Our 32nd year of bringing  uncommon plants to you!

Our 24th year of bringing these plants to you on the world wide web

What's New at Pine Ridge Gardens

We've added info about our pesticide policy

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Dear friends, we would like to let you know that as of March 20, 2024, Pine Ridge Gardens native plant nursery has transferred ownership and management. After 32 years at the helm, founder MaryAnn King has sold the business to Brent Baker. The nursery will eventually be relocated to Brent’s property south of Dardanelle, AR, but the new facilities aren’t quite ready yet, so for a while he is continuing to operate at the former location on MaryAnn’s property north of London, AR. Announcements will be made via the website and email once the physical move is completed. Please bear with us as we work through this transition, as there may be a few kinks to be worked out, and as the transfer has come right at the start of the busy spring season for the nursery. Brent is currently reachable at pineridgegardens@gmail.com. The official phone number for the business is changing to 479-970-9143.

A note from Brent:

For those who don’t already know me, some background:

I am a Dardanelle native and a 7^th generation Arkansawyer. I have had a love for plants since as long as I can remember. I came by it naturally, with numerous plant-enthusiast family members with various extensive flower and vegetable gardens and houseplant collections. I was still single digit in age when I first began growing my own houseplants with starts from my mother’s houseplant collection. I would also dig and relocate random plants growing on our property…just because…I didn’t even know what some of them were at the time. My first ever career dream was to work in a plant nursery!

Later, in college at the University of Central Arkansas, while working toward my bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, I had the great fortune of taking Plant Taxonomy with Dr. Don Culwell. I was beyond hooked! Learning the Latin names of plants and how to identify native and naturalized plants around me felt like my calling, so much so that the following semester when I was missing that activity terribly, I began a special project under Dr. Culwell’s mentorship, working on an inventory of the flora of Yell County, which I later expanded to include Scott County and parlayed into a master’s thesis for my graduate degree in Biology with a Botany emphasis.

Meanwhile, shortly after graduating with my bachelor’s degree (21 years ago!), I took the Master Gardener training course and learned about MaryAnn and Pine Ridge Gardens from a classmate. I couldn’t wait to schedule a visit and before the visit was over, I had a job (“probationary,” as I recall)! Well, I worked nearly full time for MaryAnn for almost a year until I started grad school. Over the years since, I have helped at the nursery now and again and would delight in bringing MaryAnn seeds when I had the opportunity to collect some. It was a blessing to be able to work alongside MaryAnn and soak in her vast knowledge of native plant propagation. MaryAnn also introduced me to the Arkansas Native Plant Society, in which I became an active member and have served in several officer positions, as well as to the Ozark Chapter of the Society, for the which the fall retreat with MaryAnn and the other members became a cherished annual event.

After graduating with my master’s degree, I became involved with the Arkansas Vascular Flora Project and co-edited the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas. Even before the Atlas was completed, though, I landed a position as a botanist with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, working with the esteemed Arkansas (and now Southeastern) botanist and ecologist, Theo Witsell. I also served as the ANHC Herbarium collections manager during my over twelve years with the agency.

Although I loved my work at the ANHC and still strongly support the agency’s purpose and mission, life events led to a great deal of reflection and reassessment. I kept circling back to my first childhood dream. At the same time, MaryAnn was pondering the future of Pine Ridge Gardens. It seemed like fate and so we started planning and working toward this transition. That was a couple of years ago, and some of you may be aware, some major hurdles kept delaying things on my end. Although at times it was very discouraging, I choose now to look at it as a test to strengthen my resolve and give me more time to work closely with MaryAnn, hopefully setting me up for an even more successful nursery career!

I thank MaryAnn profoundly for her friendship, guidance, patience, and faith in my ability and dedication to take the reins of Pine Ridge Gardens, her pride and joy. I am grateful and honored for the opportunity to carry on her legacy of providing a wide variety of quality native plants for your home gardens, businesses, schools, and agencies, and of supporting and fostering the burgeoning native plant industry and the native plant enthusiast and conservation communities!

A note from MaryAnn:

I want to thank everyone for your support during the past 32 years.  As many of you will understand, this is a bittersweet time for me.  However, I can feel good about someone as knowledgeable as Brent taking over the reins of Pine Ridge Gardens.  He will continue to be dedicated to growing the best native plants available.  I know you will continue to support him as he undertakes the huge job of transporting PRG to his location south of Dardanelle.

Sincerely,

MaryAnn King and Brent Baker

Pine Ridge Gardens, LLC

PO Box 748

Dardanelle, AR 72834

(Temporarily physically located at 832 Sycamore Road, London, AR 72847)

(479) 970-9143
pineridgegardens@gmail.com

www.pineridgegardens.com