nursery retailer of the year

McDonald Garden Center was selected by Nursery Retailer Magazine as the top independent garden center nationwide.

McDonald was selected from more than 1,000 independent garden centers based on a range of criteria, including innovation in merchandising and display and customer service.

The award was presented to McDonald Garden Center owner, Eddie Anderson, on August 19th in the Grand Ballroom at the Navy Pier in Chicago. The presentation was held prior to the keynote speech for the Independent Garden Center Show, a nationwide trade show for the retail garden industry that attracts thousands of attendees from across the country.

“McDonald Garden Center brings a quality in merchandising and display that is rarely seen here in the United States,” says Jeff Morey, publisher of Nursery Retailer and Garden Chic magazines, which sponsored the garden show. “The garden center achieves the quality that is much more akin to the world-class garden centers in England. Additionally, Eddie Anderson is a true gentleman and an industry leader. He has dedicated countless hours to industry efforts and associations.”

McDonald Garden Center was among the first in the industry to label every plant sold, both with the common and botanical name. Their horticulturalists and botanists have introduced better performing species of plants, including the Southern Belle African Violet and the Mandevilla Alice Dupont. McDonald was the first garden center east of the Mississippi with Monrovia Boutiques, featuring plants from one of the premier growers in the world.  The garden center was the first in Virginia to offer the Earth Box. The company’s gardenRewards program was a first in the industry and allowed the firm to efficiently target customers while offering them exclusive programs, benefits and savings. Charity events and sponsorships such as the annual Make-a-Scarecrow event benefiting the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and projects for American Cancer Society have raised tens of thousands of dollars for worthy causes. The garden center also supports educational programs such as the Children’s Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden. This year, McDonald partnered with Pembroke Elementary School in Virginia Beach to create a learning garden within the school including a demonstration rain garden.

Eddie Anderson has owned and operated McDonald Garden Center since 1973, when he and his wife Sara purchased the company.  “This is very much an honor to be nationally recognized,” Eddie Anderson says. “It all is centered on our dedicated team of knowledgeable and professional staff who work to serve the interests of our customers, the gardening public and the community at large.”