Our Story
Five Generations of Gardening & Landscape Tradition
Since 1912, the Snow family has been raising plants, designing gardens, and building outdoor environments for Central Virginia. What started as a market garden on Carlton Avenue has grown into the region's most trusted design-build firm — still family-owned, still on a hilltop on Avon Street, still on the radio every Saturday morning.
1875 Avon Street Extended · Since 1969
On the air since 1942
TheSnowKnowsradio show.
Leroy W. Snow launched a Saturday-morning gardening show on WCHV in 1942. More than eighty years later it's still on the air — making it the longest continuously running gardening show in the world. Duane Snow took the mic from his father, and today his son Corbin hosts.
Saturdays · WCHV 1260 AM · 107.5 FM
114 Years
A century ofroots.
Most companies measure their history in quarters. We measure ours in generations. Each one has added to the craft, expanded the vision, and deepened our connection to Central Virginia and the families who garden alongside us.
First Generation: A Market Garden on Carlton Avenue
Leroy H. Snow and his wife Maggie arrive in Charlottesville from Upstate New York with their newborn son. They start a market garden on family land on Carlton Avenue — sweet potatoes, kale, flowers, and vegetable plants sold to local stores and residents. They buy an old greenhouse from Pantops Mountain and relocate it to the Carlton lot, where it stands until 1970. A half-acre house on Carlton becomes Snow's first retail outlet, purchased for $1,800.
Second Generation: Snow's Nursery
Leroy W. Snow — born the same year his parents started the business — takes over and renames it Snow's Nursery, expanding into trees, shrubs, landscaping services, and a large-tree removal and replanting operation. His wife Viola becomes the bookkeeper. The business moves from Belmont to Water Street (where the City Market is today), then in 1969 relocates to its present hilltop home at 1875 Avon Street Extended.
The SnowKnows Radio Show Debuts
Leroy W. launches "SnowKnows" on WCHV — gardening advice and tips for weekend gardeners and do-it-yourself landscapers in Central Virginia. The show is still on the air every Saturday morning on WCHV 1260 AM and 107.5 FM, making it the longest continuously running gardening show in the world. Duane Snow took the mic from his father, and today his son Corbin hosts.
Third Generation: Building the Reputation
Duane Snow returns from Brigham Young University with his wife Rena and takes over management of what is now Snow's Garden and Landscape Center. Under his leadership the company expands its design-build portfolio across Central Virginia — Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester, the Hershey Chocolate plant in Stuarts Draft, the Charlottesville Downtown Mall trees, the UVA Medical Center, the Virginia Forestry Department headquarters, and thousands of residential properties.
Fourth Generation: Corbin Snow, President
When Duane and Rena retired, the business passed to Corbin Snow — Duane and Rena's son and the fourth generation of the family to lead it. The garden center serves thousands of customers a year and the team has grown to nearly 50 people, including seasonal staff. Landscape design has evolved from hand sketches to computer-aided plans and 3D fly-through animations. The vision hasn't changed: a family business serving families, building outdoor spaces meant to last generations.
Built by Snow's
Landscapes that haveshapedCentral Virginia.
A short list of public projects that bear our work. Most of what we build is private — estate properties and family homes that don't end up on a list. But these are the ones the community knows.
- Apple Blossom Mall — Winchester, VA
- Hershey Chocolate Plant — Stuarts Draft, VA
- Charlottesville Downtown Mall Trees
- UVA Medical Center
- Virginia Forestry Department Headquarters
- Thousands of Central Virginia estates and residences
A Big Little Family Business
Thousands of customers.Fiftypeople who care.
Today the garden center serves thousands of customers a year and our team has grown to nearly 50 people, including seasonal staff. The nursery carries hundreds of varieties of shrubs, trees, annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetable plants — alongside Snow's Famous Topsoil & Mulch, bulk gravel, landscape stone, and patio and retaining-wall materials.
Landscape design has evolved from hand sketches to sophisticated 3D fly-through animations. The vision hasn't changed: a family business serving families, building outdoor spaces meant to last generations.
Meet the TeamWhat We Believe
Landscapes areinvestments— not expenses.
A well-designed landscape increases your property value, extends your living space, and creates an environment your family will enjoy for decades. We approach every project with that long view — choosing materials that age gracefully, plants that mature beautifully, and designs that feel timeless rather than trendy.
That philosophy has guided five generations of Snows and shaped thousands of Central Virginia properties. It's why families who built with us twenty years ago still call us first.
Credentials
Certified & Trusted
Ready to Start?
Let's talk about yourproperty.
A complimentary consultation with experienced professionals who understand how to bring lasting value and beauty to your landscape. Backed by over a century of craftsmanship.