Shopper’s Diary: Clement Nursery, San Francisco’s Oldest Garden Store

I frequent San Francisco most weekends, so when I learned of a very old nursery nestled into two full city blocks, I knew I needed to make a bee-line there. What I encountered was a unique space filled with history, well-chosen plants, and friendly staff. In essence, Clement Nursery feels more like a quirky garden than a retail business. To get the full story of this place, I asked longtime avid gardener and owner Phillip Feemster for the insider scoop on the origin, trends, and future plans for this neighborhood nursery.

Photography courtesy of Phillip Feemster, unless otherwise noted.

The buildings that make up Clement Nursery date back to 1904 when they were part of a dairy farm—yes, cattle once roamed San Francisco’s Richmond District. In fact, the former hay barn is now the nursery storefront and the back building was originally the dairy’s cookhouse. The nursery was founded in 1937 by Anthony Manzanetti and has changed hands several times since then (Phillip purchased the business in 2013). “It’s also one of the few independent nurseries still operating here, and I believe it’s the only gay-owned and operated nursery,” says Phillip.

“One of my favorite connections to San Francisco is the fact that Clement Nursery was the inspiration and important location in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City book series. In the first few books, the nursery was called God’s Green Earth. But in later books, the main character purchases the business and renames it Plant Parenthood,” shares Phillip.

Aside from its rich history, Clement Nursery is also known for its inventory of particularly resilient and tough plants. The nursery sits just a few blocks from Baker Beach, basically in the harshest of city environments. “We specialize in plant material best suited for the Richmond District—species not minding the coastal winds and extra frigid temperatures. Fortunately for us, if a plant can survive here, it will thrive anywhere in the Bay Area.”

Focusing on sustainability, the nursery offers a selection of California native plants that have low-water needs once established. The nursery also carries drought-tolerant species from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand—places that have a similar climate to California. “We use large soaking trays to water as much of the inventory as possible, so that there’s no water wasted in the process,” shares Phillip.

What plants are trending at the nursery? Not surprisingly, houseplants are popular. Roughly 30 percent of their space is dedicated to tropical houseplants, with a huge greenhouse for climate control. Top sellers: the families of Dracaena and Ficus, including Dracaena Massangeana, Dracaena Janet Craig Compacta, Ficus lyrata, and Ficus decora.

In landscape plants, hardy hellebores for winter color and colorful fuchsias sell well in the shade section of the store. In the fern section, staghorn ferns are always trending, plus all varieties of maidenhair ferns. In their full sun section, phormiums and cordylines are very popular due to brilliant colors and low-water needs. “A favorite Cordyline is a newer introduction: ‘Charlie Boy’, which sports leaves striped with red and pinks,” says Phillip. And both California native and non-native Salvias are constantly desired due to their ability to attract pollinators.

Their best sellers, though? “Our top selling plant, year over year, in sheer quantity, are succulents.”

See also:

• Shopper’s Diary: Sandy Mush Herb Nursery, Off the Beaten Path in the Blue Ridge Mountains
• Shopper’s Diary: Berkeley Horticultural Nursery
• Shopper’s Diary: Flora Grubb, Now in Los Angeles