Top Story

12.01.05

By CAROL KINSLEY

The retail center at Greenstreet Gardens in Lothian, Md., started as a little project and mushroomed into a one-stop garden and gift shop for area residents, all of which is in addition to growing 10 million cuttings a year in the greenhouses behind the house.
The operation was begun on a tobacco farm as Windmere Nursery by John Waldrep in the mid-60s, and became a rooting station to grow plants for Ball Seed Co.’s wholesale customers. Neighbors and locals often purchased extra plants for their gardens and grew accustomed to dropping by to wander through the greenhouses.
In June 2000, Ray and Stacy Greenstreet purchased Windmere with 10 acres and a house and changed the name. When the owner offered the rest of the farm, they bought that, too.
Greenstreet had been a salesman for Ball, last stationed in Long Island, N.Y. He loved his work, he said, “but we’re Marylanders through and through,” he said. “We wanted our children to grow up close to family. We wanted them to grow up on a farm, where we could build good character.”
When he heard that Windmere was for sale, he traded in his suit and tie.
“I’m still with Ball; I’ve just changed hats,” he said. He had the advantage of knowing the other end of the business. He knew what the customers wanted.
As the wholesale operation grew, Greenstreet realized the potential hazards of giving the public free access to a busy operation and thus the need for a separate retail center. “It was part of our five-year plan. We just bit the bullet and started early,” he said.
Some 70,000 cubit feet of soil had been moved around, re-molding the rolling hills, with the advice of the Soil Conservation Service, to create room for the garden center, parking and to provide for storm management and erosion control. Construction began in January, and the building was opened in May.
“We wanted a nice place for our customers. Now they can shop even in the rain.”
What the customers wanted has driven the retail business. Offered mainly annuals, they wanted more. They now can choose from tropical plants, water gardens, unusual containers. Fertilizers and garden tools are offered so they don’t have to drive farther to find them. “We’ve shown them gardening can be fun and easy,” Greenstreet said.
Feedback indicated shoppers wanted gifts, too, so the garden center has taken on a complete outdoor living slant. “We utilize local artists,” said Greenstreet, indicating original paintings for sale along with colorful pots from Mexico.
The green industry has to think outside the box in order to survive everything people are “into” these days, Greenstreet advised.
“And we should not be afraid to charge for what we produce, considering that fuel, labor, insurance, equipment, shipping and everything that goes into it has gone up. I’ve never seen a year like this,” he said. “We produce a high quality product, which is what the customer wants.”
Other things the industry has not been focusing on, he added, is making customers successful. “To help keep their gardens beautiful, we should sell plants that fit. Don’t make them think they have a black thumb. There’s nothing wrong with selling a short-term product, but we must educate the customer (to think of such plants that way.) We should focus on the region or area. Tell them, ‘if you want to be a successful gardener, here are 10 plants that do well here.’ We don’t look at this closely enough as an industry,” Greenstreet concluded.
While Greenstreet Gardens keeps retail customers happy, it’s the wholesale end of the business, Greenstreet Growers Inc., that is the mainstay. Two of the old tobacco barns remain on the property for looks and for equipment storage, but for production, a state-of-the-art 70,000 square foot Verbacl open roof greenhouse built in Holland was added in 2000. Used for both cuttings and finished production, the house is monitored by an ACO computer system, has a double-shading system, in-floor hot water system as well as under-the-bench hot water system with rolling benches. Two weather stations monitor temperatures. Modern technology also enables Greenstreet to irrigate and provide proper nutrients to expedite the growing process.
Sixty employees, including Greenstreet’s parents, aunts and brother, help keep the operation going. Stacy, as vice president, handles advertising, marketing, payroll and community programs. The Greenstreets work hard to cultivate not only the plants, but the warm, friendly atmosphere patrons expect from a family business.
Millions of cuttings and seeds are planted manually and grown to specifications for wholesale customers across the nation, some 2,500 varieties in all. Greenstreet is also one of the growers for Bell Nursery.
Greenstreet has been in the greenhouse business since he was 13, he said. He worked for a wholesaler in Clarksville whose wife had polio. She told him where to plant things in her garden.
Now Greenstreet is giving advice, or bringing in experts who will. He’ll have a wreath-making class in mid-December and in the spring, pond classes and general garden workshops. He has also contracted with a container expert from Chicago who will put on several programs for employees, customers and landscape contractors in the new year.
While gardeners are winding down and cleaning up for winter, Greenstreet Growers is in full production with a greenhouse full of poinsettias, spring production to prepare, and a garden shop full of unusual holiday gift ideas and stocking stuffers. Zipping around on a four-wheeler and constantly in contact by telephone, Greenstreet is as busy these days as Santa Claus.