GrowersFinder

Plant Nurseries & Garden Centers in North Carolina

Explore 468 local plant nurseries across 71 cities.

Select your city:
Loading Map...

Top Rated Farms in NC

The Plant Firm
💬 53 reviews4.8
maps_search

The Plant Firm

Retail Nursery and Garden Center. Top products: Ornamental Shrubs, Indoor Tropical Plants, Landscaping Trees, Potting Soil and Amendments, Plant Fertilizers. The Plant Firm is a comprehensive horticultural retailer based in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializing in a diverse range of indoor and outdoor plants. Their inventory includes a wide selection of ornamental shrubs, such as viburnums and fragrant tea olives, alongside various tropical indoor house plants, ranging from monsteras to palms. Beyond plant retail, the company operates as a full-service horticultural provider, offering professional landscape design and installation consultations throughout North Carolina. Their business model is built on convenience, providing local delivery services within their region and nationwide shipping for their plant catalog. In addition to live nursery stock, they supply essential garden products including proprietary potting mixes, soil conditioners, specialized plant food, and their branded DROP & GRO™ nutrient tablets. They cater primarily to residential homeowners looking to enhance their landscapes or indoor spaces, emphasizing plant health, expert horticultural advice, and competitive pricing.

📍544 Stallings Rd, Zebulon, NC 27597, USA
Route
Nature’s Harmony
💬 52 reviews4.9
maps_search

Nature’s Harmony

📍8353 Shipyard Rd, Manns Harbor, NC 27953, USA
Route
No website listed
Mullis Greenhouse
💬 51 reviews4.8
maps_search

Mullis Greenhouse

📍1017 Tomberlin Rd, Unionville, NC 28110, USA
Route
No website listed
C & J Nursery
💬 50 reviews4.8
maps_search

C & J Nursery

Family Owned Retail Nursery. Top products: Ornamental plants, Shrubs, Trees, Perennials. C & J Nursery is a family-owned and operated horticultural business with over two decades of experience in the industry. Based in North Carolina, the nursery was founded on a passion for agriculture and remains a collaborative family enterprise, with multiple generations involved in daily operations. The business focuses on the production and sale of high-quality plants, catering to local homeowners and landscapers. Their core mission centers on customer satisfaction, combining traditional growing practices with a commitment to providing horticultural expertise to their clientele. As a retail-oriented nursery, they offer a diverse inventory of plants and shrubs suited for the local climate, emphasizing hard work and quality control in every step of the growing process. By maintaining a hands-on approach, C & J Nursery serves as a primary source for community members looking to source plants directly from a producer rather than a commercial chain.

📍432 Clayton Rd, Angier, NC 27501, USA
Route
North Carolina Farms Inc
💬 50 reviews4.6
maps_search

North Carolina Farms Inc

Wholesale Horticultural Starter Supplier. Top products: Ornamental Plant Starters, Vegetable Plant Starters, Flowering Perennials, Greenhouse Supplies. North Carolina Farms Inc operates as a specialized wholesale horticultural supplier focused on providing high-quality starter plants to greenhouses, garden centers, schools, and various non-profit organizations. Their business model is built around supporting other commercial entities by providing young, transplant-ready plants in professional-grade plug and tray formats. Their extensive inventory spans a diverse range of categories, including flowering ornamentals like begonias, lantanas, and coleus; garden perennials such as sedum and tradescantia; and edible starters like beefsteak tomatoes and collards. The company emphasizes a streamlined, B2B purchasing experience featuring low order minimums and real-time availability tracking. Beyond plant material, they supply the essential greenhouse infrastructure required for successful cultivation, including plug trays, germination trays, and specialized shuttle pots. By operating strictly as a wholesale provider for businesses growing for resale, they position themselves as a critical partner in the agricultural supply chain, offering both biological inputs and horticultural guidance to ensure the success of their clients' growing seasons.

📍4202, Forest Drive, Monroe, North Carolina, 28079, US
Route
Outdoor Supply Inc
💬 50 reviews4.9
maps_search

Outdoor Supply Inc

📍10559 N Main St, Archdale, NC 27263, USA
Route
No website listed
Riverside Farm & Garden Supply Inc
💬 50 reviews4.9
maps_search

Riverside Farm & Garden Supply Inc

Retail garden supply nursery. Top products: garden supplies, ornamental plants, seasonal plants. Riverside Farm & Garden Supply Inc is a family-owned and operated horticultural business based in Pfafftown, North Carolina, with operations dating back to 1991. The business functions as a local garden center and supply hub dedicated to supporting the Winston-Salem area's horticultural needs. Their core operations revolve around providing a selection of plant materials and essential gardening supplies to local homeowners and community members. As a long-standing fixture in the community, the business focuses on facilitating residential gardening through the retail sale of seasonal and ornamental plant varieties alongside necessary cultivation equipment. They maintain a mission of community-focused service, leveraging over three decades of experience to provide horticultural support and resources. While maintaining a small-business profile, they act as a local point of access for gardening enthusiasts looking for both plant stock and the tools required to maintain home landscapes and gardens.

📍6295 Yadkinville Rd, Pfafftown, NC 27040, USA
Route
Shepherds Landscape Supply
💬 50 reviews4.3
maps_search

Shepherds Landscape Supply

Wholesale and retail nursery. Top products: Hydrangeas, Crape Myrtle Trees, Fragrant Tea Olive, Ornamental shrubs. Shepherds Landscape Supply, located in Huntersville, North Carolina, is a long-standing horticultural operation that has served the region since 1988. Functioning as both a wholesale provider for professional landscapers and a retail destination for homeowners, the nursery offers a vast inventory comprising over 5,000 distinct plant varieties. Their product range focuses on high-quality ornamental trees, flowering shrubs, and landscape plants tailored for the local climate. The company prioritizes providing professional-grade plant material alongside expert horticultural advice, positioning itself as a comprehensive resource for residential and commercial landscape projects. By maintaining a large, diverse stock and catering to both DIY gardeners and industry professionals, Shepherds Landscape Supply supports a wide range of planting needs, from simple garden upgrades to large-scale professional landscape installations.

📍9741, Mount Holly-Huntersville Road, Huntersville, North Carolina, 28078, US
Route
The Farm Connection
💬 50 reviews4.8
maps_search

The Farm Connection

Native and Medicinal Plant Nursery. Top products: Native perennials, Medicinal herbs, Bare root trees and shrubs, Organic vegetable starts, Soil remineralizing blends. The Farm Connection is a family-owned nursery and garden center based in Marshall, North Carolina, dedicated to providing high-quality, seed-grown plants using beyond-organic horticultural practices. Their core mission focuses on ecological restoration and sustainable homesteading by offering a diverse selection of native perennials, trees, shrubs, and medicinal herbs. They emphasize plant resilience, prioritizing species that support pollinators and local biodiversity. In addition to their physical greenhouses, they operate a robust e-commerce platform that ships bare-root stock to the lower 48 states and potted plants to specific Eastern states, adhering to agricultural quarantine regulations. Beyond live plants, the business provides specialized garden supplies, including soil remineralizing blends and organically sourced seeds from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and Appalachian Growers Seed Collective. Their target customers include home gardeners, homesteaders, and conservation-minded individuals looking to cultivate edible, medicinal, and native landscapes.

📍213 NC-213, Marshall, NC 28753, USA
Route
The Garden Outlet
💬 50 reviews4.5
maps_search

The Garden Outlet

Full-service garden center retail. Top products: shrubs, flowers, mulch, topsoil, Christmas trees. The Garden Outlet is a family-owned and operated full-service garden center based in Summerfield, North Carolina, serving the greater Guilford and Rockingham county regions since 1999. The business functions as a multifaceted horticultural hub, providing a diverse array of plants, shrubs, and gardening supplies sourced from local growers. Beyond retail plant sales, the company offers professional landscape design, installation, and long-term maintenance services. Their operations are comprehensive, encompassing the sale of bulk landscaping materials such as mulch, soil, and decorative stone, alongside an on-site floral shop that services weddings, funerals, and special occasions. The facility acts as a community resource for both DIY gardeners and residential clients, providing specialized gardening products, fertilizer, seasonal holiday decor, and educational workshops. By emphasizing local sourcing and personalized service, the business positions itself as a specialized alternative to large-scale national retail chains.

📍5124 US-220, Summerfield, NC 27358, USA
Route
Briar Creek Nursery & Kids Zone
💬 49 reviews4.8
maps_search

Briar Creek Nursery & Kids Zone

📍7990 West Mount Drive, Rocky Mount, NC 27803, USA
Route
No website listed
Farm & Family Center LLC
💬 49 reviews4.6
maps_search

Farm & Family Center LLC

📍4530 NC-211, Lumberton, NC 28358, USA
Route
No website listed
Baucom's Nursery Company
💬 48 reviews4.4
maps_search

Baucom's Nursery Company

Wholesale and Retail Horticultural Nursery. Top products: Seasonal flowers, Ornamental shrubs, Branded garden plant varieties. Founded in 1947 and located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Baucom’s Nursery Company is a long-standing family-owned horticultural operation with over 79 years of industry experience. The nursery specializes in the professional cultivation of seasonal flowering plants and ornamental shrubs, catering to both retail consumers and large-scale markets. A core component of their business model involves the production and distribution of branded plant programs supplied to various retail outlets and home improvement centers. Managed by second and third-generation leadership, the company operates with a focus on year-round production cycles tailored to shifting market demands. Their facility at John Russell Road serves as a hub for their wholesale and retail operations, supported by a dedicated staff focused on plant quality and horticultural excellence. They serve a broad customer base, including commercial landscape professionals, retail garden centers, and individual homeowners.

📍10020, John Russell Road, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28213, US
Route
Myers Brothers Gin Inc
💬 48 reviews4.5
maps_search

Myers Brothers Gin Inc

📍3169, Woodleaf Road, Salisbury, North Carolina, 28147, US
Route
No website listed
Shouse Nursery
💬 48 reviews4.6
maps_search

Shouse Nursery

📍3630, Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27106, US
Route
No website listed
Green Thumb Water Garden Center & Little Rock Koi
💬 47 reviews4.6
maps_search

Green Thumb Water Garden Center & Little Rock Koi

Aquatic and Water Garden Nursery. Top products: Aquatic Plants, Water Lilies, Bog Plants, Japanese Koi, Goldfish. Green Thumb Water Garden Center & Little Rock Koi is a specialized nursery and retail facility located in Little Rock, Arkansas, focused exclusively on aquatic horticultural products and professional water feature systems. The business serves as a comprehensive hub for water gardening enthusiasts, offering a diverse inventory of aquatic flora, including lilies, bog plants, and marginals designed for pond environments. Beyond its plant offerings, the center functions as a provider of live pond stock, including elite Japanese Koi and goldfish. The company maintains a dual focus, operating as both a retail garden center and a professional contractor service for the design, installation, and long-term maintenance of residential and commercial water features, such as ponds, waterfalls, and fountains. They emphasize technical solutions, providing filtration, pumps, piping, and LED lighting systems to support the biological health and aesthetic upkeep of aquatic ecosystems for their customers.

📍Concord, NC 28025 Nichols Loop Rd
Route
Wild and Whimsy Market and Garden
💬 47 reviews4.9
maps_search

Wild and Whimsy Market and Garden

Full-service retail garden center. Top products: potted plants, seeds, soil, floral arrangements. Wild and Whimsy Market and Garden is a retail garden center and floral shop located in the historic former Fords Plant and Seed building in Gastonia, North Carolina. The business operates as a hybrid establishment, combining traditional horticultural retail with an artisanal market. Their garden center department features a greenhouse that supplies a variety of live plants, seeds, potting soil, and gardening accessories, serving local homeowners and gardeners looking to cultivate their outdoor or indoor green spaces. In addition to live plant offerings, the business provides full-service floral design for events and weddings. The market component focuses on local goods, including produce, jams, canned vegetables, and spices, as well as curated gifts, jewelry, and home decor. By blending botanical supplies with a local marketplace, Wild and Whimsy serves as a community-oriented hub for both horticultural needs and lifestyle goods.

📍212, East Main Avenue, Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052, US
Route
Amity Hill Garden Center
💬 46 reviews4.9
maps_search

Amity Hill Garden Center

📍1908, Amity Hill Road, Statesville, North Carolina, 28677, US
Route
No website listed
Colorful Garden Center
💬 46 reviews3.3
maps_search

Colorful Garden Center

📍Charlotte, NC 28263 Dorothy Dr
Route
No website listed
Paradise Garden Center
💬 46 reviews4.8
maps_search

Paradise Garden Center

Retail plant nursery center. Top products: houseplants, garden plants, soil products, planters, garden furniture. Paradise Garden Center operates as a comprehensive retail garden center and plant nursery, serving both casual gardeners and homeowners. The business maintains a diverse inventory featuring a significant selection of houseplants and various seasonal plant materials. Their operations prioritize horticultural quality through a rigorous procurement and propagation process, emphasizing the development of healthy root systems and overall plant durability. A core tenet of their business model is the exclusion of synthetic plant growth regulators and harsh chemicals in their growing practices, ensuring that all plant stock meets high standards of natural vitality. Beyond their living inventory, the center supports customers with high-quality soil amendments, professional-grade planters, and environmentally friendly, USA-made garden furniture. The organization places a strong emphasis on customer education, with a dedicated team trained to provide site-specific planting advice to ensure long-term success for their clientele. Their model balances retail sales with a commitment to sustainable horticultural practices.

📍486, Cherryville Road, Shelby, North Carolina, 28150, US
Route
Carolina Charm
💬 45 reviews4.9
maps_search

Carolina Charm

Specialty cut flower nursery. Top products: Lavender plants, Specialty cut flowers, Lavender essential oils, Birdhouses and feeders. Carolina Charm operates as a specialty horticultural enterprise centered on micro-scale cut flower production and lavender cultivation. The business manages a working lavender farm, utilizing steam distillation techniques to process farm-grown lavender into a proprietary line of botanical products, including essential oils and assorted lavender goods. Beyond their horticultural operations, the business provides specialty cut flowers for the local market, catering to individual consumers. In addition to their agricultural output, they operate as a retailer of durable garden decor, specializing in handcrafted, weather-resistant copper and cellular expanded PVC birdhouses and feeders. Their business model integrates small-batch farming with a direct-to-consumer retail approach, bridging the gap between garden supply aesthetics and functional artisanal goods. They maintain a physical storefront and an online presence to distribute both their agricultural products and their handcrafted garden architectural elements to homeowners and garden enthusiasts.

📍8888 Caratoke Hwy, Point Harbor, NC 27964, USA
Route
Little's Nursery of Greenville
💬 45 reviews4.6
maps_search

Little's Nursery of Greenville

📍4830 US-13, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
Route
No website listed
Garden Treasures
💬 44 reviews4.9
maps_search

Garden Treasures

Ornamental Woody Plant Nursery. Top products: Camellias, Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum), Aucuba, Woody Shrubs, Tropical plants. Garden Treasures Nursery, located in Wendell, North Carolina, is a specialized horticultural operation focused on the cultivation and sale of ornamental woody shrubs, shade-tolerant plants, and tropical specimens. The nursery distinguishes itself through a breeding and selection program, frequently offering exclusive, rare, and introduced varieties of Camellias and Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum). The business functions as both a retail destination and a mail-order nursery, providing shipping services across the United States, adjusted for seasonal temperature fluctuations to ensure plant viability. Their inventory is curated for serious collectors and gardeners, featuring unique cultivars such as the 'Gordon's Flash' Camellia and various Brent Heath selections. Customers can interact with the nursery through their physical retail storefront or via their integrated online platform, which allows for advanced ordering and local pickup. The nursery caters to plant enthusiasts seeking high-quality, specialty nursery stock.

📍3504 Edgemont Rd, Wendell, NC 27591, USA
Route
George's Plant Farm
💬 44 reviews4.6
maps_search

George's Plant Farm

📍34826, Banks Road, Finger, North Carolina, 28124, US
Route
No website listed

Browse by City

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.