David Shannon Nursery and Florist

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Greenwood Cemetery’s tranquil calm seems to extend to this relaxed, unpretentious nursery along the graveyard’s southeast perimeter on Fort Hamilton Parkway. Owned and operated by Joseph Perotta and family since the 1970s, David Shannon has been adorning the world-class garden cemetery with wreaths, palm crosses, grave blankets, and ornamental shrubs for decades. Alive and kicking Brooklynites can find a vast inventory of indoor and outdoor plants at the nursery, packed in as densely as pomegranate seeds. Three humid greenhouses hold begonias, geraniums, and herbs galore; in season, the outdoor garden center blooms with annuals, perennials, and plant-filled whiskey barrels. Pumpkins are available at Halloween, Christmas trees in the dead of winter, and lilies in the springtime. Planters and garden supplies are for sale year round. Taking up a generous chunk of its industrial block, the nursery also offers trees, large shrubs, trellises, arbors, and other “installation” plantings for professional landscapers. Small-scale gardening devotees arrive early and often to inspect fresh deliveries from growers and suppliers; large shipments arrive via eighteen-wheelers about once a week, while fresh flowers are delivered several times a day. — K. Emily Bond

There’s no need to leave Brooklyn for an authentic pumpkin patch experience in October. Christmas is also a festive time here. And if you don’t feel like making the trek at any time of year, David Shannon delivers to all five boroughs.