About Turtle Creek

Turtle Creek was founded in 1972 as a nursery and landscaping company by the Edwards family. Originally the nursery was going to specialize in Azaleas and Rhododendron. However, as things developed, we became a broad spectrum nursery growing a wide selection of shrubs and trees including Azaleas and Rhododendron. Container trees became a staple in our plant mix around 1980. The landscaping division was closed in 1978 to focus on plant production. Between the years of 1978 and 1989, we had a full service garden center by the same name in Charlotte (as well as the current location). We are located 20 miles north of Charlotte, 8 miles east of 1-77, and 8 miles west of I-85 on Highway 3. Turtle Creek has over 125 acres, including 18 acres of container shrubs, and 10 acres of field production (B+B).

A 5 acre irrigation lake collects and recycles all the water from our nursery irrigation, using it over and over. We have numerous settlement ponds in the woods and grass to keep our irrigation water clean and clear as it is recirculated. At any given time, Turtle Creek has around 90,000 plants on the nursery to care for. Of these, 90% of the shrubs, 80% of the field plants, and 15% of the container trees are propagated (rooted) right here on the nursery. The majority of our shrubs and trees are grown here for a period of time to ensure good quality and hardiness before sale, no matter where they were propagated.

Many customers ask how many greenhouses Turtle Creek has. We currently have over 80 greenhouses, including 12 heated houses for propagation. These greenhouses vary in size and height. Some houses (mainly the propagation houses) often stay covered year round. The majority of the houses (called cold frames) are covered in November and December with a white or clear plastic and are uncovered in March an April. These houses will keep plants about 10 degrees warmer when closed. We keep the doors open most of the time during the winters so our plants will be adequately cold. They will usually be closed when the nighttime temperature drops below 25 degrees.

The yellow farmhouse has become an object of attention to many. The arts and crafts style farmhouse was built in 1930 to replace an older farmhouse that burned down. This was the Cashion home place (including the acreage across the street). They were members of the Coddle Creek ARP Presbyterian Church right within sight of Turtle Creek. Their descendants still live in this area and attend Coddle Creek Church. This house was among several structures that were on the property when it was bought by Turtle Creek. A barn, some sheds, hand dug wells, an outhouse, and a smokehouse were on the property when it was purchased. They were not in good shape and have had to be torn down through the years. The house itself has been refurbished twice by Turtle Creek. Around 1976 we repaired and refinished the inside hardwood floors, walls, and added heat and air conditioning. In 1995 we added insulation, vinyl siding, replaced the windows, replaced the front and back porches, improved water and sewer, repaired the foundation, added the side porch, gazebo, steps, and new railings. The house has been used as an office since about 1980. However, the layout remains as it was when the nursery purchased it in 1972.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about Turtle Creek.  Come by and see the wide selection of plant material we have for your yard!