Cornelius Nurseries, a three-store chain, may sound like just garden shops, but Houston residents know they are much more. Founded by Sterling and Margaret Cornelius in the 1950s, Cornelius Nurseries was originally a place to shop for plants, shrubs and trees — and still is. But today, the stores are as much a success in the gifts and home accessories business as they are in the plant and garden arena.

Pops of color and real flowers brighten up displays

Today, Cornelius Nurseries has created a niche as a place to be inspired by over-the-top displays that engage the senses. Prints, tableware, kitchen accessories, linens, furniture and candles are set in themed vignettes. Top lines include Christopher Radko, Department 56, Mark Roberts and Judy Havelka.

“Our designers are so extremely creative,” said general manager Eddie Russell, of the stores' visual merchandisers. “They take product and turn it into things you could never imagine… more beautiful than the year before.”

Bright colors and vegetables liven up a linen display

Winter displays recently featured bold, fresh colors in hues of spring green and tomato red or sunflower yellow with Mediterranean blue and kiwi green — shades that not only pop for display, but lighten the mood during the long colder months. Themes run the gamut from Birthday to Provencal Gardens, and are changed about every two months to keep things fresh and customers coming back for more inspiration.

And come back they do. Russell noted that customers, about 80 percent of whom are women and repeat shoppers, browse the displays for creative ways to use decorative accessories in their own homes.

Vignette in a neutral palette combines garden elements with tableware and candles.

Cornelius employs about ten designers, who are on-hand not only to create displays for the store, but also to help customers with their own decor. Customers may bring in swatches from furniture and rugs, and one of Cornelius's designers will help coordinate the accessories.

This fall, Cornelius Nurseries will have a grand reopening of its original Houston store, which was gutted in a fire last summer. The new store will be Cornelius's largest, with 8,000 square feet of selling space — enough for their biggest, brightest, most beautiful displays yet.