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<p>FORTY FORT &#8212; Flowers, trees and other decor line the winding landscaped road leading into Edward&#8217;s Garden Center, along with some more eclectic pieces sure to catch one&#8217;s eye &#8211; such as a classic orange Volkswagon Beetle, a metal Mariachi band and more.</p><p>The unique array of items, mixed with education and plain old fun, is what sets the popular gardening center apart from others.</p><p>Edward Kopec and his wife, Margy, own Edward&#8217;s Garden Center in Forty Fort. The duo and their 25 employees have been hard at work making gardening attainable, fun and educational for all since 1978.</p><p>He started gardening as a child before cutting grass for neighbors. After working to install sod, Kopec opened his business by the time he graduated college.</p><p>&#8220;The plan was to become a teacher and do this in the summer, but my little business started to thrive and so I decided to do this full time,&#8221; Kopec said of his venture.</p><p>Over the years, Edward&#8217;s Garden Center has morphed into a family-friendly, hands-on space that Kopec dubs a &#8220;destination garden center.&#8221; It conducts all-ages seminars and boasts a free kid&#8217;s scavenger hunt with more than 30 animals, all surrounded by a plethora of eclectic decor, antiques, trains, checkerboards and more.</p><p>The decision to focus around family activities, like his popular Fall Festival, came as a way to get folks to the space while acquainting children &#8211; nowadays mostly raised indoors with electronic devices &#8211; with gardening and the outdoors.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not like your typical box store, we do a lot of family things,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s these things that really seem to draw a lot of interest in the garden center.&#8221;</p><p>As for greenery, the center has trees and shrubbery to flowers, decor and ponds. Specializing in water features, patrons can shop more than 20 different ponds and other outdoor water attractions, as well as the fish that typically resides in them.</p><p>While Kopec has admiringly scaled back his landscaping business over the years he&#8217;s also added a variety of services, including popular &#8220;We Plan, You Plant&#8221; and contractor wholesale services.</p><p>&#8220;If your purchase is $500 or more, we will deliver the plants to your house, set them up exactly where they should be planted and give you instructions on how to properly plant them so they survive,&#8221; he said of the DIY option. &#8220;Its a way where you as a homeowner can save a lot of money by doing it yourself, and you will be more prone to take care of it.&#8221;</p><p>Kopec said his ability to continue running a small business has largely been in part to the support of the community. Patrons cannot get expertise advise as big box stores</p><p>&#8220;People who want to become gardeners have lots of questions because they&#8217;re learning, and when you go to a box store you can&#8217;t get those questions answered,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;So I think people come here to get information.&#8221;</p><p>Keep up with everything the center has to offer at Edwards Garden Center on Facebook, or at EdwardsGardenCenter.com.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Edwards Garden Center is located on River Street in Forty Fort. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Concession.2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Edwards Garden Center is located on River Street in Forty Fort. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_IMG_3275.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Edward&#8217;s Garden Center is home to all kinds of plants and trees and other unique items. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_IMG_3275.jpg</photo1><caption1>Edward&#8217;s Garden Center is home to all kinds of plants and trees and other unique items. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Ed-Margy-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Edward Kopec and his wife, Margy, of Edward&#8217;s Garden Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_Ed-Margy-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Edward Kopec and his wife, Margy, of Edward&#8217;s Garden Center. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Edward&#8217;s Garden Center</p><p>Owners: Edward and Margy Kopec</p><p>Location: 525 River St., Forty Fort</p><p>Years In Business: 41</p></factboxMeta></div>

Business: Edward’s Garden Center much more than plants and trees