Nathan is a long time Member of Our Backyard Growers Members Area which is why his nursery is being featured here.
But I have to brag on Nathan a bit because he started with us right out of high school just a few years ago. (I bought this box of plants from him way back then.) He has done an amazing job! Nice work Nathan, I am very proud of you.
Whistle Hill Nursery
1538 Oak Ridge Hwy.
Clinton, Tennessee
37716
You don’t have to overpay to get quality landscape plants!
Whistle Hill Nursery is loaded with all kinds of perennials, shrubs, and trees that good ole regular folks can afford.
Hi, I’m Nathan Carmichael . . . also known around town as “that guy with all the plants”. My place is easy to find, right off the main highway in Clinton, Tennessee. Actually, the sales area takes up the whole side yard of my house.
At last count, I grow over 300 varieties. I’m always shuffling plants around and trying out new ones, so you never know what beauties you’ll find here.
When spring fever hits, any bloom is a welcome sight! Daffodils, candytuft, azaleas, dogwoods, bleeding heart, periwinkle, redbud trees, and ten kinds of creeping phlox grab lots of attention.
Then in the blink of an eye there is color everywhere, with coral bells, hydrangea, butterfly bush, ice plant, hosta, crape myrtle, daylily, spirea, Japanese maples . . . well, that’s a glimpse.
You can get the full story (with loads of pictures) at whistlehillnursery.com .
All of my plants start off way over on the other side of the property, in my nursery that sprawls along the top of the hill. I like to keep things simple, so I don’t have any greenhouses. I’m all about plants that just do their thing and look great. If they can handle the rigors of all four seasons, then I know they can grow like crazy when you give them room to be at their best in your yard.
I often have customers whip out their phones and scroll through their photos to show me how well their plants are doing. They proudly show off their clematis covered in purple blooms, or how tall their row of screening trees has grown since last year. Stories like that really make my day!
Plants in easy-to-manage sizes have a lot going for them. If you have ever had sparks fly off your shovel when trying to dig in rocky, Tennessee clay, then you know that smaller holes are definitely a plus! Watering is easier too, since a good soaking quickly reaches all the roots.
And the real clincher . . . young starts save you money! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that green things grow. A bit of patience can reward you with amazing, well-established bushes and flowers and leave you with jingle in your pocket too!
After all . . . why settle for just one plant when you can afford a whole wagon-load?
Perennials − Shrubs − Fruit − Grasses − Trees − Ground-cover − Evergreens
Lots of good stuff!
Get ready to jump-start your landscaping plans!
My sale season starts up around the second week of March and rolls through mid-June. Stop by on Fridays and Saturdays (9 till 6), and roam the rows to your heart’s content. Each plant features a large, easy-to-read description, along with a picture or two, to help you figure out all the possibilities for your yard.
Have questions? Ideas? Not sure? − I’m here to here to help!
The exact address is 1538 Oak Ridge Highway, Clinton, TN 37716.
It is easy to find, directly off four-lane Hwy. 61 . . . just 10 minutes
east of Oak Ridge, the “Secret City” from WWII; or 10 min. west of
Clinton, where antique shops line Market Street.
If you are in the Maryville area, visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, my place is about an hour away; or a 30-minute drive from Knoxville, Tennessee.
***
And speaking of directions . . .
Nathan: I want to give a hearty thank you to Mike McGroarty, the human GPS of the plant world. Your guidance on the Backyard Growers Board is invaluable! Because of all that I learned there, I was able to avoid a maze of unproductive rabbit trails and step right from high school into the start of a thriving nursery business that I really enjoy. Thank you for your willingness to share your real-life knowledge. I am grateful!
Mike: You are welcome Nathan, it has been a joy watching your success as a grower. I’ll tell you what kind of a guy Nathan is, this year he had hundreds and hundreds of rooted cuttings that he didn’t have room for. So he gave them to his sisters and let them Sell them in Our Members Area!
Questions or comments post them below.
I. Need to know how to order a pink dogwood tree from you now
Allan,
Pretty sure you’ll have to pick the tree up at Nathan’s nursery.
Mike, I would love to see more photos of more growers just like this. I used to have grass rows similar to this, but I could never keep the grass clippings from making a mess inside the bed with how much our grass grows in april out here in the Pacific northwest….but it sure does look nice!