Gardenworld

What Gardenworld does

Gardenworld, Inc. operates a wholesale perennial plant nursery under the registered Growing Colors brand out of a single facility in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Founded in 2000, the company supplies finished and pre-finished perennials, ornamental grasses, ground covers, Hostas, and seasonal flowering plants to commercial growers, landscape contractors, and retail garden centers across North America. Product distribution is organized as an annual program calendar (Spring, Summer/Fall, Finished Grass 1-gal, Finished Grass 2-gal, Finished Ground Cover, and Pre-Finished Hosta programs), with availability charts, order forms, and credit applications managed through an in-house e-commerce platform supplemented by toll-free phone and email ordering.

Revenue is generated through B2B unit pricing (3" plug, quart, gallon, and 2-gallon sizes) with minimum order quantities (e.g., a 56-tray minimum on Hosta gallon racks), ancillary sales of picture tags and bench cards, and Net 30 credit terms available to approved accounts (credit card payments incur a 3.1% fee, and a 1.5% monthly finance charge applies to past-due balances). The go-to-market is sales-led, executed through an in-house sales team and an account-manager locator network that covers the US and Canada. Plants ship FOB from the Minnesota warehouse, with USDA hardiness zone coverage from zones 2 through 11, and the catalog is refreshed annually with breeder-sourced new introductions from partners including Proven Winners and Terra Nova Nurseries.

Name

Gardenworld

Legal name

Gardenworld, Inc.

Website

https://growingcolors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gardenworld (d/b/a Growing Colors) is a Minnesota-based wholesale perennial plant nursery founded in 2000 that supplies finished and pre-finished perennials, grasses, ground covers, and Hostas on a seasonal program basis to commercial growers, landscape contractors, and garden centers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cottage Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Plant Sales: B2B wholesale sales of perennials, grasses, ground covers, Hostas, shrubs, and seasonal plants to growers, landscapers, and garden centers. Products sold through program offerings with minimum order quantities (e.g., 56 tray minimum for Hosta Gallon racks). Tags and picture tags available for additional purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gardenworld, operating as Growing Colors, is a wholesale grower and supplier of containerized perennials, ornamental grasses, ground covers, and Hosta varieties. It sells these plants to commercial growers, landscape contractors, and garden centers through seasonal program offerings (Spring, Summer/Fall, pre-finished Hosta for the following season), with branded genetics from Proven Winners and Terra Nova. Buyers access the catalog via an online plant search tool and place orders through a direct sales team or digital platform on net-30 credit terms.

Product overview

Gardenworld, operating as Growing Colors, is a wholesale perennial plant nursery offering a multi-program catalog system. The product portfolio consists of finished ornamental grass programs (1 gallon and 2 gallon sizes), finished ground cover program, seasonal perennial programs (Spring and Summer/Fall), and pre-finished Hosta programs (gallon and quart sizes). The company operates on a pre-order basis with availability calendars, order forms, and credit application processes. Programs are updated annually with new introductions. The catalog spans hundreds of perennial varieties including Achillea, Agastache, Allium, Aster, Brunnera, Campanula, Chrysanthemum, Coreopsis, Dianthus, Echinacea, Hosta, and ornamental grasses, sold primarily to greenhouse growers and landscape professionals through a wholesale ordering platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2026 Spring Program Seasonal wholesale program of containerized perennials, ornamental grasses, and ground covers sized for spring sales and landscape installation in 2026, sold to commercial growers, landscape contractors, and garden centers.
• 2026 Summer/Fall Program Late-season wholesale program of containerized perennials, grasses, and ground covers intended for late-2026 sales, planting, and overwinter inventory at grower, landscape, and garden center accounts.
• 2026 Finished Grass 1 Gallon Program Wholesale program of finished ornamental grasses in 1-gallon containers for the 2026 season, sold to growers, landscape contractors, and garden centers needing ready-to-sell or ready-to-plant grasses.
• 2026 Finished Grass 2 Gallon Program Wholesale program of finished ornamental grasses in 2-gallon containers for the 2026 season, supplying landscape and retail buyers with larger, retail-ready grass specimens.
• 2026 Finished Ground Cover Program Wholesale program of finished ground cover plants in 2026, sold to commercial growers, landscape contractors, and garden centers installing or reselling low-growing perennial ground covers.
• 2027 Pre-Finished Hosta Gallon Program Pre-finished Hosta program in 1-gallon containers available for 2027, supplied as larger-than-quart starter plants to growers who finish them for sale the following season.
• 2027 Pre-Finished Hosta Quart Program Pre-finished Hosta program in quart containers available for 2027, supplying growers with smaller starter-size Hosta liners for finishing and resale.
• 2026 New Introductions Collection Curated wholesale collection of new perennial, ornamental grass, and Hosta introductions released for the 2026 season, including Proven Winners and Terra Nova branded genetics, for growers, landscapers, and garden centers.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Terra Nova NurseriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerra Nova Nurseries is referenced as the breeder of Agastache 'Kudos Coral', indicating a breeder/supplier relationship for proprietary plant introductions.
• Proven WinnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Proven Winners varieties are featured in the product lineup, including Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Hosta varieties, and various perennial cultivars, indicating a supplier/breeder partnership.
• Donahue'sminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDonahue's 1 Gallon, 2.5" and 3.5" Pot Order Form listed under 2026 Specialty Programs, indicating a specialty grower supplier relationship.
• Holt NurseryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHolt Nursery Order Form listed under 2026 Specialty Programs, indicating a specialty grower supplier relationship.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Dümmen Orange: Global breeder and supplier of perennials, annuals, and potted plants through a network of rooting stations and brokers. Overlaps with Gardenworld on perennial supply, branded genetics (e.g., Echinacea, Helleborus), and grower/landscaper channel reach.
• Bailey Nurseries: Large, established wholesale grower of shrubs, perennials, and annuals marketed through the Endless Summer and First Editions brands. Overlaps with Gardenworld on perennials and shrubs and serves the same grower and garden center channel, but at significantly greater scale and product breadth.
• Monrovia Nursery Company: Major wholesale nursery with extensive branded container plant programs across perennials, shrubs, and trees. Comparable to Gardenworld in supplying independent garden centers and landscape professionals, but operates at much larger scale with proprietary branding.

Direct peers

• Star Roses and Plants: Wholesale breeder and grower of roses, perennials, and woody shrubs marketed under branded programs. Comparable B2B wholesale model, branded genetics partnerships with retailers, and pre-order program structure.
• Walters Gardens: One of the largest wholesale perennial growers in North America, supplying finished perennials, grasses, and Hosta liners to growers and landscape professionals. Closely comparable to Gardenworld across product mix (perennials, grasses, Hostas), B2B wholesale model, and pre-order program structure.
• Spring Meadow Nursery: Wholesale nursery specializing in woody ornamentals and flowering shrubs marketed under the Proven Winners ColorChoice line. Highly comparable in B2B wholesale model, breeder partnerships (Proven Winners), and program-based pre-order selling to growers and garden centers.
• Pacific Plug & Liner: Wholesale grower specializing in perennial liners, succulents, and specialty annuals sold through broker networks to growers and garden centers. Comparable product mix (perennials, grasses) and B2B pre-order model, but with a stronger emphasis on young plant liners rather than finished material.
• Greenleaf Nursery Company: Wholesale nursery producing container-grown perennials, shrubs, and grasses distributed to garden centers, landscape contractors, and re-wholesalers across North America. Directly comparable customer base and product mix, though with broader woody plant offering.
• Creek Hill Nursery: Specialty wholesale perennial plug and liner producer supplying finished perennials and grasses to growers and landscape professionals. Comparable product mix (perennials, ornamental grasses) and B2B grower channel focus.

Emerging players

• Proven Winners: Plant brand marketing organization that licenses genetics from breeders and sells finished annuals, perennials, and shrubs through branded partner growers. Comparable in that many Gardenworld genetics are sourced from Proven Winners; serves overlapping garden center customers with branded plant programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/growingcolors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gardenworld-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Gardenworld