OUR STORY

We have been growing healthy and hardy plants on our 200 acre farm for over 25 years. Named Mandy's Spring for the abundant freshwater springs that dot our property and a turn-of-the-century pioneer and farmer named Mandy who shared her abundance of freshwater with nearby farms, our land has been cultivated by the Smith family for three generations. In 1984, the Smith family transformed the former dairy barn into a garden center, and developed the former pastures and meadows into fertile growing fields.

Todd and Leonie recognized an opportunity in Upstate New York to grow their own nursery stock, growing healthy and hardy plants that are acclimated to the harsh winters and unpredictable weather prevalent in the Northeast. Their combined horticultural and landscape design expertise made offering landscape design/build services the next logical step.

Today, as a third-generation family business, we have a deep appreciation for the land we steward and the landscapes we create. Many of our plants are grown the old-fashioned way, in the fertile fields surrounding the garden center. Our nursery team is always on hand to answer any questions and to help with consultations, and our landscape design/build team can tackle any project large or small.

In typical Smith family fashion, Todd and Leonie weren't content with just a nursery, garden center, and landscape design business. In 2010, we opened the doors of The Florist at Mandy's Spring, where we craft seasonal arrangements for any occasion. In 2019, Todd and his sons built a timber-framed barn, fulfilling a longtime dream to start an event venue. Thus, Gables & Gardens, the event barn and gardens at Mandy's Spring, was founded. The barn can accommodate groups from 2-200 for celebrations, weddings, and special events.

Our mission is to provide knowledgeable service, helpful advice, and healthy plants for landscapes and gardens that thrive for generations. Whether you need hanging baskets to spruce up your front porch or a full landscape redesign, our huge selection of healthy plants and friendly and knowledgeable service will help you to create your own garden sanctuary.

Mandy's Spring Nursery: A Brief History

1939: William & Gertrude Smith Buy The Farm
The William and Gertrude Smith family move from Argyle, NY to purchase the South Granville Farm from the US government. A "troubled asset" property since the great depression, the farm came with several barns, a larger home, and two smaller houses. One of these smaller homes was built directly over a naturally occurring spring. Interestingly, this home also included a resident- a one Amanda Chittenden; "Mandy". Part of the purchase agreement was that Mandy could remain on the property until her death. Our grandfather took to calling the spring "Mandy's" and eventually the spring and the farm became know as Mandy's Spring Farm.
1940-1968: A Farming Family
William and Gertrude Smith raised a family of seven children, growing farm to market vegetables such as potatoes and corn, and tending to a herd of about 40 dairy cows. The children grow, leave home, and settle in places across the country. A middle son, named Peter, settles in Saratoga Springs, NY. William passes away in 1968 and the farming operation ceases. For the next 25 years the farm is leased to local dairy farmers, continuing the agricultural heritage.
1984: Peter Smith Starts a Nursery
Peter Smith takes that first step to start farming again at Mandy's Spring Farm. This time the crop is nursery stock; ornamental trees and shrubs, grown in the ground, the old fashioned way. The whole family helps with the part-time operation, and soon trees and shrubs are thriving again in the fertile fields.

1989: Mandy's Spring Nursery is Incorporated
Mandy Spring Farm Nursery Inc. is incorporated in the State of NY.

Todd and Scott Smith, sons of Peter Smith, attend Cornell University and learn the technicalities of nursery stock production and landscape design.
1994: A New Generation of Growers
Todd marries Leonie Smith, they settle on the farm property, and the business becomes a full-time venture. Leonie starts up a small retail operation and Todd starts to focus on growing nursery stock and landscaping using the nursery's produce.
2000: More Growth
The business grows and now supports 10 full-time employees. A strong landscape design-build operation emerges from the landscaping business, and the retail store services local customers as well as customers from the Lake George/Saratoga Region as well as Southern Vermont. The nursery growing operation earns a reputation as a premier grower of large flowering shrubs, especially lilacs, and plants are shipped to other nurseries from Maine to Virginia.

2009: Business as Usual
After the recession, the business focus starts to shift from wholesale production to more direct-to-consumer production for our landscape and retail operations.
2010: The Florist at Mandy's Spring Opens
Surrounded by an abundance of seasonal color, Leonie opens The Florist at Mandy's Spring in 2010. Using fresh, seasonal flowers and foliage grown at the nursery and in the cut flower gardens around the garden center whenever possible, The Florist at Mandy's Spring becomes a mainstay in the Granville community, providing flowers for weddings, special occasions, and just because.
2014: The Tree Yard
Mandy's opens The Tree Yard on leased land in Wilton, NY. A seasonal market, the Tree Yard operates for four years from April to July and sows the seed for a future store in the Saratoga Springs area.

2017: Wilton, NY Expansion
Mandy's Spring purchases property on Route 9 in Wilton, NY and starts to make plans to build a boutique nursery store there.
2019: Gables & Gardens is Built
Todd and Leonie realize their longtime dream of building a wedding venue when their eldest son, Dustin gets married. Gables & Gardens is built using all timber-framed traditional methods, but with modern amenities. The gardens and venue layout are carefully planned and constructed to facilitate memorable events.
2020 & Beyond
Construction begins on a brand new store at 697 Route 9 Wilton, NY. The store is branded "Canopy" and includes indoor and outdoor retail selling areas, small greenhouses, a garden cafe, and landscape design offices.
Gables & Gardens becomes a popular venue, loved for its picturesque location and many modern amenities. Improvements are made each year, including a fire pit, patio, and flip-out wall to create more memorable events.
The retail and landscape design/build division continues to thrive, serving Upstate New York and Southern Vermont with healthy and hardy plants, as well as the plans and expertise to choose the right plant for the right location.
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