Introduction

On my recent trip visiting family in Wisconsin, I was able to put my expertise to good use and bring their dream landscape to life. I was excited to share helpful recommendations on the best fruit trees to plant for landscaping.

After that, I couldn’t resist exploring other gardening projects in the Lake Country area. As an avid lover of plants and flowers right from childhood, I was struck by Wisconsin’s unique growing conditions and how different the plant life is compared to what I’m used to in Montana.

So, I curated a list of the best nurseries in Waukesha. These nurseries and garden centers are mostly family-owned and offer vibrant plants, trees, flowers, and everything else you need to make your garden bloom.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, plant collector, or homeowner looking to enhance your landscape, you’ll certainly find this list helpful!

Best 5 Nurseries in Waukesha County

Finding the right nursery is key if you’re thinking of starting your own garden or adding majestic trees to your landscape.

In Waukesha County, here are my top picks of five local nurseries that offer a unique selection of plants, flowers, and trees so you can make the best choices for your space.

Piala’s Nursery & Garden Shop

Piala’s opened its doors in 1978. It’s a family-owned, full-service nursery and landscape company in Waukesha, WI.

Founded by Jim & Cathy Piala, the garden shop sells all sorts of vibrant annuals, hardy perennials, groundcovers, shrubs, evergreens, and acres of trees at their retail shop. Check out their current inventory here.

If you have large project ideas, you can also hire their landscape construction team to design, build and install your landscape space. In addition, they provide landscape maintenance services to keep your garden looking its best all season long.

Their retail shop in Waukesha is open all week. So, if you’re looking to transform your outdoor space in Lake Country, you should visit Piala’s Nursery.

• Address: Hwy 59 aka Les Paul Parkway, Genesee Road, Waukesha, WI 53189
• Phone: 262-547-2677
• Website: pialasnursery.com

Stein’s Garden & Home

Stein’s aims to be your sole trusted local source for all the things you need to create the garden and home of your dreams.

Just like Piala’s, it’s also a family-owned nursery belonging to the Stein family, and the first flower shop was opened in 1946 in Shorewood, WI.

Whether it’s houseplants, flowers, Halloween pillows, or home decor items, you can get it all at Stein’s. Their flower department has different foliage plants, cacti, and flowers that would add a bright spark to your space.

Stein’s Garden & Home has stores in 17 Wisconsin locations, including Waukesha, Germantown, Greenfield, Milwaukee, Brookfield, and more. The Waukesha store is open all week long and located on Moreland Boulevard just east of Springdale Rd. This store is one of four locations serving the whole of Lake Country.

• Address: 2220 E. Moreland Boulevard, Waukesha, WI 53186
• Phone: 262-797-7070
• Website: shopsteins.com

Johnson’s Nursery

Since their incorporation in 1959, Johnson’s Nursery has grown to be one of the largest family-owned plant nurseries in the Milwaukee area.

They are your go-to source for Midwest hardy and Wisconsin native landscape plants and have their headquarters in Menomonee Falls, 20 minutes northwest of Milwaukee.

You can shop for your favorite landscape plants, such as flowering ornamentals, shade trees, shrubs, conifers, broadleaf evergreens, perennials, grasses, and fruit trees. Most of their nursery stock is grown locally on 700+ acres of farmland across different cities in southeastern Wisconsin.

Besides selling hardy plants, Johnson’s Nursery has a landscape design/build team that comprises expert designers, horticulturists, and arborists. They can create new, restore old, and enhance existing landscapes for clients around southeastern Wisconsin.

• Address: W180 N6275 Marcy Road, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
• Phone: 262-252-4980
• Website: jniplants.com

Schulte’s Greenhouses

Schultes Greenhouses is a locally owned family garden center located just outside the downtown of Pewaukee village. The nursery grows a variety of annuals, herbs, vegetables, and perennials.

Whether you need a lilac, Christmas tree, rare houseplants, or ornamental flower baskets, you can get quality plant products at Schulte’s nursery shop.

The retail store is open every day, including holidays. If you’re looking for a modest local greenhouse in Wisconsin with an excellent selection of high-quality plants and simplified pricing, you should support this local business.

• Address: 811 E. Wisconsin Ave. Pewaukee, WI 53072
• Phone: 262-696-6342
• Website: schultesgreenhousespewaukee.com

Thomas Greenhouse & Gardens

Thomas Greenhouse & Gardens is a local, family-owned nursery and garden center located in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. The nursery grew its plants in a greenhouse and opened its doors to Mukwonago and Waukesha County in 2008.

As a certified nursery professional and nature lover, the impressive thing that stood out to me about Thomas Greenhouse is their extensive selection. They have a wide variety of flowers, trees, shrubs, and rare houseplants suitable for your home, garden, or outdoor space.

In addition, if you’re confused about what to buy, their garden experts can select the best plants for your situation and help you make informed landscape design choices.

Whether you want to add color, texture, or shade to your yard, you should check out Thomas Greenhouse & Gardens for healthy plants in Mukwonago, Burlington, Lake Geneva, and Waukesha.

• Address: 420 Maple Avenue, Mukwonago, WI 53149
• Phone: 262-363-3807
• Website: thomasgreenhouse.net

What are Waukesha’s best growing plants?

Some of the best plants to grow in Waukesha include Wild Bergamot, Nannyberry, Box elder, Mulberry, Garlic mustard, Bloodrot, Common buckthorn, and Milkweed.

These unique plants are native to different regions in Wisconsin and will make your garden pop.

How much is a tree sapling?

According to a study by LawnStarter, Tree saplings cost as little as $95 to plant. Keep in mind that this is just an estimate, and your actual cost may be more or less.

Factors that can significantly influence the actual cost of young trees include their species, size, age, quality, and planting location.

What is the difference between a garden center and a nursery?

A garden center is typically set up to sell plants and related plant products, and the primary purpose of a plant nursery is to grow plants for domestic gardens.

Nurseries tend to be larger than garden centers and are focused on producing and supplying plant stock to be sold at garden centers. In contrast, garden centers sell plant stock, gardening tools, and other materials to the public market and inspire customers with creative planting ideas.