The GreenHouse, Inc. Nursery opened in the spring of 1986, but the story begins much earlier. According to Kirk's mother, his first words were "Dig a hole." From an early age, Kirk could be seen pulling a wagon full of dirt and carrying a shovel through his neighborhood in Walnut Creek, California. As a boy, he looked for hands-on business opportunities that served his neighbors – mowing lawns, pruning trees, and even harvesting mistletoe.
After receiving a degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from Utah State University in 1974, he practiced as a Landscape Architect with firms in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and in Portland, Oregon, before returning to Cache Valley. In 1976 he began his Landscape Design and Construction business, met and married his wife, Elaine and started a family.
While practicing in northern Utah as a Landscape Architect and Contractor, Kirk saw the need for a quality nursery and garden center to serve the growing communities. Elaine and Kirk purchased 1.5 acres southwest of Logan High School, utilized existing foundations for the first greenhouses, built a new office and sales house, and with a lot of hard work, opened The GreenHouse,Inc .
The motive for the development of the nursery grounds through the years has been to provide an inviting site that demonstrates creative use of outdoor living space. The timber shade structures and pergolas, stamped/colored concrete, paver patios and walks, koi ponds and fountains, the displays of plant materials, all make shopping at The GreenHouse, Inc. a delightful (and useful) experience. Today with nine greenhouses on the property and a chicken 'spa', we are proud of the fact that there is something unique around every corner. Kirk and his crew have developed a recognizable and sought after style.
Speaking of style, The GreenHouse, Inc. is well known for its individually designed baskets and containers that bloom just in time for Mother's Day. With increasing customer demand the 'Special Orders' department developed and was led for 26 years by the talented Lou Gay before her retirement in 2014. We continue to build custom planters to suit the particular needs of our clients, who can bring in their own containers or purchase them at the nursery. After planting by our experts, we then grow them in our greenhouses so they will be full and ready to take home in the spring. Some owners have been bringing back their containers for over 26 years.
We take pride in growing our annuals, bedding plants and perennials here at the nursery from plugs and bareroot starts for all of our basket production and sales. The starts are brought in from quality growers in Utah and from across the country. We continue to pot many of our trees and shrubs from bareroot stock as well. In order to make them hardy and accustomed to Utah conditions, the trees and shrubs are grown for a season or more before becoming available for sale.
Kirk still visits many growers in the fall to check the quality of their stock and handpick large caliper trees and B&B stock that will be dug and shipped to us in early spring. He feels that maintaining these relationships is an important part of doing business today.
The Greenhouse, Inc. was opened almost 30 years ago with the intent to provide the highest quality nursery stock and to offer creative and affordable landscape solutions to homeowners and landscape professionals, while still remaining a down-to-earth business run with integrity and professionalism. These ideals have proven to be successful and continue to motivate the Nursery owners and staff today.
Now, even as an experienced Landscape Architect, contractor and business owner, you will find Kirk with a pencil behind his ear helping customers at the nursery or on site working side-by-side with his crew. "It's still a hands-on business", he says while digging a hole.