Is the industry moving toward a future in which there are fewer, more high-tech, environmentally controlled greenhouse facilities producing floriculture crops?
The Top 100 Growers think this may be the outcome, as crushing labor costs and shortages give no choice other than to adopt sometimes expensive automation and technology that could be restrictive for many growers. Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers Survey for 2018 shows that the ongoing trend toward the big getting bigger is continuing, as large growers keep expanding to capture additional market share.
With 240,289,031 square feet of environmentally controlled greenhouse space, the nation’s largest growers account for 59% of the growing space in the industry, compared to the total greenhouse space (409 million square feet) in the most recent USDA Floriculture Crops Summary for 2015, and 33% of the market, if measured against USDA’s 2015 total covered area figure (737 million square feet).
Growers Are on the Move
Significant growth in the past year occurred among the Top 100 Growers, with 29 growers reporting they expanded production.
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The biggest ranking swap is in the top 10, with Altman Plants moving up the rankings to No. 2 after expanding by 1.6 million square feet of environmentally controlled greenhouse space, trading spaces with Costa Farms at No. 3. And although Costa purchased Green Leaf Nursery in February, the operation is reporting 3.7 million fewer square feet in production space than in 2017. Color Point added another 572,800 square feet, and Seville Farms moved up a spot after expanding by 885,000 square feet.
Sustainability for the Future
With nearly a third of the Top 100 Growers participating in one of the two larger sustainability certification programs available, we decided to highlight these growers’ accomplishments on the list below. We didn’t include local sustainability programs; however, we will consider expanding this recognition in the future for a more comprehensive look at a growers’ sustainability efforts.
Check out the complete list below!
| 2018 Rank | 2017 Rank | Name Of Operation | State | 2018 Total (Environmentally Controlled Square Feet) | U.S. Acreage (Shade Houses) | U.S. Acreage (Field Production) |
| 1 | 1 | Color Spot Nurseries* (M) | CA | 21,000,000 | 206 | 2,603 |
| 2 | 3 | Altman Plants | CA | 17,118,029 | 75 | 520 |
| 3 | 2 | Costa Farms (M) | FL | 15,064,790 | 1,250 | 1,040 |
| 4 | 4 | Kurt Weiss Greenhouses | NY | 9,238,232 | 30 | 95 |
| 5 | 5 | Rocket Farms | CA | 8,305,120 | 0 | 0 |
| 6t | 7 | Bell Nursery (V) | MD | 7,400,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 6t | 6 | Metrolina Greenhouses (M) | NC | 7,400,000 | 23 | 184 |
| 8 | 8 | Color Point (M) | KY | 5,800,000 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 | 10 | Seville Farms (M) | TX | 5,685,000 | 4 | 20 |
| 10 | 9 | Green Circle Growers (M) | OH | 5,100,000 | 0 | 8 |
| 11 | 11 | The Sun Valley Group | CA | 4,000,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | Coastal Greenhouses (formerly Ivy Acres) | NY | 3,950,250 | 0 | 180 |
| 13 | 13 | Speedling (M) | FL | 3,674,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | Olson's Greenhouse Gardens (M) | UT | 3,588,583 | 0 | 50 |
| 15 | 14 | Milgro Nursery | UT | 3,500,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | 18t | Woodburn Nursery and Azaleas | OR | 3,200,000 | 30 | 350 |
| 17 | 16 | Natural Beauty Growers | WI | 3,143,000 | 0 | 10 |
| 18 | 26 | Bela Flor Nurseries (V) | MO | 3,005,640 | 0 | 95 |
| 19 | 17 | Dallas Johnson Greenhouses (M) | IA | 2,875,000 | 0 | 10 |
| 20t | 18t | Matsui Nursery* | CA | 2,800,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 20t | 18t | Smith Gardens | WA | 2,800,000 | 1 | 61 |
| 22 | 24 | Wenke/Sunbelt Greenhouses (M) | MI | 2,700,000 | 1 | 4 |
| 23 | 21 | Headstart Nursery | CA | 2,682,000 | 0 | 12 |
| 24 | 22 | Aris Horticulture (M) | OH | 2,631,460 | 65 | 0 |
| 25 | 23 | Skagit Horticulture (M) | WA | 2,600,000 | 10 | 420 |
| 26 | 27 | Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises | CO | 2,590,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | 25 | Bay City Flowers | CA | 2,500,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | 29 | Bergen's Greenhouses (M) | MN | 2,186,985 | 0 | 5 |
| 29 | 28 | N.G. Heimos Greenhouse | IL | 2,013,000 | 1 | 19 |
| 30 | 30 | Battlefield Farms (M) | VA | 1,960,200 | 5 | 22 |
| 31 | 36 | Dan & Jerry's Greenhouses | MN | 1,960,000 | 0 | 8 |
| 32 | 33 | Dewar Nurseries | FL | 1,826,745 | 49 | 218 |
| 33 | 31 | Dan Schantz Farm (M) | PA | 1,814,381 | 0 | 10 |
| 34 | 40 | Young's Plant Farm (M) | AL | 1,805,000 | 0 | 32 |
| 35 | 32 | Riverview Flower Farm | FL | 1,785,960 | 32 | 15 |
| 36 | 34 | Plant Marketing | WI | 1,770,279 | 0 | 7 |
| 37 | 41 | Lucas Greenhouses | NJ | 1,765,000 | 0 | 25 |
| 38 | 35 | Garden State Growers | NJ | 1,742,400 | 0 | 25 |
| 39 | 38 | Valley Flowers* | CA | 1,740,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | 39 | DeLeon's Bromeliads | FL | 1,723,939 | 5 | 1 |
| 41 | 46 | Grower Direct Farms (M) | CT | 1,620,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | 42 | Ocean Breeze International* | CA | 1,614,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | 43 | Westland Floral Company* | CA | 1,600,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | 44 | Four Star Greenhouses | MI | 1,598,801 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | 54 | Rockwell Farms (M) | NC | 1,568,160 | 0 | 21 |
| 46 | 45 | Post Gardens | MI | 1,527,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | 47 | Van Wingerden International | NC | 1,524,600 | 0 | 12 |
| 48 | 48t | Kawahara Nurseries (M) | CA | 1,500,000 | 15 | 0 |
| 49 | 50 | Sawyer Nursery | MI | 1,438,154 | 8 | 86 |
| 50 | 51 | Bailey Nurseries | MN | 1,437,490 | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | 52 | Henry Mast Greenhouses/Masterpiece Flower Co. | MI | 1,420,000 | 0 | 9 |
| 52 | 53 | Willoway Nurseries (M) | OH | 1,418,340 | 0 | 850 |
| 53 | 55 | Panzer Nursery | OR | 1,400,000 | 2 | 0 |
| 54 | 57 | American Color (M) | VA | 1,393,920 | 0 | 10 |
| 55 | 60 | Corso's Perennials (M) | OH | 1,312,932 | 0 | 25 |
| 56 | 56 | Johannes Flowers* | CA | 1,307,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | 58t | Richardson Brothers Greenhouses | IL | 1,300,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 58 | 37 | Heartland Growers (M) | IN | 1,226,682 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | 61 | Masson Farms of New Mexico | NM | 1,219,689 | 4 | 2 |
| 60t | 62t | Armstrong Growers | CA | 1,200,000 | 12 | 103 |
| 60t | 66t | Van de Wetering Greenhouses (M) | NY | 1,200,000 | 0 | 9 |
| 62 | 64 | The Plug Connection | CA | 1,170,000 | 2 | 9 |
| 63 | 48t | Kitayama Brothers | CA | 1,100,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 64 | 69 | Pineae Greenhouses, Inc. (M) | UT | 1,094,000 | 0 | 40 |
| 65 | 70 | Red Oak Greenhouse | IA | 1,090,820 | 0 | 0 |
| 66 | 66t | Welby Gardens Co./Hardy Boy Plants-Hardystarts | CO | 1,080,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 67 | 65 | Bob's Market and Greenhouses | WV | 1,040,000 | 0 | 4 |
| 68 | 71 | South Central Growers (M) | TN | 1,030,354 | 0 | 17 |
| 69 | 66t | Harts Nursery* | OR | 1,000,000 | 21 | 0 |
| 70 | 74 | Countryside Greenhouse and Farm Market | MI | 970,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 71 | 73 | Petitti/Casa Verde Growers | OH | 925,000 | 0 | 5 |
| 72 | 72 | Dramm and Echter Inc. | CA | 900,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 73t | 62t | Young's Nursery and Greenhouses | TN | 871,200 | 0 | 15 |
| 73t | 75 | Myriad Flowers International | CA | 871,200 | 5 | 5 |
| 75 | 77t | Kube-Pak | NJ | 865,000 | 0 | 5 |
| 76 | 76 | White's Nursery and Greenhouses | VA | 860,000 | 0 | 5 |
| 77 | 77t | Twixwood Nursery* | MI | 851,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 78 | 81 | Baucom's Nursery | NC | 850,000 | 23 | 125 |
| 79 | 79 | Kent's Bromeliad Nursery | CA | 840,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 80t | 80 | Botany Lane Greenhouses | CO | 800,000 | 3 | 15 |
| 80t | 82 | Plainview Growers (M) | NJ | 800,000 | 0 | 20 |
| 82 | 85 | Green Valley Greenhouses | MN | 770,381 | 0 | 6 |
| 83 | 83 | Olive Hill Greenhouses | CA | 760,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 84 | 84 | California Pajarosa | CA | 750,000 | 3 | 5 |
| 85 | 86 | Sedan Floral | KS | 742,156 | 0 | 0 |
| 86t | 87t | Esbenshades Greenhouse* | PA | 740,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 86t | 87t | Plants Unlimited | MI | 740,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 88t | 89t | GroLink Plant Company | CA | 700,000 | 6 | 4 |
| 88t | 89t | Knox Nursery (M) | FL | 700,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | 32 | Colorama Wholesale Nursery | CA | 696,960 | 1 | 30 |
| 91 | NR | Fessler Nursery | OR | 690,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | 97 | Pleasant View Gardens (M) | NH | 673,030 | 0 | 8 |
| 93t | 92t | Green Valley Floral* (V) | CA | 650,000 | 0 | 0 |
| 93t | 92t | Loop's Nursery and Greenhouses | FL | 650,000 | 0 | 2 |
| 95 | 94 | McLellan Botanicals Taisuco American Corp. | CA | 646,294 | 0 | 72 |
| 96 | NR | Andy Mast Greenhouses | MI | 636,800 | 0 | 20 |
| 97 | 96 | Cuthbert Greenhouses | OH | 631,620 | 0 | 3.5 |
| 98 | 91 | Parks Brothers Farm | AR | 630,000 | 14 | 15 |
| 99 | 98 | Tidal Creek Growers | MD | 621,455 | 5 | 11 |
| 100 | 99 | Micandy Gardens Greenhouse | MI | 580,000 | 0 | 0 |
NR = not ranked
t = tie
* = estimate
M = More Profitable Sustainability (MPS) certification
V = Certified Veriflora Sustainably Grown
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2018 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 7, 2018 
