By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer

(Oct. 3, 2024) A new plant nursery has opened in Berlin.

String and Petals Nursery, a gardening venture located at 9040 Worcester Highway (Route 113), officially welcomed flora enthusiasts on Saturday, Sept. 14. The shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and is closed on Mondays.

With autumn in full spring, owner Stephanie Graves said the nursery currently has fall offerings like mums, pansies, pumpkins, perennials, plants returning each year, and pollinators.

“Perennials and pollinators are what I started with,” Graves said. “I love pollinator gardens, so I was just looking for anything that attracted pollinators, like dianthus and Russian sage … That is a lot of what I have right now, many perennials that attract pollinators. When we came out here and started working and putting everything together, there was not a pollinator in sight. I did not see a bee or a butterfly. But as soon as the truck arrived, within 30 minutes, butterflies and bees were everywhere. I want to bring that to everybody’s yard.”

Graves said she is considering the plant site’s “grand opening” next spring. As the gardening industry slows down this time of year, she is using the lull to set everything up and iron out new business kinks so they can hit the ground running come April.

For instance, the shop’s on-site building is being completed and is awaiting electricity.

“It took longer to get a building permit than I thought. Then our building was supposed to arrive a couple of weeks ago and would be late. Then it just showed up one day,” Graves said. “… There are all these steps that I wanted to work through now, so everything will be done in the spring.”

Strings and Petals Nursery intends to remain open through December. In the lead-up to the holiday season, the flora store will sell Christmas trees and wreaths and close as the festive supplies run out.

Inventory will grow in January, February and March on a small plot of land in Bishopville, provided by a couple Graves met at the Ocean Pines Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market. The nursery will then reopen for the spring in April. During this season, the owner said she would like to prioritize shade plants. She also hopes to eventually introduce a ‘cut your own flower garden’ where customers can come in and choose from different cup sizes to fill with the vegetation.

Graves is originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She attended the University of Maryland, where she met her husband. After a few moves throughout the two states, the pair finally settled on the Eastern Shore in December 2023.

The nursery owner, who has a professional background in training and development, has been gardening for the past 10 years.

“My dream has been to make my everyday job plants,” she said. “…We had moved here, and I had been saying that I wanted to open a nursery, but it seemed like such a big undertaking. It did not seem like something I could possibly do.”

After striking inspiration from YouTuber the Savvy Dirt Farmer, Graves started off small. She began selling at the Ocean Pines Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market, the market at Windmill Creek, and a small flea market at the Uptown Emporium parking lot earlier this year.

“I could not have done this without the community,” Graves said.

The owner is also excited about the connections this job will foster with other Worcester County residents and visitors.

“I have people that come in that are super experienced and teach me things, and I love learning,” she said. “And then I love teaching others. We have people that come in and say, ‘I kill everything I plant.’ So, then we have a conversation about the soil they have. Do they have sun? Do you have shade? Some of us underwater or overwater. I try to help them find something that works for them.”

Graves said she hopes to one day launch area-wide events to unite the county.

“Right now, I am just trying to get everything started, but in a couple of years, I want to see what I can do for the community instead of what the community can do for me,” she said.

Strings and Petals Nursery also sells crocheted creations, as Graves makes yarn flowers and succulents, which she said have been a big hit. The gardener will also be at the Wool and Fiber Expo at the Ocean City Convention Center the weekend of Jan. 17 to teach a few classes on the needlework activity.

The business venture was one of passion for Graves.

“I have always looked forward to the little things in life,” she said. “… I do not feel like the big things in life are always the most important. The best things are the tiny moments that add up, and that is what I love about gardening. All those tiny moments, seeing things grow and change year to year as your garden changes.