The history of HLF

How did I get into this crazy business in the first place?  Well I was raised in a tight little neighborhood subdivision on the east side of Columbus back in the 1960s.  My cousins lived on a farm in southern Ohio.  I loved the days I’d visit there and we’d play in the woods.  While growing up in the neighborhood I dreamed of how city life could be better with more green space and privacy plantings between neighbors.  I attended “the” OSU and realized there was an industry called “landscape horticulture”.  I chose this major and have loved my decision ever since.  After college I traveled around the world working in gardens, nurseries and landscape firms for 3 more years.  (Boston, England and Germany).   This really opened my eyes to the possibilities and further confirmed by choice of careers.

After my travels I was ready to come home and build a career.  I took a job managing a garden center/landscape business for Country Acres Greenhouse just north of Marysville (sadly, it is no longer there).  After 10 years of retail I changed my career to wholesale.  I represented a large nursery grower selling plants to garden centers and landscapers, etc all over the midwest.  I did this for nearly 30 years.

I moved to Union County in 1978 (in the blizzard!) and soon planted 20 acres of pine and spruce trees for sale to farmers for windbreaks.  That was actually the beginning of Hickory Lane Farms.  We now have 5 greenhouses to grow trees, shrubs and perennials.  We like to use the unusual which can be hard to find in the nursery trade so we grow most of our own plants.  We are a little off the beaten path so we don’t advertise for retail.  But our friends and clients are always welcome to come visit as long as we know you are coming.

In the meantime my wife and I raised 3 children.  My youngest son, Jacob, wanted to start a landscape company.  He attended Columbus State University and studied the landscape program.  So ……. I came full circle back into landscaping to help him start a business.  It’s been great.  I do most of the sales and he does the installation.  Jacob is very meticulous and a very good builder.  With him, there’s only one way to do a job and that’s the right way!  We’ve been working together now for over 18 years…………… working with nature, one property at a time.

Happy gardening!