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New This Week January 9, 2024 2023 WRAPPED Quick and Fun Infographic on Painters' 50th Year!

New This Week February 27, 2023 Introducing John Murphy We are excited to welcome John Murphy to our team this year. John earned his masters in horticulture and spent many years working in farming as well as traveling with his fami ly to Indonesian New Guinea, w here they did community development for four years. He then joined Bullington Gardens, and for 23 years John led programs and development for Bullington - fostering hands-on education in horticulture and other sciences with students, youth clubs and adults. We've been supporters of Bullington for many years and have appreciated the beautiful public gardens, the excellent classes offered, and especially what folks like John do to bring horticultural education and therapy to the area. John is now retired from Bullington, and has been enjoying time off pursuing his passion for vegetable gardening, reducing lawn space for pollinator friendly plants, travelling widely, and spending more time with his family - he is even growing flowers for his son's wedding in the fall! However, he isn't quite ready to let go of horticultural work and education, so fortunately for us, he is willing to join Painters to share his knowledge and love of gardening - especially shrubs and trees! He will be working Wednesdays and Thursdays, mainly in our new shrub and tree area. John has also volunteered to teach some gardening classes here this season. We look forward to having his expertise and experience as we work to continually improve our program and provide knowledge and guidance to our customers.

New This Week August 25, 2022 Fall Annuals Pansies, Mums, and Violas Oh My! As we head into fall and your favorite summer blooms begin to fade, it is time to start thinking about cool weather plants for your garden! We will offer a vibrant selection of Belgian and Yoder mums in assorted colors as well as a wide assortment of pansies and violas at our fall sale. MUMS Your quintessential fall container plant. You'd be hard pressed to walk down a street in October and not find mums on someones porch, and for good reason - they come in all of our favorite fall colors. Decorating your porch for fall can be as easy a plopping a pot of these into your favorite container (or just leaving them in their growing container as they get so full they often hide the entire pot)! In this still sweltering summer heat, we recommend waiting a few weeks before putting your mums out - or if you buy them in earlier September, consider putting them in part shade until the sun/heat isn't quite so strong. PANSIES A few of these stunners can go a long way - their large flowers pack a big punch and they come in so many colors, you'll have a hard time choosing! These flowers make a big impact and can quickly liven up a front porch or add interest to a walkway. We choose cultivars that are known for long bloom times and resilience in a range of weather conditions for our WNC climate. VIOLAS Even after your marigolds have died, your impatiens are gone, and the frost has toasted your coleus and zinnias, these flowers will be going strong. We find that the traditional cultivars like Johnny Jump Up's are the hardiest. Violas will continue to bloom under a foot of snow and through May. Violas have small flowers with more buds per plant, filling in a pot or front of a garden bed nicely. PANSIES VS. VIOLAS: What's the Difference? Did you know that pansies are derived from violas? That means all pansies are violas but not all violas are pansies. But what sets them apart? Pansies have bigger flowers that always make a statement, but have fewer blooms at one time. They are taller and larger overall than violas. You’ll often find pansies in a wider variety of colors. Violas are smaller with more blooms per plant. They spread more easily and will trail slightly if placed on the edge of a planter. The main difference we notice here in WNC is that violas are typically hardier than pansies and will provide you with flowers from October through April - even after a snowfall! If you notice your pansies or especially violas looking a bit leggy toward winter, give them a haircut - they will put out new growth and have an improved habit and more blooms. VIEW FALL PLANT AVAILABILITY LIST VIEW FALL TREE & SHRUB AVAILABILITY LIST

OUR VALUES MISSION STATEMENT To enrich lives and local ecosystems by supplying WNC with a wide diversity of healthy, homegrown plants; to provide knowledgeable and friendly guidance to all gardeners whether green or seasoned; to evolve to best meet the needs of our customers and local community Discover THE PAINTERS DIFFERENCE Grown Locally to Thrive Locally We grow over 90% of our plants at our greenhouse in Old Fort, NC - this is why we are closed part of the year. This allows our small, hardworking team to propagate, plant, and tend to your future plants! There are multiple benefits to locally grown plants. Because we oversee every step of their growth and care, we know we are providing you with a high quality plant that has been individually nurtured. It also means we are not shipping in mature plants for resale like most stores. Locally grown plants means no damage from shipping, less fuel use (so a smaller carbon footprint), and savings we can pass on to our customers! For those plants we do not grow ourselves, we purchase the vast majority from other local small businesses. Supporting Thriving Communities Plants have a special way of bringing us together, and we strive to build a community around plants and a connection to the land. As a family owned small business that grows most of our own plants, we are proud to provide local jobs, support our community, and give back to local non-profits. Learn more about our community involvement. MEET OUR STAFF! Bringing You Years of Hands on Experience If Painters is known for one thing, its our friendly, knowledgable staff (we can't help but brag - we're pretty proud of them!). The team at Painters simply loves plants and are here to share their passion and expertise with you. Whether you're looking for your first houseplant, wanting to start a pollinator garden, or shopping for the perfect tree for you yard, we are here to help! Helping Our Local Flora and Fauna Thrive Because we grow our own plants, we can control every facet of their care. In an industry that struggles with sustainability, growing locally makes a huge difference. We are mindful of our environmental impact and make every effort to recycle, use organic, non-toxic pest treatments and beneficial insects when possible. We also support pollinators and wildlife by promoting native species and raising awareness of how individual gardening practices can greatly affect our earth! ​ We have continued to increase our native plant selection, and we make it a priority to grow environmentally friendly species and cultivars in general. We deliberately choose plants that will thrive in WNC. Learn About Our Approaches to: EFFICIENCY & REUSE SAFE EDIBLES PEST PREVENTION & TREATMENT PESTICIDE AWARENESS SUPPORTING POL LINAT ORS EXPLORE OUR NATIVE PLANTS Knowledgable Intentional EXPLORE OUR PLANTS Described as a paradise for plant lovers, Painters has over 100,000 square feet of growing and retail space, and we cultivate around 1,000 species on site. We grow our plants with love and intention and sell direct to our faithful retail customers. Our plants are inspected and watered by hand and don't suffer shipping damage or transport from another climate. We are widely known for our focus on natives and pollinator plants, our wide selection of perennials (over 900 varieties), our giant Boston Ferns (aka weddin' ferns), and our mature and unique houseplant offerings. PLANT AVAILABILITY LISTS A FOCUS ON NATIVES Planting native is a wonderful way to support a biodiverse ecosystem in your back yard from the bottom to the top of the food chain. We are proud to offer one of the largest selections of homegrown native plants in WNC! LEARN MORE

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Policies & FAQ ACCEPTED FORMS OF PAYMENT Accepted forms of payment include all major credit cards, debit cards, tap & pay or cash. PAINTERS GREENHOUSE IS A SMOKE-FREE FACILITY We ask that all customers respect our no-smoking policy, including all areas of the property. While the policy was made in part for the protection and comfort of people, it is especially critical to the health of our plants. Tobacco and nicotine both have the potential to cause serious damage to plants, including the deadly tobacco mosaic virus. We ask that everyone respect the need for us to protect our product, and if you have recently smoked, please avoid touching the plants, especially petunias and tomatoes, which are highly susceptble. This may seem extreme, but we once lost thousands of petunias to this virus, so it's no joke! We thank you for your understanding and compliance with this necessary Painters policy. COVID-19 We are not currently requiring shoppers to wear masks. If you have recently been exposed, are showing symptoms, or have received a positive test result, please postpone your visit to help us keep our Painters family safe and allow us to produce the plants you love. When are you open? We are open seasonally March-June and again in September-October. We also open for special events throughout the year. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date! Our current hours are always listed on our homepage. Holidays do not affect our hours of operation. We are open rain or shine with the exception of extreme weather or flooding. Please check our Facebook or Instagram for last-minute weather updates. Why aren't you open year-round, and why are you closed Mondays and Tuesdays? We'd love to be open for a longer retail season! However, because we grow over 90% of our own plants, we don't have the space or staffing capabilities to balance our production demands with being open year-round. Summer and winter are critical for sanitation, propagation, sowing, and transplant, and we need all hands on deck for that work. We are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during our spring season so that we can catch up on watering, plant care, tidying, restock, and mass moving of plants (mainly because we don't ship in finished product like our competitors). Most folks seem to prefer that we are open both weekend days, so our critical 'catch-up time' remains Mondays and Tuesdays. What is your return/refund policy? We want our customers to be happy with their Painters purchases. If you have an issue with a Painters plant, please give us a call or email us with a description of the problem (photos are encouraged!). If the issue is something that can likely be fixed, we will advise accordingly. Plant Warranty: As of 2024, our policy is that if you purchase a shrub, tree, or dormant perennial before it has leafed out, you are buying at your own risk, and it is not covered by warranty. This should help prevent failures with plants that may not have survived the prior winter. Regarding failures among plants that have emerged from dormancy, we typically offer an exchange/Painters credit of equal value if the plant has died within the calendar year of purchase. If a plant is showing signs of significant decline or appears to be dying, please contact us promptly with details of the issue. Exceptions to the warranty: Exchanges will not be honored if the plant was obviously neglected (e.g., shows signs of not getting enough water or being damaged from cold), or if it shows signs of pest or disease acquired after purchase. (We can typically identify whether pest damage is due to naturally occurring insects or mammals vs. disease/pests found in greenhouses). Exchanges are not able to be honored for plants that fail to overwinter, as there may be weather-related losses regardless of how healthy the plants were when purchased. We also do not offer refunds/exchanges on clearance or dormant plants. Are pets allowed at Painters Greenhouse? We welcome leashed, quiet, well-behaved pets. Please monitor pets at all times--we have plants that can be toxic if ingested! If your pup has an accident and you’re unprepared, ask for a compostable baggie at checkout. If your pet is causing problems (e.g., loudly barking or showing aggressive behavior), we may ask you to remove it from the retail area. We want to maintain a peaceful and safe environment for all. Note: If you need water for your pup, please use the bathrooms (potable) rather than a hose, which may have fertilizer in it! Do you offer a rewards/loyalty program? Yes! We have a point of sale and inventory management system, and one of the many benefits is that we can keep track of your customer rewards points. Once you earn 500 points in a season you will receive 10% off your future purchases for that calendar year (some exclusions may apply such as combining with other discounts or use during our clearance sale). Your rewards points will reset each January. How do you earn points? Get 1 point per $1 spent Keep an eye out for specials and events where you can earn double points Note that you do have to register your name with your orders to accrue points. Do you have any other discounts? For ALL customers, once you spend $500, you qualify for 10% off all purchases for the rest of that calendar year. Click here to learn more about the rewards program. We offer a 10% military discount to all active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel (valid U.S. Military I.D. required at time of purchase). We also offer discounts to nonprofits--if you bring your 501(c) verification, we can offer you 10% off of your order and even may be able to donate some items also. We donate to up to 100 different nonprofits and charitable ventures each season--supporting our community is very important to us! At the end of the spring season, we have a nonprofit day where we invite qualified folks to come load up on our leftover plants for free. If you want to receive an invite to our nonprofit day, please send us an email with details about your not-for-profit organization or project. How accurate/up-to-date is the availability list? We update our availability lists weekly when open. Note that even with weekly updates, our entire stock of a given item can disappear in a matter of hours during busy days; therefore, we recommend contacting us to double-check and coming out that same day if something particular is desired. (We are unfortunately not able to accommodate pre-orders or holds.) While we grow over 2,000 plant varieties each year, keep in mind that they may not all be available at the same time. We are proud to grow and sell the majority of our own plants, but this means we are somewhat limited by our planned inventory for the year, particularly with herbaceous perennials. Many annuals, veggies, and herbs are grown in multiple successive plantings, so we often have more that will be ready soon--just ask if you don't see something or if something is running low! How do you price your plants? How we determine our pricing Like everyone else in business these days, our material costs have significantly increased. Our plants are priced not only based on materials, but also based on our goal to offer our staff regular wage increases to compete with the ever increasing cost of living. Additionally, a critical component for growers is the cost associated with care and space for each crop. A good example of this might be our perennial vines costing more than, say, an echinacea in the same pot size. Due to their nature, vines require significantly more care. Some of them take daily upkeep to make sure they aren't grabbing on to all of their neighbors; while echinacea are pretty good about staying in their lane. Why have some of your prices increased in 2023? We spent a lot of time in spring and summer of '23 assessing the data from our new inventory/POS system and looking at how much it cost us to grow each crop. We realized that we weren't pricing a lot of our crops--mostly perennials--in a way that would sustain Painters even in the short term, let alone in the long term. In some ways, we have worked against ourselves, because it's so important to us that gardening is accessible to everyone, and because we want to see ecologically important plants in as many yards as possible. We realize we need to be careful not to underprice ourselves so we can keep doing what we do. We're committed to you, our dedicated customers who keep returning, as well as to our employees who work so hard in challenging conditions to grow healthy plants. Our goal is to grow healthy plants; maintain our facility as a safe, attractive, and beautiful place; and provide excellent customer service. Do you offer wholesale pricing on plants? We do not offer wholesale. We grow for a large base of faithful retail customers, so we aren't able to sell plants in mass quantities. All customers who sign up for the rewards program are able to receive a 10% discount once they accrue 500 points (roughly $500) for that year. When do you have sales? Our sales are determined weekly based on inventory. Sign up for our newsletter and keep an eye on social media if you want to receive updates on the latest sales and events. Items can sell out fast during our busy spring season--if you wait for a plant to go on sale, it might be gone. If there's something you have your heart set on, it may be best to grab it when you see it, rather than gamble on a markdown! Do you hold plants? Do you deliver plants? Do you offer landscaping/installation services? We unfortunately do not have the space or means to hold or deliver plants. All plants are sold directly on site--first come, first serve! We also do not have a landscaping department and are not able to design and plant pots or baskets to order; we simply don't have the resources. That said, we can usually help with basic design questions, and we do have some local landscapers we can recommend for large-scale design needs, as well as basic maintenance or planting work. What do I do if I find an insect on a plant while shopping or once I bring it home? If you know your plant pests and are sure of identity (mealybugs, spider mites, or aphids being the most obvious), then please let us know if you spot any! If you are unsure, we can help identify, either in person or via photo, as you may actually be seeing a beneficial insect. We apply beneficials to many of our crops to help keep pests under control. We do our absolute best to regularly scout for and treat any pest or disease outbreaks, but it is near impossible to maintain a completely pest-free greenhouse using eco-friendly methods, particularly with such a huge range of crops being grown under the same roof over long periods. We are very concerned about pollinator safety (as well as human and pet safety), so we try to use the gentlest pest and disease treatments whenever possible. This means that sometimes we do have small outbreaks of pests; don't feel bad about informing us of a discovered mealybug--we want to know! (We also may have treated them and they may be in the process of dying off.) If you have a plant you've purchased and see pests, we can either offer an exchange, or, if only a couple pests are visible, guide you through safe treatment/eradication of them. Do you recycle plastic pots? Can I bring you my used pots? We can take back the plastic trays used to carry plants from Painters. However we cannot accept pots of any size, unfortunately. We aren't able to sterilize and reuse them efficiently and unfortunately have no better source for potentially recycling them than the average consumer. (Note that some pots and trays are made of mixed types of already recycled plastics and therefore cannot be recycled again. Check the bottoms for the plastic type/number to know if your local recycling center will take them). We are grateful that the company we purchase from uses mostly recycled plastics to make our pots and trays, but at some point those plastics break down too much and can't be reformed again to be useful. Can I smoke my cigarette, cigar, or vape in the parking lot? We ask that all customers respect our no-smoking policy, including all areas of the property. While the policy was made in part for the protection and comfort of people, it is especially critical to the health of our plants. Tobacco and nicotine both have the potential to cause serious damage to plants, including the deadly Tobacco Mosaic Virus. We ask that everyone respect the need for us to protect our product, and if you have recently smoked, please avoid touching the plants (especially petunias and tomatoes, which are highly susceptible). This may seem extreme, but we once lost thousands of petunias to this virus, so it's no joke! We thank you for your understanding and compliance with this necessary Painters policy. Why are parts of your sales floor off limits? Most retail garden centers ship in fully mature plants from elsewhere, which means they have more freedom with their retail area and layout. It is a unique challenge to grow and maintain such a wide variety of plant crops in our limited space, and therefore much of our retail area is also our growing space. As a result, you may sometimes find aisles marked as off-limits or plants labeled ‘not ready for sale’ because they still need time to become fully rooted and ready for transplanting. We also have permanent stock and propagation aisles that are always off-limits; please respect the signage on these, as we want to keep them as clean as possible. Do you carry a plant that blooms January to December, requires zero maintenance, comes back every year, tolerates complete shade and full sun, gets real big real quick, and glows in the dark? Sadly, no. But you can always check with Lowe's. 😁 Refund Policy Recycle Pots FAQ

ANNUALS We offer a variety of colorful annuals to suit any garden requirements, whether it be sunny, shady, wet, dry or somewhere in between! With over 800 species to choose from, we have one of the largest inventories in WNC. If you live a distance away and want to avoid multiple trips, our widest selection of annuals is typically available around early May. We may have sold out of a few varieties by then, but many of our plants are not fully mature or able to go outside until risk of frost is past. SEE AVAILABILITY LISTS RELATED BLOG POSTS Painters Staff Favorites for Hummingbirds: a Photo Blog 32 minutes ago 2 min Our Favorite Annual Hanging Baskets for Sun and Shade May 6 6 min Container Design 101 and Our Favorite Plants to Use in Your Planters, Porch Pots, or Baskets Apr 30 4 min 1 2 3 Our Favorite Sun Lovers Angelonia Dahlias Geraniums Marigolds Panises Portulaca Tithonia Violas Celosia Dusty Miller Gomphrena Ornamental Cabbage Pentas Salvia Verbena Zinnias Cosmos Gazania Lantana Osteospernum Petunias Snapdragons Vinca Our Favorite Shade Lovers Coleus Persian Shield Torenia Impatiens Plectranthus Tuberous Begonias New Guinea Impatiens Polka Dot Plant Wax Begonias Our Favorite Hanging Baskets for Sun Assorted Combos Fan Flower Portulaca Calibrachoa/Million Bells Geraniums Vinca Dragonwing Begonias Petunias Vining Black-eyed Susan Our Favorite Hanging Baskets for Shade Streptocarpella Assorted Combos Kimberley Queen Fern Torenia Golden Globe Wandering Jewel (Tradescantia) Boston Fern Impatiens Swedish Ivy Macho Fern Fuschia Our Favorite Annual Vines Vining Black-eyed Susan Sweet Potato Vine Moon Flower Dichondra Our Favorite Tropicals Calla Lily Elephant Ear Taro Bird of Paradise Canna Lily Caladium Bougainvillea

New This Week October 20, 2022 More than Milkweed As growers who are conservation-minded, we are always looking at what we grow (and plant at home), in order to provide diverse food and habitat sources for pollinators, birds and other wildlife. As growers who are conservation-minded, we are always looking at what we grow (and plant at home), in order to provide diverse food and habitat sources for pollinators, birds and other wildlife. We recently came across an excellent article written by Benjamin Vogt (a must read!), which we strongly agree with. In short, his message is that while monarch conservation and milkweed planting is great (and it typically does have a trickle down effect of encouraging planting for other pollinators), it can be harmful if folks are encouraged to plant milkweed and nothing else. It's very important to remember that monarchs are far from the only butterflies or pollinators at risk, and even if you only wanted to support monarchs, the adults feed on nectar from a range of flower species. You don’t want to feed adults but then have no food for the larval stage when their eggs hatch, and likewise you want to be sure you don’t bring home milkweed and caterpillars and then not have nectar for the adults once they metamorphose. In order to fully and effectively support monarchs and other at-risk species, we need to plant both host plant and nectar plant sources, and overall ensure we are creating a balanced, healthy habitat. Added bonus: planting a wider range of native and nectar-producing plants leads to a much more colorful and diverse garden landscape and more varied and beautiful garden visitors!

New This Week January 6, 2023 Celebrate 50 Years with Painters Greenhouse in 2023 Get ready for exciting new changes this year at Painters! Painters Greenhouse turns 50 this year, and we can't wait to celebrate with you! We've got lots of exciting changes in the works to mark the special occasion, including new construction projects and technology for an improved customer experience, and the design and planting of several beds for our future demo gardens! Plus, stay tuned for a special new t-shirt in honor of our anniversary (one of the owners is creating the artwork!). It's been an honor growing your plants for the last 50 years and we can't wait to see what the next 50 hold! UPGRADED CHECKOUT EXPERIENCE We're turning 50 and we're going digital! We're updating our checkout experience by installing a Point of Sale system specially designed for garden centers that can easily help you track past purchases, email receipts, and even deliver care sheets about your new plants to your inbox! You'll also find that checkout has moved to a spacious new building alongside our old outdoor checkout. We're excited about all these changes that will help reduce wait times, remove congestion at our entrance (with a separate exit), and allow more space for exciting retail items! INTRODUCING OUR NEW DEMO GARDENS This spring when you shop at Painters Greenhouse you'll also be able to tour our newly planted demo gardens for inspiration! This multi-year project is only in its beginning phases, but our staff led by team members Betsy and Nora, have been busy all fall with the design and planting. The garden will feature a variety of beds including a pollinator bed, edible bed, shade bed, and more - all of which contain a large percentage of natives! Our vision is to create a beautiful outdoor space where customers can get inspiration for their own yards, relax after shopping, and observe mature examples of many of the plants available at Painters Greenhouse. We will soon be applying to be a Certified Wildlife Habitat , and plan to share our favorite sustainable methods, helpful tools, and eventually photos of the birds and pollinators we are supporting! What better way to celebrate 50 years of Painters Greenhouse than by planting a garden for our community and wildlife to enjoy for the next 50 years!

MEET THE OWEN FAMILY For 37 years the Owen family owned and farmed a 320-acre property in Pennsylvania. The farm produced numerous organic crops, raised animals (including llamas and horses), and fed the Owen family well! Brad started many seeds in their small greenhouse, and he and Deenie maintained extensive flower and vegetable gardens each year. Aiming for a quiet retirement in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, they left the farm to settle in Old Fort in 2009. As avid gardeners, they soon discovered Painters Greenhouse and, while shopping, heard that original owners Susie and Stephen Painter were looking to retire. Deenie and Brad couldn't imagine such a community icon being lost--there was talk of it being bulldozed or turned into monoculture--and they'd always dreamed of owning a greenhouse. Brad and Deenie's daughter Dana was studying ornithology out West and, while loving birds, missed the lush green plants of the East Coast. When visiting over Christmas, she also fell in love with Painters. Following a season of Deenie volunteering and getting a feel feel for the business, she and Brad made the decision to purchase Painters in 2010 and run it with Dana. So much for retirement! Fortunately, Stephen and Susie, who built the business from the ground up, agreed to stay on for a year as consultants--it was a steep learning curve! Previously, Brad had worked for decades as a wetlands biologist, Deenie worked in therapeutic massage, and Dana came from an education in environmental science and raptor biology; however, their science backgrounds did very little to help with learning how to mass produce in a green-ho house setting. It took a lot of experimentation and dedication (along with some very key team members) to get to where they are today! ​ How did Painters win the Owens over, and what keeps them committed during the long days of hard work? Brad has always been a dedicated ecologist with a love for the environment, and he and Deenie raised their daughters surrounded by nature. He has been a driving force behind the continued expansion of Painters' native plant selection. Brad and Deenie loved the idea of providing the community with beautiful plants as well as community with beautiful plants, as well as having the opportunity to encourage folks to garden with the environment and wildlife in mind. They and Dana appreciated the wide selection of plants grown by the Painters, and have almost doubled the diversity of crops offered over the last decade. Their ornamental gardens at home are an incredibly biodiverse mishmash of annual and perennial pollinator-friendly plants that support a huge variety of insects and other wildlife. In fact, Brad's gardening style is to fill every last nook and cranny with blooms of all colors (typically "throw-outs" from Painters)! ​ Dana grew up savoring wildflower walks with her family and, while working in greenhouses during college further and further piqued her interest, she really fell in love with plants when living in Ecuador and witnessing the beauty of the Amazon rainforest. Deenie and Dana, while also lovers of gardening and ecology, were strongly driven by the connection Painters provides with the community. They view and treat their staff as family, and many customers have become dear friends as well. Plants most definitely have the power to heal, as well as foster connections between people of all walks of life--the Owens feel fortunate to be a part of that. The Owens' other daughter, Vanessa, and her husband, Gavin, are also plant lovers and work ocassionally at the greenhouse when not busy with their careers as professional choreographers and dancers. Vanessa also has a side business growing cut flowers and often sells her Mackey Meadows creations at Painters! ​ Looking to the future, the Owens plan to continue fostering a biodiverse plant selection and look forward to ongoing experimentation with new cultivars and species! MEET OUR STAFF ​ ​ ​ Dana Owen Co-owner, Co-Production Manager, Marketing & Digital Media Manager "In my eleven years of running this business, the most meaningful thing I've observed (and a significant part of why I love what I do) is the power of plants to foster joy, emotional and physical well-being, and to unify folks from all walks of life." Deenie Owen Co-owner "If I were a plant, I think I'd like to be a Hellebore (Lenten Rose) , especially in January. At that time of year when our deciduous trees are leafless and there's very little sign of life in most gardener's landscapes, my blooms and green leaves continue to bring joy and color most months of the year to those who have had the foresight to plant me. It seems that each year I am available in many new varieties, bringing a wide range of hues to enhance your gardens. Another big plus is that I can thrive in conditions ranging from mostly full shade, part sun or full sun. If you haven't tried me yet, you might want to consider adding me to your garden this spring!" Brad Owen Co-owner "My favorite plants are diatoms- the microscopic plants that live in all of the oceans and freshwaters of Earth and sustain our planet by generating oxygen, while serving as the base of the food webs of all wet environments. These plants are unique in being encased in highly decorated glass shells that defy the imagination with their variety of designs - yet because of their size, few of us have ever seen one. On the other hand, my favorite terrestrial plant would have to be the American chestnut, which until recently dominated our Blue Ridge mountains and the surrounding landscapes! A large tree that provided abundant food and habitat for both wildlife and humans, the American chestnut had an outsized influence on our history and the ecosystems covering vast parts of our eastern states. Recent research shows promise that the future introductions of disease resistant trees will be successful. We are hopeful that in the not too distant future Painters may be able to offer disease resistant American chestnuts to our customers!" Sara S. Finance and Production Manager "I was home in Raleigh during the summer of my freshman year at UNC-A. I would often seek refuge from my parents' suburban neighborhood by hiking around the beaver-made wetland down the street. As I was turning a corner on the trail I could hear and smell something intense. I came across a large Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) along the bank - I was captivated! The blooms were like nothing I'd seen before, the fragrance was captivating and it swarmed with bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I sat down and admired the shrub and its visitors for quite some time - it's one of my favorite memories of being stunned by the intense beauty of nature." Moises Alavos Operations Manager Favorite plants: Petunias and Calibracoa Betsy Bailey Administrative & Retail Floor Manager ​ Diego Baez Grower ​ Israel Juarez Grower Favorite plants: shrubs, trees, and perennials Amy Owens Grower "A lot of "humidity" issues in houseplants are caused by under watering, so if you water when your plant needs it rather than when you notice it drooping it could save some leaves from crispiness." Nora Lincoln Plant Librarian & Assistant Grower ​ Ana Custodia Production Team Leader ​ Maria Hernandez Production Team Member ​ Yanet Dealmonte Production Team Member ​ Azia Allen Production Team Member ​ Kerry Bartlett Production Team Member Favorite plant: String of Pearls (especially variegated String of Pearls!) John Baehr Man of Many Hats (i.e. Assistant Grower, Grounds, and Retail Floor) ​ Toni Stevens Sanitation Manager "I love Bluets native to the Mountain’s of Western North Carolina. There is a small window of opportunity in the spring to see these beautiful wildflowers" Kim Lanzarotta Assistant Grower & Retail Floor Assistant ​ Tracy W. Marketing Co-Manager & Retail Support ​