Avant Gardens, Inc

Avant Gardens is a Dartmouth plant nursery and landscape design/installation firm run by Chris and Katherine Tracey, who the business says have run it for more than 30 years. Katherine Tracey in particular shows up as a recognized voice in the regional gardening world — outlets have quoted her as a go-to expert on plant and design questions over multiple years, from a 2002 South Coast Today piece on local garden demonstrations to a 2017 how-to feature on succulents. Most of the written customer record centers on mail-order plants: reviewers describe healthy, well-packed shipments and unusual varieties hard to find elsewhere, with a 2024 review singling out particularly full, well-grown Hakonechloa. Reviewers describing on-site visits call it a hidden gem with a wide, distinctive plant selection at reasonable prices. One thing worth knowing: a 2025 review describes buying a rock from the nursery, then two unanswered calls over a month trying to arrange having it moved.