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The Growth of Wind in the Willows Nursery
Story by Laz Denes
As far as Grady Roscoe is concerned, he hasn’t worked a single day in 50 years. Such is his love for all things landscaping and horticulture.
After spending 30 years designing and building golf courses, public recreation areas, and landscape masterpieces of all shapes and sizes, Grady and his wife, Mary, established Wind In The Willows Nursery in 2005. Their business on 10 acres in Bethune has flourished.
Grady’s work life began as a civil engineer on highway projects, a job requiring constant travel. After a decade on the road, he realized he was a frustrated farmer. He went on to earn an ornamental horticulture degree at Clemson University with parks and recreation courses mixed into the curriculum.
Horticulture Meets Landscape Design
Now, Grady, 84, continues to live the dream with Mary, his wife of 40 years. Their nursery on Timrod Road is a go-to source where homeowners and professional landscapers can find more than 200 varieties of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. They also offer a range of in-season produce available daily on-site and Saturday mornings at the Kershaw County Farmers Market in Camden.
Grady says the most popular offerings are tried-and-true azaleas, as well as his August Beauty, Miami, and Radican varieties of gardenias. Emerald arborvitae trees have also grown in popularity for their ability to form effective privacy hedges.
In addition to living things, Wind In The Willows offers landscape design and build services. Grady doesn’t hesitate to roll up his sleeves and go to work on outdoor projects, from patios to pergolas.
“Well, my doctor says that I should be good to 100, but he wants me to retire when I turn 90. He retires that year, and he wants me to take him fishing and bird hunting,” Grady says with a laugh. “Mary keeps telling me I need to slow down, but I’m afraid if I do, I’ll fall over. I enjoy what I do tremendously. It’s not working. It’s a labor of love.”