(828) 526-0173 | [email protected] | Copyright 2024 – All Rights Reserved.
The Slow Flower Experience
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: July 2024 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro
Oakleaf Flower and Garden, which has become a must-visit Highlands retail destination over the decades, has moved to a more expansive location – 330 South 2nd Street.
Kirk Moore
Oakleaf Flower and Garden has new digs. From its Main Street location (in the same space once occupied by the legendary Stone Lantern) to a larger home on 2nd Street, owner/plantsman/designer Kirk Moore has taken advantage of the opportunities built into this fine old mountain home.
Oakleaf Flower and Garden is more than a retail store – it’s an experience. Moore’s knowledge and life permeates.
“I’ve been a landscape architect since the 1970s, but I also have a master’s in historic preservation. That flavor is conveyed in the store, with books on antiques and historic gardening.”
Moore’s store supports the “slow flower” movement by purchasing at least 65 percent of plants and flowers grown on the Plateau.
That’s also where the new move gets even more interesting.
“We’ll be selling Plateau-grown plants and flowers and heritage trees that’ll look beautiful in any local garden or landscape plan,” says Moore. “I think it’s important that we nurture the botanical treasures that’s part of the Plateau’s natural heritage.”
With the luxury of extra space, Moore has carried over items from his personal collection, specializing in iconic pieces from the American South from the 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Before making your way to these coveted antiquities, feel welcomed by the indoor gardening space, full of exotic indoor plants, ceramic pots and heritage gardening tools. Paintings from regional artists adorn the walls. A working flower studio and pots loaded with Highlands perennials await valued clients and guests in the back of the shop.
Naturally, Oakleaf will continue to sell ornamentals, pots, orchids, decorative items, herbs, and much more. And Kirk will still be offering his expertise for greenery and floral arrangements, weddings, and gatherings and events.
You can learn all about this at Oakleaf’s award-winning website, oakleafstyle.com, but you really owe it to yourself to take a casual stroll through the new location and soak up all the beauty and possibilities.
