Weston Nurseries on South Great Road has closed for good

Weston Nurseries has announced it will be closing the former Stonegate Gardens on South Great Road it took over in 2023 on a two-year lease.

Bruce MacDowell and his late wife Lynne Bower-MacDowell ran Stonegate Gardens for nearly 25 years, succeeding McKnight’s Nursery. Bower-MacDowell died in March 2023 and Bruce eventually asked Weston Nurseries to assume operation of the business. That company leased the property in January 2024 with an option to terminate in 2026, according to Weston Nurseries president Peter Mezitt.

The timing wasn’t ideal since the usual timeframe for ordering the next year’s plants had already passed.  “We’re very close to Bruce and Lynne,” Mezitt said. “For us to make a decision like that wasn’t easy at all, but we felt obligated to keep it open… we realized what an asset it is to the local area and we hope it can still be a garden center in the future.”

Part of the issue was that Stonegate Gardens and Weston Nurseries had different business models. Stonegate offered home visits for plantings and plant care while Weston Nurseries, (which has locations in Hopkinton, Chelmsford, Hingham, and Middleborough), did not, “and it’s important for our brand to be consistent throughout our company,” Mezitt said. “When we went into it at the last minute, we knew it didn’t fit our model… and the revenue wasn’t where it needed to be

The closure is not a reflection on the staff, who have been offered jobs in other locations, he emphasized.

Stonegate Gardens occupies one of four adjacent lots owned by MacDowell. He lives in the home on the parcel directly abutting the Weston town line.

Weston Nurseries was founded in 1923 and is in its fourth generation of Mezitt family ownership.