There’s a new (plant) nursery in town – or just outside Greenbelt, in Beltsville, not far from the old Behnkes location. It’s Lillian Farms, situated along Odell Road in a surprisingly residential neighborhood. It opened last November and it’s time to check it out!
(If, like me, you’re wondering how a permit was ever gotten for a shop in a residential neighborhood, remember the “farm” part of the name – urban farms are allowed by right in our county. I’m told that to have a retail component, most of the plants sold have to be grown on site. Who knew? Happy to report that the neighbors of Lillian Farms have been very supportive.)
Hours
Currently Lilian Farms is open Wednesdays – Saturdays 10 to 4. Next year it’ll also be open on Sundays.
What’s at Lillian Farms?
Plants sold at Lillian Farms are mostly natives, and mostly grown on site. That includes perennials, shrubs and trees. Plants can be bought in person or online for pick-up or delivery.
What else is sold there? Dried flower arrangements, art and jewelry by local artists. (Two artists rent studio space there, too.)
Happenings, too
The schedule, so far:
- Wild Food Is Everywhere: How To Unleash Your Inner Forager. A lecture by Nevin Martell. Followed by book sales and signing! Friday, July 30th, noon – 1pm:
- Mindfulness Gardening – A calming repotting activity paired with simple mindful practices. A workshop led by Michele Brooks, owner of DC Jungle. Date/time and signup coming soon!
- Increasing Biodiversity in your Gardens with Native Plants – a lecture by Mike Surgalla. Date/time and signup coming soon!
Meet Kellie Cox
If you’re wondering who’s behind this fun and creative new business venture, good! Because it’s totally the work and vision of someone with surprisingly long roots in the gardening world, for such a young woman.
It helps to know that Kellie’s mother owned a dried and fresh floral business, so plant-related entrepreneurship is very familiar to her. She’s also passionate about painting, but chose plants as a career path. With Lillian Farms she can combine both loves in one entity that sells plants and art and supports local artists. She described the store to me as “somewhere peaceful for people to come,” which I love!
There’s more. As a high school student in the Wilmington, Delaware area she worked at the local garden center – Gateway Gardens, established by Steve Castorani, who’s well known in the plant world as an early specialist in native plants. (He also owns the wholesale North Creek Nursery and established the successful American Beauties brand of North American natives.)
So at the impressionable age of 14, Kellie was working at a pretty special place, where she “fell in love with it,” in her words. She studied landscape horticulture and plant sciences at the University of Delaware and especially enjoyed its connections with the amazing public gardens in the area, like Winterthur and Longwood Gardens.
After college she got work in the plant business, including managing a wholesale green-roof nursery in Upstate NY, where she drove a tractor, and “did the whole thing.”
She then moved on to working on museum gardens, her most recent gig being head of grounds at Tudor Place in Washington, D.C. A garden-writer friend of mine worked with her there and wrote to tell me “Kellie is so talented as both a painter and a horticulturist. Lovely person, too.”
But then six years ago Kellie had her first daughter and decided to stop being an employee and start her own business – which she did, and they are the Strawberry Fields Landscape Design and Millie Farms, both in Laurel.
Then came Lillian Farms! Asked how it’s doing, Kellie says they’d had a “really good spring and it’s growing!” So that’s good news, and I wish her great success.
Follow Lillian Farms
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Lori
How delightful! I’m always on the lookout for native plants. Thank you for featuring an option that’s so close to home!