The Cutting Hedge: Your Guide to Spring Gardening
Where to shop to get the stuff you need to spruce up your yard for the season ahead
Don’t let your wardrobe get all the color and style this season—your personal patch of nature deserves sprucing, too. Whether you’re dressing up a front stoop with a glazed pot of azaleas or installing a pond in your backyard garden, we found the best nurseries and greenhouses in town to help you tackle your next outdoor project.
For potted plants …
Campbell’s Greenhouses
If you’ve got a naked living room corner that could use a splash of color, you’ll love the eclectic mix of perennials and foliage plants at this tucked-away greenhouse in South End. The hanging baskets of geraniums can take care of your front porch décor, but once you’re inside, you can wander past shelves of orchids—seven different species of all ages—azaleas, begonias, and kalanchoes. Plus, if you bring in your own planter, they’ll custom design a potted arrangement for you.
209 McDonald Ave., 704-331-9659
For mature trees …
Latham’s Nursery
A pot of pansies may shrivel by the season’s end, but a tree is a lifelong gardening commitment. This scenic, 100-acre nursery has one of the biggest tree selections in the region, growing several thousand trees during the year in addition to about 300,000 shrubs. You’ll find traditional options like oaks and maples, as well as colorful shrubs like Knockout Roses and hollies.
2317 E. Lawyers Rd., Monroe, 704-283-5696, lathamsnursery.com
For fresh herb plants …
Banner Nursery &
Garden Center
Eat your heart out, Barefoot Contessa. This nursery off Independence Boulevard spreads out enormous flats of herbs and spices in the spring and summer months, carrying close to forty varieties at a time. You’ll find sage, rosemary, lavender, and mustard; it also has close to a dozen types of basil, and nearly fifteen different thymes. Plus, on the off chance you can’t find what you need, Banner will special order for you.
4400 Monroe Rd., 704-333-0355
For pretty pots and planters …
Young’s Garden Center
During spring, this Fort Mill gardening store ships in nearly 200 pots in up to thirty different color, size, and pattern combinations. Young’s offers glazed outdoor containers, terracotta planters, and a few shelves of small, indoor ceramics for houseplants. You’ll also be able to find wrought-iron window box troughs. Once you pick out your pot, Young’s will custom design an arrangement of plants to fill it.
9567 Charlotte Hwy., Fort Mill, 803-548-0722, youngsgardencenter.com
For unique garden art …
Garden Secrets
Whether you’re looking for a cherubic birdbath or a decorative wind chime, this South Park garden and gift shop likely has exactly the enchanting touch you’re looking for. It has stone statues, fountains, and benches lining its outdoor nursery, and inside, you’ll find everything from funky rain gauges to moss-covered baskets to decorative trellises and arbors. Plus it carries tons of heavy-duty glazed pots and stone planters to pick from.
6601 Morrison Blvd., Ste. A, 704-366-3111, gardensecrets.net
For water plants …
Oakdale Greenhouses
If that birdbath isn’t cutting it, consider upgrading with a pond; Oakdale Greenhouses is one of the few spots in town that raises water lilies and lotuses on site. For a more Victorian vibe, consider a bush of hybrid tea roses to go with your lilies. If, however, you want your pondscape to be a little more tropical, check out the selection of ferns and koi.
5626 Statesville Rd., 704-596-4052, oakdalegreenhouses.com
For patio accoutrements …
Pike Nurseries
Any fabulous garden needs an equally superb patio from which to enjoy it. Whether you want a full outdoor dining set for the sunroom or just need a chaise longue for lazy deck days, you’ll find plenty of options among
the stone and iron patio furniture at this Ballantyne store. Plus, with manicured topiaries, birdhouses,
and colorful medallions for outdoor wall hanging, Pike can make your patio as lovely as it is comfortable.
12630 N. Community House Rd., 704-341-7453, pikenursery.com
