Meet the Founders of Great Garden Plants
IN THE BEGINNING -
WHO WE ARE
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| Mary Walters |
Great Garden Plants, Inc. was conceived in the summer of 2006 by Mary Walters and Chris Hansen. We are, essentially, avid gardeners, nursery professionals (both wholesale and retail) as well as professional photographers. We have a love affair with gardening and plants that never ceases. We look for the new, but offer iconic tried and true in new and refreshing ways, tapping into our design instincts and our personal involvement with what we offer. We are discerning in our tastes - after all, plants must have good manners and
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| Chris Hansen |
look as dignified as possible throughout the gardening season. With
an inclination for great performing plants through a wide region of the
country, along with strong ties within the gardening industry, Great Garden
Plants was formed. Our purpose was not
just great plants, but offering gardeners a fresh alternative with plant
collections, combinations, and garden designs - that truly work! It is, after all, great plants which make
great gardens.
We
created www.greatgardenplants.com
to provide a convenient and informative shopping experience that encourages
consumers to purchase plants that fit their lifestyle, budget, solve their
problem, beautify their surroundings and find joy in the art of gardening. Our hope is that you have a superior online shopping
experience buying plants for your garden.
We
believe the art of gardening challenges us as human beings- physically,
spiritually, emotionally, and mentally - leaving us in a better condition than
where we were before.
We
contribute our success to our amazing staff. All of us are dedicated and
committed to make sure you receive the answers you need and that the best quality
plants arrive at your doorstep.
HOW WE ARE
DIFFERENT
We
Sell What We Grow
A
good portion of our plants are grown right here in our greenhouses in western Michigan. This area of the country provides ideal
conditions for growing plants and allows us to ship some of the highest quality
plants at value prices conveniently to your door.
We offer hundreds of sun perennials, shade perennials, shrubs, ground covers and more!
Our Plants - Bigger and Better
The
biggest problem with many mail order companies is that they ship out garden plants that are too small & often make
substitutions when they run out. When we
started Great Garden Plants, we wanted to have plants in a pot size that would
allow easy and fast establishment in your garden.
As
a result, you'll find our pot sizes some of the best in the online nursery
business. Our perennials are grown in jumbo
1-Quart containers, and most shrubs grown in jumbo 2-Quart containers. We keep our plants nicely trimmed - which
encourages more branching and a strong, healthy root system while providing safe
shipping and ease of establishment in your garden.
CLICK HERE TO PREVIEW OUR PLANT SIZES
Piece
of Mind
We
believe in what we do and sell...working extra hard to bring you the best plants
in the business. Because we are such firm believers in what we do - we back our
product with our 100% Risk Free Guarantee.
Informational
Resources
You'll
find some of the best gardening information at your fingertips
Gardening Info
- Free online library
Blog - Amazing Photography & in-depth articles
You Tube
Our Video Page
Facebook
- Facebook.com/greatgardenplants
Flickr
- Flickr/com/greatgardenplants
Twitter
- Twitter.com/grtgardenplants
Newsletters
- Enjoy the benefits of becoming a preferred email subscriber
Customer Relations
- Whether you are a new or advanced gardeners, our team of experts are available by phone or
email to help you with your questions and make sure you enjoy your shopping experience with us.
ABOUT THE OWNERS
Mary
Walters
I
grew up on a farm (Zeeland, Michigan) where my father ran a wholesale perennial nursery along
with his brothers. I have fond memories as a kid riding through the fields with
my dad in his 1956 Chevy gleefully observing hundreds of perennial plants
lining long rows that never seem to end.
After
graduating from college with a political science degree, and working a few different jobs, I found myself coming back to Zeeland to work at my father's wholesale perennial business, Walters Gardens, Inc. I learned a great deal about plants from my father who was not only a mentor but a nurseryman all his life. Upon my
insistence, I started working in the packaging room whereupon I got to know what
every perennial looked like in a bare root form. I gradually worked my way to
an office position-where I discovered words like deadheading had nothing to do with The Grateful Dead. Through curiosity, learning from wonderful colleagues & friends along with relentless study I began my journey
into Horticultural Marketing, Photography and Gardening.
I've
been a gardener for over 25 years and on my 3rd garden. I grew countless roses and gave up until Chris said to try KnockOut Roses. I couldn't believe how beautiful & easy they were to grow. I have 30 on a bank paired with one of my favorite problem-free groundcovers Nepeta Walker's Low. It's a beautiful garden without a lot of work!
I've planted many plants, killed not as many, moved more than I can remember, gave and threw plants away, grew shade plants in sun, grew sun plants in shade (I guess would call that shade tolerant sun plants & sun tolerant shade plants!) surprised neighbors with various themes (laundry room). I have experience with blue clay and sandy soil (much prefering the later). I'm an adventurious & experimental gardener that finds pleasure in the unintentional eye candy combination (KnockOut Roses & Nepeta) and the sheer act of gardening. I look forward to sharing this gardening journey with you through our great plants, helpful gardening tips, videos, blog and so much more!
Chris Hansen
My passion
for plants began at the early age of 5 and I still remember my very first plant
- given to me by my kindergarten teacher - it was a spider-plant pup. I
carefully carried this pup home thru the winter snow & it grew into a
beautiful specimen. And then tragedy struck when my 3 year old sister ran over
it with her tricycle (you can tell this still bugs me to this day)!
Through
those early years, I grew all the usual "kid-friendly" plant projects
including: avocados from the seed pit, carrot tops floated in water, and
pineapple plants from leftover tops from the kitchen (yes - it really works).
During my elementary & junior-high school years I had a table in my bedroom
with flourescent lights which allowed me to grow a wide variety of plants.
As college
approached, I began to seriously consider Horticulture as my major and decided
to attend Iowa State University where I studied for a degree in Horticulture
& Botany. Those college years were some of the funnest & most memorable
of my life and I became thoroughly engrossed with the hort program on campus.
During one
summer of college, I was fortunate to be a garden intern at world-famous Missouri Botanical Gardens where I was rotated
through every aspect of a botanic garden. My favorite areas were the tropical Climatron and the
Japanese Gardens.
The
following summer I had the extreme privelige of interning at magnificent Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. I
spent 4 months as an intern in the large 5-acre conservatories where I was
fortunate to work with a variety of experts & even got to help with the
Giant Victorian Waterlilies!
After
graduation from Iowa State, I moved to South Carolina where I spent ten years
working as Director of Horticulture for a large mail-order plant company.
During this time, I was able to travel the world extensively each year in
search of the newest & best garden plants to introduce to American
gardeners. It was during this time, back in the mid 1990's that I met Mary
Walters and we've been friends ever since.
Ten years
at the same job was quite long enough for me, so I decided to move to Portland,
Oregon and work at the country's premier source of new perennial breeding, Terra Nova Nurseries! The
horticultural intensity of Oregon is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.
I had access to over 2,000 nurseries within a 50 mile radius of my home - and
spent a vast majority of time visiting and photographing these gardens &
nurseries.
It was
about this time, back in 2006, that Mary asked me a simple question, "Is there
room in the industry for another mail-order plant company?" And the rest is
history!
