Henderson County Nursery & Garden Center Tour to be held in May
From staff reports
Shoppers can register at each location to win gift certificates to participating garden centers.
Annual and perennial flowers, groundcovers, trees and shrubs, specialty plants such as Japanese maples, hanging baskets, and tropical plants will be available. Garden supplies such as containers and potting soil will also be for sale.
Shoppers will have a chance to meet ornamental plant growers and see garden demonstrations by local organizations.
Participating locations are McConnell Farms, Linda’s Plants & Shrubs, A Growing Concern Garden Center, Raymond’s Garden Center, Briggs Garden Center, Stepp’s Plants, etc., Starting Gardens Garden Center, Carolina Ace Hardware & Garden Center, Barry Farms and Blantyre Growers.
The Pope Family Farm, a six-generation operation in Horse Shoe, is going retail. Steelie Runion and her husband, Sam, are now expanding the beefalo business. “We both lost our jobs to Covid and had to figure out something else to do,” Steelie said. “Expanding the beefalo market looked promising.” Sam Runion said the refitted metal cargo containers will be for retail sales, one for beefalo meat and the other for fresh produce and cut flowers. Pumpkins and Frasier firs will follow. The Pope farm has raised beefalo for years on its 32-acre farm on US 64 West. “Barley’s Tap Room in Asheville has been one of our biggest beefalo customers,” said Steve Pope, a retired professional baseball scout but now involved with the family business.