Three Brothers Nursery & Florist

My grandmother and grandfather have lived in the same house in Port Murray, NJ for the last 50 years. I grew up in a little town just down the road from their place. For as long as I can remember I drove down Route 46 to 31 to 57 to visit my grandparents until moving to Miami in 2003. I’ve passed Three Brothers more times than I can count, but never had a reason to stop in. Sadly I ended up here due to the passing of my grandmother a week ago. My grandfather knows the kind family who runs this place and told me I must stop here for the funeral flowers. Upon entering the store, I didn’t know what to expect. I found much more than a simple florist and nursery. First of the all, the place smelled like eucalyptus oil and Christmas. I kept looking around for Santa. I met the nice lady behind the counter who knew immediately why I was there. She led me and my mother to the back of the store through all the shelves of country cottage-​inspired gifts, pottery and scented candles to choose our flowers for the service. She pulled flower books off the shelves and we flipped through the pages to find the perfect arrangement. We liked the look of one of the baskets — purple roses, white mums with large sprays of eucalyptus and ivy. It reminded me of the ivy trellis my grandmother has in her yard. Without hesitation, they allowed me to customize the flowers and fit it within my budget. We filled out the order form fairly quickly, but I wasn’t ready to leave yet. The owner’s husband invited us to see the nursery in the back of the store. I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend anymore time than necessary in the frigid January temps, but something told me I didn’t want to miss this. We ventured through the door only to be met with a warm, tropical oasis full of unique orchids, succulent plants, and two ponds full of lively and colorful koi fish. They even had a little pond designated for a gigantic Resident Frog — living happily in very his own bachelor lily pad. A tall, antique wood store warmed the green house to the perfect temperature. I felt like shedding my winter gear, dipping my toes in with the fish and staying forever. It was just too neat and took my mind off of the sad event I was about to face. I had to snap myself back to reality and get on my way. In addition to the flowers, I ended up purchasing a handmade pottery mug that says «Port Murray» on it. My grandmother had the same one. The shop owner talked me into grabbing a jar of pepper jelly which I did with not much coercion. Three Brothers added a little light to an otherwise dreary and sad experience. They were very kind and their sympathy was genuine. I am extremely glad that I stopped in here, and I’m sure you will be too.