Isaac and Laurie Burrous, owner’s of Kent’s Garden and Nursery, which is located at 5428 Northwest Rd. in Bellingham, Wash.
Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald
A Bellingham staple business is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Mother’s Day, honoring its past owners and the community they have fostered throughout the years.
Kent’s Garden & Nursery was started by Kent Gerard in 1976, located at 5428 Northwest Drive. Since its founding, the business has now been passed down to its third set of owners — Isaac and Laurie Burrous, who aim to keep the nursery a Bellingham community staple, according to a news release from the nursery.
“Kent’s was always a special place to me as a customer,” Isaac Burrous said in the news release. “Over the past four years we have heard so many stories from folks about coming here as a kid, and now they are bringing their kids.”
The nursery has changed throughout the years, expanding its product range since opening 50 years ago.
“When Ginny Crump and Nancy Henshaw became owners in 1999, they diversified by adding annuals, perennials, berries, fruit trees and vegetables. A wide selection of quality outdoor pottery, art, arbors and metal trellis also are available and bulk garden soil, compost and mulch are being added this spring,” the news release states.
Burrous said the nursery has Whatcom County’s largest selection of plants appropriate for the Pacific Northwest, and has also begun selling trees and shrubs.
“It’s a 5-acre plant paradise that inspires so many people to create beautiful spaces throughout our community. Gardening and plants bring people joy, and we have an incredible staff that are passionate about plants and truly enjoy helping others,” Burrous said.
During the nursery’s peak season, its staff of 22 members work hard to keep the nursery thriving, but also to offer plant design and installation since 2022, which has “proven very popular for people seeking assistance but not a large landscaping project,” Burrous said.
To celebrate the business’ 50th anniversary, the nursery will offer refreshments, prize drawings and a fundraiser for the Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group, a nonprofit that organizes volunteers to assist residents who were victims of the 2025 flooding in Everson, Nooksack and Sumas.
Kent’s Garden & Nursery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays at 5428 Northwest Rd. in Bellingham.
Alyse Smith
The Bellingham Herald
Alyse Smith is a reporter at The Bellingham Herald covering retail, restaurants, jobs and business. If you like stories like this, please consider supporting our work with a subscription to our newspaper.
