DeGroot's Nurseries

What DeGroot's Nurseries does

DeGroot's Nurseries is a privately held, family-owned garden center and landscape services business headquartered in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1957 by Dutch immigrant John DeGroot Sr. The company operates a 40-acre integrated site at 1840 London Line that combines a retail garden center, bulk landscape materials yard, greenhouse, and landscape services. Its customer base is concentrated in the Sarnia-Lambton region of southwestern Ontario and comprises residential homeowners, landscape professionals, and accessibility/pet-friendly consumer segments.

The product portfolio spans three core lines plus ancillary monetization. The retail Garden Center sells annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and tropical plants. The Landscape Supply division offers bulk soils (Triple Mix at $81/yard, Garden Treat Soil at $89/yard, Screened Landscape Soil at $52/yard), mulch varieties priced $25-$92/yard (Econo, Shredded Hardwood, Chocolate Brown, Cedar, Rustic Bark, among others), and decorative stone products priced $72-$240/ton (3/4 Clear gravels, Cobblestones, Ebony Black Granite, Crushed Brick). Professional Landscape Services cover design, installation, ongoing maintenance, and landscape lighting. Ancillary streams include paid in-greenhouse workshops (Sedum Bowl at $49.99, Jellyfish Basket at $125.00), physical gift cards ranging $10-$500, greenhouse event rentals, and Unilock hardscape products.

DeGroot's operates a content-led, multi-channel go-to-market. Distribution combines a physical showroom (seasonal hours starting May 1), an e-commerce platform with delivery (6 yards soil / 10 yards mulch / 4 tons stone per delivery, plus Supersack option), direct on-site landscape service delivery, and an event-rental channel. Marketing is anchored by the Garden Clippings blog (active since 1990 with ~1,900 articles), supplemented by an online Plant Library, a Material Calculator tool, and recurring hands-on workshops that drive both education and foot traffic. Pricing is unit-based and transactional across SKUs with pay-as-you-go billing. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

DeGroot's Nurseries

Legal name

DeGroot's Nurseries

Website

https://degroots.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DeGroot's Nurseries is a family-owned, Sarnia, Ontario-based garden center and landscape services business serving residential homeowners and landscape professionals in the Sarnia-Lambton region since 1957.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Garden Center & Landscaping Services

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424), Landscaping Services (56173), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Landscape Maintenance Plans & Post-Installation Care (Establishment Services) (HSAIABAL), Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)

Keywords

• Retail nursery
• Garden center
• Landscape design
• Bulk landscaping materials
• Plant retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarnia

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Plant Sales: Sale of plants including annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and tropicals through physical garden center showroom
2. Bulk Landscape Materials: Sale of bulk soil, mulch, and stone products by yard or ton with delivery options. Products include Triple Mix, Garden Treat Soil, various mulch types, and decorative stone. Supersack option available for up to 2000lbs/1 yard per bag for extra fee.
3. Landscape Services: Design, installation, and maintenance services including landscape lighting
4. Workshops and Events: Hands-on workshops in greenhouse including Sedum Bowl ($49.99) and Jellyfish Basket Workshop ($125.00). Greenhouse available to rent for private functions on limited days or weekends.
5. Gift Shop: Physical gift cards available in $10, $25, $50, $100, $200, or $500 amounts, purchasable in-store or mailable to recipients

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DeGroot's Nurseries operates a full-service retail garden center and greenhouse on a 40-acre site in Sarnia, Ontario, selling plants (annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, tropicals) alongside bulk landscape materials (soil, mulch, stone) and offering professional landscape design, installation, maintenance, and lighting services. The business also hosts educational workshops and rents its greenhouse for private functions.

Product overview

DeGroot's Nurseries is a full-service garden center and landscape supplier based in Sarnia, Ontario, operating since 1957. The company offers a comprehensive range of products and services organized into three main categories: a retail Garden Center offering plants, a Landscape Supply division selling bulk materials (soil, mulch, stone), and Landscape Services including design, installation, maintenance, and lighting. The retail Garden Center features annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and tropical plants alongside a gift shop. The Landscape Supply division offers various soil products (Triple Mix, Garden Treat Soil, Screened Landscape Soil), multiple mulch varieties (Shredded Hardwood, Red Pine, Playground, Midnight Black, Dyed Red, Chocolate Brown, Cedar, Econo, Rustic Bark), and stone products (various cobblestones, beach rock, crushed brick, granite, and base materials). Landscape Services include professional design and installation, ongoing maintenance, and landscape lighting. Additional services include a Greenhouse Rental for special events, a Plant Library for plant identification, and a Material Calculator for project planning. The company also hosts educational Workshops and Events in the greenhouse, offering hands-on plant-related classes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Center Retail Physical retail showroom selling annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and tropical plants to residential gardeners at the Sarnia location.
• Bulk Landscape Materials Bulk soil, mulch, and stone products sold by the yard or ton with delivery, including Triple Mix, Garden Treat Soil, Screened Landscape Soil, multiple mulch varieties, and decorative stone products.
• Landscape Design & Installation
• Landscape Maintenance
• Landscape Lighting
• Greenhouse Event Rental
• Workshops and Events
• Gift Cards
• Unilock Hardscape Products
• Delivery Service

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UnilockminorOthersHardscape brand carried in inventory for landscape supply sales. Unilock provides paver and wall products for retail sale to customers purchasing landscape materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sheridan Nurseries: One of Ontario's largest garden center chains, founded in 1913, operating multiple retail locations across the GTA. Closely comparable to DeGroot's as a multi-generational Ontario garden center offering plants, landscape services, and bulk materials to homeowners and landscape professionals.
• TERRA Greenhouses: Ontario-based garden center chain with multiple locations offering plants, garden supplies, and seasonal products. Comparable as a regional Ontario competitor offering a similar retail garden center experience to homeowners.
• Vandermeer Nursery & Garden Centre: Family-owned Ontario nursery and garden center operating a physical location with plants, garden supplies, and landscape services. Comparable to DeGroot's in being a family-run Ontario garden center with integrated services.
• Connon Nurseries: Waterdown, Ontario-based wholesale and retail nursery operating large-scale growing facilities and retail garden centers. Comparable as a Southwestern Ontario plant producer and retail garden center operating at meaningful scale.
• JVK Nursery & Garden Centre: Ontario-based nursery and garden center with a similar combination of retail plants, bulk landscape materials, and landscape services. Comparable as a regional Ontario competitor with a comparable product and service mix.
• Plant World: Etobicoke, Ontario-based garden center offering plants, garden supplies, and landscape services. Comparable as a Southern Ontario garden center retailer serving a similar homeowner and landscape professional customer base.
• St. Williams Nursery & Ecology Centre: Southwestern Ontario nursery specializing in native plants, trees, and ecological restoration with a retail garden center. Comparable as a regional Ontario plant retailer with a focus on horticultural expertise and educational content.

Broad incumbents

• Home Depot Garden Center: National big-box home improvement retailer with full-service garden centers in Ontario locations selling plants, bulk materials, and hardscape. Comparable as a primary competitor for plant and landscape material purchases, though operating at vastly larger scale and without specialized horticultural expertise.
• Lowe's Garden Center: Major North American home improvement retailer with garden center departments selling plants, mulch, and stone. Comparable as a competing channel for residential gardening purchases across Ontario, with much broader assortment but less specialized service.

Others

• Lee Valley Tools: Canadian gardening and woodworking retailer with strong e-commerce presence and educational content. Comparable as an adjacent competitor in the gardening supplies channel with a similar content-driven, expertise-positioned approach to the homeowner market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/degrootsgarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/degroots-nurseries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 DeGroot's Nurseries