Family-Owned Greenhouses and Nurseries Keep Kansas Colorful

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As winter drifts into spring, many eagerly wait for their favorite garden centers and greenhouses to open. Several Kansas families are responsible for the beautiful gardens across the state and beyond. 

Budding New Greenhouses

Kaw Valley Greenhouses represents one such example, but they’re not new to the scene. As the third generation in the business, general manager Becky Schroeder says she gets job satisfaction from working alongside co-workers and getting her hands dirty.

Kaw Valley Greenhouses opens 40 retail pop-up garden centers across Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. The stores are open seasonally from March through July.

“People always know when we are coming to town,” Schroeder says. “They get excited. You’ll see them start to post on social media that we are setting up.”

See more: Cultivating Growth and Greenhouses

All the plants are grown in Manhattan and then shipped out to the centers. In the off-season, Kaw Valley Greenhouses plants test gardens to determine new varieties for the coming spring. 

“My favorite part is working with the employees and making sure they feel empowered,” Schroeder says. “This is a family business, so no matter how much growth we may see, I never want to lose the sense of family and community we have here.” 

Fresh Floral From Greenhouses

Sedan Floral began in 1948 when Jim and Eileen Cude opened a flower shop in the small town of Sedan.

“Jim and Eileen were innovative and entrepreneurial by doing things no one else was doing at the time,” says Ali Cude, who now co-owns Sedan Floral with her husband, Jonathan. 

By 1960, the Cude family was growing and shipping over 200,000 plants during the spring season. Today, the third generation in the business, Jonathan – Jim and Eileen’s grandson – serves as Sedan Floral’s president and CEO. The customer base and size of the company have increased and changed dramatically since its inception.

See more: What’s Growing? Kansas Produce Calendar

“Sedan Floral is a wholesale greenhouse that sells to garden centers, landscapers and hardware stores now,” Ali says. “We specialize in bedding plants (annuals), herbs, vegetables and some tropical plants.”

Sedan Floral is the largest employer in Chautauqua County. The nursery does everything they can to support their employees and their community.

“We are continuing to grow and are currently building our third location in Sedan,” Ali says. “The most rewarding thing is developing our relationships with customers and seeing them thrive.”

See more: Solful Gardens Offers Community a New Source for Fresh Produce

Diversification Is Key

Grimm’s Gardens was born as a solution to help the family farm survive when Doug Grimm faced tough decisions in the 1980s. After a group of Kansas State University grad students surveyed the property, they determined what Grimm should do – greenhouses.

Grimm started growing hothouse tomatoes while his wife, Jeryl, planted flowers in one corner of the greenhouse. Visitors would come and want to buy flowers. One thing led to the next, and five years later, Grimm’s Gardens had five greenhouses of flowers. 

As time passed and more visitors came to the farm, the Grimms added U-pick blueberries, a 25-acre arboretum, and a peach and apple orchard.

“I test a lot of new trees in the arboretum before they’re introduced to the public. I also have discovered some specific cultivars on species that are really superior,” Grimm says.

Grimm’s Gardens operates in Hiawatha as well as Nebraska City, Nebraska. They sell annuals, trees, shrubs, perennials and more. They also operate landscaping crews for the community.

“I enjoy the diversity of it all,” Grimm says. “I like how every day is different and I’ve gotten to work with my family all these years.”