2015 Greenhouse Grower Top 100 Growers: Reading The Rankings

Just after Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers report published last year, we found out about a few key acquisitions that we knew would really shake things up in 2015. We were right — the tradition of our annual rankings remix stands, and the changes are noteworthy.

Optimism Is Evident, With Grower Expansion Across The Board

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Greenhouse Grower’s annual Top 100 List ranks the largest U.S. growers by total square feet of environmentally controlled greenhouse space, although this year, we have also listed shade and field acreage, to give perspective on how large these operations are beyond the greenhouse. In total, the 2015 list represents 228,906,001 environmentally controlled square feet of U.S. production, a 5 percent increase over 2014.

 

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Looking more closely, growers within the top 10 list are reporting some very significant growth:

  • Color Spot Holdings says its operation has grown to 21,100,000, as a result of acquiring Color Star’s Sanger, Texas, facility, and building an additional 150,000 square feet of greenhouses.
  • Costa Farms slid into the No. 2 position, reporting its square footage at more than 15 million square feet, up from 9.5 million in 2014.
  • Altman Plants has grown by more than 1 million square feet in the past year.
  • Bell Nursery’s acquisition of Blue Ridge Growers in Virginia and Brentwood Farms in North Carolina put the operation up to 7,400,000, trading spaces with Metrolina Greenhouses, which also grew by 100,000 square feet over the past year.
  • Color Point taking over Mid-American Growers last spring brought the operation from No. 74 up to No. 8. Beyond the top 10 players, a number of growers have undergone huge growth within the past year.
  • Olson’s Greenhouse Gardens (No. 15) grew by more than 500,000 square feet, during its second straight year of major expansion. The operation reported 1,515,141 in 2013.
  • Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises has gained nearly 3 million square feet of production.
  • Headstart Nursery is reporting growth to 2,400,000, up from 1.5 million square feet in 2014.
  • Last year’s newcomer, Bela Flor Nurseries, is expanding rapidly, as well. It’s up by more than 500,000 square feet.
  • Riverview Flower Farm has grown by more than 700,000 square feet, placing at No. 33 from No. 70 in 2014.
  • Garden State Growers is showing growth to 1,742,400 from 1,481,040.
  • Henry Mast Greenhouses/Masterpiece Flower Co. has grown more than 300,000 square feet in the past year.

All told, 26 growers reported that their operation grew between 2014 and 2015. Several growers reduced their production over the past year, as well, and while some operations’ downsized numbers were significant, most were slight and probably typical of the give-and-take in the horticulture industry.

Change Is Constant

We have some new names among the Top 100 Growers this year. Greenhouse Grower extends a warm welcome to Botany Lane Greenhouses in Colorado, Grolink Plant Co. in California, Tidal Creek Growers in Maryland and Micandy Garden Greenhouses in Michigan.

It’s likely we’ll see more changes among the Top 100 sooner rather than later, and as Greenhouse Grower continues to refine our list, we are certainly open to suggestions. Let us know how we can make this report a better resource — for growers and allied trades.

Meanwhile, congratulations to all of Greenhouse Grower’s Top 100 Growers!

 

 

2015 Greenhouse Grower Top 100 Grower List

2015 Rank2014 RankCompanyState2015 U.S. Environmentally Controlled (Square Feet)U.S. Acreage (Shade Houses)U.S. Acreage (Field Production)
11Color Spot NurseriesCA21,100,0002042,703
23Costa FarmsFL15,071,7607471,392
32Altman PlantsCA11,596,85262400
44Kurt Weiss GreenhousesNY9,238,2323089
55Rocket FarmsCA8,305,120*
67Bell Nursery USAMD7,400,000
76Metrolina GreenhousesNC7,000,000184
874Color PointKY4,800,000
98Green Circle GrowersOH4,573,80020
1010The Sun Valley GroupCA4,000,000*
1111Delray Plants Co.FL3,868,11611920
1212SpeedlingFL3,684,000
1313Milgro NurseryUT3,500,000*
1415Ivy AcresNY3,383,970*
1521Olson's Greenhouse GardensUT3,079,531037
1616Kerry's Nursery Inc.FL3,000,000*
1718Floral Plant GrowersWI2,826,3606
18t19Matsui NurseryCA2,800,000
18t16Woodburn Nursery and AzaleasOR2,800,0002
209Aris HorticultureOH2,631,46065
2120Dallas Johnson GreenhousesIA2,600,000
22t22Bay City FlowersCA2,500,000*
22t22Smith GardensWA2,500,00060
24t43Headstart NurseryCA2,400,00015
24t26Tagawa Greenhouse EnterprisesCO2,400,000
26t28Bela Flor NurseriesMO2,395,800
26t24Wenke GreenhousesMI2,395,8001
2825Northwest HorticultureWA2,178,000*
2927N.G. Heimos Greenhouses Inc.IL2,068,000127
3030Bergen's GreenhouseMN1,916,6400
3132Colorama Wholesale NurseryCA1,890,0009150
3231Dan Schantz FarmPA1,814,38115
3370Riverview Flower FarmFL1,785,9603215
3433Battlefield FarmsVA1,784,320123
3529Plant MarketingWI1,770,2792
3645Garden State GrowersNJ1,742,400125
3734Valley FlowersCA1,740,000
3836Hines Growers, Inc.CA1,700,000*
3939Dewar NurseriesFL1,691,62541203
4037Young's Plant FarmAL1,645,00034
4138Ocean Breeze InternationalCA1,614,000*
4240Westland Floral CompanyCA1,600,000*
4358Grower Direct FarmsCT1,565,0008
4441Post GardensMI1,527,000
4535DeLeon's BromeliadsFL1,500,9391
46t42Clearwater NurseryCA1,500,00053
46t43Kawahara NurseriesCA1,500,000*
4850Van Wingerden InternationalNC1,450,54812
4946Dan and Jerry's GreenhouseMN1,445,000*
5048Bailey NurseriesMN1,437,4902,300
51t65Henry Mast Greenhouses/Masterpiece Flower Co.MI1,420,0009
51t47Rockwell FarmsNC1,420,00010
5349Willoway NurseriesOH1,418,340850
54t50Kitayama BrothersCA1,400,0005
54t50Panzer NurseryOR1,400,0002
5653Four Star GreenhousesMI1,378,801
5754Heartland GrowersIN1,350,840*
5856Aldershot of New MexicoNM1,317,000*
5955Nash GreenhousesMI1,300,000
6065Lucas GreenhousesNJ1,212,50030
61t63Armstrong GrowersCA1,200,00015103
61t59tRichardson Brothers GreenhousesIL1,200,000
61t59tYoung's Nursery and GreenhouseTN1,200,000*
6479Bob's Market and GreenhousesWV1,135,0003
65t68Corso's PerennialsOH1,100,00014
65t65Hillister (part of Seville Farms)TX1,100,000*
6769Sawyer NurseryMI1,059,076*
6870Alex R. MassonKS1,045,440*
6972Johannes FlowersCA1,043,360*
7073Maria Gardens GreenhousesOH1,001,820*
71t74Kent's Bromeliad NurseryCA1,000,000*
71t59Van de Wetering GreenhousesNY1,000,0006
71t57Welby Gardens Co./Hardy Boy Plants-HardystartsCO1,000,0008
7477Farmers' West Flowers and BouquetsCA958,320*
7578Hart's NurseryOR940,000*21
7686South Central GrowersTN921,1158
7764Dramm and EchterCA920,00010
7880Petitti Garden Cente/Casa Verde GrowersOH895,0005
7981White's Nursery and GreenhousesVA860,000
8082Twixwood NurseryMI851,0000
81t83B and H FlowersCA850,000*
81t83Kube-PakNJ850,00006
83NRBotany Lane GreenhousesCO827,64014
84t87American ColorVA784,08020
84t89Plainview GrowersNJ784,08010
8688Olive Hill GreenhousesCA760,000
8789California PajarosaCA750,00024
88t91Esbenshades GreenhousePA740,000*
88t92Plants UnlimitedMI740,000
90tNRGrolink Plant Company700,00063
90t93Knox NurseryFL700,000
9294Parks Brothers FarmAR675,000<1
9395Sedan FloralKS672,604
9496Myriad Flowers InternationalCA653,400512
95tNREver-BloomCA650,000
95t97Loop's Nursery and GreenhousesFL650,0003
9799CuthbertOH631,8073
98NRTidal Creek GrowersMD621,455611
9998Pleasant View GardensNH600,00015
100NRMicandy Garden GreenhousesMI500,940
*=estimate
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