I drive to Minges in Harrison, Ohio to purchase my bedding plants and gardening needs, even though…read moreI live in Florence, Kentucky. Family owned, Minges is like travelling back to the time when I'd go to the feedstore with my dad. Housed in a mid-19th century stone foundation barn, the store is stocked with all your gardening, farming and pet necessities. Early in the season for this trip over the weekend, I bought a flat of pansies and violas, like I do each spring, and some seed potatoes (Irish Cobbler). They are far cheaper than any Lowe's or Home Depot at $1.78 per 3 pack of annuals, and far better quality.
There is a resident mouser, always willing to greet customers at the counter, and the cool stone room, a respite in the humid days of summer, houses a good selection of high quality pet food, bulk dog treats, a wide variety of bird seeds and feeders, garden seed in bulk, seed potatoes, onion sets and other garden treasures displayed in original wooden bins. Outside, you'll find trellises, tomato cages, cement yard ornaments and bird baths, too.
When I find a space that needs a tree or a perennial bush, like an oak leaf hydrangea, I trust Minges because they offer a year guarantee on anything they sell. The prices are in line with any other garden supply store and big box home chain, but to my knowledge, I've never been given a guarantee by those places. Not that it matters, I've never needed it--each tree and shrub I've purchased from Minges always exceeds my expectations.
Additionally, they have a nice little walk back by a log cabin and a set of barns that houses some farm animals and even a domesticated deer for the kiddo's. Mine was asleep, otherwise we would have walked through, it was such a lovely day!