Por La Mar Nursery

What Por La Mar Nursery does

Por La Mar Nursery is a privately held, family-owned American grower of foliage plants and flowers founded in 1972 by Ron and Pat Caird in Santa Barbara, California. The company operates greenhouse production facilities in Goleta, California and, through its wholly owned subsidiary Glad-A-Way Gardens (acquired in the 2000s), a cut-flower operation in Santa Maria, California that maintains one of the only proprietary gladiolus hybridization programs in the U.S. Its core business is wholesale distribution of potted houseplants and tropical foliage (including Dracaena, Monstera, ZZ plants, Alocasia, succulents, and flowering plants) to garden stores, farmers markets, and wholesale resellers across Southern California, with a minimum order requirement of 20 cases per week for reseller accounts. The company also operates a small direct-to-consumer channel through on-site nursery visits and an inspiration gallery, plus an educational outreach program called Growing Plants for Growing Minds that partners with 15+ local schools and nonprofits.

The business model is built on physical plant cultivation rather than technology: growing media, greenhouse infrastructure, and a 2021 conversion of approximately 47% of plantings to biodegradable paper Ellepots are the primary operational differentiators. Revenue mechanics are transactional wholesale with no publicly disclosed pricing, supported by a 50+ year brand presence, multi-generational family involvement (now in its third generation of Caird family members), and a small content and social media presence on Instagram and Facebook. Go-to-market is primarily through reseller relationships with a minimum-volume convention, supplemented by trade show participation (including The Global Produce & Floral Show), a community education program, and content marketing via plant care resources and sustainability blog posts. No external funding, no public listing, and no disclosed revenue figures are present in the source material.

Name

Por La Mar Nursery

Legal name

Por La Mar Nursery

Website

https://porlamarnursery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Por La Mar Nursery is a family-owned, 50+ year-old American wholesale grower of foliage plants and flowers headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, selling primarily to garden stores, farmers markets, and wholesale resellers across Southern California through a minimum 20-case weekly order model, with a proprietary gladiolus cut-flower subsidiary, Glad-A-Way Gardens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Ornamental Plant Nursery

NAICS

Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Floriculture Production (111422), Flower, Nursery Stock, and Florists' Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (424930)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Plant & Nursery Stock Wholesalers (Grower-Wholesalers) (AFAGAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greenhouse Floriculture (Cut Flowers) (AFAGAHAD), Nursery Stock & Propagule Production (Cuttings, Rootstocks, Grafts) (AFAGAIAO)

Keywords

• Wholesale plant nursery
• Foliage plant cultivation
• Cut flower production
• Greenhouse horticulture
• Sustainable nursery operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: Por La Mar Nursery grows and sells a wide variety of foliage plants and flowers to garden stores, local stores, and resellers throughout Southern California. Products include indoor houseplants such as Monstera, Dracaena, ZZ plants, Alocasia, and more.
2. Cut Flower Sales: Through their Glad-A-Way Gardens subsidiary in Santa Maria, California, the company grows and sells cut flowers including gladiolus with their own proprietary hybrid varieties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Por La Mar Nursery is a wholesale grower of American-grown foliage plants, indoor houseplants, and flowering plants including Dracaena, Monstera, ZZ plants, Alocasia, succulents, and more. The company operates greenhouse facilities in Goleta, California and a cut-flower operation in Santa Maria, California (Glad-A-Way Gardens) producing proprietary gladiolus varieties. Products are distributed to garden stores, farmers markets, and resellers throughout Southern California, with a minimum order requirement of 20 cases per week for wholesale accounts.

Product overview

Por La Mar Nursery is a family-owned plant nursery founded in 1972, operating as a unified offering of American-grown plants, foliage, and flowers. The core business consists of potted houseplants and tropical foliage (including Dracaena, Monstera, ZZ plants, Alocasias, and various flowering plants) sold to garden stores, farmers markets, and resellers through a minimum 20-case weekly order model. The portfolio includes Glad-A-Way Gardens (a cut flower subsidiary specializing in proprietary gladiolus varieties with its own hybridization program) and extends to educational offerings such as the Growing Plants for Growing Minds community program, plant care resources, and health benefits content. The nursery operates greenhouses in Goleta, California and farms in Santa Maria, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leafstyle Design: Design-focused plant offerings from Por La Mar Nursery.

Products and services

• Por La Mar Nursery Core Plant Products (Foliage and Flowering Plants) American-grown foliage plants, indoor houseplants, and flowering plants including Dracaena, Monstera, ZZ plant, Alocasia, succulents, Pilea, Pothos, Ficus, ferns, and sansevieria, sold wholesale to garden stores, farmers markets, and resellers throughout Southern California.
• Glad-A-Way Gardens Cut Flowers (Proprietary Gladiolus) Cut flower operation specializing in proprietary gladiolus varieties grown through an exclusive hybridization program at Glad-A-Way Gardens in Santa Maria, California; one of the only gladiolus growers in the U.S. with proprietary varieties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 47% of plantings converted to sustainable paper Ellepots, saving approximately 27 truckloads of CO2 emissions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Glad-A-Way GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Glad-A-Way Gardens was acquired by Por La Mar Nursery in the 2000s and continues as a subsidiary operating in Santa Maria, California. It is one of the only gladiolus growers in the U.S. with its own hybridization program that exclusively grows proprietary varieties.
• Notre Dame SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst partner school for Por La Mar's Growing Plants for Growing Minds educational program. On October 25, 2021, the company conducted seed planting workshops for lower grades and plant propagation sessions for upper grades, with merchandise and plant giveaways.
• Girls, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond partner organization for the Growing Plants for Growing Minds program. Three-day educational event held November 15-17, 2021, at the local Girls, Inc. chapter featuring plant education activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Costa Farms: One of the largest U.S. wholesale growers of indoor houseplants and foliage, selling to mass merchants, garden centers, and grocers. Directly comparable as a large-scale foliage grower-wholesaler competing for the same retailer shelves as Por La Mar.
• Altman Plants: California-based wholesale nursery and grower of annuals, perennials, succulents, and indoor plants. Comparable as a regional grower-wholesaler with multi-generational scale and overlapping product mix with Por La Mar.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Premium wholesale nursery selling branded container plants (trees, shrubs, perennials) to garden centers nationwide. Comparable as a grower-wholesaler emphasizing branded, higher-end plant genetics and gardener education.
• Greenheart Farms: California-based wholesale nursery specializing in roses, perennials, and young plants propagated for resale. Comparable as a West Coast wholesale grower with proprietary propagation programs and broker/supply relationships.
• Star Roses and Plants (Conard-Pyle): Wholesale grower of roses, perennials, and woody ornamentals with proprietary branded genetics. Comparable as a grower-wholesaler leaning on plant IP and branded programs to differentiate from commodity supply.
• Skagit Horticulture: Wholesale grower producing annuals, perennials, and hanging baskets for garden retailers across the western U.S. Comparable as a wholesale grower serving similar retail channels with a comparable product mix.

Broad incumbents

• Proven Winners: Cooperative plant brand marketing proprietary varieties from multiple wholesale growers to retailers across North America. Comparable as it operates upstream of retail with branded plant IP, mirroring Por La Mar's hybridization angle.
• Ball Horticultural Company: Large global horticulture company developing and licensing flower and plant varieties to wholesale growers and brokers. Comparable as a category incumbent shaping plant genetics and grower economics across the same supply chain.

Regional players

• Armstrong Garden Centers: California-based chain of retail garden centers sourcing plants from regional wholesale growers. Comparable as a downstream retail buyer operating in the same Southern California geography that Por La Mar services.

Emerging players

• The Sill: DTC online plant retailer with curated houseplants, content, and care subscriptions. Comparable as a channel disruptor in indoor foliage where Por La Mar competes for end-consumer attention and shelf placement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/122870631104799
• Instagraminstagram.com/plm_nursery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Por La Mar Nursery