Hoerr Nursery

What Hoerr Nursery does

Hoerr Nursery is a family-owned retail nursery and landscape services company operating as D.A. Hoerr & Sons Inc. from Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1926 and now in its centennial year, the company runs two physical retail locations: a Garden Center selling plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, roses, and gardening supplies, and a separate StoneMarket selling bulk hardscape and landscaping materials (mulch, rock, gravel, sand, soil, sod, and pavers). The business is supported by an online Plant-O-Pedia database that lets customers filter available plants by characteristics including native status, and by a Plant Pharmacy offering integrated pest management products such as Bt-based treatments.

The company's revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer retail sales, professional landscape design and build services ("We Design You Install" program plus full-service installation), ongoing landscape maintenance, gift card sales, in-person workshops and classes, and a Commercial Services division serving landscaping contractors and builders. Pricing is unit-based across the product range (e.g., perennials $7.99-$29.99, gift cards $15-$2,000), with sales concentrated in the spring/summer gardening season. Distribution is entirely through the two Peoria storefronts, on-site delivery for select products, and online gift card sales; there is no e-commerce plant shipping business. Marketing is conducted through a garden blog, email newsletter, and organic social media on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, with referral support from the ShopLocal365 local shopping initiative.

The company is private, family-controlled, with no disclosed external investment, funding, M&A, or parent company, and no disclosed revenue or headcount trend data beyond an 11-50 employee range. Recent operating decisions (Sunday closures, a centennial promotional sale, and curated product line additions in roses and native plants) point to stable, brand-led stewardship rather than active scaling.

Name

Hoerr Nursery

Legal name

D.A. Hoerr & Sons Inc.

Website

https://hoerrnursery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hoerr Nursery is a family-owned retail nursery founded in 1926 in Peoria, Illinois, serving Central Illinois home gardeners through two physical locations (Garden Center and StoneMarket) with plants, hardscape materials, landscape design/build services, maintenance, and educational workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Garden Center and Landscape Services

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Sod Installation & Lawn Seeding (Turf Establishment) (HSAIAFAO), Nursery Production (Woody Ornamentals: Trees, Shrubs, Roses) (AFAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Retail garden center
• Landscape materials
• Landscape design services
• Plant nursery
• Landscape maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plant and Nursery Stock Sales: Retail sales of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, and other plants to consumers at the Garden Center location. Includes homegrown plants and sale selections.
2. StoneMarket Products: Sales of landscaping materials including mulch, rock, gravel, sand, soil, sod, and pavers at the StoneMarket location.
3. Landscape Design and Build Services: Professional landscape design and installation services through the 'We Design You Install' program.
4. Landscape Maintenance Services: Ongoing landscape care and maintenance services for existing landscapes.
5. Gift Cards: Digital and physical gift cards available in various denominations from $15 to $2000.
6. Workshops and Classes: Educational workshops and classes on gardening topics offered at the nursery.
7. Plant Pharmacy Products: Sales of pest management products including Bt, soil acidifiers, pH test kits, and related gardening supplies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hoerr Nursery is a family-owned retail garden center operating two physical locations in Peoria, Illinois, selling plants, trees, shrubs, and bulk landscaping materials (mulch, rock, gravel, soil, sod, pavers) to consumers. The company also provides professional landscape design, installation, and maintenance services, a Plant-O-Pedia online plant database, a Plant Pharmacy for integrated pest management, gift cards, and educational gardening workshops.

Product overview

Hoerr Nursery is a family-owned garden center and landscape services company founded in 1926, celebrating 100 years in business in 2026. The company operates as a unified garden center with two main retail locations: the Garden Center (plants, trees, shrubs, expert advice) and Stone Market (mulch, rock, sod, pavers, and landscape materials). The core product is the Garden Center, which offers an extensive selection of plants including perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, roses (from David Austin, Kordes, and Meilland), houseplants, tropicals, herbs, and vegetables, supported by a Plant-O-Pedia online database for plant selection. Related offerings include Landscape Design & Build services, the We Design You Install program for DIY customers, Landscape Care Maintenance services, a Plant Pharmacy for pest management and plant health products, Garden & Gift Shop, Gift Cards, Workshops & Events, Commercial/Wholesale Services, and Soil Testing Kits. The company specializes in plants adapted for Central Illinois growing conditions, with a focus on natives, pollinator-friendly plants, and integrated pest management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StoneMarket: A separate division of Hoerr Nursery offering mulch, rock, gravel, sand, soil and more, located at 8120 N Shade Tree Drive.

Products and services

• Garden Center Retail garden center offering plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, tropicals, herbs, vegetables, and roses, supported by expert horticulturists and the Plant-O-Pedia database for plant selection.
• StoneMarket Wholesale and retail supplier of landscape materials including mulch, rock, gravel, sand, soil, sod, and pavers, operated from a separate Peoria location with extended morning hours.
• Landscape Design & Build Professional landscape design and installation services for residential and commercial properties, with Hoerr Nursery handling both design and installation.
• We Design You Install Design service where Hoerr Nursery creates a professional landscape plan and the customer performs the installation themselves, providing expert guidance for DIY gardeners.
• Landscape Care Services Ongoing landscape maintenance services including lawn care, tree care, and garden maintenance for residential and commercial landscapes.
• Plant Pharmacy Pest management and plant health product line including Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), soil acidifiers, pH test kits, fertilizers, and integrated pest management solutions.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available in various designs (Poinsettia, Cardinal, Pumpkin, Houseplants, Sympathy, Hydrangea, Garden Tools, Monarch, Dog, Hummingbird, Magnolia) with customizable denominations from $15 to $2,000.
• Workshops & Events Educational gardening classes, workshops, and seasonal events where customers learn about plant care, landscaping, and gardening techniques.
• Commercial Services Wholesale and commercial accounts for landscaping contractors, builders, and businesses needing bulk plant materials and professional landscape services.
• Plant Warranty Plant warranty program providing coverage and support for plant purchases made at Hoerr Nursery.
• Plant-O-Pedia Database Online plant search database allowing customers to browse available plants with filters for type, size, sunlight, moisture, native status, and other growing characteristics, including an Illinois Native plants filter.
• Roses Collections Specialty rose collections from David Austin, Kordes, and Meilland breeders, including landscape roses, floribundas, grandifloras, and hybrid teas.
• Garden & Gift Shop In-store and online shop featuring gardening accessories, home decor, and seasonal items.

Quantifiable outcome

• Homegrown Blackgum (Tupelo) trees specifically cultivated for Central Illinois landscapes with spectacular scarlet fall color
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Spring Hill Nurseries: Direct-to-consumer mail-order plant nursery selling perennials, shrubs, and bulbs nationwide. Comparable to Hoerr in the underlying plant category and brand-driven selling approach, but operates purely through e-commerce/print channels with no physical retail footprint.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Major wholesale nursery grower of ornamental plants, shrubs, and trees that supplies independent garden centers including Hoerr. Comparable as a plant-supply counterparty and category leader, though its grower-distributor model differs from Hoerr's retailer-led approach.

Broad incumbents

• Lowe's: National big-box home improvement retailer with extensive garden center operations selling plants, trees, mulches, and pavers. Comparable to Hoerr in category overlap and a direct competitor for the same homeowner DIY and weekend-projects spend in any geographic overlap.
• SiteOne Landscape Supply: Largest North American wholesale distributor of landscape supplies, including hardscapes, irrigation, and nursery products. Overlaps with Hoerr's StoneMarket hardscape business and Hoerr Commercial Services on the B2B supply side, but operates at a national scale rather than a regional one.
• The Home Depot: National big-box home improvement retailer with a sizable garden center offering live plants, mulch, and landscape materials. A direct competitive threat to Hoerr on commodity plant and hardscape items, especially given longer hours and lower sticker prices.

Direct peers

• Armstrong Garden Centers: California-based chain of independent garden centers selling plants, trees, and landscape supplies, with in-house landscape design and installation services. Comparable to Hoerr as a multi-location retail nursery operator with strong local brand presence and complementary professional services.
• Alsip Home & Nursery: Family-owned Illinois/Indiana garden center and landscape supply retailer. Operates a similar brick-and-mortar garden center plus bulk landscape materials model in a Midwest market, making it a direct regional comparable to Hoerr Nursery.
• Bachman's: Family-owned Twin Cities (Minnesota) garden center, floral, and landscape services business founded in 1885. Operates a similar integrated retail-plus-services model (garden center, hardscape, design/build, maintenance) over many decades, making it one of the closest functional and structural analogs to Hoerr Nursery.
• The Bruce Company: Wisconsin-based integrated landscape services and garden center business, providing design, build, maintenance, and retail plant sales. Comparable to Hoerr in combining a retail nursery storefront with a sizable professional landscape services operation.
• Lurvey Landscape Supply: Midwest regional landscape supply distributor (with locations in Illinois) selling mulch, stone, soil, and hardscape materials to contractors and homeowners. Directly comparable to Hoerr's StoneMarket division and a strong analog for the hardscape side of the business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HoerrNursery
• Instagraminstagram.com/hoerr_nursery
• TikToktiktok.com/@hoerrnursery
• Xx.com/hoerrnursery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Hoerr Nursery