The Growing Place To Be.
Philips Garden Center is Tupelo, MS's finest garden center! Come see our annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, groundcover, houseplants, vegetables, herbs, and water plants. Our landscape department does full scale landscaping, irrigation, aquatic installation, rock work, hardscape, and lawn and landscape maintenance. We offer a large selection or organic and synthetic soils, fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides. We also have the largest selection of houseplants in North Mississippi. Our showroom floor includes gifts, hand tools, glazed and clay pots, and a full line of disc golf supplies. Come by and talk to one of our knowledgeable staff members!
A rich history, right here in Tupelo, MS!
Philips Garden Center has a rich history! In 1900, J.R. Philips started J. R. Philips Seed and Hardware Store on Spring Street in downtown Tupelo. After the business burned they reopened next door to what is now the current Tupelo Hardware Store in downtown Tupelo, MS. His son, Joe Philips, worked in the family business and decided to move the business to 2435 West Main Street, where Wendy’s sits now. He renamed it Philips Farm & Garden Center and Philips Outdoor Equipment in a historical building that once was the only cattle auction barn that served many counties in North Mississippi. The balcony around the top floor was home to many antiques that were salvaged from the original store. Mr. Philips and his wife Katherine built a successful business until they handed the keys to young college graduates Kevin Kent and Eddie Martin in 1984, and they changed the name to Philips Garden Center. In 2004 Philips Garden Center moved to the current location at 5119 Cliff Gookin Blvd.
Memories tell a great story.
JoAnne, greenhouse manager here at Philips Garden Center, remembers going with her mom as a young girl to buy tomato plants for their garden in the 1960s. She said, “I was just tall enough to rest my chin on the bench, and I could see through the forest of tomato stems. I always loved the smell of soil and tomatoes.” She also recalls an older gentlemen, Silas “Buck” Buchanan. He always sat in a folding chair drinking coffee, which was always spilled down his front. He played his harmonica and told funny stories to all the customers. JoAnne said, “I told my mom that one day I wanted to work there.” In 1976, at the age of 15, JoAnne started her first job working for Mr. Philips. She said, “On my first day, he told me I had to plant 1,000 tomato plants by the end of the day. Not knowing he was joking, I still completed potting all 1,000.” Back in the 70s, Mr. Philips sold hoop cheese, big pickles and popcorn. JoAnne worked at Philips Farm & Garden Center through high school until life took her elsewhere. Four years later, she came back to work for Kevin and Eddie in 1984. She soon married Kevin, four years later. The Philips name is historic to the beautiful Tupelo that we call home. Thanks for gardening with us!
