Fran's Flowers Blooms for 32 Years

Mother Nature has been playing tricks with us for months now with a large snowfall in October of 2011, a mild winter, and 70 degree days in March, but Fran Morello, owner of Fran’s Flowers knew the dust would settle.

“People were coming in here in March looking for tomatoes,” Morello said. “People were convinced and scared that this was global warning, but I knew Mother Nature would go back to her old ways, and tomatoes in March was a bad idea.”

Morello and his brother Peter own located at the junction of routes 9 and 27 in the Stop and Shop/Staples Plaza. The Morello’s have been in business for 32 years.

“My dad, Frank (who has now passed) and I opened this business 32 years ago—I think I must have been three,” Morello said. “We are a small, family-run garden center. I have been studying flowers since I was old enough to walk."

The Morellos—and their flowers—have been featured on Chronicle as the Metro West Best Garden Center. They are also well stocked with PW (Proven Winners) for the avid gardeners.

“We have a lot of avid and amazing gardeners in the Natick area,” Morello said. “They are the mainstay of my business in the summer months. I also get a lot of folks in looking for plants to bring over to Martha’s Vineyard where many vacation. Right now I have a variety of pansies for spring."

The Morellos each have their specialties, and although they do not design gardens they offer many how-to’s on their website, and they are happy to help you design the perfect space if you bring in a picture and tell them a bit about the area you’ll be planting.

“My brother Peter is an expert in vegetables, and me, I do flowers,” Morello said. “We sell many bedding plants and flowering plants and some shrubbery.”

The Morellos feel strongly about supporting local small businesses and do their best to offer quality customer service to all who enter their store.

“We are a true family owned business,” Morello said. “We all work here; nephews, wives, brothers, etc...and everything we use is local.”

The Morellos do purchase from other local vendors.

In our produce department, we seasonally feature native produce including corn from Cucurbit Farms in Acton, as well as tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini from Stonefield Farm. Crispy apples are brought fresh from Carver Hill Orchard in Stow right to our shelves.

The shop offers demonstrations and classes regularly

Fran's Flowers may have a small space, but they also have a strong character.

“We are a real busy place with a tiny footprint,” Morello said. “But in trade we offer local products and a real personal approach that we take pride in.”

Fran's Flowers is open from roughly March 17 through until Christmas week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.