Bartlett's Farm Shade Garden

The Shade Garden Collection

We grow many interesting and beautiful plants that are of the highest quality. We sell both annuals and perennials that we grow in the greenhouses and in the fields.

Click Here for our  Deer Resistant Plant List

Bartlett's sells Proven Winners: America's #1 Plant Brand

Proven Winners

We now carry Coast of Maine Organic Mulches and Compost...Click the image to the right for more information.

Coast of Maine Organic Mulches

To find out more about our soil mixes, please see Fafard's site. Fafard produces peatmoss, soilless mixes, top soil, peat humus, potting soils, and composted manures...

Fafard SOil Mixes
Rows of plants

Rows of plants

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s the difference between an annual and a perennial?


A: Generally, annuals live through one growing season and produce an abundance of flowers through the season. Perennials often have a shorter bloom time, but come back every year for several years.

Q: Why do the plants in pots cost more than the plants in packs?


A: Our annuals can be produced in two ways; either vegetatively or by seed. Vegetative plants are grown from a cutting of a mature plant. These are grown and sold in pots. Alternately, seed grown plants are started from seeds collected from other plants. These are mostly grown and sold in ‘cell-packs.’ Vegetative plants have an advantage over seed grown plants because they have already matured in some ways. When a rooted cutting is placed in a pot of soil, it is ready to grow rapidly, and it does! When a seed is started, it has to use a lot of energy to ‘get started,’ making it grow more slowly, and burn out more quickly than it’s vegetatively produced cousin.

When you look at plants grown both ways, the differences are obvious. The vegetative plant is more vigorous in most cases, and it blooms longer than the seeded alternative.

Q: What are Proven Winners and Proven Selections?


A: Proven Winners is the name of a group of plants selected for their outstanding garden qualities and for their ability to out-perform many other plants in your garden. In a nutshell, you get more blooms and less maintenance (deadheading!) with a PW or PS. They have won hundreds of awards throughout the country and they have proved themselves to be very favorable plants for Nantucket gardens. Proven Winners is the #1 plant brand in the United States. All are vegetatively produced, and we grow 216 varieties of Proven Winners and Proven Selections. PW’s are grown and sold in their signature white pot. Ask for lists in the garden center.

Q: How can I improve my sandy soil?


A: We are fortunate to have so much sand in our soil. It is easy to add organic matter to make it hold water better. Coast of Maine organic mulches and Fafard soil conditioners are good choices to enrich your soil. From manure to mulch, these bagged products are available year-round so when you are ready to garden, they are here for you.

Q: When do I prune my hydrangeas?


A: Early Spring pruning is for Climbers, Annabele, Grandiflora and PeeGees. Macrophyllas like Nikko Blue, Oakleaf, Lace Caps, and Summer Beauty should be pruned as soon as the flowers fade. Cut back the flowering stems to the strongest pair of new shoots that is close to the ground. As plants mature, begin to thin out the oldest woody stems. Remove crossed, crowded, broken and dead branches.