Spring Hill Nurseries is a mail-order garden center based in
Tipp City
Tipp City is a city in Miami County, Ohio, Miami County, Ohio, United States just outside Dayton. The population was 9,689 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. Formerly known as Tippecanoe, and then Tippecanoe City. Later, it was renamed ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. Founded in 1849, Spring Hill Nurseries is one of the oldest gardening companies in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
[Spring Hill Nursery](_blank)
Leisure and Sport Review. The company specializes in garden plants, garden designs,
perennials
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...
,
shrubs
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
, ground covers and gardening supplies.
Spring Hill Nursery distributes catalogs nationwide and maintains a substantial presence online.
[Diana, Princess Of Wales Dahlia Exclusive Debut Spring Hill Nurseries Introduces Flower Selected By The Princess](_blank)
BNET.com. One of the largest companies in the gardening industry, Spring Hill Nurseries’ headquarters features many acres of greenhouses and trial gardens.
History
Peter Bohlender (born February 1, 1838) immigrated to
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, Ohio, from
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, with his family, at the age of 6.
[Peter Bohlender biography](_blank)
, History of Miami County, Ohio
Miami County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 108,774. Its county seat is Troy, Ohio, Troy. The county is List of Ohio county name etymolo ...
. Having no opportunity to attend school, Bohlender worked for a local nursery, where he received training in the gardening industry.
In 1849, he started his own small nursery in North Dayton, Ohio.
In 1889, Bohlender renamed the nursery Spring Hill Nurseries and moved his nursery to
Tipp City
Tipp City is a city in Miami County, Ohio, Miami County, Ohio, United States just outside Dayton. The population was 9,689 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. Formerly known as Tippecanoe, and then Tippecanoe City. Later, it was renamed ...
, Ohio.
He surmised the name “Spring Hill” from a small hill located near the nursery’s current location.
Spring Hill Nurseries was initially a wholesale garden store, providing products and services to Tipp City locals.
In 1930, Spring Hill expanded and became primarily a mail-order gardening company.
The garden center retained a smaller retail store, which is still in function today as the Tipp City Outlet Center, offering a variety of plant selections and gifting items, with limited hours.
In 2001, Spring Hill Nursery was acquired by
Gardens Alive! when then parent company Foster & Gallagher went bankrupt.
Horticultural Research and Development
Spring Hill Nurseries’ garden center, which includes a trial garden, and of greenhouses, are the focal point for much of the research, testing and controlled-environment growing of plant products that Spring Hill Nursery provides. The horticultural specialists at Spring Hill grow and test new plant varieties in manipulated
ecological unit Ecological units, comprise concepts such as population, community, and ecosystem as the basic units, which are at the basis of ecological theory and research, as well as a focus point of many conservation strategies. The concept of ecological units ...
s to ensure heat and soil tolerance, disease resistance and ease of growth.
Spring Hill Nurseries also has a plant breeding program, developing new plant breeds and hybrids.
The display gardens at Spring Hill Nurseries, which have been featured as a feature destination point by ''
Ohio Magazine
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
'', attracted visitors from around the country but have been replaced with test gardens for their expanded rose breeding program.
References
External links
Retail Site Social Media Profile
{{Authority control
Tipp City, Ohio
Agriculture companies of the United States
Companies based in Ohio
Retail companies established in 1849
Plant nurseries
Mail-order retailers
Privately held companies based in Ohio
1849 establishments in Ohio