ROYAL CITY — Seed Cupboard is going big. 

“We’ve extended our tree section,” said owner Lisa Villegas. “We’ve been able to hold about 1,000 trees ... and we’ve had a need for larger trees than what we’ve carried in the past. So, we’ve expanded that and our evergreen section to about twice that much.” 

The new tree section has been about three years in the making, Villegas said. Evergreen trees create year-round interest in a yard, she said, and the ones she’s stocked are fairly hardy in this climate. But people have been asking for bigger trees, and the expansion lets Seed Cupboard cater to that. 

“We used to max out, except for special orders, at a size 10, which runs six to eight feet,” she said. “We’ve gotten a lot of requests for bigger trees than that.” 

The expanded tree section was all flat ground Tuesday, with pots laid out in rows awaiting the new conifers. Most of the trees Seed Cupboard carries are ornamental, although they do have some small fruit trees as well.  

Trees are the starting point for landscaping, Villegas said. 

“They're the foundation to your landscape,” she said. “If you have a new house or an old house or anything in between and you're wanting to start your landscape, the trees are a good place to start. They kind of anchor your landscape and then you can build out from there.” 

The shrub selection has increased as well, Villegas said.  

“Somebody comes in, and they're doing a yard project, and they want 40 boxwoods,” she said. “We have space for that now where, in the past, we would carry, like, 12 … and we'd have to be reordering if we got a big order. Now we have a space where we're carrying larger volumes of the standards, as well as not forgetting to bring in all the specialized stuff that we've been known for.” 

In the greenhouses, Seed Cupboard has expanded its lines of flowers and become certified by gardening giant Proven Winners to represent its products. Among those, Villegas said, are something called Supertunias. 

“They’re not your grandma’s petunias,” Villegas said. “They’re like petunias on steroids. They spill out over the baskets. They’re self-cleaning, so you don’t have to pick off the dead blooms. They bloom from the time the season starts (until) fall and they’ll take our heat. As long as they get regular water, they just go and go and go.” 

Villegas has also expanded her supply of hydrangeas, she said, with at least 50 varieties in the section of the nursery she calls “Hydrangea Heaven.” 

“Hydrangeas used to be a specialty plant which you had to put in a little protected corner,” she said. “It could only take a little sun. Now there’s a hydrangea for every place in your yard, whether it’s full sun to full shade.” 

Much of Seed Cupboard’s business recently has been in consulting, Villegas said.  

“People bring out drawings of their yard, and we sit down with them and help them plan all that out because plants are an investment,” she said. “Probably the worst thing you can do is be in a box store and just grab any plant because it looks pretty and stick it in your yard. That gets to be really expensive. So having a plan, knowing what fills the space, whether it’s sun or shade, will help make your investment better.” 

Another recent addition has been Villegas’ daughter-in-law, Katie Villegas, who handles much of the paperwork for the nursery and organizes events. Katie’s degree is in human resources, she said, and so she’s taken over that aspect of the business from Lisa. Katie moved from Idaho about a year ago, she said, and has learned the gardening business mostly from scratch. 

“My mom and I had a teeny-tiny backyard, with an itty-bitty garden,” she said. “I was more of a houseplant fanatic. Outside wasn’t what came naturally to me, so I’ve been learning.” 

“She’s a quick study, though,” Lisa said. “She’s picked up so much.” 

Katie has become more of a partner than an employee, Lisa said. 

This is Seed Cupboard’s 14th year at the location just outside Royal City. It was originally Villegas’ retirement project, with one greenhouse and a barn, but over the years it’s expanded to six greenhouses, a gift and gardening supply shop in a bigger barn and a food truck serving breakfast and sandwiches. She and her team put on about 10 gardening-related events every year, plus the Columbia Basin Home & Garden Show at the end of February, which Katie stepped up to organize. 

“Her input for the home and garden show was awesome,” Lisa said. “This year we had more vendors than we’ve ever had, a wider variety of home and garden-type vendors. She’s got lots of ideas for next year.” 

    Seed Cupboard’s selection of shrubs has increased this year, in response to customer demand.
  

    Rows of buried pots await the expanded selection of evergreen trees at Seed Cupboard Nursery near Royal City.
  

    A greenhouse filled with “Supertunia” from Proven Winners at Seed Cupboard Nursery.
  

    Seed Cupboard Nursery is located just west of Royal City on Road H Southwest.