Swafford Nursery and Landscape Company was founded by Aaron Swafford and his father Paul in 1976.  Aaron had just completed his degree in Plant and Soil Science from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, and wanted to come home and start a landscape company. Paul had been working as a plant manager in the textile industry when Aaron approached him with a new offer. They constructed a greenhouse and started growing a few plants for use in Aaron's landscape designs and installations. Paul cared for the small nursery and Aaron ran the landscape crews. Over time it became apparent that they could no longer continue to do both well and still devote time to their families. The landscape business was doing well, but the Nursery had grown and flourished into an impressive business of its own. It was time to make a decision...

Aaron decided to put a halt to his landscape business and devoted his time and energy to building Swafford Nursery. We have been growing to meet your needs ever since.

Today, Swafford Nursery has become a well respected and successful wholesale grower of woody ornamental landscape and retail garden center quality plants. Our focus is on small container ornamentals; but we grow a wide variety of container trees, ornamental grasses, Japanese maples and groundcovers. We also grow a full line of hard to find items like Pieris, Rhododendron, Boxwood, Nandina, Hydrangea, Spiraea and Picea to name a few. We pride ourselves on our material. It is what defines us in the Green Industry. We grow a selection and a quality that most people are accustomed to getting only off of the West Coast. However, our nursery is located just twenty minutes north of Chattanooga, TN, right off of I-75.

Swafford Nursery grows with the landscape contractor and retail garden center in mind. Our full line of quality shrubs and trees is known throughout the Southeastern United States. We are always searching for new plants and new methods that will help us to better serve our customers. Our desire is to grow better and better plants, while constantly improving our long history of great customer service. To help us achieve these goals, we are active in several trade associations, including the Southern Nursery Association, the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association, and the Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Association.
More information about these associations can be found on our LINKS Page.

Our great customers are what make us a success. However, we couldn't produce the Swafford Quality Plants without a great staff. Aaron Swafford is the nursery owner and president. He and his wife, Susan, run the business aspect of Swafford Nursery. Clint Wilkie is our production manager. Clint oversees all aspects of production including scheduling and personnel. Bob McGinnis is our head grower and master propagator. He also oversees our chemical and scouting programs. Bob is largely responsible for our high quality Swafford Nursery plants. B. J. Miller is our sales manager. B. J. handles sales on a regional level from Macon Georgia to Indianapolis Indiana. Charles Mull is our operations manager. Without Charlie the nursery would literally come to a grinding halt.  These are the people who make it possible for us to better serve you. Like you, they deserve our thanks. For more information about these and other staff members, see our Staff page.

We have come a long way from that first greenhouse back in 1976. Much has changed in those years. The nursery looks nothing like it did back then. A few things will never change, though. We will always be committed to you our customer, to growing the finest plant material available and to backing every plant with the dedicated customer service that has made us who we are. Thank you for your continued support of Swafford Nursery. We have always tried to build relationships rather than sell truck loads of plants. If your customers are your friends and you work at maintaining healthy relationships, then the plants will sell themselves.

Finally, we must thank God for all the many gifts he has lavished upon us. The Lord has blessed Swafford Nursery not because we are special, but because we know it is all His anyway and He just allows us to manage it for Him. There is great peace in that realization and we are thankful that He has opened our eyes to this truth.