Come spring, supermarkets, hardware stores and discount stores offer annuals for flower boxes, hanging baskets, seed baskets and starter plants for local gardens. However, garden centers are the place to go for real expertise and customer service, especially when investing in perennials, shrubs and trees. Their staffs can discuss soil, sun exposure and other factors that help plants thrive. They are also plugged into Plant Select, a collaborative effort of the Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University, and regional and national horticultural professionals that identifies plants that thrive in the capricious Rocky Mountain climate. Top garden centers are open year-round, including fall when it’s time to plant bulbs or winter for holiday decorations, plus indoor plants patio and outdoor furniture, gift items and more.

Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center

9170 W. 52nd Ave.
Arvada, CO 80002
(303) 424-7979
echters.com
Echter’s, one of Colorado’s largest retail garden centers, offers more than 2,500 varieties of flowers, including many unusual varieties. They grow 85 percent of their annuals and 40 percent of their perennials on-site, and at least one “plant doctor” with at least 10 years of garden center experience is there every day to answer customers’ questions. This family-owned business has been in the same location since 1959. They grow and sell annuals, perennials, roses and poinsettias and also carry trees, shrubs and houseplants. The recently remodeled and expanded garden center boasts 70,000 square feet of indoor display area, including a patio shop for has fine outdoor furniture, garden benches and outdoor cooking systems, plus bird feeders, bird houses and specialty birdseed blends.

Paulino Gardens

6300 North Broadway
Denver, CO 80216
(303) 429-8062
paulinogardens.com
The Paulino family runs an enormous garden center and greenhouses, all filled with indoor and outdoor plants, pots, tools, potting soil, books, bird feed and landscaping materials. They make a point of not moving inventory around but maintain a consistent layout for indoor and outdoor plants so that their legions of regulars know where to find merchandise, but of course, their experienced and knowledgeable crew is always on hand to help. In addition to a vast assortment of outdoor plants, they boast an extensive selection of house plants from 2-inch pot size to large specimen sizes. They carry cacti, water plants and herbs and exotic orchids, gardenia, bougainvillea, hibiscus, plumeria, bonsai, citrus trees and many more.

Tagawa Gardens

7711 S. Parker Rd.
Centennial, CO 80016
(303) 690-4722
tagawagardens.com
tagawagardensblog.blogspot.com
Tagawa Gardens has been a community fixture for nearly three decades. What started as a small floral greenhouse has grown into one of metro Denver’s most popular places for “green thumbs.” With more than 110,000 indoor square feet and more than a half-acre outdoor nursery, Tagawa Gardens stocks annuals, perennials, trees & shrubs, rose bushes, garden supplies, furniture and more. Visitors can meander through the display gardens and chat with other enthusiasts as well as Tagawa staffers about all things gardening (and they won’t laugh if you don’t know the difference between a daisy and a dandelion). Another reason so many locals are drawn to the nursery is its community commitment with a year-round schedule of gardening and eco-related workshops, family events, musical entertainment, cultural demonstrations and tours.

The Flower Bin

1805 Nelson Rd
Longmont, CO 80501
(303) 772-3454
theflowerbinco.com
With 46,000 square feet of greenhouse, this family-owned garden center is the place to go in northern Boulder County for quality bedding plants, perennials, roses, trees and more. They were early in introducing xeriscape plants and materials too. Locals keep an eye out for their special events, including family activities centered on gardening and the outdoors. And come Christmas-time, this is one of the best spots for lush Christmas trees, wreaths, roping and poinsettias.