| White Wagon Farm History |
In 1986, Pat White and Kathy Wagenknecht began White Wagon Farm with the idea of making available more
varieties of perennial plants than the daisies and phlox that then dominated nurseries. At White Wagon, we learned
that the best way to introduce our new plants was to show them in the garden, and so we built display beds where
you can see how the plants actually grow.
White Wagon is now known for our herb selection. We began growing herbs for our own use, and found that the
demand for herbs, year-round, was larger than expected. White Wagon always has herbs available – maybe not hot-
weather basils in January, but certainly a good selection of the plants suitable for the season. After growing herbs
for over 20 years, we have a good understanding of which varieties do well in our climate and growing conditions
and spotlight them in our formal herb garden.
Antique roses were the next specialty item that White Wagon added. Although we loved roses, the intensive care
required of many hybrid tea roses was more than we wanted to undertake. When we discovered the hardy,
beautiful, fragrant, unusual old roses, we found a perfect fit for our nursery and gardens. And as we had done with
perennials and herbs, we planted the roses so you can see their growth habits and distinctive personalities.
A recent addition at White Wagon Farm is not a new variety of plants but a new variety of experience: Sage
House, the arts center for the farm. The 1920’s house was moved onto the grounds several years ago and has been
recycled into an art studio and classroom.
When a studio and gallery are part of a nursery and garden center, it should be no surprise that the growth of the
enterprise has been totally organic. Unlike some planned studio spaces that are carefully built to exacting
specifications, Sage House Studio was “found art” that became part of a large-scale recycling project.
Pat White is also an artist. After her formal training in art at the Memphis Academy of Art in the 1970s, she
worked as an artist in the schools before we opened the nursery in 1988. There she devoted her primary artistic
activities to designing gardens.
Then in early 2004, we found a house that needed to be moved. That 1400 square foot, 1920’s bungalow in need
of intensive TLC was the seed that we planted in a grassy field at White Wagon Farm. Named “Sage House” to
evoke the herbal connection with the nursery, the silvery green color of its exterior, and the wisdom of a “sage”, it
has grown into a studio, gathering place, and creative center.
The three bedrooms have been converted to two studios and a library; the living-dining area is a large classroom;
and the kitchen serves as a place for coffee, pot luck dinners with other artists, and cleaning out brushes. And the
walls of every room – bathroom included – display the work of Pat and fellow artists.
The studios each have large windows on the north, providing natural light. The classroom looks out on the
extensive gardens of the nursery, and a full-length front porch provides another venue for painting, relaxing, and
enjoying the gardens. David Cook teaches two watercolor classes at Sage House, and many of the painters get
together on a weekly basis to hire a model and draw.
As Monet so clearly demonstrated at Giverny, art and gardens go together: open houses at the nursery provide new
visitors to the studios; plein air painters in the garden interest nursery shoppers. To further encourage this
symbiotic relationship, we converted our garden shop to a gallery named, of course, Sage House Gallery.
varieties of perennial plants than the daisies and phlox that then dominated nurseries. At White Wagon, we learned
that the best way to introduce our new plants was to show them in the garden, and so we built display beds where
you can see how the plants actually grow.
White Wagon is now known for our herb selection. We began growing herbs for our own use, and found that the
demand for herbs, year-round, was larger than expected. White Wagon always has herbs available – maybe not hot-
weather basils in January, but certainly a good selection of the plants suitable for the season. After growing herbs
for over 20 years, we have a good understanding of which varieties do well in our climate and growing conditions
and spotlight them in our formal herb garden.
Antique roses were the next specialty item that White Wagon added. Although we loved roses, the intensive care
required of many hybrid tea roses was more than we wanted to undertake. When we discovered the hardy,
beautiful, fragrant, unusual old roses, we found a perfect fit for our nursery and gardens. And as we had done with
perennials and herbs, we planted the roses so you can see their growth habits and distinctive personalities.
A recent addition at White Wagon Farm is not a new variety of plants but a new variety of experience: Sage
House, the arts center for the farm. The 1920’s house was moved onto the grounds several years ago and has been
recycled into an art studio and classroom.
When a studio and gallery are part of a nursery and garden center, it should be no surprise that the growth of the
enterprise has been totally organic. Unlike some planned studio spaces that are carefully built to exacting
specifications, Sage House Studio was “found art” that became part of a large-scale recycling project.
Pat White is also an artist. After her formal training in art at the Memphis Academy of Art in the 1970s, she
worked as an artist in the schools before we opened the nursery in 1988. There she devoted her primary artistic
activities to designing gardens.
Then in early 2004, we found a house that needed to be moved. That 1400 square foot, 1920’s bungalow in need
of intensive TLC was the seed that we planted in a grassy field at White Wagon Farm. Named “Sage House” to
evoke the herbal connection with the nursery, the silvery green color of its exterior, and the wisdom of a “sage”, it
has grown into a studio, gathering place, and creative center.
The three bedrooms have been converted to two studios and a library; the living-dining area is a large classroom;
and the kitchen serves as a place for coffee, pot luck dinners with other artists, and cleaning out brushes. And the
walls of every room – bathroom included – display the work of Pat and fellow artists.
The studios each have large windows on the north, providing natural light. The classroom looks out on the
extensive gardens of the nursery, and a full-length front porch provides another venue for painting, relaxing, and
enjoying the gardens. David Cook teaches two watercolor classes at Sage House, and many of the painters get
together on a weekly basis to hire a model and draw.
As Monet so clearly demonstrated at Giverny, art and gardens go together: open houses at the nursery provide new
visitors to the studios; plein air painters in the garden interest nursery shoppers. To further encourage this
symbiotic relationship, we converted our garden shop to a gallery named, of course, Sage House Gallery.
