Sheltering in the Garden

Sheltering in the Garden

They live in a garden paradise, so sheltering-in-place has been business as usual. For over 35 years, the natural wonderland that Diane Meucci and Wolfgang Marquardt cultivated from untamed woods has been the home and home base for their successful landscaping, mail-order, and retail plant business. Diane and Wolfgang describe their lush innovation near Eads, Tennessee, Gardens Oy Vey, as a “nursery within a garden.”

While the couple has interrupted their business routine very little, they decided at the beginning of the Covid-19 dilemma to close the nursery to the public for the pandemic’s duration. Diane, however, continues designing inspired gardens and landscapes for old and new clients. Wolfgang is still creating imaginative table gardens that he sells at farmers’ markets and garden venues regionally. He also manages a substantial online nursery, mailing plants and plant materials via UPS, USPS, and Fed-EX at no charge to 32 states.

Gardens Oy Vey’s plant inventory is a shade-lovers’ heaven. There’s a diverse mixture of hostas, ferns, and ground groundcovers, and the most unusual varieties of hydrangeas in the area. The nursery is laid out beautifully in vignettes that suggest ways to arrange all the various offerings. When they’re eventually able to open again for several hours on Friday and Saturday, visitors can enjoy strolling through the garden to make their plant selections.

In addition to hydrangeas, the garden offers a large selection of azaleas, camellias, viburnum, camellias, and evergreens. For trees, there are small trees such as Japanese maples, and multiple kinds of fruit trees. Also, there’s bamboo and grasses, drought-tolerant plants, and climbers and vines. All of the stock is available for buying online and shipping, except Wolfgang’s smart table gardens.

An article from 2013 goes into more detail about Gardens Oy Vey, a local treasure. Please take the time to read it and be aware that there’s extraordinary garden design help and more from Gardens Oy Vey.

http://porchscene.com/2013/08/06/oy-vey-paradise-in-a-gully-by-deborah-fagan-carpenter/

Gardens Oy Vey web site: www.gardensoyvey.com

Deborah Fagan Carpenter, May 2020

Images: Wolfgang Marquardt