Consider the Wildflowers

Charismatic, imaginative, and friendly–three words that perfectly describe my dad.

My parents own their own business called “The Garden Party”, where they grow flowers, run a garden center store, and tend to the yards of their clients. Every season at The Garden Party offers something new and different, and this fall they are selling over 1700 mums, an assortment of pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks, as well as house plants and home decor!

If you know my dad in real life, you know he lights up the room and is the class clown of every group. People love him. He is a conversationalist, and he loves getting to talk with his customers about all things plant-related. He’s been in this business for a long time, so I thought it would be interesting to ask him a few questions about his life and his career.

Tell me about how you started in the landscaping/gardening business.

The year I turned twelve, my dad made me go to Roberts Nursery and apply for a job. I didn’t want a job. I told my dad I was an entrepreneur–I had been mowing neighbors’ yards for $5 per lawn, which was a lot of money back in 1973. I didn’t want or need a job, but my dad was friends with Harold Roberts, the owner of Roberts Nursery. So we got in the car and he drove me there and made me go inside and ask for a job.

My friend David Roberts was working there (it was his parents’ business). My dad said, “well, David is working. You can too.” But I insisted. “That’s because it’s a family business,” I said. Like I said, I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I had an awesome set up with my mowing business. I had a bicycle with a banana seat and a sissy bar and I pulled my small mower behind it. It was sparkling orange. I was the coolest looking kid. (He’s grinning from ear to ear as he’s telling me this)

So anyway, I walked into the nursery and said, “My dad told me to come in here and get a job, but he told me I could tell you that I don’t want a job.” Harold was good friends with my dad. David and I played baseball, and my dad was the coach. Here’s the thing: David was really good. But he couldn’t play because he was working at the nursery. My dad thought if I got a job there, it would take some of the load off David so we could both play baseball.

Mr. Roberts said to me, “You go out there and tell your dad to go back home and pick you up at 3:30. The boys will teach you how to sharpen a shovel. And don’t cut yourself.”

And that was that. I was twelve years old and I was working at a nursery. I worked there on and off until I moved in ’78. I was seventeen when my family moved back to Wisconsin.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

In the winter in Madison, Wisconsin, my friends Paul and John joined me for a day of fun. We headed to the spillway to hop the icebergs and float all the way to the end. The ice was thawing, so there were chunks of it floating around that we were able to stand on. The tricky thing was we had to wait for the iceberg to move close enough to shore to jump off. This time, we weren’t able to jump off, so the icebergs ended up taking us all the way out of town to one of the lakes. I can’t remember the name of it now.

We were in so much trouble. My dad was freaking out, it was 28 degrees outside, we were soaking wet. I was only nine years old, and I had been gone all day. Keep in mind there were no cell phones. I didn’t make it home until dark, so my parents had no idea where I went.

But man, it was a fun day. We did stuff like that often.

What is your favorite part about running The Garden Party?

I just love talking to the customers. But I also love planting seeds. I love getting to watch them grow. It’s a visual representation of all your hard work. How cool is that?

I agree, Dad! He is always teaching me about all of the life lessons we can learn from the garden. We are grateful for him and his creative mind and the endless laughs!