My how time flies when you are having fun! Our Sanibel garden center, In The Garden, is 7 years old this April. A lot has happened at In The Garden in seven years and it keeps getting better and better.
The garden center was always something Bob and I wanted to do for fun (I imagine our staff has other words for it). We could not have found a more beautiful place for our venture than the Sanibel property.
We both have our strengths and ideas for what we wanted to bring to the garden center. Bob enjoys working with and adding to the existing palms and trees on the property and has created a series of botanical gardens in the front of the property with winding paths, waterfalls, water features, and outdoor living areas. These gardens we call our sample gardens to show customers what they can do in their own outdoor spaces.
I enjoy filling the garden gift shop with unique and fun garden gifts, accents and décor that reflect the natural aspects and character of our islands, as well as pottery, fountains, benches and garden accent pieces for outside. I always enjoyed playing store as a kid and this is a very fun grown up version where I get to buy all kinds of beautiful things for the home and garden.
Part of our mission with the Garden Center is to support our local island community and also provide a place where local art, gardening and community groups can enjoy meeting in our lovely gardens. We’ve had island art groups come for the day and set up all over the garden center to paint outside. We have conducted garden tours for garden clubs and scout troops. And we have generously supported the organizations on the islands that provide help to those in need, both residents and animals alike, and those that support the history, conservation and preservation of our unique islands.
We have great staff in place, Brian, Stuart and Angel, who take wonderful care of the garden center and provide good plant knowledge combined with great customer service to all our wonderful customers. They are great at implementing our crazy ideas and enthusiastically present their own creative ideas to improve the garden center in many ways. Every summer we discuss ideas for new areas, products or ideas we want to promote at In The Garden. Whether it’s a new botanical garden area, new layout of the nursery, or new garden-related products we would like to showcase to our customers, we try to bring something new and fresh to each new Season.
We’ve always said that every good garden evolves with time and attention. We hope you are enjoying the Garden Center as much as we are. Please follow In The Garden on Facebook and on the Blog on our website. Come out and enjoy the peace and tranquility of In The Garden and be Inspired to create your own.
Sincerely,
Lisa Walsh