Spring Meadow, Proven Winners Celebrate Benchmarks

Spring Meadow Nursery Inc., a wholesaler in Grand Haven, Mich., celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and will also appear on the television show “Rebecca’s Garden.” Proven Winners recently marked its own milestone by showcasing its plants at this year’s Kentucky Derby.

Spring Meadow’s owner Dale Deppe attributes his company’s 25-year run to its ability to differentiate from the competition. When the business started, Deppe was selling flowering shrubs the same way annuals were sold – in a potted cell, which was a relatively new approach in the industry.

After that, Spring Meadow developed a patented plant program that set aside some royalties for marketing and promotion. Plants sold under the new program were promoted by a wholesale propagation nursery – a new concept in the industry. This led to a partnership with Proven Winners. Since 2003, Spring Meadow has been using this system to sell ColorChoice plants under the Proven Winners name.

On May 21, the company will be featured on “Rebecca’s Garden,” a nationally syndicated gardening show. The program’s Web site, www.rebeccasgarden.com, lists additional times when the episode – No. 10,025 – will air. Four Star Greenhouses, another Proven Winners grower, was also featured on the show recently.

The Proven Winners brand received attention last week at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The company showcased thousands of varieties at the Kentucky Derby as well as advertised in the official derby program and the Churchill Downs’ e-newsletter. Attendees could see the plants throughout the gardens and paddock areas. They could also inspect hundreds of plants arranged in container and window box combinations. During Kentucky Derby Day, the Marquee Village sponsor areas featured Proven Winners plants.