Bringing the green to Coweta

OUR TOP 3 PLANT NURSERIES/GREENHOUSES AS VOTED BY NEWNAN-COWETA MAGAZINE READERS

Written by CAROLINE NICHOLSON
Photographed by DEBBY DYE

When driving throughout Coweta County, it’s easy to spot houses and businesses accented with picturesque landscaping. The beauty of these landscapes is often lost within the monotony of everyday life, so much so that we no longer stop to appreciate the hard work and effort behind these lawns.

Hanging baskets overflowing with fragrant pink petunias greet customers inside of Coweta Greenhouses.

In reality, a partnership between property owners and local plant nurseries and greenhouses creates and nurtures these beautiful spaces throughout the county.

In honor of the businesses that help curate these lawns and landscapes, the Best of Coweta Readers’ Choice Awards has a category specifically for plant nurseries and/or greenhouses. Here’s a look at the 2023 Best Plant Nursery/ Greenhouse winners as voted on by Newnan-Coweta Magazine readers.

Large specimens of coleus in shades of red and pink pop against a neon green sweet potato vine at Coweta Greenhouses.

First Place
Coweta Greenhouses/ Morgan’s Market

81 Oaklawn Circle, Newnan

In 1972, Coweta Greenhouses was founded as a family-owned business with the purpose of growing and producing foliage and flowers for wholesale to large retailers, something they successfully did for almost five decades.

In 1972, Coweta Greenhouses was founded as a family-owned business with the purpose of growing and producing foliage and flowers for wholesale to large retailers, something they successfully did for almost five decades.

As the years went by, it became increasingly evident that the public wanted the opportunity to purchase plants directly from Coweta Greenhouses. In response to this growing community interest, the owners of Coweta Greenhouses opened Morgan’s Market in the summer of 2019 as a way to sell their products directly to the community.

Owner of Coweta Greenhouses and Morgan’s Market, Tommy Morgan attributes this success to the company’s focus on customer service.

“We differentiate ourselves from the larger, modern retail outlets by having great customer service and personal interaction,” says Morgan, who adds how important it is – and how fortunate he is – to have employees who are knowledgeable about the plants they sell and treat customers the way he would want to be treated.

Second Place
Southern Roots Nursery and Gardens

726 North Highway 29, Newnan

A lovely selection of roses can be found at Southern Roots Nursery just beyond the archway of Carolina Jessamine, which is covered with aromatic yellow blooms in the spring.

Nick Lott, along with his family, started Southern Roots Nursery and Gardens in 2013; Nick and his wife took charge of the nursery in 2019 and have been running it ever since.

Southern Roots offers a variety of goods including potting soil, mulch, fertilizer, vegetables and trees, to name a few. However, as Lott would tell it, the biggest highlight of their business is the service they provide. As a certified landscape designer and nursery owner, Lott is in a unique position to not only design landscapes for customers but to also bring those designs to life.

The shade section of Southern Roots bursts with colorful options for the less-than-sunny yards.

When asked about his philosophy on an attractive home landscape, Lott says that landscapes shouldn’t be the focal point.

“We try to do work that complements the house,” he says. “People pay a lot more money for the house than the landscaping, so we want to do work that accents the house and doesn’t take away from it.”

“We try to do work that complements the house,” he says. “People pay a lot more money for the house than the landscaping, so we want to do work that accents the house and doesn’t take away from it.”

In addition to landscape expertise, Lott has a background as a chef, which allows him the ability to provide specific advice to his customers about the vegetables and herbs for sale, how you can incorporate them into delicious meals, and the particular care each plant needs to thrive. Southern Roots also does foodscaping for customers, mixing flowers and shrubs with herbs and vegetables to create a beautiful but practical landscape.

Third Place
Breaking Ground Farm and Nursery

2150 Standing Rock Road, Senoia

Kevin Martin, general manager of Breaking Ground Farm and Nursery in Senoia, has been in the nursery business his whole life.

Opened in 2010, Breaking Ground originally was located in Newnan and moved to Senoia in 2019.

A vast shrubyard offers shoppers a wide variety of colors, textures and sizes at Breaking Ground in Senoia.

“Breaking Ground has one of the largest selections in Coweta County,” says Martin, noting that this wide variety not only benefits the community but also the local landscapers and developers who he sells to for use in their projects. The selection at Breaking Ground includes shrubs, flowers, vegetables and trees as well as seasonal specials.

Seasonal specialties showcase a combination of textures and unique pops of color at Breaking Ground in Senoia.

In the winter, Breaking Ground transforms into a Christmas tree farm where customers can go to prepare for filling their homes with cheer for the holiday season.

Throughout his time in the business, Martin has learned the importance of hard work and perseverance – traits that he and the nursery staff display as they grow perennials from cuttings. NCM