I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than being surrounded by beautiful flowers that you have grown and nurtured to maturity. Since I don’t have the time or the inclination to start a garden of my own, I have to content myself with those grown and nurtured by others. That’s why Horstman’s Nursery in Norwich is such a magical place for me.

The nursery and landscaping business has occupied its East River Road location since it was founded in 1972 by Priscilla Horstman. After Priscilla passed away in 1998, her daughter Renee carried on the family tradition.

“It’s a good thing I paid attention,” Renee, who worked alongside her mom most of her life, told me Monday as she took me through one of the greenhouses on site.

The small structure was filled with hanging baskets, vegetable plants and flats of annuals in every color and variety imaginable. I paused just inside the door to take it all in, and was glad I did. The mingling of all those scents was a bit overpowering. Kind of like being hugged by your favorite aunts who are a little heavy handed with their perfume. Thank goodness I’d taken my allergy meds.

Stepping inside the greenhouse was a bit like stepping back in time for me. You see, one of my first jobs was selling flowers at Horstman’s. I got to get my hands dirty, be surrounded by gorgeous plants and deal with customers; and I loved every minute of it.

Like Renee, I learned a lot from Priscilla (although obviously not quite as much.) But it is definitely thanks to her that I know the difference between annuals and perennials, which plants prefer shade to sun, the common names of many and the basics of planting and transplanting.

During my Saturdays at Horstman’s, I also learned to hate geraniums with a passion and to stay far away from juniper, to which I discovered the hard way that I am highly allergic.

Renee and Emily Bahn, who has worked with her for more than a decade, are a wealth of information just like Priscilla. Whether you want to know what types of plants will grow well under certain conditions, which variety of tomato is right for you or when to plant, they are the ones to ask.

Renee told me that her favorite part of her work is growing. Over the last few years she has started growing many of the annuals and all of the vegetable plants she sells herself from seed or plugs.