Recently a number of our customers have been confused by the closure of Waynesboro Nurseries. Because both businesses have similar names and a long history in Augusta County, some people think the closing of the nursery means that Waynesboro Landscape & Garden Center (WLGC) is also closing. This is not true. WLGC remains a vibrant, family‑run garden center and landscape business headquartered on West Main Street in Waynesboro. Below is a look at why Waynesboro Nurseries closed and why WLGC continues to thrive.
A tale of two businesses
The businesses share part of their history—both were founded by members of the Quillen family—but they evolved into separate operations with different owners, sites and missions. The table below summarizes the key differences:
| Feature | Waynesboro Nurseries | Waynesboro Landscape & Garden Center (WLGC) |
|---|---|---|
| Founding | Started in the mid‑1930s by E.M. Quillen as a retail business in Lyndhurstdailyprogress.com | Established in 1946 by Stan and Virginia Quillen on West Main Street, Waynesborowaynesborogardens.com |
| Business type | Grew into a wholesale tree and plant grower supplying garden centres, universities and hospitalsdailyprogress.com; offered a 25‑person landscape service until 2018dailyprogress.com | Operates a retail garden center and full‑service landscape design/installation businesswaynesborogardens.com |
| Ownership history | Owned by the Quillen family for four generations; there was no line of succession when the latest generation pursued careers outside horticulturedailyprogress.comdailyprogress.com | Run by the Quillen family until 2021; Craig and Kim Johnson purchased the business in September 2021 and now operate it with their childrenwaynesborogardens.com |
| Current status | Closed: the nursery closed in late June 2025 because no successors were available and attempts to sell the business fell throughdailyprogress.comdailyprogress.com | Open and growing: WLGC continues to serve the Shenandoah Valley with a retail garden center, landscape services, Virginia Boxwood Company and All Seasons Irrigation & Lightingwaynesborogardens.com |
| Location | Lyndhurst in Augusta Countydailyprogress.com | 2032 West Main Street, Waynesborowaynesborogardens.com |
Why Waynesboro Nurseries closed
Waynesboro Nurseries had been a fixture of Augusta County for nearly a century, growing trees and shrubs on thousands of acres in Augusta and Nelson counties. It started as a retail business in the 1930s but eventually focused on wholesale production, selling oaks, maples, dogwoods and crepe myrtles along the East Coastdailyprogress.com. Although the nursery also operated a landscape division, it stopped doing landscaping work after 2018dailyprogress.com.
The family‑owned business closed in late June 2025. Local news outlets reported that the Quillen family did not have a new generation willing to run the nursery, so the company closed rather than continue without a successordailyprogress.com. Max Quillen, the company’s treasurer, said the business had been up for sale for years, but potential deals fell throughdailyprogress.com. As a result, Waynesboro Nurseries held a plant and equipment auction in mid‑May and closed its gateswaynesboronurseries.com.
Waynesboro Landscape & Garden Center: still here and still growing
Although WLGC and Waynesboro Nurseries share a common origin, they are completely separate businesses. WLGC was founded in 1946 by Stan and Virginia Quillen to provide high‑quality gardening products and landscaping serviceswaynesborogardens.com. Their sons, Stan and Lee Quillen, managed the garden center and landscape divisions for decades, and in September 2021 they sold the business to Craig and Kim Johnsonwaynesborogardens.com.
Since acquiring the business, the Johnson family has expanded the company while remaining true to its community‑minded values. WLGC now operates the Waynesboro Landscape & Garden Center, Virginia Boxwood Company and All Seasons Irrigation & Lighting under the umbrella of the J5 Companywaynesborogardens.com. The Johnsons describe their mission as creating a family‑owned enterprise rooted in community and a love for the landwaynesborogardens.com. At WLGC’s West Main Street location, customers find a retail garden center stocked with trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, indoor plants and garden supplieswaynesborogardens.com. The landscape department includes six designers/architects and several crews who bring customers’ outdoor projects to life and have been recognized as “Best of Virginia” for multiple yearswaynesborogardens.com.
What this means for local gardeners and landscapers
The closure of Waynesboro Nurseries has understandably caused confusion in the community, but it does not mean that local garden supply and landscape services have disappeared. Waynesboro Landscape & Garden Center remains open and ready to serve customers throughout the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia. The Johnson family and their team continue to provide:
Retail garden center with a wide selection of plants, seeds, tools and home‑and‑garden décor waynesborogardens.com.
Full‑service landscape design and installation, including patios, walkways, fire pits, drainage, grading and seeding waynesborogardens.comwaynesborogardens.com.
Specialty services through Virginia Boxwood Company and All Seasons Irrigation & Lighting, offering boxwood care, irrigation system installation and landscape lighting waynesborogardens.comwaynesborogardens.com.
Community‑centered values of humility, dependability, integrity, compassion and family waynesborogardens.com.
We’re still here for you
Waynesboro Landscape & Garden Center takes pride in being part of the Waynesboro and Augusta County communities. While we are saddened to see our longtime collaborators at Waynesboro Nurseries close, we want to reassure everyone that we are not closing. Our team will continue to offer high‑quality plants and professional landscape services at 2032 West Main Street. If you have questions about the differences between the two businesses or need help with your garden or landscape project, please stop by, call us at 540‑942‑4646, or visit our website. We look forward to serving you for many years to come.
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