The Queen city gardeners

Amy White- Owner/Gardener

I am a native Charlottean and I have been learning about gardening since I was learning to walk. My father and his family have always grown food since they were children. I can remember my grandmother having shelves lined with hundreds of mason jars full of food. She told me one day her and her neighbor canned 275 cans of greens beans that they had grown!

Living with the heat and humidity in North Carolina, zone 8A is not without it's challenges. We have bugs that don't exist in other areas, and they like to eat our plants. Deer can be really out of control with our over development of new neighborhoods, and fungal diseases find new life here with our humidity. Red Clay gets a bad rap, but it's really not bad if you know what to plant in it.

My biggest challenge is always removing invasive plants. I love and hate it at the same time. It is so satisfying, but some of the invasive plants are extremely persistent.

I started this company with a vision to give back to the enviroment while making spaces that people love to be in. It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

Amanda Memrick- Gardener

I'm a native Nebraskan who put down roots in North Carolina clay 22 years ago.

I spent nine years as a newspaper reporter before morphing into a stay-at-home mom. Now that my kids are older, I'm starting a new chapter in a field that's always been in the background.

Gardening is in my roots as generations before me farmed the land. My grandma tended a large vegetable garden, flower garden, and apple orchard. My mom continues the tradition of growing both vegetables and beautiful blooms. I'm preserving that passion for planting.

Moving from zone 5A to 8A, I had to educate myself about growing plants in the sweltering South. In my own yard, I'm adding more natives, raising vegetables, and eliminating invasives.

Working with Queen City Gardeners allows me to keep growing, share the joy of gardening, and make my corner of the Earth a prettier place one landscape at a time.