Fable Greenhouse and Gardens Breathes New Life into Former Horton’s Nursery

A familiar greenhouse along Front Royal Pike is getting a new name, new inventory, and a new vision to turn the longtime nursery into a year-round destination for gardeners and families.

Fable Greenhouse and Gardens has taken over the former Horton’s Nursery at 2731 Front Royal Pike, between Front Royal and Winchester. New owner Brad Minardi said the goal is to build on the property’s long history while bringing more plants, locally grown inventory, workshops, and family activities to the roughly 10-acre site.

“We are excited to revitalize this old greenhouse here,” Minardi said. “We’re really looking forward to making it a place for the community to shop local for all their gardening needs.”

The changes are already becoming visible.

Greenhouses that had grown thin on inventory are filling again with mums, pansies, and other seasonal plants. Pumpkins in traditional orange and other colors are on display for fall decorating, along with ornamental kale, cabbage, and dusty miller.

Behind the retail area, another part of the operation is taking shape.

Fable is using the back portion of its greenhouse space for plant production, with plans to grow more of what it sells directly on the property.

The mums currently filling the greenhouse were grown there throughout the summer.

“We are growing pretty much all the mums here on site now,” Minardi said. “The back half of our greenhouses are all of a production facility.”

That approach will continue as the seasons change. In the spring, the production area is expected to be filled with spring annuals before they move into the retail section for customers.

The business also carries perennial shrubs, trees, and other landscaping plants, including fruit trees.

Bulk landscaping products remain part of the operation. Customers can buy brown and black mulch, topsoil, compost, and fill dirt, with local delivery available in Front Royal and Winchester.

Fable also plans to accommodate special orders when possible. Customers working on larger landscaping projects, such as planting a long line of shrubs, can request larger quantities with the greenhouse’s regular shipments.

Minardi said they can also arrange plant delivery.

Plans For A Year-Round Business

One of the biggest changes planned for the former Horton’s property is to operate year-round.

Fable plans to remain open beyond the traditional spring and fall gardening seasons, including during the holidays.

The business expects to offer live Christmas trees, wreaths and garland during the Christmas season.

“It should be a 365, a whole year experience,” Minardi said.

But selling plants is only part of his longer-term vision.

Minardi said he wants Fable Greenhouse and Gardens to become a community gathering place where people have a reason to visit even when they aren’t shopping.

The property offers room to make that happen.

Plans under consideration include gardens and landscaped beds where visitors can see how different plants look when placed together. A walking trail could eventually wind through part of the property.

Those displays could also give homeowners ideas for their own yards rather than requiring them to imagine how individual plants sitting in nursery containers might look together.

Weekend activities could include gardening workshops, children’s programs, music and food trucks.

“The reason why I purchased this greenhouse was to have something where you can take your family to for the weekends,” Minardi said.

As the operation becomes fully established next spring and summer, he hopes to begin adding more of those activities.

“I want it to be a destination,” he said. “I want us to be having a place where you can come out to town and, you know, have a place to come for a couple of hours.”

One community partnership is already taking shape with Samuels Public Library. Minardi said the library is expected to visit the greenhouse around Halloween for a spooky-story reading for children.

The business will announce additional events and workshops on its Facebook page.

Building On A Local Nursery Tradition

While the name is changing, Minardi said he wants to preserve part of what made Horton’s Nursery familiar to generations of customers.

Horton’s operated as a family business, and Fable will continue that approach.

“Horton’s has been around for a very long time,” Minardi said. “They were a family-operated business for a long time. And that isn’t changing here.”

He described restoring and expanding the large property as a “labor of love,” with much more work still ahead.

The location also puts Fable within reach of several communities. Minardi estimated the greenhouse is about 15 minutes from Front Royal and 10 minutes from Winchester, while also serving the Stephens City area.

For longtime Horton’s customers, the most obvious change will eventually be the sign. Horton’s Nursery signage was still visible during the recent visit, but the property is now operating as Fable Greenhouse and Gardens.

Inside and behind the old greenhouses, the transition is already underway.

Minardi said he hopes customers will stop by to see the changes as the property develops — whether they need a tree, a load of mulch, or simply want to walk through a garden.

“If you want something, great,” he said. “If not, you just want to enjoy yourself here, you’re all welcome.”

Town Talk, sponsored by National Media Services, Inc., is a Royal Examiner series that introduces you to local entrepreneurs, business owners, nonprofit leaders, and public officials who help shape Warren County. Conversations cover a wide range of topics about our community and the people making a difference.