About Us

We are a small family run nursery and propagate what we sell right here at our nursery in Dartmouth, MA, a southern New England town (Zone 6). Unfortunately sometimes this means if an item sells out or if we have a crop failure we cannot just call the big distributor and ask for another crop. The choice plants we grow can't be had that easily. We do grow a tremendous variety of plants (many we don't even list), but do not propagate in great quantities. This is not a brilliant business decision, but certainly more stimulating for our customers and ourselves.

Experience has taught us that there are often reasons why some of the plants we grow are not commonly available. Some of these plants can be difficult to propagate, or are terribly unhappy living in pots, and/or simply ship poorly. Most Garden Centers want to sell plants that sell themselves, so a plant must grow quickly and happily in a nursery container for them to offer it. We aim to cater to the more adventurous gardeners out there who have both patience and foresight. They know their patience is rewarded by gloriously uncommon gardens.

If you're in southeastern Massachusetts and would like to come visit, please be sure to check on our seasonal hours. We have established some delightful gardens around the 18th century farmhouse where we live and work. The area under the pergola is a nice place to sit and enjoy our varied container plantings.  Our mixed borders artistically combine the unusual trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that we sell at our nursery.

Chris and Kathy Tracey, Avant Gardens
710 High Hill Rd.
Dartmouth, MA 02747
plants@avantgardensne.com