Emerald Garden

Emerald Garden

Written by Katie Gutierrez Friday, 11 April 2008

Tucked away on the frontage road of Hwy. 290 W is a gardeners’ haven a little different from other area nurseries. It is called Emerald Garden and has been a Southwest Austin fixture for 16 years.

Manager Jeff Yarborough has maintained it since its inception for co-owners Trey Wyatt and Luke Hogan.

“Emerald Garden has changed a lot since I came on board,” said Yarborough, who had prior experience managing nurseries. “We started out selling bulk soil, compost and landscape rocks, mostly to landscape professionals. Today we’re a full-service nursery.”

According to Yarborough, the chief contributor to Emerald Garden’s evolution has been location. For more than a decade, the nursery sat at the Y intersection of highways 290 and 71, just north of its current site. Then, in 2002, the state purchased that land in order to widen Hwy. 290, and Emerald Garden relocated—and refocused.

“We had opened a small water garden at our original location,” Yarborough explained. “It took off, and we used the move as an opportunity to expand into a full nursery. Now I’d say the only problem is we have too many specialties!” he laughed.

In addition to Central Texas staples like palms, fruit trees and rose bushes, Emerald Garden specializes in a diverse range of exotic and aquatic plants. Japanese boxwoods and maples are a big seller, Yarborough said, as are noninvasive or “clumping” bamboos, and lilies for ponds or fountains. In addition, catering to customers outside the central Austin area, Emerald Garden carries deer-resistant shrubbery and large goldfish for ponds.

“We have the biggest trees in South Austin and offer a full selection of plants year-round,” Yarborough said. “We have a lot of regular customers, and I think it’s because of the sheer variety of what we offer.”

Still, Yarborough acknowledges even some of those regular customers often have difficulty finding Emerald Garden. Despite serving as a catalyst for positive change, the frontage location has also been the nursery’s largest disadvantage for compromising visibility. To combat this effect, Yarborough said, the nursery will soon be employing a uniquely Austin initiative to attract potential customers: music.

“We’re already offering free gardening seminars every Saturday through June,” said Yarborough, “and now we’re also inviting people to come enjoy live music from local bands on the third Saturday of the month through June. Although we’re definitely hoping to attract more customers,” Yarborough grinned, “we’re also doing it because it’s fun.”

Disappearing fountains

According to manager Jeff Yarborough, Emerald Garden was the first nursery in Austin to carry “disappearing fountains.” Taking the form of large glazed pots, basalts or even volcanic stones, the fountains recycle water from a reservoir two to three inches underground; thus, water flows up and through the piece and then seemingly disappears back underneath. Emerald Garden’s fountains come in easily assembled kits.