Midwest Groundcovers

What Midwest Groundcovers does

Midwest Groundcovers LLC is a privately held, family-owned wholesale nursery founded in 1969 by Peter and Irma Orum in St. Charles, Illinois. The company propagates, grows, and distributes container nursery stock—groundcovers, native plants, perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, evergreens, roses, conifers, vines, and small trees—producing over 20 million units annually across more than 700 acres at five production sites in St. Charles and Virgil, Illinois, and Glenn/Fennville, Michigan. It operates strictly on a wholesale-only basis (not open to the public), serving landscape contractors, re-wholesalers, garden centers, and landscape architects across a 12-plus-state Midwest territory (IL, WI, MN, IA, NE, SD, ND, MO, KS, IN, MI, OH, KY, CO).

The business is a horticultural manufacturer rather than a technology platform, with operational differentiation built on sustainable growing infrastructure: roughly 20 retention ponds storing over 83 million gallons of captured stormwater and irrigation runoff, variable-frequency-drive pump stations with fertilizer injectors, nearly 300 solar panels (150 installed in 2012, 132 added in 2019), wood-burning stove and log-boiler heating systems for growing shelters, a six-principle Integrated Pest Management program, and poly-sheeting recycling. Product is organized under proprietary brands including Hocus Pocus Groundcovers (85+ varieties), Natural Garden Natives (local-ecotype natives sourced within 90 miles of St. Charles), American Beauties Native Plants, and the Midwest Solutions program of salt-tolerant/drought-tolerant collections and planting-calculator tools. Orders are placed through a Sana Commerce-powered webstore.

Revenue is generated through transactional wholesale plant sales, with pricing disclosed only to logged-in wholesale customers. The company operates an Earned Volume Discount (EVD) program offering tiered discounts from 4% (annual purchases of $13,000–$24,999) up to 20% ($375,000+), with terms of net cash or 2%/10 net 30 for established credit accounts. Go-to-market is sales-led through outside, inside, and independent sales representatives with dedicated account and territory managers, supplemented by a direct U-PICK Yard self-service model, company fleet and same-day Zone 1 delivery, Michigan order pickup, and a network of 50+ partner garden centers reselling branded lines. An affiliated entity, Midwest Trading Inc., supplies non-plant growing and landscape products within the broader Midwest Family of Companies.

Name

Midwest Groundcovers

Legal name

Midwest Groundcovers LLC

Website

https://midwestgroundcovers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Midwest Groundcovers is a family-owned wholesale nursery producing over 20 million container plants annually across 700+ acres, serving landscape contractors, re-wholesalers, and garden centers across a 12-plus-state Midwest territory on a wholesale-only basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Nursery Stock

NAICS

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

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Sod, Turfgrass & Groundcover Production (AFAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Wholesale nursery stock
• Container plant production
• Landscape contractor supplies
• Native plant propagation
• Ornamental grasses wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Charles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: Midwest Groundcovers generates revenue through wholesale nursery stock sales of container plants including groundcovers, native plants, perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, vines, and trees. Operates on wholesale-only basis with no retail sales. Revenue based on plant quantities and sizes sold to landscape contractors, re-wholesalers, and garden centers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Midwest Groundcovers is a wholesale nursery that grows and distributes container-grown plants across more than 700 acres of production facilities in Illinois and Michigan. It propagates, cultivates, and sells groundcovers, perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, evergreens, vines, and native prairie, wetland, and woodland species to landscape professionals, re-wholesalers, and garden centers. Operations include five nursery production facilities, branded plant lines (Hocus Pocus Groundcovers, Natural Garden Natives, American Beauties Native Plants, Midwest Solutions), and supporting services such as U-PICK yard, same-day delivery, and customer pickup.

Product overview

Midwest Groundcovers is a wholesale nursery company operating over 700 acres of production facilities across five locations in Illinois and Michigan. While not a technology platform, the company offers a portfolio of branded plant products and services. Their core offerings include wholesale container nursery stock across multiple categories (groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, natives), supported by branded sub-brands Hocus Pocus Groundcovers® (85+ groundcover varieties) and Natural Garden Natives® (240+ native species). Additional services include U-PICK Yard self-service pickup, same-day delivery for Zone 1 customers, and Midwest Solutions® planting guidance tools. The company sells exclusively to landscape professionals, garden centers, and re-wholesalers through their Sana Commerce-powered webstore.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hocus Pocus Groundcovers: A branded collection of over 85 unique ground cover plants that offer solutions to challenging landscape locations and conditions. All plants come in a pint-sized pot with a color stick label.
• Natural Garden Natives

Quantifiable outcome

• Native plant sales increased 36.2% from 825,864 units in 2011 to 1,124,824 units in 2021
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Heinz Brothers Greenhouse Garden CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner garden center in St. Charles, IL providing retail access to Midwest Groundcovers plants including Hocus Pocus Groundcovers and Natural Garden Natives brands. 2010 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174.
• Platt Hill Nursery Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner garden center with two locations (Carpentersville and Bloomingdale, IL) carrying Midwest Groundcovers plant brands. Represents Midwest plants to retail consumers.
• Wasco NurserycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner garden center in St. Charles, IL providing retail consumer access to Midwest Groundcovers plants and branded collections.
• Christy Webber Farm & GardencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChicagoland garden center representing Midwest Groundcovers plants to retail consumers and landscape professionals.
• ChaletcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorthern suburbs garden center in Wilmette, IL carrying Midwest Groundcovers branded plant collections.
• Izel Native PlantsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline sales partner offering Midwest Groundcovers native plants through Izel's e-commerce platform.
• Chicago Botanic GardencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner for invasive species assessment and determination of appropriate course of action. Collaborates on environmental and native plant initiatives.
• The Morton ArboretumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRespected authority partner for assessing invasive species and conservation initiatives. Provides research-based guidance for responsible plant selection.
• Chicago WildernesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional conservation organization partner for invasive species management and native plant conservation efforts.
• Midwest Invasive Plant Network (MIPN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for invasive species education and management in the Midwest region.
• Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for invasive plant species control and management initiatives.
• The Conservation FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner supporting community initiatives and native plant education efforts.
• 30+ Industry and Community OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive membership and leadership participation in 30+ industry and community organizations. 20% of full-time staff serve as directors or committee members of industry organizations.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bailey Nurseries: One of the largest wholesale nurseries in North America, headquartered in Minnesota. Operates multi-state production of shrubs, perennials, and branded plant lines (Endless Summer hydrangeas), directly comparable to Midwest Groundcovers' wholesale grower model and Midwest regional focus.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Major U.S. wholesale nursery (acquired by fungo, Blackstone Capital) producing branded container plants across multiple regions. Competes with Midwest in branded plant programs, sustainability positioning, and landscape-contractor channel sales.
• Spring Meadow Nursery: Michigan-based wholesale shrub and liner producer, founder of the Proven Winners ColorChoice brand. Directly comparable as a Midwest-located wholesale nursery selling branded flowering shrubs and ornamentals into the landscape trade.
• Star Roses and Plants (Conard-Pyle): Pennsylvania-based wholesale nursery producing branded roses, perennials, and woody plants for the green industry. Comparable to Midwest Groundcovers in container production, branded genetics, and wholesale-only GTM.
• Proven Winners: Marketing cooperative of wholesale plant breeders/growers selling branded annuals, perennials, and shrubs through garden centers. Directly competes with Hocus Pocus, Natural Garden Natives, and American Beauties branded plant programs in the same retail-garden-center channel.
• Greenleaf Nursery Company: Oklahoma-based wholesale nursery operating multiple production facilities serving landscape and re-wholesale channels. Comparable to Midwest in scale, multi-site container production, and wholesale grower model.
• Prides Corner Farms: Connecticut-based wholesale nursery growing container perennials, shrubs, and nursery stock for landscape professionals across the Northeast. Direct comparability in container production, landscape-contractor focus, and proprietary branded genetics.

Emerging players

• Emerald Coast Growers: Florida-based wholesale perennial and ornamental grass plug/liner producer. Strong overlap in perennial and grass categories with Midwest Groundcovers' Midwest Solutions and Natural Garden Natives product lines.
• Hoffman Nursery: North Carolina-based wholesale nursery specializing in ornamental and native grasses with an emphasis on sustainable production. Comparable in ornamental grasses, native plant production, and wholesale-only distribution.

Regional players

• McKay Nursery Company: Wisconsin-based wholesale nursery producing container and field-grown nursery stock, historically comparable in scale and product categories. Competes with Midwest in the upper-Midwest landscape and garden center channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@midwestgroundcoversllc
• Instagraminstagram.com/hocuspocusgroundcovers
• Xx.com/groundcovers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Midwest Groundcovers