Garden Center magazine visited independent retailers big and small around the Carolinas to discover what makes them unique and to discuss trends in the industry. From containers with fiery-colored flowers to peppers that pack intense heat to hot, new categories, here’s what’s cooking at these IGCs.
 B.B. Barns, The Garden Company in Arden, N.C., hit it big when it expanded its houseplants section. Co-owner Barney Bryant says that sales in the category grew by about 30 percent this past year. |
 Bryant takes advantage of his proximity to tourist hotspot Asheville, N.C. He likes to consider his store a destination garden center where people can purchase everything from green goods to gifts to remember their trip. Sales in the gift department more than doubled when the store emphasized it. |
 People don’t always have access to trails and canopied forests. Joseph Pellegrin, assistant manager at Pike Nurseries in Charlotte, says many customers are looking to bring nature to their backyard, which is why birding continues to be a solid category. |
 The colors stand out in this container display at Pike Nurseries, which has 15 locations in the Atlanta area and one in Charlotte, N.C. Container gardening is popular in Charlotte because of the number of newbie gardeners and senior citizens in the area who don’t have ample green space. |
.jpg) Food challenges seem to be gaining ground and popping up at eateries across the country, thanks to television shows like “Man v. Food,” where the host eats portions that could feed a family of four and food so spicy that his face flushes red and sweat forms on his forehead. Perhaps that’s why hot peppers are so, well, hot in the garden center industry. Reems Creek Nursery in Weaversville, N.C., sells out of the spiciest varieties like ghost peppers. |
 Susan Reavis, co-owner of Reems Creek Nursery, says when the economy tanked a few years ago, sales in most departments decreased. However, the edibles department proved to be recession-proof as vegetable sales, especially tomatoes, increased. |
 Symmetry isn’t what A Growing Concern garden center is hoping to achieve when designing containers. Asymmetrical growth, colorful plants and varied textures give containers a life of their own. |
 Nikki Weed, a Jill of all trades at South Pleasantburg Nursery in Greenville, S.C., says one of the store’s specialties is pond plants. One entire floor of the retail area is devoted to pond supplies, and the nursery sells a variety of fish and plants. In order to be able to sell the aquatic plants and supplies well, workshops and staff experts are key to help educate customers on how to build and maintain a pond. |
Explore the July 2013 Issue
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