Pilgrimage to Hirt’s Gardens and Boyert’s Greenhouse & Farm.
I’ve heard so much about Hirt’s Gardens over the years. Established in 1915, it clearly has what it takes to adapt in a world where the trends and needs of plant lovers are constantly changing. Hirt’s has a strong online presence with a newly updated webpage as well as an Amazon store. I have purchased online through the webpage before, but I’d always wanted to make the drive to visit Hirt’s Gardens in person. I finally made the trip on 6/12/20 when I unexpectedly had an opening in my schedule. I grabbed my mask and hit the road for a half day of plantopia.
The road off which Hirt’s Gardens is one you’d expect to be greenhouse-adjacent, so to speak. There are other small businesses lining the street, but it isn’t congested. The drive up to Hirt’s is long and quiet, long enough for me to wonder if I was in the right place once I’d turned off the road. But once I reached the clearing, it was plain to see that I’d come to the right place. Some of the greenhouse’s sliding doors were open to take in the beautiful weather and I could see the plants stocked on the shelves. I entered the front door and thought I might’ve used the wrong entrance. The door leads directly into a room full of work stations where employees are wrapping and boxing plants for shipping. The online seller vibes can be clearly felt here. This packing center is a central hub off which several greenhouses branch. I almost panicked before, right on cue, a super friendly employee welcomed me and asked if it was my first time visiting Hirt’s. I must’ve just had bug-eyed “I’m in the wrong place” look about me. She directed me to the greenhouses where I’d find houseplants (others included citrus and perennials) and I must’ve blacked out after that because I just wanted to get to the houseplants. I entered the first greenhouse and found myself staring down a massive variegated monstera deliciosa that happens to be going for a cool $2000 for anyone who’s interested.
This isn’t your basic E-Bay variegated Monstera, it’s enormous and quite perfect. After struggling for a few moments to tear my eyes away, I began shopping. I picked up a Rhaphidophora Decursiva (one of three in stock) as well as a cute little Rhaphidophora Hayi (just came in that day) in the first greenhouse. Also available therein were several varieties of Hoya including H. Pubicalyx, H. Carnosa Compacta, and H. Australis. There was a nice hanging basket of Monstera Adansonii and some Alocasia. And a lizard.
Another kind employee gave me the prices of each plant and let me leave them at the register while I browsed around the other greenhouses. In the second houseplant greenhouse I found Dischidia, more Alocasia, Begonias, Strings of Daggers, ferns, Thanksgiving Cacti, to name a few.
The rows were packed with plants and as I shopped, employees were bustling around picking orders to take back to the central room where the orders would be packaged. It was overwhelming in an exciting way. I made my last selection - a pink begonia and decided I was ready to check out. There were other plants that I considered, but my final three that I ultimately purchased were plants that I didn’t feel I would find anywhere else. My checkout was pleasant. I was able to ask whatever questions I had and three employees helped to find answers for me, one handled each plant. I was really pleased to find that they accept Apple Pay. I’m an Apple Pay power user, not just because it’s convenient, but also because *major shout out to contactless payment in a world of social distancing*
Here are my final purchases from Hirt’s.
I really wanted to maximize my trip, so I chose one other location that I’d seen reviewed positively by other plant people. Boyert’s is a short drive from Hirt’s, maybe 15-20 minutes. I pulled into something much larger than I expected. It’s huge! The pot selection was blowing my mind. I strongly considered an Alocasia “Tiny Dancer,” a fish bone cactus and a chain of hooks.
