Open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily
We grow better together.
All trees, shrubs and conifers 40% off
Soil Building Conditioner SALE! Buy 4 and get the 5th one FREE!
Our Story
Planting the Seed
In 1985, Marcy opened Garden Spot Nursery in Wallingford Center in Seattle. Five years later she opened a second seasonal location in Sunnyland Square where Cruising Coffee is now.
A few years later, Marcy sold the Seattle Garden Spot Location and the Bellingham location moved down the street to the corner of Alabama and King Street where you can find us today.
In January 2021, she turned the reins over to her successor, Paige Lanham.
A New Leaf
_edited.jpg)
Paige Lanham grew up in Washington and moved to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University, where she double majored in Biology and English.
In Spring of 2012, Paige walked in looking for a job to help her get through college, something flexible where she could work outside and learn about plants, and quickly fell in love with the work, the people, and the science of gardening. She started as a cashier and knew very little about plants. After a few years, Paige became the plant receiver and worked behind the scenes processing orders. In more recent years, she has worked the sales floor, helping gardeners and playing with plants.
In addition to being a gardener, Paige also worked as a Licensed Veterinary Technician. She has worked in general practice, wildlife rehab, sanctuary medicine, and emergency medicine. “The work that is done in the veterinary field is so important and so under appreciated,” she says, “If you want to meet some real life heroes, visit any veterinary emergency room.” Although her time is spent entirely at the nursery now, she is excited to work with organizations like the Humane Society that are so vital to our community.
Teaching has been one of Paige’s passions and she teaches a series of composting classes. Soil science and earthworms have always fascinated her. “There is so much information out there and always more to learn,” she says, “taking care of our soil is so important, especially for our future food security.”
Her favorite gardening book is ‘Teaming with Microbes,’ by Jeff Lowenfels, which is filled with interesting gardening science for beginners. Tomatoes are her favorite plants and hundreds of them find homes in her garden every summer.
When Paige is not at the nursery, she enjoys hiking, reading, writing, gardening, and spending time with her husband, Aaron, their cats, Toby and Danielle, and their dog, Poppy. She encourages everyone to step out of their comfort zone to learn something new.
"Even a humble beginner gardener can blossom into a strong nursery woman."
Meet our Team
Poppy began her internship with Garden Spot in January of 2023. She has since moved up the ranks to become the Chief morale officer. Aside from bringing laughter and joy to the staff and customers, Poppy likes to hang out in receiving and keep Aaron on his toes with the placement of especially tasty plants. In her free time she loves hiding toys and treats, rolling in stinky anything and running like the wind.
Paige
Hay
Debbie
Ari
Evan
Aaron
_edited_edited.jpg)
Malcolm
Laurie
Heidi
Poppy
Tiffany
Debra
Angela
_edited.jpg)
Zack
Paige became the owner of Garden Spot Nursery in January 2021 after working for eight years as a member of nursery staff. She enjoys being outdoors in all seasons, surrounded by plants and gardeners. Paige studied Biology at WWU and loves learning about botany and how plants live and grow within the soil food web. When she isn't at the nursery or in her own garden, Paige enjoys hiking, backpacking, and reading. She has a particular interest in composting and enjoys raising and studying earthworms.
Aaron came on full-time at the Garden spot in spring of 2021. He loves working in the garden with his wife Paige, their dog Poppy, and their cat Tobias and he especially loves conifers and Japanese maples. In his free time, he enjoys running, hiking, and playing basketball. His favorite plant is the Chief Joseph Pine and anything from the Dan Hinkley Collection.
Houseplants have always been Tiffany's happy place, and that passion grew into a love for reclaiming overgrown yards and bringing them back to life. She joined Garden Spot in 2021 and especially enjoys the veggie section, though she's been getting to know and appreciate perennials and flowering shrubs too. When she's not at the nursery, Tiffany is usually spending time at the beach with her dog Bella or working on projects around her house. She also enjoys growing aquaponic vegetables and soil sprouts at home.
Joining Garden Spot in March 2025, Hay brings a unique appreciation for grasses and prairie plants, a passion that grew while doing research for the USDA. Though originally set on studying animals, they fell in love with plants during college and shifted their focus entirely. When not at work, Hay enjoys mountain biking with their partner, hiking with their dog, reading, and creating multimedia art. They also keep an intriguing collection of bones and taxidermy at home!
Malcolm joined Garden Spot in May of 2026, and has already lifted his way through most of the pots in the nursery. His favorite plant is the heuchera, and when he's not working in the nursery, you can find him navigating the slopes on his snowboard.
Debra is a Garden Spot veteran, she's been part of the team since 2002. Debra loves all plants, but what really excites her is the challenge of bringing them together in a cohesive design, playing with colors, textures, and shapes to create something beautiful. Her passion for gardening started with her parents, who always kept a vegetable and flower garden, and was solidified by a high school horticulture class that set her on this career path. Outside of work, Debra enjoys summer concerts in the park, cozy winter movie nights, and traveling whenever she can.
Laurie joined Garden Spot in March 2025 and loves ALL plants, with a special fondness for growing things from seeds she has saved herself. When she's not at work, you'll likely find her gardening, interior decorating, cooking, baking, hiking, or spending time with her kids. Originally from Canada, Laurie has lived in five U.S. states and has built an impressive rock collection along the way.
Angela joined the Garden Spot Nursery team in the spring of 2018. She enjoys working with customers to help them find the particular plant that they need for their garden. She says that she grew up with more plants than people. She started studying botany and branched out from there. At any given time during the day, she can be found amongst the Japanese maples and shade plants.
Ari joined Garden Spot in March 2025 and lights up when coworkers or customers come to her with a cool plant, a new bloom, or a fun fact to share. She also loves meeting all of the dogs that come in to the nursery. Ari grew up in her mom's "indoor jungle," which inspired her to create her own. To this day, she and her mom exchange plant propagations whenever they see each other, keeping their collections nearly identical across thousands of miles. Outside of work, Ari enjoys adventuring in the mountains with her husband and their three dogs, sharpening her native plant ID skills, and experimenting in the kitchen though she admits she's lost without a recipe. She also crafts some cool things (some of which are on sale in the store!) and is a big fern enthusiast. Her life journey has taken her from Oregon to Chicago, Taiwan, and Montana before bringing her back to the Pacific Northwest.
Heidi joined Garden Spot in February 2024 and has a deep love for flowers, a magical patio garden filled with annuals, perennials, and shrubs, and a thriving collection of 45 houseplants. She feels most connected to a higher power when surrounded by nature and is fascinated by the healing and renewing energies of Mother Earth. When she isn't at work, Heidi enjoys spending time by the ocean, reading, hiking, and traveling to awe-inspiring places. She also loves sunroofs, surprising people and pondering the mystical nature of existence.
Meet Zack! He joined Garden Spot in May 2023 and has a special love for houseplants, the greenhouse, and our statuary collection. His connection to plants started early, playing in the garden while his mom tended to her plants. His passion for houseplants really took off during lockdown. These days, he's branching out into growing outdoor edibles. Outside of work, Zack enjoys paddleboarding, camping, playing games, and picking up new skills. Fun fact: he used to work full-time as a photographer and even photographed Paige and Aaron's wedding!
Evan has been at Garden Spot since March of 2022, and is often found leading our classes on terrarium making. Though he is a terrariums wizard, his true passion lies in bonsai, and his favorite plant to bonsai is the ficus. When not at the nursery, Evan likes to read, draw, and exercise.
Debbie is on her 5th season at Garden Spot, and is the nurseries resident crafter. From driftwood displays to wreaths and furniture Debbie does it all, both at home and in the nursery. When asked about her favorite plant, Debbie says all of them are her favorite, but if she has to narrow it down, flowering perennials are her pick.
Our Community
Garden Spot Nursery was founded as a community-based business. We are continually serving and giving back to the community.
Since Garden Spot first opened back in 1995, we have offered classes and events to help create cohesiveness and inclusiveness in our community. In addition, we have donated thousands of dollars of goods and services to dozens of local organizations to enhance our community.
We are proud to support the Bellingham Boys and Girls Club with our Christmas tree sale. Proceeds from this sale help children in low-income neighborhoods of Bellingham. The organization serves kids who have no other place to go, it feeds them after school, and it makes sure that their homework is completed.
It means a great deal to us that we can give back to the community that has so warmly supported us through the years. We are proud to be a locally-owned Bellingham business.
Organizations we Support
4th Corner Fly Fishers
Alderwood PTA
ALS Association
Alternative Humane Society
Anansi Guana Education Sponsor
Animals as Natural Therapy
Bellingham Central Lions Club
Bellingham Emblem Club
Bellingham Festival of Music
Bellingham Food Bank
Bellingham High School PTSA
Bellingham Public School Robotics Program
Bellingham Seafeast
Bellingham Senior Center
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
Blue Skies for Children
Boys & Girls Club
Brigid Collins Family Support Center
Camp Fire Samish
Catholic Community Services
Children's Co-op Preschool
Coaching Women
Common Threads
DVSAS
Explorations Academy
From A Child's Point of View
Grief Literacy
Habitat for Humanity
Homes Now
Human Rights Film Festival
Interfaith Coalition
Jansen Art Center
Lake Whatcom Residential Treatment Center
Lydia Place
Master Gardener Foundation
Parkview School Garden Project
Planned Parenthood
Project We Beam
Road to Home
Samish Campfire Council
Skyline Elementary PTO
Spark Museum
St. Sophia Church
Subdued City Rollers
Sunnyland Elementary School
Sunnyland PTA
Sustainable Connections
Waldorf School
WCPC
WES
Western Washington University Sports Auction
Western Washington University Student Health
Whatcom Center for Early Learning
Whatcom Chorale
Whatcom County Master Gardeners
Whatcom County Million Trees Project
Whatcom Family & Community Network
Whatcom Health Center Planned Parenthood
Whatcom Horticultural Society
Whatcom Hospice
Whatcom Humane Society
Whatcom Land Trust
Whatcom Literacy Council
Whatcom Museum
Whatcom Pregnancy Center Walkathon
Whatcom Rowing Association
Women Sharing Hope
Our Local Wholesale Parters
Whatcom County
Scagit County
Snohomish
Joe's Gardens
Wind Poppy
Verkist Gardens
Terrabone Tools
Cascade Cuts
Dirty Knees
Sunbreak Nursery
North Cascade Nursery
Foxx Farms
Serenity Farms
Skagit Gardens
Willowsteel
Biringer Nursery
Lovejoy Nursery
Van Klaveren's Nursery