Read the Top 100 Independent Garden Centers issue online

Garden Center magazine's September issue, which features the Top 100 Independent Garden Centers of 2016, is available online here and as a digital edition.

In this issue, we compiled the 100 most successful independent garden centers in North America, based on reported annual sales volume. Check out this year's commemorative Top 100 poster here. Key statistics from these stores, including whether they are family-owned and if they have landscaping divisions, are represented in this month's infographic section.

We also took an in-depth look at some of the businesses that made our list and told their stories.

Monte Enright, president and COO of Armstrong Garden Centers in California and Pike Nurseries in Georgia and North Carolina, explained how the two brands create consistent customer service standards.

At Morrison's Home & Garden in Plymouth, Mass., Owner Walter Morrison says investing in his staff and becoming an authority on vegetable gardening helped him overcome a rough weather season.

Chuck Hafner's Garden Center & Farmers Market in Syracuse, N.Y., has learned over the years that plant goods are still the best bet for reliable profits.

Look inside the issue for more information on this year's Top 100 IGCs and the people who make them work.

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Photo by Jodi Miller