LOWCO GARDEN CENTER
From Backyard to Bloom
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY
Sitting right off Parris Island Gateway in the heart of the Lowcountry, LowCo Garden Center is more than just a spot to buy a plant. Owners Jimmy and Lyndsey Varnes have created a space that combines his love for business and her love for plants. With a team that is as passionate about providing excellent customer service as they are about gardening, you will find not only the right plant for you, but the education you need to keep it growing. Never owned a plant before? LowCo Garden Center is the place for you.
Owners Lyndsey and Jimmy Varnes got married in 2014, and at the time neither of them was a gardener or had any intention of becoming invested in plants, much less opening a nursery. Jimmy was running a successful power-washing business that he had opened 10 years prior, and Lyndsey was working as an oncology nurse. It was not until they purchased their first home that they realized they were going to have a yard to take care of. This was a new venture that they were both excited about.
For Lyndsey, gardening runs deep in the family, with her mom having spent most of her life gardening, but she personally did not know anything about gardening until around 2020. As she started to get her hands dirty, she realized that she loved planting and gardening. She started with small flower beds. This quickly turned into searching for ways to purchase plants wholesale to fill their large yard. After a little while of this, Jimmy joked that if they were going to continue buying plants in bulk, they might as well sell some of them by the roadside. Lyndsey laughed it off, thinking it was just another one of Jimmy’s random business ideas.
In 2021, that joke became a reality. The Varneses owned the prime real estate property where LowCo Garden Center now sits before opening the business. They had intended to use it for their power-washing company to park vehicles, but as the idea for LowCo came to fruition, it became clear that they already had the perfect spot for a nursery.
The process started with Lyndsey and her mom, Alicia, planting thousands of plugs right in the Varnes’ backyard. With so many different plants and variations to choose from, Lyndsey and Jimmy wanted to make sure they made the right choice when it came to planting their plugs. Lyndsey had been watching two separate YouTube channels regularly: Garden Answer and Gardening With Creekside. (Lyndsey highly recommends watching videos from these channels for any questions you might have on gardening!) Both of these channels recommend using Proven Winners plugs for planting, and that was the route Lyndsey took.
The goal was to be able to produce as much inventory as possible and be able to operate as a grower-direct nursery. Lyndsey was pregnant with their fourth child at the time. It was a busy time to say the least. “There were plants everywhere. The week before we opened, we just started moving trays over. We were actually selling from our backyard before we even opened,” Lyndsey laughs.
They opened before the inside of the building was ready, with enough plants to satisfy all of the needs of the community. Or so they thought. It didn’t take long to realize that the Varneses and Alicia would not be able to keep up with the growing demand on their own.
It has now been five years since LowCo opened, and it has grown by leaps and bounds. The growth and level of customer service that they offer would not be possible without their team. “Our team is amazing. Over the years, the right people have come along at exactly the right time. Each of them has a passion for LowCo and for people. They are passionate, knowledgeable, and helpful. We consistently hear that our team is what customers appreciate the most about LowCo,” Lyndsey says. Lyndsey and her mom still work together when they can, but as the number of kids and grandkids continues to grow, they have to rely more on the team they have built.
LowCo also provides frost-proof pottery that is handmade in Vietnam, which causes every piece to be unique. “Even if you buy two of the same color, they will be unique because they are handmade, hand-painted, and hand-dipped.”
LowCo Garden Center offers a wide selection of plants and garden essentials for every season. You can find a variety of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. During the Christmas season, they carry festive poinsettias. Some of their garden essentials include fertilizers, premium soils, bagged mulch, and pine straw to help customers create and maintain thriving gardens.
Along with running two thriving businesses, Jimmy and Lyndsey have five kids and one on the way. Also, Lyndsey homeschools them. This will be the first year that the older kids will start helping out with gardening. “Our daughter is four, and she loves being a part of all things LowCo and gardening.”
“Jimmy’s entrepreneurial spirit and my love for plants helped transform a deserted building into a thriving garden center. What started as a simple idea has grown into a dream that continues to flourish alongside our community.”
Jimmy and Lyndsey did not realize how needed LowCo was for Beaufort. They have continued to try to provide the best product to the community. “We want to bring something beautiful to them.” Lyndsey believes that gardening is something we were created to do. To be in her garden is to be closer to our Creator, and she is thankful for the opportunity to share that passion with other gardeners.
Owning LowCo is an opportunity to educate the community and provide them with the knowledge they need for planting and gardening. “The more they learn, the more their plants will thrive. That is what we want,” Jimmy says. “We just want people to learn things they would not otherwise know. For example, you should plant in the fall,” Jimmy and Lyndsey laugh. There is so much to learn about gardening, and it is a special gift to have that’s so readily available to our community through LowCo Garden Center.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received from our community over the past five years. We hope that we can continue to bring healthy, thriving, and unique plans to your garden — and a little joy to your life. The Lord has truly blessed our family and our small business. It is our sincere prayer that both our lives and our business continue to bring honor and glory to His name.”
“So, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” — 1 Corinthians 3:7
To learn more about LowCo Garden Center, check out their website: www.lowcogardencenter.com, give them a call at 843-521-7747, or drop by their nursery at 1 Marina Blvd, right off Parris Island Gateway.
