more detailed growing recommendations for these beauties. Hopefully this all dispels any myths that Dahlias do not perform well in north central Florida.
05/08/2024
Phantom Hydrangea—If you're looking for all the lovability of a hydrangea but with a twist of uniqueness? The Hydrangea paniculata 'Phantom’ is the top pick! It has thick, conical blooms that reach up to fifteen inches. The colors provide creamy white blooms in the summer and as fall nears, they turn a pale and dark pink. This is a sturdy and easy to care for hydrangea.
As unique as its blooms the foliage is a green and oval in shape. The creamy white blooms begin to make their appearance in summer and have a hint of lime green. Throughout the season and in to fall they change over to a pale and deep pink. This hydrangea has a spreading habit and grows to be between six to ten feet tall and wide. It is a great accent or focal point. Use this hydrangea as a border plant or as a hedge. It will do exceedingly well in mass planting and its blooms are perfect for your next arrangement.
Phantom Hydrangea Care
Caring for your Hydrangea paniculata 'Phantom’ is simple. This one loves sun or partial sun. It can tolerate heat. Well draining soil area. Full sun
Bloom Period: Summer & Fall
Height: 8-10 Feet Tall
Spread: 8-10 Feet Wide
-sun 
Come out to cedar lakes and gardens spring event Saturday 930 to 5 pm and Sunday 930 to 4pm
Perfect time to find that ideal Mother’s Day gift .
OK, it’s that time of the week, for a sneak preview of what treasures can be found at Grassroots Nursery. You will find all of these and more at the nursery or even at Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens this weekend at their annual garden event. But of course everything seen in the video can be found at the Alachua County Farmers Market on Saturday morning! So please come check out all these wonderful plants at one of these venues.
We are always growing something different from the mainstream… Plants that are much more unique, yet easy to grow, like our Dahlias. To learn more about exciting plant varieties that maybe you have not experienced before please drop by and visit with us and will be glad to share with you, our knowledge and our excitement for these splendid and unique plants grown at our nursery. Options for learning about some of these fabulous plants include Grassroots Nursery, of course, as well as the Alachua County Farmers Market each Saturday morning, and then first week end of May we will be at Cedar Lakes Woods & Gardens for their annual weekend Garden festival event. If you have not visited this unique botanical garden yet, I highly recommend you do so. It is absolutely a one of a kind gardens to visit.
At the farmers market this Saturday 830 to noon.
All set up for the farmers market this Saturday come out and say hello to Dee
03/22/2024
Rosa's Blush blueberry—Yes it fruits but it's fine textured evergreen foliage is fantastic! The bright pink new growth of spring matures to a dusty blue-green with hints of pink in summer, followed by deep purplish-blue in fall which deepens through winter. Clusters of 3/8" edible blue fruit that ripen in May-June, follow the light pink bell-shaped flowers of early spring. Rosa's Blush is grown mainly for its compact habit and beautifully colored, fine textured, ever-changing foliage as the berries ripen a few at the time over a long period. Pick the blue-black fruit once fully soft for the best flavor and like most blueberries a cross pollinator is required for the best fruit set.
Rosa's Blush Blueberry is grown more for its beautiful, ever-changing, ornamental foliage qualities and compact habit than for its crop of fruit as they berries ripen over a long period and usually only a few are ripe at one time on a single plant.
Grows To: 2-4'H x 3-4'W
Outdoor Light: Full sun, Part sun, Part shade, Light shade
03/21/2024
Strings of pearls—Senecio Rowleyanus is a beautiful, cascading succulent that will add that little quirk to any house. The plant grows fast and propagates easily and can grow both indoor and outdoor. If you are looking for a beautiful succulent to grow, Senecio Rowleyanus Strings of pearls is a great choice.
GENERAL CARE
1. LIGHT
Either grown indoors or outdoors, String of Pearls plants need to be placed in a spot where it can get at least 6 to 8 hours of bright, indirect sunlight per day. But again, you have to find a partially shaded spot to grow this plant outdoors.
2. WATERING
String of Pearls are very sensitive to overwatering, so make sure that you give them just enough water. Recommended amount is once every two weeks. One tip to make sure you don't overwater your plant is to check if the soil is half an inch (1.2cm) dry before the next water. During winter time, cut back watering to once per month.
3. TEMPERATURE
String of Pearls succulent should be kept at average indoor temperature of 70° - 80° degrees Fahrenheit. During winter, keep the plant at cool temperature - around 55° – 60°F. Don’t keep them in drafty areas, or areas with air conditioner and open window as cold air may causes the leaves to drop. String of pearls aren’t frost-tolerant so they’ll need to be moved indoor in the winter.
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225 SE 135th Terrace
Gainesville, FL
32641
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 9am - 5pm |
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