These diminutive stars can be seen spilling out of pockets in a 35-foot-long rock retaining wall, in the gravel bed above it and, of course, in troughs and more troughs. Selling tiny plants may not be the mainstay of the business, “but it’s one cachet cow,” Ms. Chips joked. The nursery, in a bucolic setting that feels like an old garden, attracts a clientele that includes beginning gardeners and connoisseurs who come for the carefully curated selection and the depth of staff expertise. Ms. Spingarn built and planted the rock wall in the 1970s. The two were longtime employees of the previous owner, Mr. Duguid said, and aim to continue the nursery’s traditions.

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Persons: Oliver, Chips, It’s, Oliver DNA, John Oliver, Eleanor Spingarn, Spingarn, Jed Duguid, Will Hibbs, Duguid Organizations: Oliver Nurseries, Rock Garden Society Locations: Connecticut