Thrifty Garden is a garden shop in the shops at Butterfly Estates in Gardner's Park near downtown Fort Myers. This is the coolest little garden shop I have evet been in. According to their website "we carry plants, garden supplies, books, gifts, and locally made items. Maximizing the enjoyment of life spaces through nature, imagination and thrift." Rick Molek is the owner of Thrifty Garden and he opened this micro-nursery in January of 2018. In addition to the gifts and plant supplies, Molek offers workshops on raising houseplants and also offers a houseplant hospital by appointment. Houseplants are a great choice for novice gardeners when Florida's temperatures start to soar the 90's. Thrifty Garden offers many different types of houseplants in the shop, and prices are affordable so you can flex your green thumb with minimal risk. They have offered in-person classes on plant care ever since the shop opened and with the pandemic they added online and phone coaching too. Don't forget that they offer beer and wine too. Now that is the kind of gardening that anyone can get behind. Check out their selection of raw honey and naughty garden gnomes. You can find a list of events on their website. read more

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You'll find lots of cool little gadgets and treasures all over the store, they have a wide variety of products from different local businesses, honey, plants, artwork, jewelry and much more! I think it is a great place to support and promote local fellows. They also sell cold beer, we had a couple while we were waiting for our table over at Bullig and the lady at the front is the sweetest, she gave me tips on how to take care of ny pothos plant back home. Their patio outside is wonderful to catch a breeze while taking sips on a cold beer. read more

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Great customer service! Trying to get my mom some mother's day present and they were so helpful, sent me photos of plants and great ideas. Plus delivery for $25, amazing read more

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What an amazing experiene we had here!! Amazing selection and healthy, happy Native plants!! The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable and it was fun just talking with them!! They helped us select some fun Mother's day plants and we will DEFINITELY BE BACK!! Thank you Terra for all of your help!! See you all again soon read more

Very eclectic, clean and friendly. They offer classes and sell a good variety of themed items. I ended up with gorgeous earrings and some hanging glass terraniums for my air plants. Really enjoyed it! read more

Everyone who works there is so knowledgeable and kind. The classes they provide have helped me in my gardening- specifically wild flowers and butterfly gardening. Plants are extremely affordable and there is a wide range of garden decor that is very reasonably priced. It's a wonderful place to set during a class, have a glass of, and learn about basic gardening. read more

They're regularly open, have seating and loads of drink options. Just stop by they're lovely.

Upon arrival to check out the Butterfly Estates I rolled up my stroller nearby the Thrifty Garden and Tara was so kind to offer to help me and my mom friend down the stairs to prevent us from having to go all away around the building to access the Butterflies. Later, when chatting with friends about what plants to purchase for my daughters fist butterfly garden Shae stopped what she was doing to help guide us in what plants to start with and educated me on the species of butterflies each one attracts and what I would need for Nector and so on. I was very please with the kind customer care and patience I was given. I never felt rushed. Once I had gathered my things I was even escorted to my vehicle Tara then placed my plants in boxes and helped load up my vehicle. It was so refreshing to have had such a wonderful experience. I would recommend this cute place to anyone interested! Thank you read more

Where do I start with this incredible experience? I was searching for birthday presents for my mom and since gardening is one of her favorite activities, I wanted to find exotic plants that she could put in her yard. Home Depot and Lowe's had garbage so I searched for local nurseries. I stumbled across Thrifty Garden and contacted them via Facebook Messenger. I received a response as soon as the opened from the owner, Rick, who scheduled a call with me to understand what I wanted and my mom's preferences. We FaceTimed and I picked out several plants/flowers per his recommendations, he set them to the side and I paid over the phone. He told me more about his facility and mentioned an art gallery, butterfly Conservatory and other cool shops on the Butterfly Estates. Not to mention the fact that they serve beer and wine with food on site. I told him that instead of delivering to her home, I would rather her bring a friend and shop around while having a drink if she chooses. My brother and I also loaded up a gift card for her to buy whatever she wanted. Rick was even flexible and said my mom could swap out any of the plants I selected for her. We then scheduled a time for my mom to go to Thrifty Garden on her actual birthday and his entire staff was waiting for her and telling her happy birthday during her entire two-hour stay. She had no idea and was completely surprised. This was an epic experience for my mom and an opportunity for a small business to shine! Top notch customer service! Next time I visit my mom, we will be going here together! read more

I just went here for the first time yesterday to check it out, and it was absolutely AMAZING. Beautiful plants, helpful and great staff, everything is priced well too! I'm heading back right now for more! Love love love! read more

Such a nice store! Women were so friendly and knowledgeable! Located right next to the Butterfly Eststes! Plenty of small gifts to take home if you are traveling or just to add some special touches to your personal garden! Thank you ladies !! Will be trying the container gardening at home. read more

What a wonderful local resource for healthy living and gardening - FREE daily classes from sprouting to composting to butterfly plant support! Thank you so much for your awesome dedication and expertise! Dr Sharon Bock Acupuncture Physician read more