KING, N.C. — Mitchell’s Nursery and Greenhouse is named a 2026 Innovator of the Year honoree by Lawn & Garden Retailer magazine. Owners Jim and Judy Mitchell traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to accept the award in person at the magazine’s Evening of Excellence, where the 2026 Medal of Excellence Award was also presented for achievements in plant breeding, greenhouse technology, and operational excellence.
Ten independent garden centers received the Innovator of the Year honor this year; nine from the United States and one from Australia. Mitchell’s Nursery was the only North Carolina business on the list.
“We started this business rooting azaleas in our backyard. To be recognized alongside garden centers from all over the country means a lot to us and to everyone who’s worked here over the years.”
Mitchell’s Nursery began in 1979 as a small side business. In 1982, Jim’s epilepsy worsened, and he and Judy shifted the business toward landscaping and mowing work to keep things going. The growing operation moved to its current location in King in 1993. Two years later, in 1995, Jim underwent brain surgery that left him seizure-free, a turning point that let the couple focus on building the nursery into what it is today.
That history is part of why the recognition matters to the Mitchells. The award is based on retail innovation, community impact, and customer experience; three things the couple has built the business around for more than four decades.
One example the magazine highlighted is Mitchell’s Poinsettia Trials, which started back in 2004. Each year, Mitchell’s Nursery partners with major poinsettia breeders to trial unreleased varieties before they reach retail shelves. Customers can walk through the trial greenhouse, see the new colors and forms in person, and vote on their favorites; a chance to help shape which poinsettias show up at garden centers in years to come. They can also purchase these new varieties.
Today, Mitchell’s grows and sells annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, vegetable plants, herbs, and seasonal plants, along with soil amendments, mulches, and fertilizers, serving homeowners, landscapers, and communities across the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
Mitchell’s also recognized an opportunity when they saw the DOT Agritourism Signs on highways with vineyards listed on them. Jim went to Raleigh to research and found that they also qualified for the signs and were the first nursery-greenhouse operation to be featured on them.
“This kind of recognition isn’t something we chase after. It’s just what happens when you keep showing up for your customers and your community, year after year.”
Lawn & Garden Retailer’s Innovator of the Year list is published annually and recognizes independent garden centers for standout work in retail experience, community involvement, and customer service. This year’s honorees include garden centers from Iowa, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, California, South Carolina, and Australia, alongside Mitchell’s.
Customers can see the full list of 2026 honorees and read more about each garden center at lgrmag.com.
