Is TN nursery family owned?
TN Nursery is a family-owned business with a history rooted in the Tennessee nursery industry. Tammy Sons and her family operate the company today, carrying forward knowledge developed through generations of working with trees, wildflowers, ferns, and other plants. Its family nursery tradition began in 1959 with Tammy's father, Roscoe Tate.
That history helps explain why native plants remain an important part of the nursery's identity. Long before ordering plants online became common, the family's work involved understanding what grew naturally in Tennessee and learning how those species could be used in gardens and landscapes.
Today, customers can order plants through TN Nursery for individual home landscapes or through Tennessee Wholesale Nursery for larger projects. Although the selling methods have changed, the business remains closely connected to the family that built it.
Growing Up Around Plants Created a Lasting Family Tradition
Many family businesses begin with a particular skill or trade passed from one generation to another. For the Sons family, that trade was the nursery industry.
Roscoe Tate established Mountain Ornamental Nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, in 1959. He worked with plants grown and sourced in the surrounding region, developing experience with native species and the everyday challenges involved in the nursery business.
His daughter Tammy spent much of her childhood around nursery work. Instead of learning about plants only from gardening books, she had opportunities to observe how they grew, how they responded to changing seasons, and how they were prepared for sale.
She also watched her parents manage the business side of the operation. Her mother, Rachel, handled administrative responsibilities, while Roscoe focused heavily on the plants and growing activities.
Those experiences introduced Tammy to two sides of the nursery industry that remain closely connected: caring for living plants and maintaining an organized business.
When Tammy and Dennis Sons established TN Nursery in 1994, they brought that background into their own operation. What began on a relatively small Tennessee farm eventually developed into a nursery serving customers throughout the country.
The next generation continues participating in the business. Tristan Sons supervises field operations and production, Bailey Sons directs media and communications, and Karastin Sons manages financial and administrative work.
Each generation has brought different responsibilities and skills to the company. Earlier generations developed knowledge through traditional nursery work, while the present family operates in an industry shaped by online ordering, digital communications, and nationwide distribution.
For more background, readers can explore The TN Nursery Story: Growing Since 1959.
Why Native Plants Remain Important to the Family's Nursery Business
One of the most interesting parts of Tennessee's natural environment is the diversity of plants found in its forests, mountains, valleys, and open fields. These habitats support countless species that also have a place in residential gardens.
Native plants are species that occur naturally within a particular region. They have developed relationships with local insects, wildlife, and growing conditions over long periods of time.
Many native plants provide benefits extending beyond their appearance. Some produce nectar and pollen for bees, while others provide caterpillar food, seeds for birds, or shelter for small wildlife.
For example, Butterfly Milkweed from TN Nursery is a native perennial recognized for its orange flowers. It is also a host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars, making it useful in gardens designed to support butterfly populations.
The Eastern Redbud Tree offers another example. Its pink spring blossoms make it an attractive ornamental tree, while its early flowers provide resources for visiting insects.
These plants serve different purposes, but they demonstrate how thoughtful planting can combine ornamental beauty with ecological benefits.
Wholesale customers can establish larger pollinator plantings with Purple Coneflower plants and Black-Eyed Susan plants available through Tennessee Wholesale Nursery.
When used in suitable locations, these flowering plants can create colorful seasonal displays and provide resources for pollinating insects.
Choosing native plants requires some research because a species native to one part of the country may not be appropriate for another. Gardeners should verify their region, soil conditions, hardiness zone, and available sunlight before planting.
A helpful resource is Tennessee Wholesale Nursery's article Native Fruit Trees & Shade Plants: Harvest Collection, which explains how different native species can be combined in a landscape.
The family's experience with plants is part of the business's history, but thoughtful gardening begins with understanding the individual needs of each species.
How Gardening Can Carry a Family's Traditions Forward
There is something meaningful about planting a tree that may remain in the landscape long after the person who planted it has grown older. Gardens can become places where families share experiences, celebrate milestones, and remember earlier generations.
A flowering tree planted to celebrate a birth may eventually provide spring blossoms enjoyed by grandchildren. A native perennial bed can become a yearly project where parents and children watch butterflies, collect seeds, and learn which flowers return each season.
These experiences do not require a large property or an expensive landscape. Even a modest garden can become part of a family's traditions.
One practical approach is to begin with plants suited to the existing environment. A sunny corner may be appropriate for coneflowers or black-eyed Susans, while a woodland edge could provide the conditions needed for shade-tolerant native species.
Planting a variety of species with different flowering periods can help maintain seasonal interest. Spring-flowering trees provide early color, summer perennials support visiting pollinators, and plants producing autumn seeds can provide additional value for wildlife.
Gardening also gives families opportunities to learn together. Children can help observe new growth, identify visiting insects, and track the changes occurring from one season to the next.
These ordinary activities often become the experiences people remember most.
TN Nursery's own story reflects how knowledge of plants can travel through generations. Roscoe Tate's nursery introduced Tammy Sons to the industry, Tammy and Dennis established their business, and their children now participate in its operation.
Today, that history continues through an online nursery making plants available to customers who may be creating traditions of their own.
So, is TN Nursery family owned? Yes. It is a business whose roots reach back to a Tennessee family nursery established in 1959. The company remains under the leadership of Tammy Sons and her family, with native plants and nursery experience forming an important part of the story they continue to build.
