Don’t look now, but Red Hook is turning into Brooklyn’s Gardening District. Can a Plant War with vicious price cutting and hortacultural skullduggery be far behind?
No less than three garden shops are now open in the Hook. The Chelsea Garden Center Brooklyn has been operating for a couple of weeks at 444 Van Brunt Street, a block from the Red Hook Fairway. The Gowanus Nursery, which lost its space on Third Street, reopened last month at 45 Summit Street. And, this weekend saw the Grand Opening of the Liberty Sunset Garden Center on Pier 41 at 204 Van Dyke Street. We found about this because a van with ample signage was parked two store away from Chelsea (below), and signage for the Liberty Garden was also on display on a telephone pole. Red Hook Geranium War, anyone?
Three garden centers in Red Hook, plus the longstanding Red Hook Community Farm. (Not to mention the nearby corporate competition, which we won’t.) Who would ever have thunk it?
Related Posts:
Future Home of the Red Hook Chelsea Garden Center
Gowanus Nursery Finds a New Home…In Red Hook
13 responses so far ↓
1 Brooklyn Salt // May 14, 2007 at 6:08 am
Over the weekend, we headed to Red Hook to get some plants for our windowboxes and planters in front. We decided to go to Liberty Sunset Garden Center. And we were not disappointed. It is awesome. They have a great selection and very, very good prices.
2 Lesterhead // May 14, 2007 at 7:57 am
I picked up a bleeding heart plant at the Chelsea Garden Center (I was looking for the Gowanus Nursery, but found Chelsea first). They were extraordinarily nice!
3 Chewy // May 14, 2007 at 10:56 am
I was put off by the worker’s attitudes at Gowanus Nursery.
4 EFB // May 14, 2007 at 1:23 pm
was at gowanus nursery y’day. they have a great and interesting selection but it’s pretty expensive.
5 Brooks of Sheffield // May 14, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I love the Gowanus Nursery, and I’m glad they’re here, but I’d have to agree with Chewy. An attitude adjustment is in order. Botany and gardening are not things to get haughty about.
6 sad_otter // May 14, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Just my two cents, but I’ve always found the peeps at the Gowanus Nursery to be quite friendly and helpful.
7 zhaus // May 14, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I also have found them (gowanus nursery) helpful and not haughty, but kind of expensive. Are they still there? I drove by last week and the lot was totally vacant…
8 sad_otter // May 15, 2007 at 1:26 pm
They’ve moved over to Summit St. between Columbia and Van Brunt.
9 The Know-All // May 15, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Checked these our a couple weeks back before Liberty was open, but Gowanus and Chelsea are expensive! $20 for a flat of coleus at Chelsea? Are you kidding me? They were very nice, but really…
I’d love to support local businesses, so I can only hope they’ll have a price war. As is, makes a lot more sense to drive out to Long Island nurseries.
10 Hope // May 23, 2007 at 9:16 am
Hi all! Love reading everyones responses to our “cottage industry” gardening centers in Redhook…Our flat prices (Liberty Sunset Garden Center) start at 12.99 for a standard 36 piece flat. Even if your not buying come on over and enjoy our view and a complimentary glass of wine or beer. Our list of gardening seminars will be up soon as well. Suggestions, we always want to hear them. Best-Hope
11 Anonymous // Jun 3, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Um, driving out to Long Island to save money — is there a place to get free gas there that I don’t know about? Give some value to your time too?
12 Anonymous // Jun 20, 2007 at 1:58 pm
just went to gowanus to see if they could beat the prices of GRDN (in boerum hill, which i love, but suspect they are premium in pricing). prices were similar for a plant that i was looking at–only the person who was giving me ‘advice’ at gowanus really wasn’t giving me any advice at all. in fact, i felt like i was intruding on her time.
13 Anonymous // Jul 2, 2007 at 3:00 pm
The Chelsea Garden Center is outrageously overpriced. You feel like a sucker buying even something basic there. The other day, I tried to run in for a couple of tomato cages, but they were $8 each!! The exact same ones were being sold at Tru Value on Court St. for 99 cents each.
Liberty Sunset is a good place though. I just worry that people will end up at Chelsea because it’s much easier to find. But they deserve to go out of business, and fast.