Big News: We’re Growing!

The new addition on the south side of our existing Greenhouse will include both covered Canopy space and a new Propagation House.

At Fort Collins Nursery we trace our origins back to a humble nursery called Kinghorn Nursery in the early 1930s. Since then, we’ve grown, passed from one owner to the next, changed locations, and eventually split into the two great horticultural institutions known today as Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery and Fort Collins Nursery. In that great tradition of constant growth and improvement, I am pleased to announce the next phase for Fort Collins Nursery. In early November, we began construction on a major expansion of our retail greenhouse, a project which will provide over 5,000 square feet of additional covered shopping, will expand our indoor greenhouse by over 2,500 square feet, and will create a brand new plant propagation house!

 

It takes a big drill to drill big holes for the concrete piers that will support the structure.

This project has been years in the making. As our community has continued to grow and thrive, we have found ourselves barely able to keep up with the demand for more plants. In 2016, we began exploring ways to meet the increasing demand by looking for land where we could move our plant production operations, but were unable to identify the right property to fit our needs. After a long and fruitless search, we changed our focus to upgrading our facilities to better manage the needs of our customers, and the concept of expanding our retail buildings was born. Ideas were formed, explored, picked apart, and tossed aside until we settled on the project that is now underway. With the help of DS Constructors, we were able to create a design, clear the permitting process (no easy task!), find the best builders around, and are now full steam ahead with the construction process.

 

Setting the columns.

We are very excited about what this expansion will mean for you, our customers, in the years to come. Among the many benefits, you can expect:

  • More covered retail space. Our expanded Canopy space means that many more of your favorite landscape plants will have protection from the most extreme weather. They will look nicer throughout the season, will be less stressed when they are ready to go home with you, and will be easier to access regardless of what craziness the weather throws our way.
  • Better events. Rain or shine, we’ll have more covered space for our already epic events including our Open Houses, specialty plant events, and our extremely popular Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off. We know how to throw a good party, and now we can keep from getting rained on while we do it!
  • More space in the Greenhouse. We will be able to offer an even wider variety of your favorite vegetables, herbs, houseplants, annuals, and tropical plants, and you’ll have more room to move around when you visit.
  • An even better selection of quality plants grown right here in Fort Collins. Our new Propagation House will allow us to ensure we’ve always got the plants you want, even if other growers aren’t growing them.

 

With the trusses in place, the building takes shape.

We couldn’t even begin to dream about a project like this if we didn’t believe in the long-term continued success of our business, and for that, we thank you. We are deeply honored to have such amazing support from our customers. From our humble beginnings over 85 years ago, we have seen generations of gardeners and plant lovers pass through our doors, and we plan on being here when your kids and grandkids are ready to pick up the shovel and plant their own landscapes. We can’t wait to see you this spring when our new space is open to the public. Until then, keep on growing!

 

Check back often for updated photos of the project!

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Originally published on November 30th, 2018. Updated on September 3rd, 2019.