In the 1970's Robert and Julia Mackintosh moved from the island of Grenada in the West Indies to Aiken, South Carolina. Both had backgrounds in architecture, landscape architecture and biology. After finding property in Aiken and renovating a turn-of-the-century house, they turned their attention to creating a garden.

Amazed at South Carolina's botanical diversity and the unrealized garden potential found here, they began collecting information and plants. With the goal of sharing these little-known and underused native plants with other gardeners, they began propagating them and by the spring of 1980 they had a small list of plants for sale. Their mailing list was the membership of the North Carolina Wildflower Preservation Society. South Carolina had no such group.

In seeking out people who had been involved with the cultivation of native southern plants, the trail led to Bob McCartney at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg's gardens relied heavily on native plants and for more than decade Bob had been collecting, propagating and introducing into the extensive gardens and grounds a wide range of seldom cultivated species.

In 1982 Woodlanders was joined by George Mitchell, a native of Grenada who had worked there with the Mackintoshes. George's appreciation and understanding of Grenadan plants enabled him to support propagation and an increasing array of plant varieties.

During the 90's, Woodlanders grew steadily into an internationally known source for more than 1000 kinds of rare and hard-to-find plants. As nursery propagated native plants became increasingly popular, and other native plant nurseries appeared, Woodlanders continued to offer a very wide choice of new selections. They also recognized the great need for a more southern emphasis on new plant introductions from abroad. While other public and private horticultural institutions focused on new plants for colder climates, less hardy new plants for the Deep South were hardly considered.

Julia died in August of 2013 and Robert in February of 2016. They are much missed by everyone at Woodlanders and by many friends in the horticultural world and beyond

Woodlanders, having introduced over 2,200 varieties of plants in its 46 years of operation, enters into a new chapter under fresh ownership and at an expanded property down the road from the original location.