Ford’s Seeds & Plants

Too bad six stars isn’t an option. I happened to stumble upon this garden shop while I circled the block in downtown Gastonia looking for the post office. I reviewed a garden shop in Summerville, SC by the name of Bombadil’s a few weeks ago and have been looking for my new favorite here in the Charlotte area. Eureka! I’ve found it!
I couldn’t wait to park and get out of the car… there’s a convenient parking lot right next to the building off the street (it’s main street and I’m not a good parallel parker). Spring was absolutely in the air with the potted plants and birdfeeders attracting tons of chickadees. I walked in the door and fell in love. There was a nice lady, Kathy who greeted me and there were customers buzzing all about. I told her that I was soooo happy that I found them and she assured me that she would be there to help if I needed her.
They have everything! Stained glass, Hand tuned wind chimes, Bird feeders galore, Pottery, Tiffany-​esq lamps, Bird baths, Lawn ornaments (yes…pink flamingo’s too), and baskets. That’s only one section of the store!
They have a greenhouse that’s open all year and had beautiful calla lillies, hydrangeas in full bloom, begonia, ferns… you name it… I saw it. In the next section of the store, there was everything you need to have an awesome garden. Fresh seeds by the pickle jar… a customer asked for peanuts and they were 50 cents a pound. Awesome pricing and the best thing about it… the seeds were packed for 2011 so they’re fresh. Most of the germination rates were over 80% which is phenomenal.
In the garden shop there were two more ladies working and they probably noticed my trail of drool and gawking eyes and asked me if it was my first time in the store. I said «yes» and they proceeded to tell me a little of the history. It’s been in the same location for over 80 years and owned by the same family. They don’t advertise, it’s really word of mouth. So…
From my mouth to your ears/eyes…this is a fabulous garden center… it’s worth the drive from Charlotte most def… but even better… it’s only 2 miles from my house.
It’s going to be a great spring!