Kerby’s Nursery in Seffner was founded as a backyard hobby by Larry and Vicki Kerby. They loved to garden, maintained a large vegetable plot at home in Seminole Heights and were always making cuttings of a variety of plants in their backyard.
“Kerby’s Nursery was started by my in-laws, Larry and Vicki Kerby, in 1980,” said current owner Joey Bokor. “Back then, Parsons and Wheeler was a four-way stop and the nursery was just a little acre parcel on the corner. Over the years, as the Seffner-Brandon area grew, so did the demand for plants, so Larry continued to expand as property became available to our north, eventually resulting in the 5 acres that we operate on today.”
Joey and his wife, Kim Bokor (whose maiden name is Kerby), originally didn’t intend to be in horticulture or run the garden center.
“I was headed to a career as a computer scientist and she intended to go into international business,” Joey said. “We both graduated from the University of Florida, and after school she found herself pulled towards running the family business. It took me a little longer to jump into it, but after some years as a computer programmer I took the plunge and joined the nursery in 2005.”
Kerby’s Nursery is known for its beautiful flowers and landscaping supplies, but it’s now becoming known for its educational programming and fun community events, such as yoga in the garden.
“One of my passions is education and being a lifelong learner,” Joey said. “The idea [is] that learning doesn’t stop just because we leave school, so combining a passion for plants and learning led us to offer different classes and events. I think this is the 20th year of teaching some of our classic seminars on topics like veggies, butterflies and fruit trees. In recent years, we’ve expanded those events to include our annual Easter egg hunt, Plants and Pets, monthly Yoga in the Garden with Keystone Yoga and a variety of different make-and-take events, like our recent Valentine’s Flower Arrangements.”
The feedback the couple has received from their classes and events is always positive.
“I think customers appreciate that our seminars are free and that they are getting good, local advice for how to garden, not randomly taking advice from an influencer on social media that might be gardening in Oregon,” Joey said. “I think much of the feedback is that people wish we would offer more events.”
If you would like to learn more about Kerby’s Nursery or attend one of its upcoming events, visit www.kerbysnursery.com or call 813-685-3265. Kerby’s Nursery is located at 2311 S. Parsons Ave. in Seffner.
