Cynthia Bertrand
(508) 832-2995
Millbury Street Yard • Auburn, MA Zone 5b / 6a Hardy Since 1996 • 30 Years

Grown cold in Worcester County soil so your plantings survive the winter.

We sell bedding annuals, vegetable seedlings, hardy flowering shrubs, and shade trees from our yard at 148 Millbury Street in Auburn. We do not sell boxed stock brought in from three climate zones away. What leaves our greenhouse benches is conditioned for central Massachusetts ground, open winds, and late May frost.

Live nursery price spectrum 5 to 80 USD per plant Seedlings $5–$80 • Shrubs $18–$76 • Trees $36–$80. Quotes depend on cultivar, pot size, and bed inventory.
Inquire For Bed Stock Review Full Catalog
The Farmer's Daughter greenhouse benches Apr–Nov 9am–5pm
Stage 1 • Direct Bed Availability

What we sell on Millbury Street and what each category costs

Every plant is sold with its root system intact, hardened to our local climate, and priced strictly within our published brackets. We never offer mail order delivery of living roots: every plant is inspected and loaded directly at our Auburn yard.

Annuals • Perennials • Veg 4-inch to Flat

Bedding Plants & Seedlings

Cold-hardened pansies, heirloom tomato and pepper seedlings, herbs, and flowering perennial groundcovers. Rooted in real soil mixes that retain water without choking roots.

5–80 USD per plant / flat
Deciduous • Broadleaf Evergreen 1-gal to 7-gal

Flowering & Landscape Shrubs

Panicle hydrangeas, fragrant viburnums, lilacs, and dense foundation boxwoods. Sized for immediate root anchorage in heavy Worcester County clay or rocky loam.

18–76 USD per shrub container
Ornamental • Canopy Shade 5-gal to Specimen

Specimen Nursery Trees

Flowering crabapples, red maples, paper birches, and native serviceberries. Straight trunks with balanced branch scaffolds and untangled root systems.

36–80 USD per container tree
Harvest Counter • Orchard Direct Harvest

Seasonal Farmstand Produce

Field vegetables, local sweet corn, native squash, and Massachusetts orchard fruit retailed at our farmstand counter alongside planting stock.

Seasonal Market at farmstand counter

Quote basis: every final price depends strictly on plant cultivar, mature pot or root-ball caliper, planting season, and active bed inventory. Call Millbury Street at (508) 832-2995 to verify morning yard availability before driving a truck over.

Stage 2 • Thirty Years of Soil Knowledge

Third-generation grower guidance with proof you can check

Cynthia G. Bertrand founded The Farmer's Daughter in Auburn in 1996, bringing three generations of Massachusetts agricultural heritage to Millbury Street.

Founder & Co-owner Cynthia G. Bertrand Third-generation farmer operating on Millbury Street since 1996.
Continuous Service 30 Years Supplying Worcester County homeowners, estates, and garden trades.
Professional Seal MFGA Member Mass Flower Growers' Association verified nursery credentials.

On April 3, Cynthia Bertrand presented Governor Deval L. Patrick with a bowl of fresh spring pansies during an official ceremony inside the Massachusetts State House. That same standard of greenhouse cultivation goes into every flat that leaves our Auburn tables.

Stage 3 • Signature Technical Specification

The anatomy of a healthy New England container root ball

Most landscape shrubs and young trees fail within eighteen months because of girdling root rings or being buried past the trunk flare. Here is how stock is conditioned in our Auburn yard before it is released to a customer.

Detailed plate of a healthy nursery container root ball demonstrating root flare depth for the technical planting diagram
A • Exposed Root Flare Must sit 1 to 2 inches above finished grade. Never pile mulch against bark.
B • Radial Lateral Roots Fibrous feeders spread horizontally. We root-prune circling edges before release.
C • Native Mineral Mix Heavy enough to prevent container blowover; retains moisture during summer heat.
D • Baseline Caliper Uniform trunk taper measured 6 inches above soil; no swelling or wire girdling.
Stage 4 • Step-By-Step Process

How selection, loading, and planting work from our Auburn yard

We keep the transaction simple and transparent. You choose living material that matches your yard exposure, and we help you load it safely.

Step 1: Exposure Check Assess sun hours (full sun vs shade), soil drainage, and deer pressure on your Auburn or Worcester County property. On-Site Consult
Step 2: Bed Selection Walk our gravel aisles to pick the exact container specimen. Examine root flares, branching, and foliar health directly. Direct Tagging
Step 3: Truck Loading We secure foliage and wrap root containers for vehicle transit. If an open bed is used, bring a tarp to shield foliage from windburn. Yard Assistance
Step 4: Season Water Follow our written watering schedule: 5 gallons per inch of trunk caliper twice weekly through November ground freeze. Written Schedule
Stage 5 • Live Estimator

Estimate your per-unit nursery planting budget

Use our interactive calculation tool to project plant stock costs based on plant category, quantity, and specimen maturity size. All totals are non-binding estimates.

Nursery Inventory Cost Estimator

Formula: Plant Base Price ($5–$80 by category) × Quantity × Container Maturity Multiplier

Category base pricing established by operator facts
Number of containers or flats requested
Maturity multiplier based on root development
Estimated Inquiry Price Band
$15.00 – $45.00
Unit range: $5.00 – $15.00 per item • Non-binding inquiry quote

This tool computes an estimated budget range only. Actual quotes depend strictly on plant cultivar, mature pot/root size, season of planting, and active nursery bed availability at 148 Millbury Street in Auburn.

Stage 6 • Clear Answers

Objections answered: who our nursery is not for

We believe in direct, honest business. Not every project matches how we operate our Auburn nursery beds.

No. We will not mail bare-root or boxed living plants through transit networks. Soil dries out, feeder roots snap, and plants arrive in shock. Every specimen is picked up directly at 148 Millbury Street in Auburn so roots stay moist and intact.
No. Our catalog is inquiry-only. Living inventory fluctuates daily with weather, spring digging, and greenhouse flushes. We give you exact price bands ($5–$80 for annuals, $18–$76 for shrubs, $36–$80 for trees), but binding commitments require checking our active yard beds.
Planting too deep. Homeowners frequently bury the root flare 3 to 6 inches beneath lawn soil or suffocating woodchip volcanoes. The bark suffocates, fungal collar rot sets in, and the shrub dies two years later. We teach you to expose the flare before backfilling.
Stage 7 • Millbury Street Contact

Inquire for current nursery stock or schedule a yard pickup

Tell us what cultivars, pot sizes, or planting areas you are working on. Cynthia or our nursery staff will reply with bed availability and price confirmations.

Yard Desk & Visiting Hours

Visit our greenhouses and outdoor container beds in Auburn during daily seasonal operating hours.

Nursery Address 148 MILLBURY STREET
AUBURN, MA 01501-3229
Directions on Map Service
Telephone Direct (508) 832-2995
Electronic Inquiries [email protected]
Operating Schedule 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Daily
Seasonal spring through autumn
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