Rick's Custom Nursery  was established as a wholesale nursery in 1981 selling to garden centers and commercial landscapers throughout the Mid Atlantic states.  Following Rick's surgery for severe back injuries in 2000, we were no longer able to continue selling to garden centers and  forced to close our wholesale operation. However, we couldn't stop growing plants! We merely switched gears and focused on offering the general public an expanded selection of unique perennials, trees and shrubs direct from us, the grower!

Our goal is to provide the newest introductions and best cultivars developed in the horticultural world. We are constantly searching and testing these selections in our display gardens in order to offer an exceptional product to you! Our annual Open House extends an invitation for you to tour our display gardens and view the selections which are suitable for your landscape.

Over the years, we've become aware of the alarming trend of perennials being grown like annuals. Frequently grown in heated greenhouses, over fertilized and forced for early spring sales, these 'chemically addicted' plants will typically fail in the landscape. Our hardy, robust plants are grown for a year, over wintered in unheated hoop houses and have never been 'forced'. We are committed to   provide superior plant quality with the outstanding selection of top performing hardy perennials, trees and shrubs we offer. You can buy from us with confidence. Read the comments from our customers at Garden Watchdog! Visiting Us:  Rick's Custom Nursery is located in Lexington, Virginia and is open by appointment only.

If you'd like to make an appointment to visit us, please email us. We will make every effort to provide a convenient time for your visit.  However, we request at least a 48 hour notice to ensure we are able to plan our daily responsibilities around your visit. We do not provide a telephone number as we have no employees available to answer the phone. Our home is our nursery and we are away from the phone from dawn to dusk. We understand that you may have questions - however, please do not try to contact us by telephone. We check our mail every day before dawn and we will happily answer any questions promptly via email. 

Visit us at our annual Open House  or plan a visit to any of the Botanical Garden Fairs in Virginia where we exhibit in the spring and fall.

Mail Order:

We encourage our Botanical Garden Fair customers to place orders for pick up at these fairs in order to take advantage of our discounted show pricing and eliminate shipping costs. Advance orders also provide the best selection!

We gladly accept mail orders and ship Priority Mail via U.S. Postal Service. Information can be found here: Ordering 

Garden Watchdog, at Dave's Garden, is an independent review of mail order companies, allowing users to read reviews and rate their experiences with mail order companies. Click here to view our rating at Garden Watchdog!  Please feel free to add your comments - your feedback is always appreciated! 

Proprietors:  Rick and Debbie Corrington 

We do it all! We have no team of workers - we are the 'team' and actually prefer it that way. Although our demanding 24/7 schedule doesn't permit much time away from the nursery, we love growing plants and wouldn't have it any other way. Our two 'man' team allows us to be intimately involved in the day to day production of all our plants and provide the TLC they deserve. When we are able to take a break in our production cycle, you'll most likely find us exploring the woodlands. Our interest in wildflowers provides endless enjoyment whether we're challenged with identifying new finds or taking advantage of the many photography opportunities.

In addition to my daily tasks at the nursery,  I've recently joined the team of writers at Dave's Garden who publish daily articles about what else - Gardening!  It's no secret that DG (as it's referred to by its members) is my favorite gardening website. I'm honored they have given me an opportunity to try my hand at writing. If you'd like to read a sample of my articles, click here. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've enjoyed writing them! ~ Debbie

Our website is updated regularly with the new selections we offer. Images of the plants are added to our Photo Gallery when available. The website was originally developed for Botanical Garden Fair customers who requested a reference for plants we offer. We've attempted to provide an uncomplicated site with easy navigation. As we maintain the website ourselves, we always appreciate your comments or suggestions. Please feel free to email us anytime! 

Thank you for visiting Rick's Custom Nursery!

~ Rick and Debbie