Historic Houston Nurseries

[morpheus]

After my adventures as a R&R drummer in the 60's I changed direction and got a job at Cornelius Nursery around 1971. I loved it, and it became one of my various occupations over the years. The work environment was wonderful-a riot of color and heavenly scents, the cool spray of constant watering, which intensified the fragrances of marigolds, phlox, jasmine and roses.

 

Customers all seemed to be in a good mood there, so I ended up making the rounds of numerous nurseries in the next three years. But I forget their names, except for Gardenland on Westheimer, which was the last place I worked at before hitting the road for the Rockies in '74.

 

There was a very well established place, in Bellaire, I think. And a small one at the intersection of San Felipe and 610,  where I recall Dan Pastorini came in looking for some pots, with his buxom girlfriend.

And a really really tiny one on Richmond, between Greenbriar and Kirby.

 

Anyone remember these?

[brucesw]

The big one in Bellaire was Teas Nursery, now Evelyn's Park.

 

I don't remember the other two.

[NenaE]

Cornelius Nurseries:

 

 - 1200 N. Dairy Ashford. walked through there in recent years. Street view on GoogleEarth - looks like it's closed now.

 

- @ 1753 Cypress Creek Pkwy (FM 1960) (rt. before I-45), gone now...not sure, but seem to remember something about it burning.  

 

I always loved that name... the 1970's wooden sign is cool, too. 

 

Edited April 12, 2015 by NenaE

[brucesw]

Covington's on Bingle and I think they had one on Airline?  Only went to the one on Bingle and that not until much later when I got a place where I could have a garden.  They were popular with gardeners for their vegetables and seeds.

 

Okay, correction to what I posted hastily the other day - I don't remember one at 610 and San Felipe or the one on Richmond you mentioned and where was Gardenland?

 

There was the River Oaks Plant House, Westheimer @ Buffalo Speedway, replaced now by West Avenue.

 

I lived in Montrose 70-74 and went mostly to Teas but I keep thinking there was another sizeable one but I can't recall where or what the name was; I'm pretty sure it wasn't any of the other ones named so far.

 

I guess Home Depot and Builder's Square, then Lowe's, played a roll in a lot of these small nurseries going out of business?

 

What was the predecessor of the ubiquitous Houston Garden Centers chain?

[FilioScotia]

You may know, or maybe you don't know, that Teas Nursery holds the distinction of being one of the oldest continuously operated commercial businesses in the country, and one of the oldest in Texas. It even has a Texas Historical Marker at the Bellaire location. Here's what the marker says.

 

"Teas Nursery Company traces its history to 1843, when John C. Teas began selling apples out of his back yard in Indiana. After moving the business to Missouri in 1868, Teas became a nationally prominent horticulturist. In 1908 his son, horticulturist Edward Teas, met developer W. W. Baldwin who was then planning the community of Westmoreland Farms and the town of Bellaire in southwest Harris County.  Baldwin hired Teas to execute the planting designs for Bellaire Boulevard and adjacent streets. Teas started work in Bellaire early in 1909. The next year, he moved his family from Missouri to this site and opened Teas Nursery Company. Initially specializing in the sale of fruit trees and flowering shrubs and plants, the business was later expanded to include landscaping services. The company's early projects included the landscaping of Rice Institute (now Rice University) and the River Oaks subdivision. By 1951 Teas Nursery had planted over one million trees in the Houston area. Edward Teas died the same year, leaving ownership of the nursery to his descendants."

[Specwriter]

Don't forget Buchanan's on 11th street in the Heights and Mass Nursery on Todville Road in Seabrook - two of the best.