Timeline
1971
King's Greenhouse was established in 1971 by husband and wife team Dot and David King on a two-acre plot in Stallings, NC. The initial business operated only from December to May and consisted of growing regional vegetables and a small number of flowering annuals. Its products were offered to independent hardware stores and garden centers in the Matthews and Monroe area.
1989
Continuing the family-owned concept, Craig and Jeanie Leonard bought the business from the Kings in 1989 and began operating year-round. The business grew as did its offerings and the flowering plant list grew to include poinsettias, pansies, and mums, as well as a variety of perennials.
1992
In 1992 the family business expanded when Craig's brother Larry and his wife Jean joined the team, and Kings was incorporated.
1994
The business continued to grow, and by 1994 the customer focus began to shift to retail as Stallings and the surrounding area attracted new homeowners and those neighbors looked to enhance their yards and grow their own vegetables. Greenhouses were leased throughout the area to handle the increased production needs, and the original King’s Greenhouse in Stallings was slowly converted to King’s Garden Center, a customer-friendly shopping facility.
1996
The business thrived and “the farm" (aka King’s Greenhouses Farm and Wholesale) was born in 1996 when 32 acres of land in Monroe, NC were purchased, and its own greenhouses and growing range established. King’s Garden Center offerings featured what was grown at the farm: annuals, herbs, vegetables, perennials, and poinsettias.
King's Garden Center continues to operate out of the original facility in Stallings, NC and is a now one-stop shop for all your home gardening needs. In addition to 30,000 square ft of outdoor shopping under a canopy of pine trees, tender and young plants are displayed in showroom greenhouse space. Products grown on the farm are supplemented by trees, shrubs, and house plants from other regional growers. A rustic gift shop as well as a selection of decorative containers, garden tools, and planting materials complete the full-service center.
Today
King's Greenhouse Growing Range and Wholesale Operation (aka "the farm") is now a state-of-the-art wholesale-only grower for independent Garden Centers, professional landscapers and fund raisers throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and parts of Virginia. We have a market area of 180 miles and our product line consists of annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetable plants, Poinsettias and more. We produce 1,700+ varieties on a 32-acre growing range with 8 acres under plastic and climate-controlled, plus 3 acres of outdoor growing space. The controlled environment is provided through a combination of gutter houses, Quonsets, and shade structures that include cool cell houses, automatic roll-up curtains, and vented and retractable roofs.