West Garden
Montauk’s Secret Garden
Inspired by the elegant formal gardens of the Hamptons, this imaginative vision blends lush greenery and natural stonework. Visitors are invited to walk through arching woodwork into an intimate oasis that features a tiered landscape with moving water, serene sitting areas, flowing gardens, and a handmade English greenhouse showcasing specimen plants and an enchanting atmosphere.
Brought to you courtesy of
Jerry Trageser + Gavin Normandeau
Nature’s Best Nursery, Lawn & Landscape
Hartley Botanic
Jerry Trageser
Owner, Nature’s Best Nursery
In the horticultural world, Jerry Trageser is a Renaissance man. Since earning his B.S. degree in horticulture from Tennessee Tech University, Jerry has worked in interior-scaping, operated a peach orchard and strawberry field, and managed a nursery in Thompson’s Station, TN. His natural artistic flair led him to landscaping, and in 1996 Jerry opened Nature’s Best Nursery, Lawn and Landscape. While developing the growing operation, Jerry pursued his interest in science and completed his M.S. degree in microbiology from Middle Tennessee State University.
Over the next decade, Jerry mastered the arts of stonework, irrigation and outdoor lighting. Jerry’s commitment to bringing each client’s individual vision to life combined with his expert knowledge and superior techniques produce landscapes which are unique and beguiling. He is an award-winning designer and plant enthusiast. In 2010, he opened a retail garden center, wholesale nursery and landscape design business in the heart of Nolensville, TN. The Nature’s Best Garden Center features some of his designs, including a green roof, edible garden, outdoor fireplace and sitting area, as well as a multi-tiered water feature and deck.
Gavin Normandeau
Landscape Designer & Manager, Nature’s Best Nursery
Gavin Normandeau joined the team at Nature’s Best in 2017 and has worked directly with Jerry in all aspects of the business. His passion for all things outdoors is central to his life. From a young age, he enjoyed working in the landscaping industry. After earning his bachelor’s degree in forestry from Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks, he followed with a master’s in landscape architecture from the Boston Architectural College. Rather than sitting in an office, he discovered that he enjoys being in the field and seeing his designs come to life. With each job, Gavin is an active participant from design through construction. Over the past eight years working for Nature’s Best, he has helped hundreds of customers make their outdoor living visions a reality. Gavin has won numerous awards and has earned a reputation as a premier landscape designer in the middle Tennessee area.
Nature’s Best started out in 1995 as a small mowing and maintenance business. Jerry and Carrie Trageser, with their background in the nursery business, built their first greenhouse just one year later in 1996 and by 1998 had created a full-service landscape division. In 2010, Jerry and Carrie closed the existing retail nursery, The Sage Gardener, and their previous greenhouses in order to purchase a larger facility where all of the company divisions could be in one location. Today there are over 50 greenhouses on 18 acres for growing quality annuals, perennials, groundcovers, ornamental grasses and shrubs. The garden center showcases the company’s diverse plants and inspirational landscape ideas. Nature’s Best is a full-service landscape, hardscape, waterscape, irrigation and outdoor lighting company. Creative design, expert installation and professional care and maintenance of landscapes are our primary goals.
Hartley Botanic has a long and proud history of designing and manufacturing handmade glasshouses with pride since 1938 and has earned an unrivaled reputation for crafting the finest Glasshouses and Greenhouses money can buy. Providing a beautiful range of structures from classic to modern, and custom-made designs, Hartley Botanic strives to cater to the needs of every individual. Each structure is individually designed to the specification of the customer and is built to last a lifetime.
additional Contributors
Special Thanks
Thank you to our Herb Society of Nashville “Garden Guides.”
Attend A&G 2026
Reserve your tickets to experience the longest-running, largest and most respected event of its kind in the country. Held at the award-winning Music City Center in downtown Nashville, our Show will once again breathe its warmth, life and style into the heart of winter with the highest-quality antique and horticulture exhibitors, landscaped gardens, a cocktail party or two, and some of the most renowned speakers in the world. Now celebrating our 36th year, this volunteer-managed Show has raised $12 million for Cheekwood and ECON Charities.
