A partnership greater than the sum of its parts
Ask the Expert: Emerald Coast Growers
(Sponsored) With the rise of e-commerce, consumers now browse, compare, and purchase products from the comfort of their own homes. That convenience creates both great opportunities and challenges for the horticulture industry. The opportunity is obvious: plants are beautiful, photogenic, and perfect impulse buys. The challenge: a living product is not as easy to put in a box and ship as hardgoods. One company that stands out in mastering e-commerce for plants is Great Garden Plants, partially thanks to the right partners the company aligns with.
Founded in 2008 by Mary Walters and purchased in 2019 by Jeremy Deppe, Great Garden Plants encompasses roughly five acres of continuously covered growing space out of a dedicated corner of Spring Meadow Nursery’s facilities in Michigan.
Great Garden Plants is an e-commerce company that specializes in growing and shipping perennials and shrubs, offering over 1,500 varieties through its online store. From landscape staples to exciting new introductions, their goal is to make high-quality plants accessible to gardeners across the country. The company currently ships to all 48 contiguous United States and recently started serving customers in Canada as well.
The demands of e-commerce leave little room for error and set particularly high standards on the quality and reliability of starter plants. That’s why Great Garden Plants sources a large amount of its perennial and ornamental grass starter plants from Emerald Coast Growers of Pensacola, Florida.
“It’s vital that the plugs arrive healthy and vigorous from the start, since any inconsistency can quickly impact our production schedule,” explains Miranda Niemiec, Operations & Marketing Manager for Great Garden Plants. “Emerald Coast has consistently delivered quality plants and provides an attentive sales and customer service team we can rely on for support when needed.”
Great Garden Plants began working with Emerald Coast Growers around 2019. Once the gardening boom hit in 2020, their orders with Emerald Coast really took off, and the partnership has continued to grow ever since.
“We were initially drawn to Emerald Coast Growers by their plant quality, reliability and depth of assortment, which we were trying to build at Great Garden Plants,” explains Niemiec. “Over the years, the relationship has grown alongside our own business. What started as a smaller partnership has become a much more consistent and collaborative one, and ECG is now an important part of our supply chain.”
Niemiec sources a wide range of perennials and ornamental grasses from Emerald Coast Growers, from landscaping classics like Sagina, Carex, and Festuca to home gardener favorites like Echinacea, Anemone, and Gaura. The company primarily buys 72- or 50-cell plug trays that they shift into one quart containers, which have a quick finishing window.
Both companies share a similar philosophy, where quality, reliability, and excellent customer support take center stage. Both take great pride in helping their customers succeed, and they realize how important every step in the production process is to ensure great success for their customers.
As Niemiec states: “At Great Garden Plants, we pair high-quality perennials and shrubs with a customer experience designed to help gardeners feel confident and excited at every step. Whether someone is learning through our educational content, getting inspired by our social media, or shopping on our award-winning app, we aim to meet gardeners where they’re at and make gardening feel more rewarding.” That same philosophy guides the team at Emerald Coast Growers.
Emerald Coast Growers is proud to celebrate 35 years of success in the horticulture business. Known for their wide variety of perennial starter plants and specialty plants, Emerald Coast Growers still maintains the distinction of being one of the industry’s largest suppliers of ornamental grass liners to North American growers and retailers.
“It’s been exciting to see Great Garden Plants succeed in making gardening more accessible to today’s consumers,” states Cheri Markowitz, VP of Sales for Emerald Coast. “We are proud to work with Miranda and her team to bring exciting plants to America’s gardens. We are already working together on a great lineup for the 2026/2027 season.”
For more information, please visit www.ecgrowers.com and www.greatgardenplants.com.