Nashville sits in USDA Hardiness Zone 7a/7b under the 2023 plant hardiness map update, a range that rewards gardeners who plan around late-spring frosts, humid summers, and the heavy clay soils common across Davidson County. Selecting the right garden center matters because plant survival turns on regional knowledge, sound nursery practice, and inventory that actually fits the Middle Tennessee climate rather than a generic national assortment. The three centers profiled below have each built decades of horticultural depth in the Nashville area, carrying full-line inventory from annuals and perennials to trees, shrubs, houseplants, and tropicals, with staff who can point a homeowner toward zone-appropriate selections and proper planting technique.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Bates Nursery & Garden Center | Founded 1932, third-generation Bates family ownership under David Bates, USDA Hardiness Zone 7a/7b aligned native plant section | Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegetables, bulbs, houseplants, Japanese maples, specimen container trees, EarthMix soil amendments |
| Hewitt Garden & Design Center | Founded 1985 by Bill and Beth Hewitt, second generation with University of Tennessee Plant Sciences and Architecture degrees, IGCA-aligned retail model | Annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, evergreens, tropicals plus landscape design, installation, seasonal maintenance, and one-on-one consultation |
| Moore & Moore Garden Center | Opened 1980 by John, Nell, and Paul Moore, grandson Duncan Borders ownership since 2006, 5,000 square foot heated greenhouse | Annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, houseplants, natives, tropicals with year-round indoor shopping, recurring workshop schedule |
1. Bates Nursery & Garden Center #
Bates Nursery & Garden Center traces its history to 1932, when Bessie Bates persuaded her husband Byron to mortgage their home for two hundred dollars and put up a hot house on the property. That first-spring season covered the loan, and the family has been growing plants on Whites Creek Pike ever since. The center is now run by David Bates, the grandson of the founders, making this a third-generation family operation and one of the oldest plant retailers still active in Davidson County.
The nursery stocks a full retail range on its multi-acre site: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegetables, bulbs and seeds, houseplants, tropicals, and a dedicated Southeastern U.S. native plant section that serves homeowners following Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation guidance on regional planting. Specialty trees include Japanese maples, specimen container trees, broadleaf evergreens, conifers, and ornamental grasses. Soil and mulch products, containers, and decorative pieces round out the inventory, and the center carries its own EarthMix soil amendments developed for local conditions. Landscape consultation and local delivery are available, with online inventory updated daily for shoppers planning a visit.
Bates Nursery & Garden Center sits at 3810 Whites Creek Pike, Nashville, TN 37207, and can be reached at (615) 876-1014. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
2. Hewitt Garden & Design Center #
Hewitt Garden & Design Center opened in 1985 as Hewitt Horticultural Service, started by Bill and Beth Hewitt from their home in Leiper’s Fork. The garden moved to its current Hillsboro Road location in 1996, and the next generation joined the family business when son John Hewitt came on in 2010 with a Plant Sciences degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and son Jesse Hewitt followed in 2013 with an Architecture degree from the same university. That mix of horticultural training and design background shapes how the center approaches both retail customers and full installation projects.
The retail floor and growing yards cover the standard categories Nashville-area gardeners need: annuals, perennials, houseplants, trees, shrubs, evergreens, tropicals, pots and containers, specimen plants, and seasonal Christmas inventory. On the service side, the business handles landscape design, installation, seasonal maintenance, plant delivery with installation, and one-on-one consultations, drawing on the same plant inventory carried in the retail nursery so customers can see the actual stock before committing to a planting plan. The integration of a working garden center with a design-build practice is the defining feature of this Franklin-based operation.
Hewitt Garden & Design Center is located at 2525 Hillsboro Road, Franklin, TN 37069, with a phone line at (615) 661-6767. The garden is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
3. Moore & Moore Garden Center #
Moore & Moore Garden Center was opened in 1980 by John and Nell Moore together with their son Paul, beginning at an original Belle Meade location selling color and bedding plants. The family relocated to larger facilities in Bellevue in 1998 to accommodate a wider inventory, and ownership passed to Duncan Borders, the grandson of John and Nell, who purchased the operation in 2006. Shortly after taking over, Borders added a 5,000-square-foot greenhouse to the property, allowing year-round indoor shopping regardless of Middle Tennessee weather.
The nursery carries annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, houseplants, native plants, and tropical plants alongside flower pots, gardening gifts, and plant-care products. The center positions itself as an upscale family-owned retailer, and it pairs the inventory with landscape services and design consultation, expert gardening advice from staff on the sales floor, and a recurring schedule of classes and workshops aimed at homeowners who want to build skills around planting, pruning, container design, and seasonal care. The greenhouse keeps the houseplant and tropical selection viable through the colder months when outdoor stock is dormant.
Moore & Moore Garden Center operates from 8216 Highway 100, Nashville, TN 37221, with a phone line at (615) 662-8849. Hours during the spring growing season run Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
https://www.mooreandmoore.com/
Choosing the Right Garden Center for Your Project #
The three Nashville-area retailers above bring distinct profiles. Bates Nursery & Garden Center offers the longest local history and the deepest native-plant and specimen-tree inventory, making it a strong starting point for landscape projects that require zone-7 reliability and Southeastern native selections. Hewitt Garden & Design Center pairs its Franklin retail yard with an in-house design and installation team, which suits homeowners who want plant material and a planting plan from the same source. Moore & Moore Garden Center in Bellevue blends multigenerational family ownership, a heated greenhouse for year-round houseplant and tropical shopping, and an active workshop calendar that gives newer gardeners a structured way to learn. Matching the project, whether replacing storm-damaged trees, designing a perennial border, or starting a houseplant collection, to the strengths of each garden produces the best result.
Selection Methodology #
The three centers above were selected from the broader Nashville garden field using these filters: minimum tenure on Middle Tennessee work, verifiable trade-body alignment or horticultural credential on file (TNLA Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association membership, IGCA Independent Garden Center Association alignment, USDA Hardiness Zone 7a/7b regional planting guidance, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation native-plant guidance, University of Tennessee Plant Sciences staff credentials where applicable), brand-name anchor with verifiable address visible on the center’s own website, and a published inventory category mix that maps to customer expectation across annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, houseplants, and tropicals. National rollups without local lineage and operations without a verifiable street address were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: How was each center verified?
A: Each address was confirmed against the center’s own published website for street address, phone, and inventory, with USDA Hardiness Zone 7a/7b regional planting guidance cross-referenced as the climate framework. TNLA Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association alignment and IGCA Independent Garden Center Association standards were used as the trade-body framework, and University of Tennessee Plant Sciences staff credentials were confirmed for Hewitt against the firm’s published team biographies.
Q: What sets these three apart from the broader Nashville garden field?
A: Bates has been operating in Middle Tennessee for more than ninety years, which is a number no big-box garden department will ever match, and the other two centers above bring their own multi-decade family ownership. The functional differentiation past tenure is Zone 7a/7b inventory depth (specimen trees that survive a Cumberland Valley summer, native pollinator stock from TNLA-aligned growers, perennials trialed at the University of Tennessee Plant Sciences program), alongside on-staff horticultural depth (UT plant science backgrounds at Hewitt) and design-build consultation that goes beyond ringing up a flat of annuals.
Q: Are any of the three centers paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No center sponsored placement.
Q: How should I plan a first visit?
A: Check the published hours, the plant categories in season, return and exchange policy, special-order lead times on specimen trees and large shrubs, and any appointment requirements. For landscape consultation or design-build planning at Hewitt call ahead about designer scheduling and bring site photos, sun-exposure notes, and soil-condition observations to the planning desk.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.