Behnke's is closing. For as long as I can remember, it has had the reputation of being the best nursery in the Washington area. My own direct acquaintance with it is fairly short; but for a while we have gone out once or twice a year to buy plants. I can point out a couple of plants that we have bought there, and my wife could point out many more.
The Behnke Nurseries Company has operated since 1930. The family has decided to close it, for reasons not given. I suspect that a large one is that the property will earn more when sold for development than it will as a nursery. I shouldn't care to commute to anywhere in particular from the Behnke's site, nor live quite so close to Route 1 and a busy train track; but there are many jobs in that direction.
There are other nurseries in the area, though the Johnson's Garden Center south of Tenley Circle closed last year. None have the space and selection of Behnke's, that I know of. The nearest comparable nursery that I have been to is in the Harrisburg suburbs, about a hundred miles from here. We may end up driving there rather than to Beltsville.
In the meantime, everything is considerably discounted, until Behnke's closes in June.
Oh no! We're beginning to landscape the home we purchased in December, and a visit to Behnke's, although more than an hour away, was on our to-do list, mostly for their matchless array of ground covers.
ReplyDeleteThere's a good, family-run nursery up here between Poolesville and Frederick: Thanksgiving Farms. We support them, we're pleased to give them our money, but as good as they are, they're still no Behnke's. Dang.
It's a shame. About twice a year we get up to the West Shore suburbs of Harrisburg to see friends and family. Usually we make time to visit Stauffers of Kissel Hill (formerly Country Market, just off US 15), which has plenty of room and a good selection. But it's about a two-hour drive to get there.
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