Keeping Fenton Flowerful

Terry Marshall owns a sprawling garden shop on Hwy 141, aptly named . A stroll through the grounds can turn up just about any kind of shrub, tree or bush a Fenton homeowner could want to beautify his yard. In the spring, the place is a maze of colorful annuals.

“Now is the time for mums and asters,” said Marshall.

In September Marshall’s covered plant patio is stocked to the brim with large pots of budding mums, waiting for fall’s cool temperature before bursting into color. He’ll soon bring in other fall plants, like the popular winter hardy pansies that can provide colorful blooms in the garden through fall and once again in the early spring.

Marshall doesn’t grow the plants he sells, rather he brings in the best plants for area gardens from all over the country. He said that as long as plants are grown in the correct zone they will do fine in Fenton gardens.

A hands-on business owner, Marshall comes in each morning at 6am to tend to plants before he opens the doors to customers. He spends time each day watering, trimming and fertilizing plants and can often be found wandering the grounds checking his stock and helping customers.

“I always liked doing outdoor work,” he said. He got interested in the garden business after working for his uncle’s landscaping business while in high school. Marshall said that landscaping is about a third of his own  business.

He said that winter is always a slow time for anyone in the gardening business, but he keeps his shop open by selling birdseed and salt. His garden shop also sells gardening tools, fertilizers and chemicals, pots and garden decorations.

He gears up for spring—the busiest time for a plant seller—in February. The busiest months for Marshall are April through June when his grounds are packed with gardeners seeking brightly flowering annuals for their yards.

Plant buying slows down in the summer, but a second wave of business hits as temperatures cool off.

“We do quite a bit of business in the fall,” he said, as homeowner’s attention turns to trees and shrubs. “It easier to plant in the fall, both on the plants and the people.”

He has a year round staff of seven, but in peak times he hires up to 20, mostly spring part timers.

Strangely enough, he says he doesn’t have time for a big garden at home.

“I do it all here.”