Sugar Grove nursery destroyed in February storm reopens
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. — A nursery in Sugar Grove is finally ready for a busy spring after it was destroyed in a storm in February.
When it comes to gardening, timing is everything. Mother’s Day weekend usually signals the end of frost, giving flowers a chance to flourish.
“It’s our busiest day today and tomorrow and we will stay open as late as people come out. You can see it the parking lot is packed. We brought in extra help,” Spring Bluff Nursery owner Greg Voirin said.
Things were much different for Voirin in late February when a tornado nearly wiped out his business.
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“It was an EF1. I think it sustained over 100-mile-hour winds. I think 110,” Voirin said.
While no one was hurt, the devastating storm left its mark. Nearly a dozen greenhouses were destroyed and the roof of a pole barn was destroyed.
“It literally picked that whole roof up and moved it about 260 feet it was devastating,” Greg’s father Tom Voirin, who was among those who came out to help said.
Temperatures then plunged following the storm.
“The weather went from 73 degrees to 26 degrees and it literally destroyed thousands of plants because they froze. We had to replant, reseed, regrow,” Tom said.
But their frustration turned into hope when they realized time was actually on their side and their plants were still in the early stages.
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“If those plants would have been more mature, we would not have been able to reset in time for today,” Greg said.
Customers now see a radiant display and say they are happy to Spring Bluff Nursery back in action.
“I mean we were devastated it’s a great local business that we love to support,” customer Ellen Wildes said.
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