Growing Solon Springs business fills local niche
May 11—A new greenhouse opened its doors in the village of Solon Springs on May 1, filling a community need that was left when The Garden House closed in 2018. HLE Greenhouse, an extension of Hammond Landscaping and Excavating, is a family business.
It's owned by Jason and Carrie Hammond, and the employee roster of eight includes their daughter, Gretchen, and Carrie Hammond's sister, Shannon Schorik.
Located at 9221 E. Evergreen Ave., the greenhouse was flanked by rows of trees and shrubs that were starting to bud and filled with shelves of green plants Thursday, May 6.
"We planted every tiny little thing from seeds or from cuttings," said Carrie Hammond, walking past rows of perennials.
Even the trees were shipped in bare root and coaxed awake by the greenhouse staff.
It's been a journey of discovery for Hammond, who wasn't a gardener prior to launching the business. Her husband wanted to open a greenhouse in honor of his grandmother, Alice Gucinski, but with the landscaping business booming, Hammond wasn't sure she'd have enough time to devote to it. Then she and her sister started to grow plants with the guidance of Lisa Evans, whose family owned The Garden House for decades.
"Now I understand why people love this so much, because I actually really, really, really enjoy caring for them and growing them from nothing to this, and every day seeing what's new when I come in," Hammond said. "That's the most rewarding and the biggest thing. I feel in love with it and I didn't think I would."
They've watched the seeds grow and mature, and now they're eager to send them home with other gardeners. They understand the greenhouse in downtown Solon Springs is a temptation.
"It's hard to see all this and not wanting to plant, because it's a little early right now," said Schorik, who manages the greenhouse.
Not every plant will leave the family. Gretchen Hammond and fellow employee Bailey Monson, both sophomores at Solon Springs High School, have been growing a mystery plant all spring. It started as a stray bulb known simply as "Da Mystery."
"And it came up and we realized it was some sort of lily," Gretchen Hammond said.
They're waiting for it to bloom to identify it fully. Carrie Hammond and Schorik said they've also held back two tomato plants for the greenhouse staff to enjoy.
HLE Greenhouse was built on community support, the sisters said, listing a number of local businesses that have lent a hand. Family members Patrick Bornholdt and Jon Gucinski were tapped to build the greenhouse and office structures. Evans has been instrumental, and Mary Missinne of Missinne's Greenhouse and Landscaping has supported the sprouting enterprise.
"I'd really like to make a point: 'Thank you to them,'" Schorik said.
Community response has been so positive that the family plans to add a second greenhouse next year to double their stock and offer more variety.
Hammond Landscaping and Excavating, which was started in 2016, is also seeing an uptick in clients. The crew is booked out for about a year and a half with big jobs, which include retaining walls, patios, lakeshores, sod, walkways and stairs. The company does work within a 30-mile radius of Solon Springs. Schorik said they plan to add a second crew and are hiring landscapers.
HLE Greenhouse is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday as long as plants are available.
