The Green Thumb Nursery & Landscape Design Book a consultation

Madison, Wisconsin

Plants that thrive in this climate. Gardens that hold their shape all season.

The Green Thumb is a Madison nursery and landscape design practice. We grow annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees for Wisconsin yards, then design planting plans around your light, soil and slope.

Book a consultation See what we grow
Nursery worker in a canvas apron lifting a tray of young annual seedlings onto a bench in a bright greenhouse

Design consultations are booked by appointment.

What we grow

Six departments, one growing season.

Everything on our benches is chosen to overwinter here and to look right in a Madison yard — not just in a catalog photo.

01

Annuals

Color you replant each spring: petunias, geraniums, begonias, coleus and trailing baskets for pots, window boxes and front steps.

02

Perennials

Plants that come back: coneflower, daylily, hosta, sedum, astilbe and native selections that feed pollinators.

03

Shrubs

Structure, screening and fall color — hydrangea, ninebark, boxwood and arborvitae for hedges and foundation beds.

04

Trees

Shade and long-term bones for the yard: maple, oak, birch and flowering ornamentals suited to our winters.

05

Gardening supplies

Soil, compost, mulch, pots, tools and amendments — everything you need to plant what you buy here.

06

Landscape design

An on-site walk-through, a planting plan and a plant list. We design around what your yard already has.

Landscape design

We start in your yard, not in a catalog.

A consultation is a walk-through. We look at light, soil, slope and how you actually use the space, then build the plan around it.

  1. 01

    Walk the site

    We visit, take measurements and talk through what the yard is for — entertaining, screening, curb appeal or a bed that stays low-maintenance.

  2. 02

    The planting plan

    You get a plan drawing and a plant list matched to your light and soil, with quantities and placement for each bed.

  3. 03

    Source it here

    The plan and the plants come from the same place — we set aside what you need from the nursery benches.

Book a consultation
Two people walking a residential backyard with a clipboard, looking at a sloped lawn bordered by shrubs
Newly planted garden bed with layered perennials, ornamental grasses and a young tree on dark mulch
A newly planted bed: perennials, grasses and a young tree.

Visit the nursery

Walk the benches before you plant.

Come see how the plants actually look at size. Our team can tell you what will work in your light and soil, and what to plant next to it.

On the benches

  • Annuals and hanging baskets
  • Perennials and native selections
  • Shrubs and evergreens
  • Shade and ornamental trees
  • Soil, mulch and compost
  • Pots, tools and amendments

At the design desk

  • Landscape design consultations
  • Planting plans and plant lists
  • Bed refreshes and replanting
  • Tree and shrub selection
  • Seasonal color planning
  • Reading your site's light and soil

Book a consultation

Tell us about the yard.

Send a few details and we'll get back to you to set a time for the walk-through. The more you tell us about light, soil and how you use the space, the better the plan.

  • An on-site walk-through of your property
  • A plan drawing and a plant list
  • Plants sourced from our Madison nursery

We'll reply to confirm a time. Nothing is charged through this form.