Trimble’s Nursery to close after 35 years in Cutchogue: ‘It’s just been so great’

Trimble’s of Corchaug Nursery has been a fixture on Cutchogue’s Main Road for more than three decades — a four-acre spread filled with flowers, herbs and loyal customers.

Now, owner Nancy Leskody, 69, is preparing to close the business that she built with her wife, Anne Trimble, over the past 35 years.

Ms. Trimble died after a brief battle with cancer in December 2022 — two months after the couple married in the living room of their home on the property. She was 70 years old.

“It’s a big piece of me; a lot of my identity is wrapped up in this place,” an emotional Ms. Leskody told The Suffolk Times. “When I introduce myself, I say, ‘I’m Nancy from Trimble’s.’ It’s just been so great, and I wish it didn’t have to stop. But I just can’t keep going.”

The nursery will open for a final sale May 1, with all remaining plants and materials up for purchase.

Long before they came to the North Fork, the two met in New York City in 1985 — Ms. Leskody working in a restaurant, Ms. Trimble as a garden and landscape designer.

They soon moved in together in Brooklyn, and six years later, decided it was time to head east.

“We had a dream that we wouldn’t be working for other people,” Ms. Leskody said. “We decided that we were going to go into business.”

The two looked upstate and elsewhere but settled on the North Fork after visiting Ms. Leskody’s parents in Southold in 1991. During their stay, the two came across Parisi Greenhouses and Nursery in nearby Cutchogue.

They bought the property, north of Main Road between Evergreen and Wagon Wheel lanes, with their life savings — “which we didn’t have much of,” Ms. Leskody said — and spent months cleaning and rebuilding before opening to the public.

“It was quite the place. We saw the potential, but it took a lot of work,” Ms. Leskody recalled. “It was a huge undertaking. We didn’t have a whole lot of help; our friends helped us, and my mom and dad helped us once we got Trimble’s under control.”

The farm family across the street, the Elaks, also walked over and welcomed them warmly, which Ms. Leskody always remembers with a smile.

Their hard work quickly paid off — with both a loyal following and regional recognition. The nursery was named the Long Island Farm Bureau’s “Best in Show” in 1995. 

They also developed long-standing relationships with staff. Georgeann Packard, who worked at Trimble’s for 23 years as the landscape supervisor, helped design, lay out and install gardens. Initially a graphic designer in Manhattan, Ms. Packard’s studio closed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She turned to horticulture, taking classes at Suffolk Community College.

Ms. Trimble told her to come work for them.

“It was such a creative place to work, it was really fun,” Ms. Packard said. “We also had the most wonderful clients, the nicest people in the world. We always had a good time.”

When asked about the nursery’s role in the community, her answer was immediate: “Integral.”

“Anne and Nancy are just great people, and dedicated to the community,” she said. “They’re an integral part, with what they were trying to do and the way they developed their business. They love it out here, but it was hard to carry on without Anne.”

The business weathered setbacks over the years, including a winter storm that collapsed one of the greenhouses more than a decade ago. The structure was eventually rebuilt at half its original size — all the owners could afford at the time.

There were moments when they nearly lost the nursery altogether. But they held on, building not just a business but a tight-knit team.

“Anne and I were very fortunate. Most of the people who worked for us stayed with us,” Ms. Leskody said. “We were very conscious of treating people right; that was always our thing. The staff here, I can’t say enough about them.”

In recent months, Ms. Leskody has begun stepping away, selling the landscaping side of the business to Mattituck-based Bohemian Rose Design. The two businesses had worked together for years. 

The nursery itself is not currently on the market. After the final sale, Ms. Leskody said, she will take time to figure out what comes next — and whether she remains on the North Fork.

“It’s very stressful by myself, and without Anne, it’s just me making the decisions,” she said. “But this community has been everything. They gave us everything.”