In Greenhouse Grower’s annual Top 100 Growers ranking, the story remains mostly the same, as the largest growers in the country continue to grow and consolidate and capture additional market share. Accounting for 245,028,051 square feet, Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers for 2017 now represent 60% of the industry, if measured against the total greenhouse space (409 million square feet) listed in USDA’s 2015 Floriculture Crops Summary, and 32% of the market, compared to the USDA survey’s total covered area figure (737 million square feet).
This year’s big moves happened as the survey was circulating, with No. 2 Costa Farms purchasing Delray Plants (No. 13 in 2016) in March. Dan & Jerry’s Greenhouses (No. 35t) also grew significantly after purchasing DeJong Greenhouses this winter. And with the Altman family (who also own No. 3 Altman Farms) purchasing The Plug Connection in October and EuroAmerican Propagators in March, and combining the two operations, they have become two-time Top 100 Growers in 2017. The Plug Connection makes its debut on the list at No. 65.
Toward the end of 2016, Skagit Gardens and Northwest Horticulture merged, and now the combined operation, Skagit Horticulture, ranks at No. 23.
Growers who have expanded significantly over the past year include Altman Farms, up nearly 1.5 million square feet (s.f.), Metrolina Greenhouses, up 400,000 s.f.; Color Point, up 427,195 s.f.; Green Circle Growers, up 300,000 s.f.; Smith Gardens, up 300,000 s.f.; Dallas Johnson Greenhouses, up 275,000 s.f.; Headstart Nursery, up 206,000 s.f.; and N.G. Heimos Greenhouses, up 100,000 s.f.
Check out the complete list below!
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| 2017 Rank | 2016 Rank | Name Of Operation | State | 2017 Total (Environmentally Controlled Square Feet) | U.S. Acreage (Shade Houses) | U.S. Acreage (Field Production) |
| 1 | 1 | Color Spot Nurseries | CA | 21,000,000 | 206 | 2,603 |
| 2 | 2 | Costa Farms | FL | 18,787,416 | 1,241 | 990 |
| 3 | 3 | Altman Plants | CA | 15,483,000 | 60 | 480 |
| 4 | 4 | Kurt Weiss Greenhouses | NY | 9,238,232 | 30 | 95 |
| 5 | 5 | Rocket Farms | CA | 8,305,120 | | |
| 6 | 7 | Metrolina Greenhouses | NC | 7,500,000 | 40 | 229 |
| 7 | 6 | Bell Nursery USA | MD | 7,400,000 | | |
| 8 | 8 | Color Point | KY | 5,227,200 | | 6 |
| 9 | 10 | Green Circle Growers | OH | 5,000,000 | | 23 |
| 10 | 9 | Seville Farms* | TX | 4,800,000 | 5 | 22 |
| 11 | 11 | The Sun Valley Group* | CA | 4,000,000 | | |
| 12 | 12 | Ivy Acres | NY | 3,950,250 | | 180 |
| 13 | 14 | Speedling | FL | 3,674,000 | | |
| 14 | 15 | Milgro Nursery* | UT | 3,500,000 | | |
| 15 | 16 | Olson's Greenhouse Gardens | UT | 3,263,503 | | 45 |
| 16 | 27 | Natural Beauty (previously Floral Plant Growers) | WI | 3,143,000 | | 10 |
| 17 | 22 | Dallas Johnson Greenhouses | IA | 2,875,000 | | 10 |
| 18t | 17t | Matsui Nursery | CA | 2,800,000 | | |
| 18t | 17t | Woodburn Nursery and Azaleas* | OR | 2,800,000 | 2 | |
| 18t | 23t | Smith Gardens | WA | 2,800,000 | 1 | 61 |
| 21 | 25 | Headstart Nursery | CA | 2,661,000 | | 12 |
| 22 | 20 | Aris Horticulture* | OH | 2,631,460 | 65 | |
| 23 | 28 | Skagit Horticulture | WA | 2,600,000 | | 420 |
| 24 | 21 | Wenke/Sunbelt Greenhouses | MI | 2,570,040 | 7 | 7 |
| 25 | 23t | Bay City Flowers* | CA | 2,500,000 | | |
| 26 | 19 | Bela Flor Nurseries | MO | 2,352,240 | | 42 |
| 27 | 26 | Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises | CO | 2,200,000 | | |
| 28 | 29 | N.G. Heimos Greenhouses Inc. | IL | 2,160,760 | 1 | 23 |
| 29 | 30 | Bergen's Greenhouse | MN | 2,099,865 | | 5 |
| 30 | 31 | Battlefield Farms | VA | 1,960,200 | 5 | 22 |
| 31 | 33 | Dan Schantz Farm | PA | 1,814,381 | | 10 |
| 32 | 34 | Riverview Flower Farm | FL | 1,785,960 | 32 | 15 |
| 33 | 41 | Dewar Nurseries | FL | 1,778,745 | 46 | 208 |
| 34 | 35 | Plant Marketing | WI | 1,770,279 | | 7 |
| 35 | 37 | Garden State Growers | NJ | 1,742,400 | | 125 |
| 35t | 45 | Dan and Jerry's Greenhouse | MN | 1,742,400 | | 4 |
| 37 | 57 | Heartland Growers | IN | 1,742,000 | | |
| 38 | 38 | Valley Flowers | CA | 1,740,000 | | |
| 39 | 39 | DeLeon's Bromeliads | FL | 1,723,939 | 5 | 1 |
| 40 | 42 | Young's Plant Farm | AL | 1,705,000 | | 34 |
| 41 | 62 | Lucas Greenhouses | NJ | 1,655,060 | | 35 |
| 42 | 43 | Ocean Breeze International* | CA | 1,614,000 | | |
| 43 | 44 | Westland Floral Company* | CA | 1,600,000 | | |
| 44 | 56 | Four Star Greenhouses | MI | 1,598,801 | | |
| 45 | 46 | Post Gardens | MI | 1,527,000 | | |
| 46 | 36 | Grower Direct Farms | CT | 1,524,600 | | 2 |
| 47 | 48 | Van Wingerden International | NC | 1,524,600 | | 12 |
| 48t | 47 | Kawahara Nurseries* | CA | 1,500,000 | 15 | |
| 48t | 54t | Kitayama Brothers | CA | 1,500,000 | | 5 |
| 50 | 49 | Sawyer Nursery | MI | 1,438,154 | 8 | 86 |
| 51 | 50 | Bailey Nurseries* | MN | 1,437,490 | | |
| 52 | 51t | Henry Mast Greenhouses/Masterpiece Flower Co. | MI | 1,420,000 | | 9 |
| 53 | 53 | Willoway Nurseries | OH | 1,418,340 | | 850 |
| 54 | 51t | Rockwell Farms | NC | 1,410,000 | | 21 |
| 55 | 54t | Panzer Nursery | OR | 1,400,000 | 2 | |
| 56 | 58t | Johannes Flowers | CA | 1,307,000 | | |
| 57 | 58t | American Color | VA | 1,306,800 | | 12 |
| 58t | 60 | Nash Greenhouses | MI | 1,300,000 | | |
| 58t | 63t | Richardon Brothers Greenhouses | IL | 1,300,000 | | |
| 60 | 66 | Corso's Perennials | OH | 1,229,772 | | 21 |
| 61 | 61 | Masson Farms of New Mexico | NM | 1,219,680 | 6 | 2 |
| 62t | 63t | Armstrong Growers | CA | 1,200,000 | 12 | 103 |
| 62t | 63t | Young's Nursery and Greenhouses | TN | 1,200,000 | | |
| 64 | NR | The Plug Connection | CA | 1,170,000 | 2 | 9 |
| 65 | 68 | Bob's Market and Greenhouses | WV | 1,089,000 | | 3 |
| 66t | 70t | Harts Nursery | OR | 1,000,000 | 21 | |
| 66t | 70t | Van de Wetering Greenhouses | NY | 1,000,000 | | 6 |
| 66t | 70t | Welby Gardens Co./Hardy Boy Plants-Hardystarts | CO | 1,000,000 | 23 | 2 |
| 69 | 74 | Pineae Greenhouses, Inc. | UT | 991,000 | | 40 |
| 70 | 79 | Red Oak Greenhouses | IA | 958,320 | | |
| 71 | 76 | South Central Growers | TN | 902,000 | | 16 |
| 72 | 75 | Dramm and Echter Inc. | CA | 900,000 | | |
| 73 | 77 | Petitti/Casa Verde Growers | OH | 895,000 | | 5 |
| 74 | 78 | Countryside Greenhouse and Farm Market | MI | 875,000 | 2 | 5 |
| 75 | 73 | Myriad Flowers International | CA | 871,200 | 5 | 5 |
| 76 | 80 | White's Nursery and Greenhouses* | VA | 860,000 | | 5 |
| 77t | 81 | Twixwood Nursery* | MI | 851,000 | | |
| 77t | 82t | Kube-Pak | NJ | 851,000 | | 5 |
| 79 | 82t | Kent's Bromeliad Nursery | CA | 840,000 | | |
| 80 | 84 | Botany Lane Greenhouses* | CO | 827,640 | 1 | 4 |
| 81 | 85 | Baucom's Nursery | NC | 800,000 | 23 | 128 |
| 82 | 86 | Plainview Growers | NJ | 784,000 | | 15 |
| 83 | 87 | Olive Hill Greenhouses | CA | 760,000 | | |
| 84 | 88 | California Pajarosa | CA | 750,000 | 1 | 6 |
| 85 | 95 | Green Valley Greenhouses | MN | 746,000 | | 5 |
| 86 | 94 | Sedan Floral | KS | 742,156 | | |
| 87t | 89t | Esbenshades Greenhouse* | PA | 740,000 | | |
| 87t | 89t | Plants Unlimited | MI | 740,000 | | |
| 89t | 91t | GroLink Plant Company | CA | 700,000 | 6 | 4 |
| 89t | 91t | Knox Nursery | FL | 700,000 | | |
| 91 | 93 | Parks Brothers Farm | AR | 675,000 | | 10 |
| 92t | 96t | Green Valley Floral | CA | 650,000 | | |
| 92t | 96t | Loop's Nursery and Greenhouses | FL | 650,000 | | 3 |
| 94 | 98 | McLellan Botanicals Taisuco America Corp.* | CA | 646,294 | | 72 |
| 95 | 99 | Hillister (part of Seville Farms) | TX | 638,772 | | 11 |
| 96 | 100 | Cuthbert Greenhouses | OH | 631,807 | | 3 |
| 97 | NR | Pleasant View Gardens | NH | 662,000 | | 8 |
| 98 | NR | Tidal Creek Growers | MD | 621,455 | 5 | 11 |
| 99 | NR | Micandy Gardens Green House | MI | 579,720 | | |
| 100 | NR | Emerald Coast Growers | FL | 514,000 | 1 | 20 |
NR = not ranked; t = tie; * = estimate
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2017 Greenhouse Grower Top 100 Growers: The Complete List, and More
Laura Drotleff is a former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. See all author stories here.
May 8, 2017 
