Dear John and all interested, For myself, I go to different nurseries depending on what I am looking for. One has more trees than all the others so when I am looking for trees I go there. Another has more unusual shade plants and Oz/NZ shrubs. A different one sort of specializes in roses and alstromeria and begonias. One or two have perennials not available at the other nurseries such as Monkshoods, Mulleins, Veronicas, named Campanulas, Excelsior Foxgloves, etc. I don't frequent any of the Armstrongs on a regular basis because they have mostly 'fast food' plants, a much-reduced bulb selection, and a lot of what my husband would call 'artsy-fartsy' stuff - most of which seems to me to be too much of a 'prop' to look natural in a garden. For the same reason, I don't go to Rogers Gardens much anymore either. I'm afraid that without the benefit of large-scale buying, you'd have to make it on your looks and charming personality - always possible! Even The Bat likes you and she doesn't like anyone! And of course barring perhaps Jim Duggan, you would have more personal expertise than everyone working at any one nursery all put together - perhaps more than all of them put together. That might do it. When you consider who your competition is and that virtually all nurseries sell a six pack for about $2.99 and a gallon plant for $6.99 - there's not much room for a big profit from just selling plants. Personally my favorite nursery was Heard's Country Gardens in Westminster. Unfortunately Mary Heard could not continue so it is gone, alas! But it was really and genuinely charming. The whole nursery was 'planted' with plants. Every piece of ground - the whole thing was a garden. The plants for sale were tucked here and there within the plants that were growing there. She had lots of vines on trellises, arbors, growing up the drainpipes. There were real chickens. Many mini-gardens. Wonderful fresh (but commercial) seeds. A very few but very beautiful garden books and gifts - somehow they never seemed pretentious to me. And the ladies who worked there were sort of housewives working part time. They never intimidated you but did know something about plants - some more than others. They were very friendly and nice and did not wear the uniform one sees everywhere nowadays. I miss her and her nursery very much. Cathy Craig President PBS Maritime zone 9b