Store

How does your garden grow? If you don't know, you'll find the answers at this offshoot of the popular (and dwindling) City People's Mercantile stores. The basics are all here: fertilizers and weed-control in organic and pack-a-whammy varieties; seeds and seedlings; annuals and perennials, ornamentals and edibles; and at least 19 kinds of shovels. What puts this place in the limelight, however, is the attention to what's beyond basic, such as polished rocks for decorating, artfully decorated terra cotta pots, bamboo in several incarnations and envy-inspiring birdhouses. This is also the place for things that smell good inside the house, such as French linen water, candles and lotions.

This garden store is a year-round affair. In October and November, the plants clear out from the 15,000-square-foot outdoor nursery to make room for Christmas trees, and the inside shop becomes gift and decoration central. In mid-March, the starts start coming in and business grows to a full roar in the spring and summer, especially on sunny days.

Tip: Pretty much every living thing must go in the late fall and you can find great deals on perfectly good plants that got looked over during the summer.

By Vanessa McGrady
Special to NWsource