Begonias and beyond

Photos courtesy of Green Valley Greenhouse

Green Valley Greenhouse, located in Ramsey, Minnesota, specializes in seasonal finished crops. That means, for instance, that it starts its annual production each year with Easter Lilies before transitioning to major spring crops such as patio pots, hanging baskets and various 4-inch annuals. From there, it’s onto the next cycle. 

According to Co-owner and President Aaron Davis, Green Valley’s sales are split between its own garden center — located on the same site as the greenhouse — big box stores and local grocery chains. With such an array of customers to serve, the business needs high-quality plant material to start the growing process with. 

“It’s very important to us to maintain high-quality standards,” Davis says. “We are going to let that define us.” 

That’s where Plantpeddler comes in. The Cresco, Iowa-based operation is Green Valley’s largest supplier of plant material year-round. Green Valley gets everything from begonia cuttings to geraniums to poinsettias from Plantpeddler. The relationship between the two companies dates back to the late 1990s, around the time when Davis and fellow co-owner/CEO Brad Wolf took over the business. 

“They are great with their customer service. If there’s a problem or something needs to be substituted, they let us know right away,” says grower Jamie Bloomquist. “Their quality is great. If we have any requests, they always try to fill our needs.” Bloomquist says she knows Plantpeddler’s material is always quality because it hasn’t been oversaturated with PGRs and always has healthy roots. 

Now, Green Valley is in the process of scaling up — sales have risen each of the past two years — and is adding an additional 2.5 acres of greenhouse space to its operation as a burgeoning partnership with a retail client demands more space. As that project moves forward, and Green Valley begins mapping out what it’ll be producing, they know that whatever it is that they are growing — be it begonias, combo planters or poinsettias — they know they are growing from a position of strength. 

“We’re getting a lot of different genetics from one place, and that’s huge,” Davis says. “Mike [Gooder] is very visible and helpful to us, so it’s both a great relationship and great product.”