Civano Growers

What Civano Growers does

Civano Growers is a wholesale nursery specializing in desert-adapted and native plants for the urban landscape market in the Southwestern United States. Founded in 1998 by Les Shipley and his sons and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, the company operates a 70-acre production farm near Sahuarita, Arizona. The site features 13,000+ pot-in-pot growing positions, retractable-roof greenhouses, automated propagation facilities, advanced potting machinery, and a US-first pot washing machine, supporting an annual potting capacity of roughly 1.5 million plants. The Shipley family owns and operates the business privately, with no external funding and 51-100 employees, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

The product portfolio centers on 19+ patented "Civano Originals" plant varieties developed for desert performance, complemented by general wholesale nursery stock. Civano holds the distinction of being the only certified Monrovia grower in Arizona, granting it exclusive propagation and distribution rights for the Monrovia brand within the state. The company sells exclusively B2B through direct field sales and a re-wholesaler network to independent garden centers, commercial landscapers, landscape architects, and designers across Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and California. Pricing is project- and quote-based, in line with wholesale nursery practice.

Sustainability is embedded in operations rather than marketed as a separate product line. Partnerships with Tucson Electric Power (green-waste recycling and the Trees for You shade program, which has shipped 51,538+ trees since 2016) and Green Valley Pecan Orchards (pecan hull mulch for soil production) supply input materials that lower cost and reinforce environmental positioning. Industry-association roles through the Arizona Nursery Association, ALCA, and SmartScape, combined with active participation in regional trade events, round out the operating footprint.

Name

Civano Growers

Legal name

Civano Growers

Website

https://civanogrowers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Civano Growers is a family-owned wholesale nursery in Sahuarita, Arizona that produces 1.5 million desert-adapted and native plants annually across a 70-acre farm, supplying landscapers, garden centers, and re-wholesalers in five Southwestern states via patented varieties and Monrovia brand exclusivity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Nursery & Horticulture

NAICS

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Nursery and Tree Production (111421)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Wholesale nursery plants
• Desert-adapted plants
• Native plant cultivation
• Landscape supply wholesale
• Horticulture production

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: B2B wholesale plant sales to independent nurseries, commercial landscapers, landscape architects, designers, and green industry organizations. Customers include re-wholesalers and garden centers across the Southwest US.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Civano Growers operates a wholesale commercial nursery on a 70-acre farm near Sahuarita, Arizona, cultivating desert-adapted and native plants specifically engineered for the Sonoran Desert and Southwest US urban landscapes. The company produces patented Civano Originals plant varieties along with branded Monrovia stock, supplying independent garden centers, commercial landscapers, landscape architects, designers, and re-wholesalers across Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and California.

Product overview

Civano Growers operates as a wholesale nursery business offering commercial plant stock for landscape professionals. The company is split into two distinct operations: Civano Growers (wholesale) and Civano Nursery Garden Center (retail). Civano Growers specializes in cultivated natives and improved plant varieties for the desert Southwest, distributing exclusively to trade customers including independent nurseries, commercial landscapers, architects, and designers. The product portfolio centers on patented Civano Originals varieties alongside traditional wholesale nursery stock. Supporting offerings include the Civano e-Academy educational platform, downloadable Reference Guides, a Crop Gallery visual inventory, Plant Availability Lists in PDF/Excel formats, and the Trees for You Program in partnership with Tucson Electric Power. The retail Civano Nursery Garden Center serves residential customers in Tucson with a full range of plants and landscaping services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Civano Originals: Proprietary plant cultivars developed by Civano Growers, including patented varieties such as 'Purple Rain' Leucophyllum, 'Monarch Magnet' Asclepias, 'Stoplights' Hesperaloe, and other desert-adapted plants.

Products and services

• Civano Growers Wholesale Nursery Operations Wholesale commercial nursery on a 70-acre farm cultivating desert-adapted and native plants for the Southwest US, supplying independent nurseries, commercial landscapers, landscape architects, designers, and re-wholesalers across Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and California. Not open to the public.
• Civano Originals Plant Varieties Patented proprietary plant cultivars bred by Civano Growers for desert performance, including Texas sage (Leucophyllum), desert willow (Chilopsis), hesperaloe, milkweed (Asclepias), calliandra, and other drought-tolerant species covered by multiple plant patents (PP33091, PP33454, PP33514, PP33637, PP34195, PP34305, PP35283, PP35354, PP35437, PP35492, PP36336, PP36387, PP36523, PP36551, PPAF designations).
• Trees for You Program Partnership program with Tucson Electric Power providing discounted shade trees to TEP's residential and commercial customers; over 51,538 trees have been shipped through the program since its 2016 inception.
• Civano Nursery Garden Center (Related Family Business) Family-owned and operated retail garden center open to the public since 1999 in Tucson, Arizona, featuring plants, a play area, putting green, petting zoo, and offering design, delivery, and planting services. Operated separately from the wholesale Civano Growers business.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 51,538 trees shipped through Trees for You Program since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tucson Electric PowercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Trees for You Program partnership providing discounted shade trees to TEP's residential and commercial customers. Since 2016, over 51,538 trees have been shipped through the program. Additionally, TEP and Civano collaborated to create the compost yard in South Tucson, where green waste from power line clearing is chipped, mulched, and composted into viable soil used to grow trees and shrubs.
• Green Valley Pecan OrchardsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create eco-friendly mulch from pecan hulls. Instead of discarding hulls from the pecan company, Civano Growers utilizes this byproduct as top dressing mulch for plants. Pecan mulch reduces weed seed germination, helps keep root balls cool, and reduces evaporation of irrigation water.
• Arizona Nursery AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional trade organization established in 1959 dedicated to promotion and advancement of the Arizona nursery industry. Les Shipley, one of the owners of Civano Growers, currently serves as President of the association.
• MonroviacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCivano Growers is the only certified grower of Monrovia plants in Arizona. Monrovia has been an industry leader since 1926 in introduction of more beautiful and healthier Featured Plants that are stronger, more versatile and distinct.
• Arizona Landscape Contractors Association (ALCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional landscape industry organization with over 450 member companies representing over 35,000 employees. Dedicated to education and government representation resulting in enhanced professionalism of members and public perception of landscape contractors.
• Pima County SmartScape ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational program started in 1989 offering classes to homeowners and landscape professionals on best practices for water-efficient landscapes in Pima County. Nick Shipley, Civano Growers COO, serves on the SmartScape board, and plant care technicians are encouraged to complete the program.
• Civano NurserycoreOthersFamily-owned and operated retail garden center open since 1999, located at 5301 S Houghton Rd, Tucson, AZ 85747. Features play area, putting green, petting zoo, and abundance of plants. Offers design, delivery, and planting services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Loma Vista Nursery: Loma Vista is a wholesale container nursery producing ornamentals for independent garden centers and landscape contractors across the Midwest and beyond. Comparable as a regional wholesale grower serving professional landscape channels.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Monrovia is a national wholesale grower of branded container plants and Civano is its only certified grower in Arizona. The two share distribution of Monrovia-branded inventory and operate in the same wholesale nursery category serving independent garden centers and landscapers.
• Mountain States Wholesale Nursery: Mountain States Wholesale Nursery is an Arizona-based wholesale grower specializing in desert-adapted and low-water-use plants for landscape professionals. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Civano in Sonoran Desert-adapted wholesale production.
• Proven Winners: Proven Winners licenses branded plant genetics to wholesale growers and sells through independent garden centers and landscapers. It is comparable to Civano as a competitor operating in the branded/designer plant genetics wholesale channel.
• Star Roses and Plants: Star Roses and Plants is a wholesale producer of branded, patented woody ornamentals marketed through garden centers and landscape distributors — closely matching Civano's Civano Originals branded/patented plant model.

Emerging players

• High Country Gardens: High Country Gardens specializes in drought-tolerant and xeriscape plants for the western US, primarily through direct-to-consumer channels. Comparable to Civano in plant category focus (water-wise/desert-adapted), though operating in retail rather than wholesale.

Broad incumbents

• Hines Growers: Hines Growers is a large wholesale nursery producing container ornamentals for retailers and landscapers in the western US. Comparable as a broad-incumbent wholesale producer with overlapping geography and customer base.
• Greenleaf Nursery Company: Greenleaf is a large wholesale container nursery serving landscape professionals across the Sunbelt. Comparable to Civano as a regional wholesale producer competing for landscape specifier and re-wholesaler accounts in the Southwest.
• Bailey Nurseries: Bailey is one of the largest wholesale nurseries in North America, producing container and field-grown ornamentals for landscape professionals. It is comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same wholesale buyer base across multiple regions.
• Everde Growers: Everde is a national wholesale nursery with broad container plant production serving landscape professionals and retail garden centers across the Sunbelt. Comparable to Civano as a multi-region wholesale incumbent competing for the same buyer types.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/civanogrowerstucson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civano-growers
• Instagraminstagram.com/civanogrowers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Civano Growers