Flowerwood Nursery

What Flowerwood Nursery does

Flowerwood Nursery is a third-generation, family-owned wholesale nursery founded in 1938 in Loxley, Alabama, operating exclusively in the B2B trade channel. The company produces and distributes ornamental plants including shrubs, trees, perennials, ornamental grasses, groundcovers, vines, tropicals, and seasonal color, supplying retail garden centers and re-wholesale customers across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic United States. Its production footprint spans 1,000+ acres (expandable to ~1,400) across three growing facilities in Loxley AL, Mobile AL, and Cairo GA, with 21 million sq ft in production yielding 11 million plants per year. The flagship producer for branded plant collections including Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection, Knock Out Roses, Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Proven Winners, First Editions, BetterBoxwood, and Butterfly Candy, Flowerwood holds the licenses to grow, propagate, and merchandise a significant share of the most heavily marketed ornamental genetics in North American garden retail.

The business operates on a wholesale-only model: customers must apply for commercial accounts with horticultural licensure and Tax ID, place a $2,500 minimum order per location, and qualify for credit terms after an initial C.O.D. relationship. Pricing incorporates a fiscal-year volume discount program (Oct 1 – Sep 30), a 3% credit card surcharge, and a 25% handling charge for orders below the minimum. A 12-person outside sales force covers multi-state territories supplemented by a 4-person inside sales team that processes orders regionally. The Loxley headquarters loads 270+ semi-trucks per week during peak season, and the company offers pre-pricing services on pots or tags at no additional charge to streamline retail-ready delivery to garden centers.

Flowerwood generates revenue from a single primary stream — wholesale plant sales — across roughly 30 SKU categories, with branded collections sitting on top of a commodity ornamental base. The company maintains proprietary plant genetics through patents (e.g., Abelia Suntastic PP34885/PP34886, Kaleidoscope PP16988) and trademarks (Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection, BetterBoxwood), and operates from a customer portal that provides approved commercial buyers with availability and pricing. The company is led by CEO Ellis Ollinger and third-generation owner Greg Smith, Jr. as President, with Todd Carnley as VP of Sales and Marketing and Harry Smutzer as VP of Business Development. There is no disclosed institutional, PE, or VC ownership; the business remains wholly family-controlled and privately held.

Name

Flowerwood Nursery

Legal name

Flowerwood Nursery, Inc.

Website

https://flowerwood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Flowerwood Nursery is a third-generation, family-owned wholesale nursery founded in 1938 that produces and distributes ornamental plants to retail garden centers and re-wholesalers across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic United States from three growing facilities spanning 1,000+ acres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Nursery and Ornamental Plant Production

NAICS

Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursery Stock & Propagule Production (Cuttings, Rootstocks, Grafts) (AFAGAIAO), Potted Flowering Plants & Bedding Plants Production (Annuals, Perennials, Plugs) (AFAGAHAE)

Keywords

• Wholesale nursery
• Ornamental plants
• Shrub production
• Landscape supply
• Garden center distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Loxley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: Wholesale nursery sales of shrubs, trees, grasses, perennials, and seasonal color to retail garden centers and re-wholesale customers. Operates on minimum order requirements of $2,500/location with volume discount programs based on annual purchase volume.
2. Volume Discounts: Volume discount program based on buyer purchases for the previous and current fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). Additional fees include 3% credit card surcharge and potential 25% handling charge for orders below minimum.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Flowerwood Nursery is a wholesale-only nursery that grows, propagates, and ships ornamental plants—including branded plant collections such as Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection, Knock Out Roses, Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Proven Winners, First Editions, Butterfly Candy, and BetterBoxwood, plus commodity shrubs, trees, perennials, grasses, groundcovers, ferns, vines, tropicals, and fruit & berries—to approved commercial accounts including independent retail garden centers, re-wholesalers, and professional landscapers across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic United States. Production spans three facilities (Loxley AL, Mobile AL, Cairo GA) totaling more than 1,000 acres and 21 million sq ft, yielding 11 million plants per year.

Product overview

Flowerwood Nursery is a third-generation family-owned wholesale nursery with over 85 years of history, operating as a wholesale-only supplier to the trade. The company offers a broad portfolio of branded plant collections and commodity plant categories. The core offerings include flagship branded plant collections such as Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection, Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Knock Out Roses, Drift Roses, Proven Winners, First Editions, Butterfly Candy, and BetterBoxwood. Beyond branded products, the company sells commodity plants across 30+ categories including shrubs (Abelia, Boxwood, Holly, Loropetalum), trees (Japanese Maples, Crape Myrtle), ornamental grasses, groundcovers, ferns, perennials (Hosta, Hydrangea), vines, tropicals, fruit and berries, and seasonal color. The company operates three retail nursery locations (Loxley HQ, Mobile, AL; Cairo, GA) and provides commercial account services including customer portal access, ordering systems, delivery logistics, and credit terms. The product portfolio spans broadleaf evergreens, conifers, deciduous shrubs, grasses, groundcovers, trees, perennials, and seasonal color, serving garden centers and landscapers throughout the Southern and Mid-Atlantic states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Encore Azalea

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivers 11 million plants per year across 21 million sq ft of production
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Encore AzaleaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood is a flagship grower of Encore Azalea, one of the most recognized reblooming azalea brands. The partnership includes powerful marketing campaigns, store-within-a-store sign packages, and point-of-purchase merchandising materials that drive consumer demand to retail garden centers.
• Southern Living Plant CollectionflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood is a flagship grower for Southern Living Plant Collection, providing exclusive branded varieties backed by the Southern Living magazine marketing power. Partnership includes complimentary signage and merchandising materials.
• Proven WinnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood stocks Proven Winners branded shrubs, providing access to their extensive marketing support and brand recognition among consumers and retailers.
• Knock Out RosescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood grows and distributes the Knock Out Family of Roses, one of the most popular rose brands in North America, including Drift Roses.
• Endless Summer HydrangeascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood stocks Endless Summer branded hydrangeas, featuring reblooming varieties with marketing support from the brand.
• First Editions Shrubs and TreescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood stocks First Editions branded shrubs and trees, providing customers access to this plant breeder's exclusive varieties.
• Butterfly CandyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood grows Butterfly Candy branded butterfly bush varieties as part of their ornamental plant offerings.
• BetterBoxwoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFlowerwood stocks BetterBoxwood branded boxwood varieties including Babylon Beauty, Heritage, Renaissance, and Skylight.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. J. Frank Schmidt & Son is a large wholesale grower of shade, flowering, and ornamental trees serving the nursery trade across North America. Comparable on the wholesale nursery production and trade-channel model, though Flowerwood has a broader shrub and perennial mix alongside small trees.
• Bailey Nurseries: Bailey Nurseries is a fifth-generation wholesale grower headquartered in Minnesota with regional facilities across the US, producing branded ornamentals (owning the First Editions and Endless Summer brands) sold to independent garden centers and re-wholesalers. Directly comparable on product portfolio, branded grower model, and B2B wholesale distribution.
• Overdevest Nurseries: Overdevest Nurseries is a wholesale container nursery in New Jersey growing shrubs and ornamentals for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast retail trade, with an emphasis on branded varieties and sustainable production. Comparable on wholesale B2B model, branded shrub focus, and Mid-Atlantic/Southeastern customer overlap.
• Star Roses and Plants (Conard-Pyle): Star Roses and Plants is a wholesale nursery and plant breeder/distributor of branded ornamentals including Knock Out Roses and Drift Roses — brands Flowerwood grows and distributes. Comparable on branded shrub/rose product lines and garden-center channel, though they sit more on the breeder/licensor side of the relationship.
• Loma Vista Nursery: Loma Vista Nursery is a Midwest wholesale nursery growing container trees, shrubs, and roses for garden centers and landscape contractors across the Midwest and Mid-South. Comparable on wholesale plant production, garden center channel, and branded shrub assortment.

Broad incumbents

• Monrovia Nursery: Monrovia is the largest branded wholesale nursery in North America, propagating and selling container-grown ornamental plants (azaleas, roses, hydrangeas, boxwood, etc.) to independent garden centers and landscapers. It is comparable to Flowerwood on product mix, branded growership model, and customer base, but with broader national distribution and its own consumer-recognized brand.
• Everde Growers (formerly Greenleaf Nursery): Everde Growers is a Texas-based wholesale nursery formed from the merger of Greenleaf Nursery and other regional growers, producing a broad mix of ornamentals for retailers and landscapers across the western US. Comparable product mix and B2B model; serves a geographic territory that partially overlaps with Flowerwood's southern/central US footprint.

Emerging players

• Alta Nurseries: Alta Nurseries is a wholesale nursery operation supporting the regional garden center trade. Comparable on the trade-wholesale nursery business model, though smaller and less broadly distributed than Flowerwood.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/flowerwoodbushnell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Flowerwood Nursery