The South’s Best Garden Shops 2020

This spot is a year-round favorite stop for gardeners in the D.C. area. Ginkgo Gardens has a dynamic garden center, which offers gardening services, products, and recommendations, most with a focus on urban gardening. Its big selection of unique gifts and seasonal plants ensures locals are always planning a return visit.

ginkgogardens.com, 202-543-5172, 911 11th Street Southeast, Washington, D.C. 20003

The Crescent City’s must-visit garden destination is The Plant Gallery, which provides not only an enormous selection of plants for purchase in a network of greenhouses but also floral design, rentals, landscape design services, and a 5,000-square-foot gift shop. The wreaths, garlands, gifts, and décor are especially worth a browse.

theplantgallery.com, 504-488-888, 9401 Airline Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70118

This garden shop makes its home on 30A. You’ll find Clay Garden & Gifts near Santa Rosa Beach and Seaside, and it’s the area’s best spot for garden gifts, ceramics, teak wood furniture, containers, décor, and all manner of plants, including succulents, herbs, citrus trees, shade plants, annuals, and perennials.

clay30a.com, 850-231-215, 4808 E County Hwy 30A, Seagrove Beach, FL 32459

Greenville’s favorite garden destination is Martin Garden Center, a nursery situated on five acres where visitors can find a big selection of annuals, perennials, trees, and vines, along with plenty of ready-to-plant veggies (for that fruit-and-veg garden you’ve been meaning to start).  

martinnursery.com, 864-277-1818, 198 Martin Road 29607

Garden District is a wonderful East Memphis resource for gardeners, providing gifts and home goods, as well as garden accents and a lovely selection of plants and flowers that change with the seasons. It began in 1995 as John Hoover Flowers in Midtown and is now shop of choice for recommendations and advice—or you can just enjoy a wander through Garden District’s beautiful showroom.

gardendistrictmemphis.com, 901-761-3277, 5040 Sanderlin Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117

This Raleigh spot is a local favorite because it has everything: a nursery, greenhouse, garden shop, and even a garden bar, where visitors can, as Atlantic Gardening Company describes, “Grab a local beer and talk plants, or wander through the nursery with a drink in hand.”

atlanticgardening.com, 919-878-8877, 5217 Atlantic Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27616

Birmingham’s go-to garden shop is Leaf & Petal, as much a destination as a store, with four locations across the city and surrounding areas. At each one, you’ll find all the seasonal plants, trees, and flowers you need to outfit your garden, as well as a selection of great gifting ideas.

leafnpetal.com, 205-871-3832, multiple locations

This spot has been family owned and operated since 1957. The long history of Abide A While Garden Boutique has made it the area’s favorite garden shop and destination for beautiful wares. The boutique is filled with books, prints, ceramics, and other thoughtful ideas for gifting anytime you’re shopping for the gardeners in your life.

abideawhile.com, 843-884-9738, 1460 N Hwy 17, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

This coastal Georgia spot is a garden market with associated landscape and event design services. The Vine Garden Market offers home and garden goods to help you outfit your space stylishly, and it has become a go-to spot for thoughtful and beautiful gifting, as well as workshops and container gardening design.

vinegardenmarket.com, 912-634-7474, 100 Garden Grove Lane, St. Simons, GA 31522

Southerners’ favorite Florida garden shop is in the state’s capital. Tallahassee Nurseries has been in operation since 1938 and describes itself as the state’s largest and oldest nursery. That’s a strong history for a garden shop that is renowned for providing the best in plants and inventory. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener, this is a great resource for your gardening adventures.

tallahasseenurseries.com, 850-385-216, 2911 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308