About Us
The Tale of Two Nurseries
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McSherry’s Nursery began in 1962 when Tom McSherry and his wife, Dorothy, purchased a seedling nursery from Western Maine Forest Nursery. Tom had been working as an arborist and tree surgeon for the nursery and was ready to branch into selling trees and shrubs himself. He built a building, put up some shade areas and hired Bob Pond, as his right hand man (and like the McSherry’s, Bob has some incredible stories to tell from “back in the day”), and so was the beginning of McSherry’s Nursery.
Tom’s son, Ned, joined the company working alongside his dad from 1967 to 1972. Ned worked with landscape designs, planting for homeowners as well as for commercial properties. Tom’s daughter, Gail, began her life at the nursery with her passion, buying and selling antiques. Gail soon became more involved with plants and began selling annuals and perennials as a natural compliment to the shrubs. The third generation of McSherry's also joined the business when Gail's daughters, Paige and Bethany joined the team.
History of O'Donal's 1959 Royce O'Donal purchased a century old nursery from the Jackson Family on County Rd. Gorham. Here, he and his wife Selma built their home and raised their six children. In 1978 the couple with their four younger children moved into a new home and the original home was converted to the Garden Center. Although all six children worked at the nursery when growing up, only Jeffrey made it his career. In the fall of 2006, he purchased the company from his parents; and the next part of the journey began.
The O'Donals and McSherry's have known each other for three generations. When Gail McSherry retired, she sold the family business, confident Jeff O'Donal would successfully continue the legacy.
The McSherry crew is a mixture of some familiar faces (yes, Bob Pond still works here) and some new members. All are committed to providing excellent products and customer services. Some of us have lived in the Mount Washington Valley for decades. That is why our new motto is "Our Roots Grow Deep in Our Community."