Star Roses and Plants

What Star Roses and Plants does

Star Roses and Plants is a wholesale horticultural company founded in 1897 (originally as The Conard and Jones Co.) and headquartered in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Since 2015 it has operated as a subsidiary of Ball Horticultural, a diversified horticulture conglomerate. The business integrates three functions: plant breeding and genetics development in collaboration with parent-owned Ball Helix; wholesale distribution of young plants (liners, bare root, tissue culture) to commercial growers and nurseries; and intellectual property licensing of patented varieties globally under US Plant Patents, Utility Patents, Plant Variety Protection, Plant Breeders' Rights, and Flowering-Only License Agreements. It sells exclusively through B2B channels — territory sales managers covering every US state and Canadian province, the proprietary Star Track® online ordering platform with iOS and Android apps, and a network of licensed commercial growers — and does not sell directly to consumers.

Its core technology is plant genetics: in-house breeding and a rigorous multi-climate trialing program that produces novel plant varieties such as disease-resistant landscape shrub roses, drought-tolerant ornamentals, and compact edible berries. The commercial portfolio is organized around four consumer-recognized brands: Knock Out® Roses (the flagship, introduced in 2000), Drift® Roses (groundcover roses), Bushel and Berry® (compact edible ornamentals, expanded via the 2016 BrazelBerries acquisition), and Bloomables® (a multi-category branded retail program with sub-collections Scentables® for fragrance and Droughtables™ for water-wise gardening). An Ornamental Tree Program highlights award-winning Cercis varieties including Flame Thrower®, the 2021 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year.

Revenue is generated through three mechanics: one-time wholesale young-plant sales at unit-based pricing (bare root minimum order of 175 units or $750, with freight minimums); royalty-bearing IP licensing of patented varieties to growers worldwide; and recurring brand licensing fees paid by growers for the right to produce and sell under the Knock Out, Drift, Bushel and Berry, and Bloomables names. Customers are split into commercial growers/nurseries (primary B2B buyers licensing genetics and purchasing young plants), retailers (independent garden centers and home improvement chains that finish and resell to consumers), online retailers, and — ultimately — home gardeners reached through branded marketing campaigns exceeding 7 million cumulative annual impressions.

Name

Star Roses and Plants

Legal name

Star Roses and Plants

Website

https://starrosesandplants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Star Roses and Plants is a wholesale horticultural breeder and IP licensor (founded 1897, subsidiary of Ball Horticultural) that develops, patents, and distributes branded plant genetics — including Knock Out® Roses, Drift® Roses, Bushel and Berry®, and Bloomables® — to commercial growers and retailers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

West Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: Star Roses and Plants produces and sells young plants (liners, bare root) to commercial growers and nurseries. They operate as both an IP company and wholesale plant distributor, selling finished genetics through a network of plant growers across the country.
2. Intellectual Property Licensing: The company licenses patented plant varieties to growers across the globe. Varieties are protected by US Plant Variety Protection, Plant Patents, Utility Patents, and Plant Breeders' Rights. Many varieties are also protected by Flowering-Only License Agreements and registered with the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation.
3. Brand Licensing: Growers pay for the right to use recognized brand names like Knock Out, Drift, Bushel and Berry, and Bloomables in association with their production and sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Star Roses and Plants is a wholesale plant breeder and distributor that produces and sells young plants (liners, bare root) to commercial growers and nurseries across North America. The company combines proprietary plant breeding, intellectual property licensing of patented plant varieties, and brand licensing of recognized consumer names including Knock Out, Drift, Bushel and Berry, and Bloomables.

Product overview

Star Roses and Plants operates as a horticultural company with a unique structure combining three core functions: plant breeding (research and development of novel plant genetics), distribution (production and sale of young plants to growers), and intellectual property (introduction and global licensing of innovative plant varieties). The company offers a portfolio of four consumer-facing plant brands: Knock Out® Roses (disease-resistant landscape shrub roses introduced in 2000), Drift® Roses (low-maintenance groundcover roses), Bushel and Berry® (edible plants including blueberries and blackberries for patio growing), and Bloomables® (non-mandatory branded program for roses, woodies, perennials, and trees with sub-collections Scentables® for fragrant plants and Droughtables™ for drought-tolerant varieties). An Ornamental Tree Program offers specialty trees including the award-winning Cercis collection. The company also provides an internal ordering platform (Star Track®) with web and mobile access for industry customers, along with grower and retailer support resources including guides, videos, and marketing assets. Star Roses and Plants traces its roots to 1897 and became part of Ball® Horticultural in 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Knock Out® Roses: The Knock Out Family of Roses, introduced in 2000, is the most prolific flowering shrub ever introduced, known for strong disease resistance, minimal maintenance, and continuous bloom coverage from spring to fall.
• Drift® Roses
• Bushel and Berry®
• Bloomables®
• Scentables®
• Droughtables™

Products and services

• Knock Out® Roses Easy-to-grow, repeat-blooming, disease-resistant rose brand introduced in 2000. Includes original Knock Out®, Double Knock Out®, and Petite Knock Out® varieties. Known for continuous bloom coverage from spring to fall with minimal maintenance. Sold through licensed commercial growers to garden centers, home improvement retailers, and online retailers for resale to home gardeners.
• Drift® Roses Low-maintenance, brightly colored groundcover rose collection featuring 11 compact varieties for slopes, hillsides, borders, and low-lying garden spaces. Hardy to Zone 4, extremely disease resistant, and bloom continuously. Sold through licensed commercial growers to retailers for resale to home gardeners.
• Bushel and Berry® Collection of easy-to-grow edible and ornamental plants including compact, self-pollinating blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cane berry varieties for patio container gardening. Targeted at home gardeners and sold through licensed commercial growers to retailers with consumer-friendly branding and modern packaging.
• Bloomables® Non-mandatory retail brand offering flowering roses, shrubs, unique perennials, and ornamental trees with high retail appeal. Provides complete branding with pots, tags, and P.O.P. materials for retail-ready merchandising. Sold to commercial growers and retailers.
• Scentables® Curated collection of fragrant roses and woody plants within the Bloomables® brand, featuring easy-to-grow varieties with noticeable fragrance for garden and home use.
• Droughtables™ Collection of highly drought-tolerant plants providing water-wise solutions for growers, landscapers, retailers, and home gardeners. Sold in Bloomables® branded pots or unbranded.
• Ornamental Tree Program Selection of breakthrough ornamental tree varieties exhibiting unique architecture and trusted performance. Includes Cercis collection (including award-winning Flame Thrower®), Garden Gems® series, and specialty trees. Available as bare root, budded rootstock, tissue culture liners, and container shifts. Sold to commercial growers and landscape professionals.
• Star Track® Online Ordering Platform Internal e-commerce and order management platform for industry customers to check product availability, place and manage orders, change or track shipments, create claims, and download high-resolution photography. Accessible via web login. Sold as a service to commercial growers and retailers doing business with Star Roses and Plants.
• Star Track GO Mobile App Mobile companion application for the Star Track® ordering platform, available for iOS and Android devices, allowing growers and nursery customers to manage orders on-the-go.
• Young Plant Distribution (Liners and Bare Root) Production and wholesale distribution of young plants (liners, bare root roses, fiber pots, tissue culture liners, budded rootstock) to commercial growers across North America. The company's primary wholesale product offering, sold via territory sales managers and the Star Track® online platform.
• Plant Variety Intellectual Property Licensing Licensing of patented plant varieties to growers across the globe under US Plant Patents, Utility Patents, Plant Variety Protection, Plant Breeders' Rights, and Flowering-Only License Agreements. Generates royalty income from licensed growers and brand licensees.
• Brand Licensing Program Growers pay licensing fees for the right to produce and sell plants under recognized brand names including Knock Out, Drift, Bushel and Berry, and Bloomables. Generates recurring royalty income from licensed brand partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Knock Out Roses revolutionized the rose industry and remain the most prolific flowering shrub ever introduced
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Meilland InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Meilland International in the south of France dates back to the 1930s and has resulted in numerous rose introductions, including the famous Peace rose.
• KordescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerIn 2016, Star Roses and Plants secured exclusive rights to license Kordes garden roses throughout the US and Canada, positioning the company as the most complete supplier to the nursery industry.
• Ball HelixcoreTechnology or IntegrationStar Roses and Plants works in collaboration with Ball Helix, Ball Horticultural's central research division, to apply traditional and modern techniques in plant genetics development.
• BrazelBerriesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2016, Star Roses and Plants purchased BrazelBerries and relaunched it as Bushel and Berry, further diversifying their plant portfolio with edible ornamental plants.
• Decker NurserymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDecker Nursery in Groveport, OH serves as a supplier of Star Roses and Plants rose genetics for commercial growers.
• Greenheart FarmsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGreenheart Farms in Arroyo Grande, CA supplies Star Roses and Plants rose genetics to commercial growers on the West Coast.
• James GreenhousesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJames Greenhouses in Colbert, GA serves as a supplier of Star Roses and Plants genetics to commercial growers in the Southeast.
• Haviland Plastic ProductsminorOthersManufacturer of branded Knock Out Rose containers (#1, #2, #3 pots) for the company's mandatory branded packaging program.
• HC CompaniesminorOthersManufacturer and distributor of branded containers for Knock Out, Drift, and Bushel and Berry brands, providing mandatory branded pots and tags.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Monrovia Nursery Company: Monrovia is a leading wholesale nursery producing branded ornamental plants (ColorChoice shrubs, etc.) sold through independent garden centers. Competes head-to-head with Star Roses and Plants in branded, genetics-licensed woody ornamentals and roses sold via the same retail channels.
• Bailey Nurseries: Bailey is a major wholesale grower and breeder of branded ornamentals (Endless Summer hydrangeas, First Editions). Mirrors Star Roses' model of proprietary genetics, branded retail programs, and B2B grower licensing across North America.
• Spring Meadow Nursery: Spring Meadow is the wholesale grower behind the Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub program. Directly comparable as a breeder/licensor of branded woody ornamentals (including roses) sold through a network of growers to retailers.
• Proven Winners: Proven Winners is a plant brand coalition combining breeding, marketing, and licensing for annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Overlaps with Star Roses' Bloomables and Knock Out programs in branded retail plant marketing and grower licensing.
• Jackson & Perkins: Jackson & Perkins is a heritage rose brand and direct-to-consumer rose seller with a deep proprietary rose portfolio. Direct overlap with Star Roses' Knock Out and Drift brands in branded landscape rose retail.
• Weeks Roses: Weeks Roses is a wholesale rose grower selling proprietary and hybridizer-licensed roses to garden centers. Closest direct comparator as a rose-focused wholesale/IP company targeting the same nursery and garden center customers.
• David Austin Roses: David Austin breeds and licenses premium English garden roses globally under a controlled distribution program. Mirrors Star Roses' model of patent-protected genetics, brand licensing, and grower-finish distribution.
• Kordes Rosen: Kordes is a German rose breeder that licenses its garden roses to Star Roses for North America. Direct overlap as a competing rose breeding program with its own global licensee footprint in garden roses.

Broad incumbents

• Dümmen Orange: Dümmen Orange is one of the world's largest ornamental breeders, spanning annuals, perennials, pot plants, and roses. Competes with Star Roses in the breeder/licensor layer across multiple ornamental categories at broader scale.
• Syngenta Flowers: Syngenta Flowers is the ornamentals division of a global ag-inputs major, breeding and licensing potted and bedding plants. Adjacent competitor in the IP-led ornamental breeder/licensor model serving grower networks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@starrosesandplants
• Facebookfacebook.com/starrosesandplants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starrosesandplants
• Instagraminstagram.com/starrosesandplants
• Pinterestpinterest.com/starrosesplants/_created
• Xx.com/PlantAStar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Star Roses and Plants