Browne & Howell Nursery — Leander

Browne & Howell Nursery — Leander

Written by Kara Vaught Saturday, 07 April 2007

Browne & Howell Nursery continues family legacies

As a fifth-generation nursery owner, Jonathan Howell is rooted in plant knowledge and the gardening business.

Strolling through his greenhouse at Browne & Howell Nursery in Leander, the scientific names of various annuals and perennials roll off his tongue, as do planting and care tips.

“You’ve got to watch out for any plants potted in glazed ceramic,” Howell said. “Clay pots allow plants to breath, but ceramic locks the moisture in, so plants potted in them tend to get soaked.”

Howell opened his own version of the family business last Mother’s Day weekend. After years of selling plants with his family in Waxahachie, Howell and his wife, Kathy, moved to Leander to restore the Pickle-Mason house, a Texas Historical landmark that Kathy’s family has owned since 1913. The nursery sits behind the home on Old 2243.

Howell and a staff of three raise annuals, perennials, flowering shrubs, vegetables and ornamental grasses for both wholesale and individual customers.

While the nursery has plenty of the plants locals are accustom to seeing and planting, Howell makes sure to stock less common varieties that have the potential to become his customers’ new favorites.

“My niche is selling lots of annuals you rarely see. When people come in here, their jaws drop,” Howell said. “However, the things I grow here are all things home gardeners can grow in their own yards.”

Howell’s unusual garden varieties include the chicken gizzard plant, Iresine herbstii, with a distinctly crimson-colored, variegated leaf, and rainbow daisies, Gazani, which have brightly colored, striped petals in several shades.

In the future, Howell said he wants the nursery to include a much larger greenhouse and greater selection of plants and trees on the 3.6 acres of land adjacent to H-E-B Plus!

He also has plans for a rainwater collection system. The system would not save him money - the thousands of gallons of well water he uses now are basically free - but rainwater is more conducive to gardening than the hard ground water.

Howell said he’s extremely pleased with the nursery’s success over the first year of business. “We’re going gangbusters right now,” Howell said. “My vision is to stay here and expand.”

The Pickle-Mason house

Built in 1871 by Master Carpenter Andrew Porter Pickle for his family, the house was sold to Augusta K. and Zora Mason Davis in 1913 and has remained in the family. In 1988, it was recorded as a Texas Historical Landmark, having been the first home in western Williamson County with screened windows.

The home consists of two structures under one roof. The rear portion is sided with shiplap and the front with milled siding and a five-bay façade.

Browne & Howell Nursery, 11330 Old 2243 W. • Leander, 259-5565