First off, why does Utah County seem to have way better nurseries than the SLC area? Salt Lake, get with it!
My sister lives in Orem, and a little while back, we made a pilgrimage to several of her local nurseries, planning to visit Sun River, but running out of time before we were able to do so. She ended up going on her own at a later date, then immediately sent me a text stating it is superior to all others, and instructing me to visit ASAP. I love nurseries, so did not need much encouragement, and the next time I could make my way south, it was my first stop.
They open at 9am, and as I am an early riser and similar businesses often open at 10am, I was already a fan. You can also visit on Sundays (starting at 11am)-yay! Located right off State, they are easy to find, and parking was plentiful. The lot is not giant, however, so during prime planting time I could see it filling entirely.
It is really half nursery half home goods/gift shop, but they do this really well, avoiding either portion feeling like an afterthought. The store entrance brings you in to a large, high ceiling-ed space, that is very light and open, with thoughtfully and attractively displayed sections. You will find linens, cookbooks, kitchen supplies, some treats and food items, a children's area, jewelry, and accessories. Of note, an alcove for sale items is just on your left after entering.
The nursery area is also arranged pleasantly, featuring all you would expect to find. If you love roses, they have a whole greenhouse dedicated to them. What really excited me is that the brand of fruits and vegetables they carry is Gourmet Grown, rather than Perennial Favorites, which most other suppliers offer. I love local Perennial Favorites, but because nearly every garden center in the area sells it, I end up seeing the same plants everywhere. One frustration this year was my inability to locate any variety of tomatillo beyond "green." You must have two different types to allow for cross-pollination; otherwise, your plant will not produce any fruit. Sun River had THREE (Purple, De Milpa, and Yellow Husk). Someone here loves tomatillos, and rightly so! After that successful find (yes, I got one of each), I started checking out varieties of other edibles in earnest, and found many more of every type of plant that I hadn't seen before, at least not here in Utah. As I was walking by the brambleberries I thought to myself, "Now, they'd really be amazing if they had a Tayberry," never expecting that they would, and truly like five seconds later, there was one right in my path! I have searched for a Tayberry for years, and this is the first time I have found one. I also bought a beautiful purple bell pepper that was so dark as to appear black, and a baby Lewisia, a perennial flower that is fairly difficult to locate.
Their houseplant selection is also impressive, with darling fairy garden supplies (and not the cheesy kind often offered elsewhere), loads of tillandsia, stunning live plant arrangements, and they even host classes!
They offer a slight volume discount for many plants, though in my case this did not even matter, because at checkout I was informed all veggies were half off! Apparently, a different special is available each week (you can sign up for their newsletter to be informed of it), though they would do well to make sure signage is up it as there was nothing advertising this that I saw. With participation in their rewards program, they record all your purchases, and you earn $1 for every $10 you spend. This is very generous, but I think it all balances out as I felt their prices were a smidge high (though I was not hesitant in the least to pay them for the special items I found).
Customer service was friendly and enthusiastic, and as I left, the owner (I believe) genuinely thanked me for stopping by, which is such a small thing, but very nice. While I am not this far south very often, you can bet I'll be stopping by whenever in the area. read more