‘Richly blooming’

By DEB BENTLY

Staff Writer

Gretchen Boldt starts putting seeds into soil in January, and keeps on planting well into June.

Boldt, who with her husband Glenn operates Hilltop Greenhouse southeast of Geneva in Freeborn County, oversees the growth of nearly every conceivable type of domestic plant that can be grown in Minnesota.

Hilltop has nine greenhouses on 14 acres near the couple’s home in one location, and 20 acres of vegetable garden in a location nearby. Boldt tells of many systems and choices which have helped the business grow from much humbler beginnings back in 1988, but perhaps the most important single priority, she suggests, is “customer satisfaction.”

“It would be really nice to have a crystal ball,” she comments. “Each year as we start getting ready, so many of our choices would be simpler if we knew what the spring was going to be like.”

When and how quickly the temperatures tend toward cool or warm, whether moisture levels are more wet or dry, all those factors, she explains, have an effect on what customers want for their flowerbeds, planters and especially their gardens. Without the crystal ball, she says lightheartedly, the best they can do is plan for as many contingencies as space allows, and then hope for the best.

Walking through the color and variety of the company’s spacious greenhouse on a warming spring day, Boldt admits, is an uplifting experience. She holds no animosity toward visitors whose only real objective seems to be strolling through the aisles and enjoying the company of the plants.

“Right now, they’re shopping for ideas,” she comments. “That’s a good way to start.”

Dozens of richly blooming planters hang at shoulder height. Hundreds of colorful flowers in smaller pots wait their turn. Boldt is personally acquainted with nearly all of them, having been part of the small team who took on the job of filling the pots, placing the seeds, and nurturing the seedlings.

Boldt explains that, while most greenhouse operators save time by purchasing seedlings already sprouted in small plugs, Hilltop uses seeds.

“With the plugs,” she explains, “you can mostly only get the popular varieties of plant, the ones ‘everybody’ grows.

“If you want some of the newer, or more exotic varieties, you have to plant them yourself.”

Pointing to a row of thriving hip-high planters where no two are alike, she mentions she has planted them all. “It’s mostly inspiration,” she comments of the selections. “I look at all the options, and I take the ones I think will go well together.”

In addition to the many hanging plants for sale in the greenhouse, the company puts together the hanging flower baskets displayed in the city of Austin–about 270– and in Albert Lea–another 60. Customers also regularly bring containers from their homes to be custom planted, and request planters to be placed in cemeteries beginning about Memorial Day.

The main sales greenhouse at Hilltop opens in mid-April  and stays open through October. Hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 to 4 on Saturdays; and 10 to 4 on Sundays. Sales of flowers and bedding plants are nearly finished by mid-June. By then, the Boldts have placed thousands of young plants in their vegetable garden on a separate property.

There, a distinctly different phase of their business is underway.

“Our vegetable club has 150 members,” reveals Boldt. Members of the vegetable club pay a yearly fee. Then, once a week for 16 weeks, they receive a box full of seasonal fresh vegetables, beginning at the end of June and continuing through October.

Many club members are in Austin and Albert Lea, so the Boldts deliver boxes to specified pickup locations in those towns; others come directly to the greenhouse.

“We use sustainable techniques in our gardens,” Boldt mentions.

“We want to give our customers food grown in a way we would want it ourselves.”

Ground coverings prevent weed growth and reduce the need for manual weeding, she mentions. Persistent rotation–including keeping a portion of their fields in cover crops–helps keep parasites from establishing a foothold.

“It’s a lot of work, and there can be frustration,” Boldt says of the business’s many facets and the absence of a crystal ball.

“And it has its unique rewards.”

Hilltop’s location miles from any town is an obstacle the business has worked to overcome. “No one happens upon us by happy accident,” says Boldt lightheartedly. “You find us because you’re looking for us.”

Knowing this, Boldt says, “We cherish our regular customers. We work very hard to give them what they want, things that will bring them pleasure, so they continue to come back.

“We wouldn’t be here without them.”

Boldt tells the story of a catastrophic 2010 tornado which destroyed the family home, a classic dairy barn that once stood on the property, and–of course–the original greenhouses built beginning in the 1980s by Glenn, Gretchen, and their daughters Julie, Angela, and Laurie.

As family members were performing the heartbreaking task of cleaning up broken and shattered plants and products, Gretchen remembers a group of customers arriving and expressing their empathy.

“They bought some of those broken plants right off our wagon,” she recalls with a smile.

Fortunately, she and Glenn were able to rebuild. They made a point of connecting with a specialist who helped them design replacement greenhouses with specific wind-defense features.

“The climate is changing,” observes Gretchen. “We have to be ready to adapt.”

Not only do satisfied customers return, she continues, they bring others with them.

“Word of mouth is the most valuable advertising there is,” she comments. “So we do what we can to encourage our customers to talk about us.”

The business keeps a website and a Facebook page; both are used to notify the public of special sales and upcoming activities.

One spring event invites customers to bring their planters and do what Gretchen does–let inspiration guide them as they select the combination of flowers, vines and grasses they will enjoy.

An open house on May 3 offers cookies and treats, as well as the chance for a congenial stroll through leafy pathways–regardless of the weather. At times like those, Gretchen says her biggest delight is to hear from customers both about how they can’t wait to take her handiwork home, or about how much they enjoyed items purchased for the previous season, and hope to enjoy the same quality again.

Another joy for her is talking about gardening. She thinks of numerous conversations where she has planted seeds of knowledge by sharing her own experiences and lessons learned.

“That’s a time when all the work pays off,” she said. “It’s rewarding to know what you’re doing makes a difference.”