Van Winden's Garden Center

Van Winden’s Garden Center has a long history in Napa

a good-sized greenhouse packed with flora, and rows of annual and perennial bedding plants and vegetable starts. In the words of owner, Peter Van Winden, "if it has roots, we have it." There is also statuary, pottery, outdoor furniture and a range of gardening accessories in the gift shop.

The impressive collection makes for not only a great shopping experience, but also a peaceful afternoon stroll, according to Peter. Most plants are accompanied by a sign which provides basic information on planting and care. People saunter through rows of bushes, crouch over signs taking notes and refer back to their flower textbooks in hand. On the weekends, it's a place for family trips where the mini-vans get loaded with perennials, fertilizer and a perhaps a Venus fly trap for kids. And it all started 50 years ago - the seed of the great American dream.

Peter and Jake looked for jobs in the Bay Area. If Northern California proved promising, Jake planned to bring the family. But after an extensive search, the area failed to appeal. They went north to the Napa Valley, and Peter found work as a rounds person at the Beaulieu Gardens for 85 cents an hour. He said he fell in love with the beauty of Napa, and when his father decided to return to Holland six months later Peter asked to stay.

For the next year, Peter was diligent, saving every penny in hopes of bringing his family to America. In 1949, his efforts finally paid off. Peter's family immigrated to the United States had made their home in Napa - a feat that was considerably easier back when the wine industry wasn't as robust. Back then, Napa was a small farming community and land was cheap, Peter recalled. Rather than vineyards, Peter remembers prune trees dotting the landscape. Napa was virtually undeveloped.

As new immigrants, the van Winden family shelved into what they knew best and worked in landscaping. In 1951, Peter left to serve in Korea. Shortly after Peter left, Jake and Peter's brother, Adrian, considered starting a nursery.

At the time there were only two nurseries in own. Opening a third nursery to compete against established businesses could be risky. But Jake and Adrian took a leap. In 1952. They stepped out as entrepreneurs and started a small nursery on Browns Valley Road.

In just a short time, the Van Windens upgraded their business by purchasing a two-acre property on Pueblo, just off Highway 29. But while they had the land to expend their business, there was no money for a building. Without alternatives, they parked a six-by-eight foot crate, that had been used to ship their furniture to the United States, on the property and set up a store inside. Peter returned from the service, and together the Van Winden men put in countless hours to prepare.

On Feb 17, 1953, the Van Winden's Garden Center officially opened and made their first sale: a Camellia.

The rest is history. Van Winden's grew to be the largest nursery in the Napa Valley. Even when the large retail chains started moving into town, Van Winden's sales increased, Peter said.

"Peter really brings in good quality stuff," said Leslie Grinsell, an estate gardener who has been going to Van Winden's for over 20 years. "The big corporations buy things in mass, and they do offer it at a lower price, but the quality isn't there."

Peter never worried too much about the large chains. his commitment to the company slogan, "quality, selection and service" has earned him a reputation that has carried the business for half a century.

Not that he's just riding on reputation. He's constantly looking to improve the business by reading and studying plants. Whenever he travels, Peter stops at local nurseries to research new varieties of flowers and plants that can be introduced into the Napa climate.

"Even on our honeymoon we went to nurseries," said Johanna, his wife of over 50 years. "That's the difference between us and the other stores."

Another aspect owing to the nursery's longevity is a committed staff, most of whom are family. After Peter married Joanna he bought out the nursery from his father and brother, who opened Van Winden's Landscaping down the street. Peter and Johanna created a partnership that had Johanna handling 300 house accounts (before that age of credit cards) while Van Winden worked at the nursery until six, then did paperwork until midnight at home. They even built a modest home on the nursery property, which now serve as office space.

Today, five of their six daughters work at the nursery, assuming various responsibilities to help run the business. The staff is comprised of gardening experts who have been with the nursery for years. Gary Sampson, manager, has been at Van Winden's since the 1970s. The combination of loyalty and knowledge from the team has been a foolproof formula for success.

Into his 80's now, Peter is well past conventional retirement age but according to his family, settling down will be hard to do. Trying to get hold of Peter is a near impossible task as he is busy purchasing plants, helping customers, or traveling the world in search of another addition to the nursery.

"When your job is your hobby, you can't retire," said Cathy Giovannoni, one of the Van Winden daughters, "You stay with it."