Long before it had four stores and its own greenhouses, Clegg's Nursery was a husband and wife selling a handful of plants on an empty lot.

That was 1955. Sam Clegg and his wife, Effie, shared a love of gardening and a determination to make a go of it, so they started small on Florida Boulevard. In 1968 they opened their first true garden center at 274 N. Donmoor Ave., which is still a Clegg's location today.

Passing it down

In 1981, the couple sold the business to their son, Marshall, who kept expanding. He opened a second store on Siegen Lane in 1982 and a third on Greenwell Springs Road the following year.

In 1999, Marshall sold the company to two of his longtime managers, Scott Ricca of Baton Rouge and Tom Fennell of Watson, who had worked alongside him since 1983. They added a fourth store on Highway 16 between Denham Springs and Watson in November 2000. Three years later they started a wholesale growing operation, Clegg's Color Division, with more than 40,000 square feet of greenhouses.

Grown close to home

That greenhouse operation is a big part of what sets Clegg's apart. Much of what's on the tables is grown in-house rather than shipped in from hundreds of miles away, so plants arrive already used to local heat and humidity. Right now that means fall-blooming color meant to last into the holidays, plus transplants for cool-season vegetable gardens like broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

Beyond plants, shoppers will find trees, shrubs, houseplants, succulents, fertilizers, soils, tools, pottery, bird feeders and bulk mulch.

A gift for the gardener

Shopping for someone with a green thumb? Clegg's gift cards are sold at every location or by phone, but not online yet.

Where to go

274 N. Donmoor Ave., (225) 927-1419

5696 Siegen Lane, (225) 292-9153

10645 Greenwell Springs Road, (225) 275-7006

31275 Highway 16, Denham Springs, (225) 791-6060

Stores are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.