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The Great Outdoors Conveniently located in South Austin, we are by definition an urban garden center. However, with 2 acres of majestic Oak trees, a serene waterfall, a gigantic wind chime, and a tropical greenhouse The Great Outdoors is a bucolic destination. Every week we are updating our selection and adding new houseplants. Whether you need a low-maintenance succulent or want to fill out your philodendron collection, we've got you covered! Our knowledgeable staff is here to answer your question and ease your plant woes, and there is no shortage of resources right here on our site.
Services
Open since 1994, The Great Outdoors is a full scale garden center with an extensive inventory of plants, products, tools, and decor needed to beautify your home and garden. Our experienced on-site team is ready to address your questions and share our extensive plant and landscaping knowledge. Gardening projects, big or small - we're here to help them come to fruition.
We offer exclusive consultations, spearheaded by our very own superhero Mark Gibbs! Mark is a treasure trove of knowledge and experience in all areas of plants, gardening, and landscaping. Sound enticing? Please fill out the form and have photos of your space ready, with your garden goals in mind! Spots can fill up quickly so we appreciate your patience in advance, these services are worth it! On your way to a birthday party with a plant gift in tow? Not sure how to pot up the newest member of your plant family?
Gift Certificates are typically processed and mailed no later than the next business day. Please allow 5-7 business days for the card to arrive. If you have any questions about gift cards, please call (512) 448-2992 and we'll be happy to help.
Reviews (16)
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Jesse Crowley
May 28, 2022
Astounding. I've been to nurseries all over the state, and this is the best for every reason. Well stocked, variety of sizes and prices of each plant. Simply amazing.
Makaila Hagen
May 19, 2022
Loved this place! Will definitely be coming back. Bought so many plants and pots!
Kacie Swartz
May 18, 2022
Eve Julian at Great Outdoors was a HUGE help when I was trying to make my planting bed look good. She took extra time to help me choose the right plants and rocks to make it look terrific. AND I vastly underestimated how much rock I needed. So when my SUV was stuffed to the max with 900 pounds or rock, it was the staff who pointed out I needed to reduce the weight or risk my shocks or tires. Great service all around!
Barbados Pearl
Apr 26, 2022
I haven't been to a nursery in a long time that made me gas with Wonder and excitement. I was like a little kid running around wondering what I was going to find and each different section of this expansive nursery. They seem to carry everything you might want from indoor plants, outdoor plants, succulents cactuses, tropicals, natives, organic fertilizers, beautiful pots, and of course images of beautiful artwork and sculptures throughout the place.

I definitely plan to continue to come here for some of my landscaping needs as a professional groundskeeper, but I also plan to bring friends here just to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Shadowspawn Ss
Apr 10, 2022
Going through college, having little money. I used to landscape. It started out as just extra cash, then became a partner in a business that catered to quarter acre to 20 acre properties, some commercial. I became a frequent purchaser at many locations that offered supplies. While this location doesn't cater to bulk purchasers like others, it does, however, offer the little gems and hard to find items that go nicely with the native Austin weather and diverse soils found from the hill country to the lowlands, to the regular household's zen garden or apartment porch.

The staff are very friendly, and also very kind. They mix in with the plants, so to speak, and and helpful and not at all pushy. The staff is also very knowledgeable about the products being sold. The products themselves are hearty, cared for, pruned, and show growth that is naturally occurring. This is unlike what you find at the larger chain superstores or grocery markets.

I felt like I was walking into my own little area of a.garden that I could call my own. If this place existed back when I sold and maintained landscaping contracts, the little items (or large) that could make a property unique and artistic would have made my life so much simpler. You can pick just about anything if you are zero-scaping, or create a centerpiece to show off.

All the makings are there for adding a unique touch or the very foundation of any project; retouching, rebuilding, creating, or maintaining. This place is such a find, I spent over an hour just looking for flaws. There were none. Everything is naturally balanced. It's a small location. Yet it lives up to its name.
Valerie Wong
Mar 15, 2022
Great place with supplies you can't find at a lot of stores. They don't answer their phones though. I had to take a gamble that the ladybugs I wanted would be in stock.
Michele Roi
Mar 06, 2022
I've shopping here for years and love the staff and variety of plants. I'm a realtor and buy plants for staging there. On my last visit Eve helped me immensely when I was in a bind needing to get in and out in a timely manner as I had photos for a home I was staging in 30 minutes. She was so helpful and friendly. Love the Great Outdoors!
Amanda O'Brien
Mar 04, 2022
I love the great outdoors! Fantastic selection of plants, and the ceramic pot section has loads of cool things to choose from. Staff were also super attentive considering it was the first day of Spring.
Daniela Marchand
Aug 15, 2021
I this place! I was introduced to The Great Outdoors by my coworker and it has definitely become my happy place. I have about 10 various plants from here that have bloomed and look amazing! They've brought so much life and happiness to my soul and my loft. I also wanted to give a shout-out to Tyler for being so awesome, friendly, answering all my newbie questions, and his recommendations. Will see you all again soon!
Janie Staples
Apr 03, 2021
Amazing selection of indoor and outdoor plants and everything you need for your garden. The staff are knowledgeable and courteous even at peak shopping hours. Cars are lined up to turn in and staff are ready to direct them to a parking spot. I will definitely be coming back.
Conan McCarthy
Feb 06, 2021
Love this place. Topiary utopia! I got the sense that the owners of this place have a real passion for all things flora, simply by observing how everything was layed out. It's beautiful!.and an organic approach to display is a welcome reprive from the common nurseries. Really cool to see a unique place like this exists and friendly people. A bit a everything for gardening and plant life too.
Jessica Priddy
Aug 14, 2020
Me and my friend had been looking forward to checking out the Great Outdoors for quite a while, and while we were very impressed with the selection of plants and the layout, we were both a little bit disappointed to find a pretty severe spider mite infestation on several plants. I informed one of the workers, expecting her to immediately take the plants and quarantine / treat them but she shrugged it off and made an excuse about it just being the season for them and walked away. Leaving them on the shelf for somebody else to pick up and take home and possibly infest their entire collection unknowingly.

There are other big nurseries in the area that sometimes have pest issues, but to their credit when you inform them about any visible pest issue they will always immediately remove those plants from the store until they have been treated. For The Great Outdoors to just leave the plants out to be sold while suffering from a severe pest infestation is negligent.

To be shrugged off and dismissed by a nursery worker when I raised my concern is also very unprofessional. Just be aware. I did end up purchasing a plant from them (and included a photo of it to prove I did indeed shop here) but it is in quarantine and will be for a good long while until I am satisfied that it is safe, but I do not know that I will ever feel comfortable going back in the future after knowing they will knowingly leave infested plants to be purchased.
Michele Blackledge
Jul 21, 2020
So many beautiful plants. Amazing place. Be prepared to spend hours there because it is that awesome. Due to Covid-19, make sure you have credit/debit but you should definitely check this place out. The staff was all super friendly as well.
Jody Zemel
Apr 07, 2020
they are always great, and I got some African blue basil this weekend after placing an order online. it's a great store!
Scott Hunter
Mar 08, 2020
Great Outdoors surprised and elated our gardeners at SDF Community Garden in East Austin by donating AND delivering a bag of Happy Frog soil amendment for each garden plot! we are SO grateful as we know this is high quality stuff. Thanks so much, and I recommend Happy Frog for veggie gardeners throughout Austin!
Jules Broberg
Aug 09, 2019
Just moved to Texas two years ago and have been looking for the perfect greenhouse and I’ve found it! Beautiful large selection of nice healthy plants!!! Tom J was so helpful and the staff was super nice! I fell in love with the atmosphere selection and helpful staff! I’m so excited to say this will be my forever green house to buy all my plants from! Thank you!!!! Looking forward to many years as your customer! FIVE STARS!!!