Inland Bays Garden Center: For Native Plants It's a Shore Thing

Headed to the beach?

Inland Bays Garden Center

Inland Bays is a full service garden center that centers all things native plants! Just north of the Maryland - Delaware border and a few minutes west of Bethany, Inland Bays is highly worth a trip from any of the beach locales. I stopped on my way back from Lewes.

First of all, the people who work here are super friendly and super enthusiastic about native plants. Inland Bays has a fantastic inventory of straight species perennials, shrubs and trees, cultivars and some ornamentals, though they are trying to transition to all natives.

Each of the plants are well cared for. All of the shrubs and trees are watered by individual drip emitters which makes a huge difference. On an incredibly hot day in July, all of the plants were looking fresh and ready to go. I'm always impressed when a nursery is into the details. For instance, Inland Bays has a number of fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus) for sale and they are identified as male or female. This is important if you are looking for a tree that produces those blue olive size fruits in late summer. That would be the female tree! Owners Cheryl Rehrig and Denise Hoeksema are proud to sell these plants and it shows.

Cheryl got her start with native plants working with a group of school kids building a pollinator garden. One thing led to another and after teaching a couple of classes about native plant gardening, Cheryl realized it was difficult to find native plants. Somewhat serendipitously, the owner of a local garden center let Cheryl know the business would shortly be for sale. Cheryl immediately called fellow teacher Denise who was sharing her expertise on native plants with classes in Pennsylvania. The two decided to give it a go. Fast forward 10 years and Inland Bays Garden Center is buzzing with plants and activity.

mosquito bucket info

demo bed

obedient plants

This is a welcoming place. From mini demonstration gardens to fun garden decor to the friendly team, it feels like a place you want to be a part of. And there are lots of ways to do that. In addition to the array of plants, the nursery offers all sorts of classes and activities for beginners and longtime gardeners alike. Inland Bays provides landscape design and installation, garden bed renovations, garden coaching, and work on special projects like salt water tolerant gardens, pollinator gardens and rain gardens. They even provide visual illustrations to help with homeowner association approvals. In short, they do it all and, as they like to say, with a purpose! Services are limited to their immediate area in Delaware. That said the nursery has something for all gardeners no matter where you live. In addition to the plants, the team is all very knowledgeable and eager to help you be successful.

Dill at Inland Bays Garden Center

While Inland Bays is all in on native plants, they do sell some ornamental plants, those plants from afar that customers ask for again and again. Cheryl says she is trying hard to move away from crepe myrtle trees for example but when they are in bloom, that's what customers are looking for and to keep the business healthy, she ends up carrying a few each year. No doubt, whatever plants one purchases, it would be hard to leave Inland Bays without at least a little excitement about native plants. At Inland Bays, the low key enthusiasm is contagious in the very best way.

Happy Gardening.