Gardens Alive!

Last updated
Gardens Alive!
Company type Private
Industry
  • Gardening
  • Gifts
Founded1984 (1984) in Sunman, Indiana, US
FounderNiles Kinerk
Headquarters
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
,
United States
Revenue$170 million (2010)
Number of employees
400 (year round)
1000 (seasonal peak)
Website gardensalive.com

Gardens Alive!, Inc. is a privately owned multi-title catalog company founded in 1984. It sells garden and lawn supplies, specializing in organic products under its namesake catalog. The company has expanded by aggressively purchasing other catalog companies, including expansion into gift and games after acquiring the assets of defunct catalog company BlueSky Brands in 2008. As of 2010, the company has annual sales of approximately $170 million, 60 percent of which was from garden-related business.

Contents

Business model

Gardens Alive! sells primarily through its nationwide catalog network and its online store. The namesake catalog is printed on small, newspaper-like sheets and features "funky DIY photos". Other gardening catalogs operated include Audubon Workshop, Breck's, Gurney's Seed, Henry Field's, Iseli Nursery, Michigan Bulb, New Holland Bulb, Spring Hill Nurseries, and Weeks Roses, all of which have been acquired from buy-outs of other companies. [1] [2]

Gardens Alive! operates fulfillment centers in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Tipp City, Ohio, and Lewisburg, Ohio, with a distribution center located in Fairfield, Ohio. [3] Marketing and merchandising offices are located in Ohio, Atlanta, Boston, and Holland, Indiana. Gardens Alive! hosts the print version of Mike McGrath's "Question of the Week" from the nationally syndicated weekly radio show, "You Bet Your Garden". [4]

As of 2010, Gardens Alive! had annual sales of approximately $170 million and employed 400–450 people year round, and close to 1,000 at peak seasonal demand. Internet sales accounted for 40 to 45 percent of the business, with catalogs being most of the rest. Gifts and general merchandise accounted for 40 percent of the company's revenue; the other 60 percent of revenue was gardening related. [3] As of 2011, Gardens Alive! was the top seed cataloger in the United States, with $100.6 million of revenue from its seed catalogs compared to $24.8 million for Park Seed Company, the second largest cataloger. [5]

History

Gardens Alive! founder Niles Kinerk grew up on a farm in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The family farm primarily raised livestock 'Homer P. Kinerk and Sons Polan and China Hogs' , but Niles' interest was in horticultural, especially organics. He worked at Burpee Seeds for a year before really learning the direct mail business at Josten's Publishing Company's library services division. In 1978, he founded a library supply catalog called The Library Store. [3]

In 1984, Kinerk sold The Library Store, and founded The Natural Gardening Research Center, a garden supply catalog specializing in biological control of garden pests. The name was confusing to some so, in 1998, it was renamed Gardens Alive! It was named after a catalog called Plants Alive! that had recently gone out of business. It was printed on newsprint, and 25,000 copies of the catalog were mailed in the first year Only 325 orders were generated. The second year there were 3,000 orders, and in the third 20,000. By the end of that year Kinerk needed to hire more workers. Orders in the fourth year were 60,000. [3]

During the 1990s, Gardens Alive! expanded its product line to include organic alternatives to traditional chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers. [6] In 1997, the company acquired a failed gardening catalog aimed at bird lovers called Audubon Workshop. By 2001, annual sales had reached $15 million. [3]

In 2001, Gardens Alive! acquired more catalogs from the assets from direct marketer Foster & Gallagher who had filed for bankruptcy. Gardens Alive! spent $10.75 million to acquire Breck's, Gurney Seeds, Henry Field's, Michigan Bulb, Spring Hill Nursery and Stark Bros. Stark Bros. was immediately sold off. The Foster & Gallagher businesses were integrated, in part, in Lawrenceburg, while the Spring Hill facility in Tipp City, Ohio, [3] has continued to grow through acquisition. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Gardens Alive! bought two of BlueSky Brands' catalogs after their bankruptcy. The Westerly, RI, distribution center used by BlueSky was reopened to handle fulfillment of the new product lines, but fulfillment was later moved to the Lawrenceburg, Indiana, facility. [1] In 2009, Gardens Alive! continued to diversify, acquiring six more new catalogs. In July 2009, Kinerk stepped down as CEO to focus on orchestrating future acquisitions, promoting Eric Hamant to CEO. [3] In 2011, Gardens Alive! acquired Iseli Nursery, a Boring, Oregon, based wholesale brand specializing in unique conifers and trees and Weeks Roses, based in Wasco, California. [2]

As of November 2024, the gardensalive.com [11] website redirects to gurneys.com/gardensalive, with the company having rebranded under the Gurney's brand they already owned. The redirected page contains the message: Gurney's is now the exclusive supplier of Gardens Alive! brand products and we hope to become your one-stop lawn and garden shop. [12] The last post from Gardens Alive on their Facebook Page was on January 17, 2023 [13] . The Gurney's web site main page has this footer as of November 2024: Copyright © 2024 Gardens Alive!, d/b/a Gurney's Seed and Nursery Co. All Rights Reserved. Gurney's trademarks are registered trademarks of Gardens Alive! [14]

Reputation

Gardens Alive! is known as a "pioneer" in organic gardening, selling chemical-free lawn and garden products through its namesake catalog. [7] According to the Eugene Register-Guard , the company has "an excellent reputation as a leading innovator" in the organic product market. [6]

In 2011, Gardens Alive! and its subsidiaries won three Green Thumb Awards from the Direct Gardening Association. Gurney's "Tickled Pink" grape won for being disease and pest resistant, while Gardens Alive's "All-Ways Greener" grass seed won for needing minimal water and its Encapsulated Compost Worm Cocoons won for boosting compost piles. [15] In 2013, it won a Green Thumb Award for its Strawberry Pyramid Grow Tub for maximizing sun exposure in tight spaces. Henry Field's took two awards that year. Its "Heaven Can Wait" blackberries won for being high in antioxidants and two of its persimmon breeds shared an award for pushing the harvest date forward, limiting pest exposure. [16] With such a large client base, customer satisfaction is an issue, as evidenced by mediocre internet ratings by customers.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garden centre</span> Retailer

A garden centre is a retail operation that sells plants and related products for the domestic garden as its primary business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seed company</span> Business that produces and sells seeds for flowers, fruit, or vegetables

Seed companies produce and sell seeds for flowers, fruits and vegetables to commercial growers and amateur gardeners. The production of seed is a multibillion-dollar global business, which uses growing facilities and growing locations worldwide. While most of the seed is produced by large specialist growers, large amounts are also produced by small growers who produce only one to a few crop types. The larger companies supply seed both to commercial resellers and wholesalers. The resellers and wholesalers sell to vegetable and fruit growers, and to companies who package seed into packets and sell them on to the amateur gardener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suttons Seeds</span> English seed supply company

Suttons Seeds is a long established supplier of seeds, bulbs, and other horticultural products. Today based in the English town of Paignton, the company supplies its products worldwide, and until 2014 was part of the Vilmorin Clause & Compagnie group of companies.

Murray was an American company whose assets are now owned by Briggs & Stratton and Pon Holdings. The corporate brand is a descendant of the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company, which manufactured bicycles and lawn and garden equipment. The company went bankrupt in 2005 selling most of its assets to Briggs & Stratton and Pacific Cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MTD Holdings</span> American manufacturer of outdoor power equipment

Modern Tool & Die, sometimes referred to as Michigan Tool & Die Company or MTD Products is an American manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for the mass market. Headquartered in Valley City, Ohio, the company began in 1932 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker. Prior to Stanley Black & Decker's acquisition in December 2021, MTD Products was a majority family-owned, private company. It originated as a tool and die maker MTD's main competitors are Ariens, Briggs & Stratton, Husqvarna, John Deere, Stiga, Stihl, and The Toro Company.

Thompson & Morgan is an independently-owned company based in Ipswich, Suffolk. Founded in 1855, Thompson & Morgan offer English plants, seeds and sundries worldwide through their websites. The U.S. division of the company was sold to Gardens Alive in 2009.

This is an alphabetical index of articles related to gardening.

McKenzie Seeds is a seed packaging company founded in Brandon, Manitoba in 1896. Jiffy has moved production outside of Canada with over 70 people working at their location in Brandon. It was established in 1896 by Dr. Albert Edward McKenzie, and claims to supply 60% of Canada's packet seed market.

William Baylor Hartland (1836–1912) was a plantsman from Ireland.

Wilhelm Pfitzer was a German horticulturist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floral industry</span> Industry of producing, distributing, and selling flowers

The floral industry is focused on the production, distribution and sale of flowers for human enjoyment. The industry continues to diversify from the production of cut flowers to the production and sale of plants and flowers in many different forms. The global floral industry market size is estimated to be worth US$ 50040 million in 2022 and is forecast to increase to US$ 58030 million by 2028 with a compound annual growth rate of 2.5% during the review period.

Park Seed Company is an American mail-order and eCommerce seed company based in Greenwood, South Carolina founded in 1868. Park Seed specializes in garden seeds, offering more than 1,100 varieties of flower, vegetable, and herb seeds, plus a large selection of bulbs, live plants, and gardening accessories. Park Seed Company distributes millions of catalogs every year and maintains an online retail presence. Park Seed is a division of Jackson & Perkins Park Acquisitions, which is a subsidiary of publicly traded Western Capital Resources.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, where O.M. Scott began selling lawn seed in 1868. The company manufactures and sells consumer lawn, garden and pest control products, as well as soilless indoor gardening equipment. In the U.S., the company manufactures Scotts, Miracle-Gro and Ortho brands. It also markets and distributes the herbicide Roundup in the U.S. and several international markets including China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Baker (author)</span> American writer (1931–2017)

Gerald Fay Baker Jr. was an American author, entrepreneur, public speaker, and product spokesperson who wrote numerous books on gardening, home hints, and health topics. He was best known as "America's Master Gardener," and for creating his world-famous DIY tonics using common household products like beer, baby shampoo, castor oil, and mouthwash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company</span> American mail-order seed and garden company

Gurney's Seed and Nursery Co. is a mail-order seed and garden plant company based in Greendale, Indiana. Founded in 1866, Gurney's specializes in vegetable and flower seeds, gardening supplies and nursery stock, including trees, shrubs, perennials, fruit trees and berries, fertilizers and plant foods.

Charles W. Gurney was an American businessman who founded Gurney's Seed and Nursery Company, an important seed supplier.

Spring Hill Nurseries is a mail-order garden center based in Tipp City, Ohio. Founded in 1849, Spring Hill Nurseries is one of the oldest gardening companies in the United States. The company specializes in garden plants, garden designs, perennials, shrubs, ground covers and gardening supplies. Spring Hill Nursery distributes catalogs nationwide and maintains a substantial presence online. One of the largest companies in the gardening industry, Spring Hill Nurseries’ headquarters features many acres of greenhouses and trial gardens.

Breck’s is a mail order gardening company and importer of Dutch flower bulbs. Based in Guilford, Indiana, and Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands, Breck’s was founded in 1818. Originally a family-owned garden supply business, Breck’s gradually expanded into a catalog company. Breck’s is now the largest U.S. importer of Dutch bulbs.

The Ferry-Morse Seed Company is a supplier of seeds, and was at one time the largest such company in the world. It is currently part of Green Garden Products, a privately owned gardening company based in Massachusetts.

Fedco Seeds is a seed company based in Clinton, Maine and founded by C.R. Lawn in 1978. The company is a major supplier of vegetable seeds in the United States, and specializes in varieties for northern growers and short growing seasons. They sell seeds, trees, and bulbs.

References

  1. 1 2 Tim Parry (October 31, 2008). "The Paragon is Back in Business". MultiChannel Merchant. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Gardens Alive acquires Iseli Nursery, Weeks Roses". Nursery Management. June 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jim Tierney (November 1, 2010). "How Gardens Alive! Is Digging a New Niche". Multichannel Merchant. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ About You Bet Your Garden... Archived 2009-04-06 at the Wayback Machine , WHYY - You Bet Your Garden with Mike McGrath.
  5. ↑ "2011 MCM 100 Top 5: Seeds & Plants". Multichannel Merchant. September 1, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Sarah Robertson (March 3, 1999). "'Least Toxic' Doesn't Mean Safe". The Register-Guard.
  7. 1 2 Cindy McNatt (August 21, 2013). "Some catalog companies are big business". The Orange County Register. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Spring Hill Nurseries closing retail store". Dayton Daily News. October 12, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Bloomburg Business Week". Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Bloom comes off the rose industry". LA Times. March 8, 2012.
  11. ↑ https://gardensalive.com.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ https://www.gurneys.com/ . Retrieved November 16, 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gardensaliveinc/ . Retrieved November 16, 2024.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "Gurney's - America's Most Complete Seed and Nursery" . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  15. ↑ Kym Pokorny (April 19, 2011). "2011 Green Thumb Award goes to five plants, five gardening products". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  16. ↑ Randy Schultz. "New Plants and Garden Products Win 2013 Green Thumb Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Direct Gardening Association. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.