It all started with my grandmother’s garden. She grew up in the mill village of Lexington, which made her a “city girl”. There was always something going on, plenty of people around, friends to hang out with. Then, in 1920, she married a farm boy and moved to the “country” – three miles north of Lexington on Highway Six before there was a Lake Murray – just the Saluda River. Life was hard – no electricity, no running water, no indoor plumbing. She canned food from the garden, milked cows, raised chickens, butchered hogs, made most of the clothes for herself, her husband, and three sons. She sat on her front porch after a long day’s work and watched for a horse and buggy or even an automobile to drive along the dirt road – just to see some sign of civilization. CAN YOU IMAGINE?!?!

Yes, life was hard, but she found one very bright spot -- her flower garden. I mostly remember her daffodils, irises, day lilies, and African violets. There were no garden centers (and no money) for her to buy flowers to plant, so I’m sure she got these coveted treasurers from neighbors, friends and family. Flowers were important to her. She always found time to tend to them, feed and water them and to share them with people who crossed her path.

Her son, Judson, (my dad) must have gotten his love for flowers from her. He seems to like watching them grow, more than looking at the blossoms they bear. He enjoys taking a tiny little cutting from an existing plant and creating a brand new, healthy plant out of it. The brief burst of bloom in early spring is enough to keep him happy. Dad got his first azalea cuttings from neighbors who lived across the road.   Wingard’s Nursery began as Wingard’s Azaleas when he grew too many azaleas for his own yard.  I will always remember painting a sign to hang by the side of the road that read “Azaleas For Sale 50 Cents Each”.  That was around 1968. 

Since then my mom and dad have shared so many plants with so many people.   And that is our goal … to share their love of gardening with the rest of you.  So that is how it came to be that plants and flowers you buy at Wingard’s Nursery & Garden Center come from ….

                         My Grandmother’s Garden to Yours, 

                            Delores Wingard Steinhauser