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Plant Nurseries & Garden Centers in North Carolina

Explore 468 local plant nurseries across 71 cities.

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Top Rated Farms in NC

Bonnie Plant Farm
💬 4 reviews3
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Bonnie Plant Farm

📍5702 Turnbull Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28312, USA
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Celtic Frost Herbs
💬 4 reviews5
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Celtic Frost Herbs

📍565, Elm Street, Locust, North Carolina, 28097, US
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💬 4 reviews5
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Eli Gardening

📍26 Tingen Rd, Broadway, NC 27505, USA
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Kentwood Nurseries Inc.
💬 4 reviews5
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Kentwood Nurseries Inc.

📍1604 Taylorsville Rd SE, Lenoir, NC 28645, USA
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💬 4 reviews5
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KGS Plants

Wholesale Floriculture and Greenhouse Grower. Top products: Annuals, Perennials, Hanging baskets, Tropical plants, Seasonal flowering shrubs. KGS Plants is a wholesale floriculture operation based in Shelby, North Carolina, established in 1984 by Steve and Cathy Mull, originally operating as Mull’s Greenhouses. The business specializes in the large-scale production of flowering and foliage plants, serving as a primary supplier to retail garden centers and professional nurseries throughout North and South Carolina. Utilizing a consistent weekly delivery network covering major regional hubs like Charlotte, Denver, and Asheville, the company maintains a diverse, year-round production cycle. Their inventory includes a broad range of perennials, annuals, and tropicals, alongside seasonal staples such as hydrangeas, poinsettias, garden mums, and geraniums. In addition to standard retail inventory, KGS Plants offers production of vegetable trays and 606 bedding plants. They also facilitate specialty plant production through pre-booked custom orders, positioning themselves as a vital logistics and horticultural partner for the regional retail nursery trade.

📍Foxboro Street, Shelby, North Carolina, 28051, US
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Lake View Farms
💬 4 reviews5
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Lake View Farms

📍4537 Linda Ln, Asheboro, NC 27205, USA
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Longhill Nursery
💬 4 reviews5
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Longhill Nursery

📍1201, Agricultural Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27603, US
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Penny's Nursery
💬 4 reviews5
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Penny's Nursery

📍1501 Pagan Rd, Raleigh, NC 27603, USA
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Bynum's Greenhouses & Pumpkin Farm
💬 3 reviews3.7
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Bynum's Greenhouses & Pumpkin Farm

📍1022 Martin Branch Rd, Garner, NC 27529, USA
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Dowless Christmas Tree Farm
💬 3 reviews5
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Dowless Christmas Tree Farm

Christmas Tree Farm. Top products: Christmas trees. Dowless Christmas Tree Farm, Inc. is a family-owned horticultural business based in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The company specializes in the seasonal production and retail distribution of Christmas trees, catering primarily to local residents and families seeking holiday decor. As a dedicated provider in the regional market, the business focuses on offering high-quality, farm-fresh trees at competitive price points. While primarily oriented toward retail holiday sales, the farm maintains a community-focused mission, emphasizing family involvement and accessibility. Although the business has experienced seasonal operational pauses, its core identity remains rooted in the cultivation and sale of coniferous trees intended for holiday use, serving the greater Fayetteville area through its established locations and direct consumer engagement.

📍All American Freeway, Fayetteville, North Carolina, 28303, US
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Elevation Plant and Nursery, INC.
💬 3 reviews3.7
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Elevation Plant and Nursery, INC.

📍7325 Elevation Rd, Benson, NC 27504, USA
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Field to Cottage Nursery
💬 3 reviews5
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Field to Cottage Nursery

Native Piedmont plant nursery. Top products: Native Southeastern plants, Piedmont region flora, Chemical-free nursery stock. Field to Cottage Nursery is a specialized, chemical-free greenhouse and nursery located in northern Wake County, North Carolina. The business focuses exclusively on the propagation and sale of plants native to the Southeastern United States, with a specific emphasis on species indigenous to the Piedmont region. Driven by a mission to support local ecological health, the nursery encourages homeowners to adopt 'wilder' landscaping aesthetics that provide necessary habitat for local fauna. Operating primarily through an online ordering system, the nursery serves individual homeowners looking to incorporate native species into their landscapes. They maintain seasonal operations, specifically open for pickups during the spring and fall/winter planting windows. As a licensed horticultural operation (NC Nursery License #050-8304), the nursery emphasizes sustainable, small-scale cultivation, favoring ecological integrity over conventional commercial landscaping practices.

📍12405 Norwood Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613, USA
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Gragg Farms & Nursery
💬 3 reviews3.7
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Gragg Farms & Nursery

📍2462 Spanish Oak Rd, Newland, NC 28657, USA
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Jernigans-Nursery
💬 3 reviews3.7
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Jernigans-Nursery

📍220 Lee Rd, Dunn, NC 28334, USA
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💬 3 reviews5
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Knats Creek Nursery

📍1015 Jackson Springs Rd, Jackson Springs, NC 27281, USA
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Lloyd's Nursery & Landscape
💬 3 reviews4.3
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Lloyd's Nursery & Landscape

📍6425 Windmill Way, Wilmington, NC 28405, USA
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Myers Farm Greenhouse
💬 3 reviews5
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Myers Farm Greenhouse

📍6955 NC-62, Blanch, NC 27212, USA
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Propagation Station - CLOSED
💬 3 reviews5
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Propagation Station - CLOSED

📍Old Fayetteville Road, Eliah, North Carolina, 28451, US
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Scotttree
💬 3 reviews5
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Scotttree

Ornamental Tree Nursery. Top products: Shade Trees, Evergreens, Ornamental Trees. Scottree is a specialized nursery located in Shelby, NC, dedicated to the cultivation of high-quality balled and burlaped ornamental trees. Originally established by Scott Warrick as a 'Cut Your Own' Christmas tree farm growing Virginia Pines, the business evolved during the late 1980s and early 1990s to focus on the professional landscape industry. Today, the operation serves professional landscapers and urban foresters by providing shade trees, evergreens, and diverse ornamental varieties. The nursery emphasizes scientific growing practices, including meticulous attention to root depth, healthy stock selection, and advanced planting techniques to ensure long-term tree viability and maturity. By integrating research-based horticultural practices with constant industry feedback, Scottree focuses on producing robust specimens capable of thriving in urban environments. The business maintains a strong commitment to quality control and sustainable growth, prioritizing the biological health of the trees above all else.

📍143, Berry Drive, North Carolina, 28150, US
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💬 3 reviews4.7
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Smith Evergreen Nursery

Full-Service Nursery and Garden Center. Top products: Landscape trees, Shrubs, Perennial plants, Garden decor, Hardscape materials. Smith Evergreen Nursery operates as a comprehensive horticultural retail center and landscape service provider. The business maintains a two-acre nursery sales area dedicated to a wide variety of plant stock, including ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers suitable for residential and commercial landscape projects. Beyond plant sales, the nursery functions as a garden center, offering curated home and garden decor such as solar globes and wind chimes. They emphasize a dual-focus model: supplying high-quality botanical inventory to local customers and providing professional design-build landscape and hardscape installation services. Their hardscape expertise includes the construction of patios and walkways, allowing them to offer complete landscape transformations. The nursery caters to both DIY gardeners looking for plant stock and clients seeking full-scale professional landscaping, supported by their extensive inventory and on-site expert consultation.

📍4311 Wiggins Mill Rd, Wilson, NC 27893, USA
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Steve's Plants, LLC
💬 3 reviews5
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Steve's Plants, LLC

📍819 Hawley Rd, Dunn, NC 28334, USA
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💬 2 reviews5
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Big Branch Nursery

Wholesale woody ornamental grower. Top products: large container grown woody ornamentals, ornamental trees, woody shrubs. Big Branch Nursery is a wholesale-only horticultural operation located south of Mebane, North Carolina. The nursery specializes in the production of large container-grown woody ornamentals, including a variety of trees and shrubs designed for professional landscaping applications. Strategically positioned near the I-85/40 corridor, the nursery serves as a dedicated supplier to the professional green industry rather than the general public. Their business model focuses on providing high-quality, mature plant material to landscapers, nurseries, and plant professionals. By maintaining a wholesale-exclusive focus, they emphasize professional-grade stock and logistical convenience for regional trade partners. The nursery offers an online availability list for industry professionals to review their current inventory of containerized woody stock, supporting the needs of commercial and residential landscaping projects throughout North Carolina.

📍3912, Lloydtown Road, Mebane, North Carolina, 27302, US
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BXP Landscape/Boxwoods
💬 2 reviews4
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BXP Landscape/Boxwoods

📍7750 Seasons Hollow Rd, Lewisville, NC 27023, USA
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Currin's Nursery, Inc.
💬 2 reviews4.5
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Currin's Nursery, Inc.

Wholesale woody ornamental grower. Top products: Container woody ornamental shrubs, Ornamental trees. Currin's Nursery, Inc., established in 1974 and based in Willow Spring, North Carolina, is a wholesale horticultural operation specializing in the production of container-grown woody ornamental shrubs and trees. Ranging in size from one-gallon to 100-gallon containers, their inventory is supplied exclusively to landscapers, retail garden centers, and re-wholesalers throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The nursery maintains a hands-on approach to production, propagating a significant portion of their stock directly from seeds or cuttings to ensure quality control and historical oversight of the plant lifecycle. Founded by Richard and Emily Currin, the nursery has evolved from a small two-acre plot into an expansive production facility. Committed to industry longevity and customer service, Currin's Nursery emphasizes technical horticultural expertise and the sustainable development of high-quality plant material for professional wholesale trade.

📍2908 Eric St, Willow Spring, NC 27592, USA
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The Nursery & Garden Center Market in North Carolina

North Carolina supports a robust horticultural industry, anchored by 470 verified nurseries operating across 20 primary urban markets. The market functions as a diverse network ranging from small-scale specialty growers to large-scale retail garden centers. Industry distribution shows a heavy concentration in the Piedmont and mountain regions, where specific soil profiles and longer growing seasons dictate high demand for both native shrubs and landscape-grade nursery stock. Retail performance, evidenced by ratings often exceeding 4.5 across top establishments like Guilford Garden Center and Whitaker Farms, indicates a consumer base that prioritizes quality and localized expert advice over big-box convenience.

Top Cities for Nurseries & Garden Centers

Market density is highest in Asheville, which leads the state with 31 active nurseries. This saturation correlates with the region's unique microclimates and strong horticultural tourism. Raleigh follows closely with 27 locations, serving as the commercial heart for the capital region's residential expansion. Burlington, Wilmington, and Fuquay-Varina each host 16 establishments, reflecting a steady growth in suburban landscape demand. Charlotte, despite its status as a major metropolis, mirrors the counts of smaller hubs like Fuquay-Varina, suggesting that high-value retail land costs may influence the concentration of nursery production in the immediate outer rings rather than the city core. Other critical hubs include Hendersonville (15), Winston-Salem (14), Greensboro (14), and Shelby (13), which collectively provide a stable supply chain for residential and commercial horticultural projects across the state.

North Carolina Climate & Plant Selection

NC spans USDA hardiness zones 5 through 8, a massive variance that demands specific inventory management. The western mountain nurseries, particularly in Asheville and Hendersonville, focus heavily on cool-season perennials and acid-loving woody plants that thrive in the acidic, well-draining soils characteristic of the Appalachians. Moving east toward the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, nurseries adapt by stocking heat-tolerant native species and drought-resistant varieties. Rainfall patterns, typically abundant but inconsistent, have pushed garden centers to prioritize native NC plants like Ilex opaca and various Viburnum species that can survive both high summer humidity and periodic dry spells. Greenhouse-grown stock is essential in the early spring, allowing nurseries to bridge the gap between the final frost dates and the aggressive growth cycles triggered by high heat. Soil management remains the primary challenge; heavy red clay in the Piedmont requires nurseries to guide consumers toward soil amendments and deep-rooting plants, whereas the sandy soils of the eastern counties necessitate different fertility strategies. Retail nurseries in these areas frequently integrate local nursery production with specialized nursery inventory to ensure that plant materials are already acclimated to the specific regional heat and humidity levels before they reach the consumer's landscape.

Sourcing Plants Locally in NC

  • Verify Hardiness Zone Compatibility: Before buying, cross-reference your specific location’s USDA zone with the nursery’s stock. High-elevation mountain nurseries offer vastly different species than those in the Coastal Plain.
  • Prioritize Native Plant Growers: Seek out garden centers like Whitaker Farms or Gunters Greenhouse that emphasize local propagation. Native plants are genetically adapted to NC's specific insect and soil pressures.
  • Observe Retail Rating Trends: Establishments like Guilford Garden Center (4.8) and Homewood Nursery (4.7) maintain high ratings because they employ horticulturists rather than simple retail staff. Use these interactions to gain knowledge on soil prep specific to your county.
  • Seasonality is Key: In NC, the best planting time for woody ornamentals is late fall, allowing root systems to establish before the onset of extreme summer heat. Many top-tier nurseries offer specialized stock during these cooler windows.
  • Check Source Diversity: Larger garden centers often blend field-grown nursery stock from across the Southeast with locally container-grown varieties. Always ask if the plant was grown on-site to ensure it is acclimated to local conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is the mountain region in North Carolina such a hub for nurseries?

A: The Asheville and Hendersonville areas offer unique microclimates characterized by cooler temperatures and distinct elevation profiles. These conditions allow nurseries to grow a wider variety of plants, including many cool-season crops and specialty conifers that struggle in the intense heat of the NC Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions, creating a diverse horticultural market that attracts specialized growers and high-demand commercial landscape buyers.

Q: What is the primary challenge for home gardeners buying from NC nurseries?

A: The main challenge is soil variance. Much of the North Carolina Piedmont consists of dense, compacted red clay that inhibits drainage. Conversely, eastern parts of the state have very sandy, fast-draining soils. Nurseries in NC must provide specialized guidance on soil amendments, such as incorporating organic matter or gypsum, to ensure that the plants survive the transition from a greenhouse environment to the homeowner’s yard.

Q: Are native plants a better investment for North Carolina gardens?

A: Yes, native plants are generally a superior investment in NC because they have evolved to withstand the state's distinct humidity, rainfall patterns, and common pests. Because they are adapted to local soil conditions, they often require less supplemental irrigation and fewer chemical fertilizers than exotic nursery stock. Many leading NC garden centers are now prioritizing native species to meet the growing consumer demand for sustainable, low-maintenance landscapes.

Q: When is the optimal time to purchase and plant in North Carolina?

A: While many garden centers are busiest in the spring, the optimal planting time for trees and shrubs in North Carolina is actually the fall. Planting in late autumn allows the roots to establish in the warming, moist soil before the plant has to deal with the intense, stressful heat of an NC summer. This reduces transplant shock and significantly lowers the need for intensive watering during the first growing season.

Q: How do NC garden centers manage plant health in high humidity?

A: North Carolina’s high summer humidity is perfect for fungal pathogens. To manage this, professional garden centers utilize wide spacing for plants in the nursery yard to ensure consistent air circulation. They also focus on stocking disease-resistant cultivars and educate customers on proper spacing and irrigation techniques, such as avoiding overhead watering, which helps keep foliage dry and reduces the incidence of common leaf-spot diseases found in the region.