Gardener's Supply is bringing nurseries back to Shelburne VT with a new location

Gardener's Supply Company is opening a new location on Shelburne Road where the Sirloin Saloon used to be. The popular restaurant closed in 2008.

Retail Operations Manager Pat Pearsall said the Shelburne Road nursery is a new concept for the company.

"It's a small building with less of our signature hard goods and more just plant material," he said. "We're partnering with Morgan Brook Farm . They had their food truck there. They will be a tenant of ours on the site."

Morgan Brook Farm raises Wagyu beef cattle in Westford and will offer hamburgers and other items from its food truck, according to Pearsall.

"We think it's a great partnership," Pearsall said. "Last year was their first year there. It was pretty good for them. We're going to drive a lot of traffic to them. They're another reason to come and stay at the garden center."

Burgers and perennials will create synergy on Shelburne Road

Pearsall called the combination of Gardener's and Morgan Brook Farm an "integrated experience." Buy a plant. Sit down and have a burger.

"It's the perfect thing for Shelburne Road, given the type of traffic," he said. "It's great for commuters."

The prefabricated building for the nursery arrived on site on Monday in two pieces. The 600-square-foot building came from a local supplier, and will allow Gardener's Supply to get the nursery open this year, Pearsall said.

"We're going to do some work on (the building)," he said. "We'll add a small overhang for selling soils and potting soils so they don't get wet underneath, like other locations."

Plants sized to fit in your trunk or cargo area

Because the nursery is a new concept for Gardener's Supply, Pearsall said it's open to interpretation.

"Like any of our stores, we learn along the way, start with something, see what the customer really wants and be able to modify pretty quickly," he said.

Gardener's will start with lots of colorful perennials at the new nursery and "lots of veggies," according to Pearsall.

"We are very strong in food gardening," he said. "You're going to see a lot of berries and fruits trees, but we're trying to control the size of product we put on site."

Size matters because Pearsall wants to make sure customers can take their purchases home with them, even if they're driving a Toyota Prius.

"If customers want something bigger we have two stores in the area," Pearsall said, referring to the company's nurseries in Williston and Burlington.

Shooting for Mother's Day opening and Christmas closing

Pearsall is pushing to open the new location on Friday, May 10, in time for Mother's Day. Next year he envisions an earlier opening date, sometime in April. The nursery will remain open until the second week of December and will sell both live and cut Christmas trees, as well as other Christmas decorations, such as kissing balls, roping and garland, made from live plants.

"There's a lot of excitement in the area," Pearsall said. "People were tired of looking at (an empty lot)."

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DanDambrosioVT.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Gardener's Supply is bringing nurseries back to Shelburne VT with a new location