It’s a hot and sunny afternoon on the outskirts of Franklin. At the corner of Highlands and Saunders roads sits a nine-acre property of natural beauty, one filled with endless species of flowers and plants, this wondrous piece of earth welcoming the public with open arms — Winding Stair Farm & Nursery. 

Get an early start on this year’s garden by renting space at Waynesville’s Old Armory Recreation Center Greenhouse beginning March 25. 

Trays may be rented at a cost of $5 apiece. The maximum allowed is five trays per person. The Old Armory will provide the dirt and water.

Space is limited; only 200 total trays will be sold. Reservations must be made in person at the facility. 

For more information, please call Keith Shetley at the Old Armory Recreation Center at 828.456.9207 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A namesake has been chosen for the $2 million greenhouse the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway is building to propagate red spruce trees for replanting on the landscape. 

A $100,000 grant from the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority has put a $2 million project to build a red spruce nursery past the halfway mark of its fundraising goal.

On cold January days, Bob and Janaye Houghton prefer to eat outside. 

“If it’s 20 degrees in the sunshine, it’s Miami,” Bob said. 

Under a clear sky and afternoon sun, the winding road through Cherokee and out past Birdtown is a beautiful one. It’s a trek that employees at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Office of Environment and Natural Resources have been making a lot over the past several months. 

With the ribbon now cut on a 2,200-square-foot greenhouse and a black-clothed grow yard filled with 33,000 native plants representing 32 species, they’ve finally got something to show for it.