Mike's Backyard Nursery

The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Bibs On!

  • Home
  • Recommended Tools
  • Products
  • Categories
    • Complete Guides
    • Gardening
    • Growing
    • Landscape Design
    • Plant Care
    • Propagation
  • Contact
  • About Mike
Home » Backyard Nurseries » Wild Juniper Nursery, TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan

Wild Juniper Nursery, TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan

Updated : February 7, 2020

Leave a Comment

Tom Jessmore
Tom is a Member of Our Backyard Growers Business Center which is why his nursery is being featured here.
In July 2017, I began a journey which has led me to operating Wild Juniper Nursery in northwest Lower Michigan – located at my home in Traverse City, Michigan – near Leelanau, Antrim, Benzie, and Antrim counties.

My business is propagating, growing, and selling perennials, shrubs and ornamental trees in trade gallon pots for $5.97. I was always accused of spending too much time in my yard. One day it hit me. I actually love working outside and around plants. Two and half years later, I now carry roughly 8,000 potted plants covering 250 varieties.

I sell plants at my house by appointment only. You can contact me at [email protected], at my web site: wildjunipernursery.com, on Instagram: wildjunipernursery or through my Facebook page: Wild Juniper Nursery.

I sell at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market each spring and have 3 or 4 pop up sales throughout the season. I grow from my house without a greenhouse. Plants often take 3 or 4 seasons of caring before they’re ready to sell. These are not some mamby pamby plants! They’ve sat outside covered in 2 feet of snow, faced down a howling artic wind from Canada and have grown up close to YOUR home – not shipped in from a greenhouse in Tennessee. That makes them ready for success in your own landscape.

Are you fed up looking at your old landscape? Are the shrubs all woody and overgrown? Wild Juniper Nursery can help you. It seems silly to me now, but I was the guy going to the box stores making plant buying decisions from a ½” plastic tag stuck in the pot. I had no idea whether that plant would grow in my yard. The folks working in the Garden Center were friendly, but it was obvious they didn’t know plants from allen wrenches. Sound familiar? Stop what you’re doing! Come pay us a visit. We talk plants and will help you make good buying decisions.

Did you catch what I said above? We offer all this and sell most of our plants for $5.97 – sure we have some plants that cost more than that, but even those are a bargain.

I’m not going to list all 250 varieties here, but if you go to my web site wildjunipernursery.com, you can find more information. I take great pride in being a local business. Over 95% of my potted plant – from the soil, the plant, and heck – even the pots are made in Michigan, just up the road. If you’ve ever vacationed in our beautiful Traverse City area, you understand why I live here.

Help me out by sharing my story with friends and family that have a cottage here but don’t know the “local nursery” to get their plants for the cottage. We carry a large selection of native plants, pollinators, and shade loving plants. WE ALSO CARRY PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS OUR LOCAL DEER AND RABBITS WON’T EAT!

So who was my mentor that got me started on this journey? Where do I turn to for advice, support, or a kick in the pants from a donkey owner? None other than Mike McGroarty and the Backyard Growers Club.

I turn to this group every single day. It’s like knowing the farmer down the road. They are there to help my nursery succeed! Mike is a no nonsense nurseryman with over 30 years’ experience. And yes, he too operates his own nursery, just like the farmer down the road.

Questions or comments? Post them below.

Take a gander at these posts...

  • Messages like this Bring Tears to My Eyes.
  • A Successful 20 Year Old
  • Is A Virtual Nursery Really Possible?
  • Meet A Few Backyard Growers!
  • Arkansas Backyard Nurseries

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

$180.00 per Square Foot? Is it really possible?

Posted On March 28, 2023 By Mike

Rooted cuttings of variegated weigela in bunches to harden off.

Over Wintering Rooted Cuttings.

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

Mike's Big Perennial Bed.

Mike’s Big Perennial Garden

Posted On January 8, 2023 By Mike

A Profound Thank You from Mike.

Posted On September 1, 2022 By Mike

Finnegan keeping the sun off his head.

An Old Guy, Two Donkeys, a Puppy and a Hammock. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted On July 17, 2022 By Mike

This upside down donkey is a hoot!

An Upside Down Donkey and Cute Puppy.

Posted On July 14, 2022 By Mike

'Rockin Raspberry' Bee Balm.

‘Rockin Raspberry’ Bee Balm.

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

Posted On June 26, 2022 By Mike

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

Posted On June 25, 2022 By Mike

Complete Guides

Growing, Rooting and Propagating Dappled Willow in Tree Form from Cuttings.

Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs.

The Correct Way to Pot Rooted Cuttings, Nursery Stock Liners and other Plants.

Training Arborvitae and other Conical Evergreens to Grow with a Single Leader.

How to Propagate, Root Cuttings, of Dwarf Alberta Spruce.

Recent Posts

'Bubblegum Blast' Bee Balm.

‘Bubblegum Blast’ Bee Balm

This beautiful Bee Balm is part of the 'Sugar Buzz' series. I planted these in my perennial bed last summer and this year they are beautiful and blooming like crazy! They grow from 16" to 24" tall, are hardy from zone 4 through zone 8. They love full sun … Read Full Article

Blue Angel Hosta.

‘Blue Angel’ Hosta.

'Blue Angel'hosta is by far one of my favorite blue hostas. A big hosta like this in a perennial bed covers a lot of area and that keeps a ton of weeds at bay! These giant heart shaped leaves are very slug resistant. We have this plant in full sun. With … Read Full Article

Big Daddy Hosta.

‘Big Daddy’ Hosta

'Big Daddy' hosta is one of my favorite big hostas, mostly because it's big, it's blue and it has very interested leaves that are a bit dimpled. Big Daddy hosta gets about 24" tall and 36" wide. It's hardy in zones 3 through 9, the flowers are blends of … Read Full Article

'Humpback Whale' hosta.

‘Humpback Whale’ Hosta.

We sold out of 'Humpback Whale' hosta pretty early this year. Humpback Whale is pretty impressive hosta and this one really hasn't matured yet because they can get three feet high and 7 feet wide. I've also seen photos of them that show them to be a lot … Read Full Article

Ice Plant, delosperma

Ice Plant, delosperma

How pretty is that? And it's a ground hugging perennial that comes back year and year. These plants were new to our nursery last year so Pam and I planted three of them in our landscape at home. Not only did they do really well last year but they wintered … Read Full Article

Copyright © 2023 · Hill Country Digital Media, LLC · Privacy Policy · Earnings Disclaimer · Terms of Service