Johnson County nursery celebrates 60 years, but without ‘humble’ man who started it all

Sixty years.

Six decades since Ron Nelson bought Family Tree Nursery’s first greenhouse in Overland Park at 8424 Farley St. and began selling fiddle-leaf figs, ferns, flowers and more. Before each spring, he and his staff beautified the space with lavish garden displays for an open house, complete with activities and large structures covered in greenery.

This year’s Spring Open House Event is no different. Except for one key detail: Nelson won’t be there to celebrate.

Instead, a pond wells up in the middle of the greenhouse. Water cascades down a flowering tree, shimmering silver foliage hanging from its branches.

A photo of a smiling Nelson looks on. Underneath, an epitaph:

November 30, 1940 — September 17, 2023.

“He was just a very kind and gentle man,” said Jesse Nelson, a grandson and one of the owners. “Hardworking, humble, honest — made everybody feel like they were a king.”

And, of course, he will always be remembered for his green thumb.

Family Tree Nursery’s open house is this weekend, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the Overland Park, Shawnee and Liberty locations. While Nelson’s absence is certainly felt, there’s still plenty of celebration to be had: floral displays, food trucks and live music.

Sixty years in business is quite the feat, after all.

This year’s open house is especially sentimental for Jesse Nelson. He’s been reflecting on his grandfather’s legacy, grateful to work in tandem with his grandmother, father and brothers.

“It’s really beautiful to see the impact on the employees, the customers … everybody he interacted with,” he said.

The name “Family Tree” is fitting today, with three generations of Nelsons rooted in the business. When it was just the Farley Street location, Nelson called the business Overland Park Garden Center.

When he looked to expand his business, he pondered changing the name.

As the story goes, he had been praying one evening about what to call his company. He woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and turned to his wife, Beverly.

“He woke my grandma up and said, ‘I think I’ve got it. It is: Family Tree Nursery,’” Jesse recalled.

The Shawnee location at 7036 Nieman Road opened in 1980. The Liberty store, 830 W. Liberty Drive, opened in 1989.

All along the pond are clay roof tiles from the Nelsons’ old house, which once stood next to the greenhouse. Purple decorations are an homage to Nelson’s alma mater, Kansas State.

There are plenty of other displays across the three locations: birthday cake-shaped shrubs, giant mushroom sculptures, flowery tissue paper hanging from the rafters.

A fast favorite for many will likely be the Barbie dream house display inside the Overland Park store. Its pink flamingos and blue fountains invited children to investigate on Friday. Toddlers splashed their hands in the water and posed next to a ticking Barbie clock.

The open houses also offer cookies from Dolce Bakery, tacos from Tiki Taco, balloon artists, a petting zoo, face painting, several musicians and more.

To find out which location is hosting which activities, visit Family Tree Nursery’s website at familytreenursery.com/spring-open-house-event.