Nursery Crawl: A Fun New Way to Support Local Plant-Growers

NEVADA COUNTY — How many independent plant nurseries are there in Nevada County? Way more than most of us imagined!

Western Nevada County hosted its first Nursery Crawl last Saturday, June 14 – a novel way for gardeners to get to know fifteen local nurseries, including some specializing in native plants. Predictably, Grass Valley/Nevada City and “South County” were well represented. Plant sources in North San Juan, Penn Valley/Smartsville, and almost to Cascade Shores were also included. By all accounts, it was a very successful event.

Of course, no one person could visit all of them in a single day, but most businesses reported a gratifying turnout of “crawlers.” Mocktails, pastries, a snow cone truck, “spin and win” wheels, and a raffle were all part of the fun. Some businesses had free plants to share; many had one-day-only specials. Master Gardeners were seen answering a wide range of questions. Participating gardeners were smiling; business owners and staff clearly enjoyed the exciting new way of interacting with customers.

Stephanie Herd (April’s Nursery) admitted to planting the original seed nearly a year ago, inspired by a similar event in Chico. Lori Jayne (New Life Nursery) took point, nurturing the fledgling idea into reality. Both shared how gratifying it was to see so many family-style, independent nurseries collaborating with each other to create fun and satisfaction for their customers.

Pending a formal decision, your reporter has promised not to reveal (yet) the name of the person who’s been asked to chair the Nursery Crawl next year, but clearly, there will be a “second annual.” Don’t miss it!