Evolution

Green Oak nursery is a Jackson icon. My mother and father started this garden center in 1960. They were pioneers of their day as there weren’t many garden centers at the time. I think Callaway’s and Barnes Brothers started just about the same time or maybe a little after. My parents were friends with those guys as they all started this business together in Jackson. Garden centers have come a long way since those days as is common with the garden center business and family businesses the second and third generations evolved into the existing businesses and make changes as more youthful ideas and products become available.

Back in those days we didn’t have the big box stores selling plants and soils and fertilizers at ‘discount” prices like we have now. The garden centers in Jackson and Madison these days are full service garden centers where a person can get help and get questions answered by professional nurserymen. To shop at a big box store is to be on your own and probably buying plants that don’t belong in this region at all. Somebody in the big box store in the sky , pushing buttons and pulling levers, but not really paying attention to where in the United States that the plants are headed. In short, it’s just a big money grab for them, they roll in big during the spring time and let it fall to downright offensive in the down seasons. They have done their harm to the mom and Pop stores all over America. They also make us garden centers look good by not providing any inspirational displays or any help for people who have questions about what to do next in their yard. I have walked into their garden area as many times and been asked by customers to help with their questions. I guess I look like a plant person.

Garden Works has a Home Depot and Lowe’s 2 miles to our South and a Home Depot and Lowe’s 2 miles to our north. At one time, when they first came into our industry, they put plants and materials out there for very cheap. They soon learned that the nursery business is a real industry and decided to pump their prices up now that the new generation thinks that these places are called garden centers. I’m always shocked when I walk through there to see that their prices are generally higher than most of the garden centers in town and the

quality is enough to make you want to run. Back in the early years when my parents started their nursery they were able to inspire homeowners to do their own gardening with the knowledge of the people from the garden centers to egg them along. As I say things have changed a lot and as the new generations come in to take over the family operations. They have had to hone their skills and up there customer relationship game.

My sister and her husband, Karen and Maur McKie, bought Green Oak nursery from my parents. They kept a lot of things the same like the florist and the interior plant business which my sister started, but they also added their new angles and future plans for the nursery that completely transformed it into what it is today. After many long years of hard work and scrapping and becoming known as one of the best garden centers in town and a great place to receive service they began the process of selling the nursery to their son Eric Mckee and his wife Carly. As before, Eric kept a lot of things the same and made some big changes as the business continues to progress. During that time, my parents house burned to the ground on the property that we all grew up on. My father passed away soon after that after they had moved into Saint Catherine’s village in Madison. Thankfully, Maur and Karen were in position to buy the property that we grew up on from mom.

Karen knows that all four of us are still deeply connected to that property and she invites us to come out and breathe up the air whenever we need to. When they moved out there, they found the highest point on the property, which is where our barn used to be and built a fabulous house overlooking most of the 50 acres. If any of you know Maur and Karen, they’re not ones to sit around and waste time waiting on trees to grow. As soon as their house was finished being built, they began adding the plant material that they loved. At that time they still were running Green Oak nursery and the florist and the interior scape and the events department that they have evolved into. That’s a pretty busy schedule and just had a few spare times to get the work done at their home. It has been something to see as the transformation of the property has been huge and apparently they had plans for a long time because it happened fast.

Maur has been pouring the fertilizer to the trees that he planted along the new driveway. I’ve never seen Ginko‘s Grow as fast as theirs has and he says it’s because the fertilizer that he regularly feeds them. A few of our family holiday parties happen out there at their house and every time I go out there I’m blown away at how much has changed and how healthy and beautiful their plants are due to the meticulous care that they give to them. I am a believer in fertilization, but after seeing what he’s done with his plants and trees, I’m inspired to do more.

Karen and Maur were asked by MRA to be one of the gardens to tour on the springs May tour of the gardens. The place was already one of the coolest places to walk around that I know of, but they decided to up their game and do some things they had wanted to do but just a little sooner than later. The other night Karen invited all of us siblings and mom to come spend an evening and have a little garden party. On the same location where my parents house was that burned down. They have built what Karen calls a she shed. The “shed” is really cool and set in a location that we all have fond memories of down in the trees. It’s what they’ve done around the shed that blows my mind. They left a lot of the older plant material that my parents had planted there that survived the fire, but they’ve added a new element and a new style to the garden that my father had created.

The whole family took the tour with Karen and Maur as the sun was setting that evening. They have created beautiful walkways through the woods with chop block edging to guide you along the way. There are vignettes along the way with different themes. Karen and Maur have a few grandchildren now so they’ve made that area more kid friendly and also friendly enough for the parents watching the kids to enjoy themselves. They have added sculptures and decks and sitting areas, but the most intriguing thing to me was the labyrinth that they just built recently. If you’ve ever been to a labyrinth, you know you can’t help but walk the whole thing, even though you can see the end from the very beginning. The idea with the labyrinth is to slow down and pray or meditate while you follow the path to

the center. I took too long walking and had to just walk straight out to catch up with the crew, as I got lost and thought of how in the world they thought to do this beautiful art piece.

I can remember growing up there, thinking that we had the best sunsets in all the world. This was one of those nights that reminded me of why I thought that. As we got closer to their lake, the sun was just behind it with pine trees as the silhouettes. We walked around the lake and got to a new rounded wooden deck that they built over the pond that was absolutely gorgeous and a great place to sit. We all sat around and talked for probably too long, I’m sure they were about ready for us to go, but it was such a special evening to be out there with my siblings and my mom and Karen had provided us with one of the best meals I can remember having in a long time down at the she shed. It was an evening I will probably never forget.

They talked about the plans that they have for more to do out there before the May tour of the gardens. I don’t know how they can get any more done than they have. They have very recently retired and Eric is keeping the business going so they know they’re in good hands. It’s been really nice to watch them relaxing to retirement after such a stressful and busy lifetime that they spent at Green Oak. They’re focused now is 100% on that property and it looks to me like they have fallen deeply in love with the land that our family grew up on. I can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like when they’re finished, I guess there’s never really a finished when you’re a true gardener like they are.

The lucky thing for everyone is that their space will be open to the public for the MRA garden tour and people will have an opportunity to see what it looks like when your heart and your memories flow through the properly property that you are a steward of. We’ve been messing around on this property since the mid 70s and had such a positive and wonderful growing up lifetime out there. The memories in the stories that we have of that place makes it like another one of our family members. I really appreciate something Karen said that night as we were sitting around watching the sun go down. She said that we were always welcome to come out there and spend time and feel the vibes of that wonderful property. Everyone has their own private Idaho in their backyard or on their property, it’s just fun to see how someone else does it, and the love that they poured into this place is palpable.

I can’t begin to speak of all the details out there as they are gardening about 30 of the acres intensely. Mark your calendar for that tour and make the trip out there to see something you’ve likely never seen anything like before. I’m so happy for them and what they’ve created, I just can’t stop thinking about it. Mimi and I have been getting our yard ready for the same tour and I thought we were really getting somewhere until I saw this. Our properties have lent to two very different styles of landscaping and I love what we’ve done

but I love to know that Karen and Maur are out there having so much fun with each other and separately working such a huge property takes an expansive mind. Cheers to them!