Many of our customers inquire, “How did you get involved in horticulture? Was this place a nursery when you first bought it?” The story stems all the way back to 1979, when privacy hedges were booming in popularity. My parents, John and Lucy Seid, planted several hundred arborvitae into small pots as an experiment. The following year, they added a variety of junipers—and Meadow Creek Wholesale Nursery in New Holland, Pennsylvania came into being.
Growing Up in Beautiful Lancaster County
Growing up in beautiful Lancaster County, life as I knew it meant weeding from dawn to dusk, planting thousands of little plugs into containers pre-filled with soil. Duties included loading the mature shrubs into tractor trailers to be delivered to retail stores.
A major highlight for me was riding along in the truck on these deliveries. Well do I recall the thrill of seeing a retail garden center for the first time in my life at twelve years old! Browsing through the neatly spaced rows of conifers, a lifelong dream was born. This is what I saw in my future!
A Dream Takes Root
Fast forward to 1996, the year of our wedding. Allen was raised on a dairy farm less than four miles away. Being a foreman on a carpentry crew for five years was a priceless experience, but he wanted to be a stay-at-home dad to Lillian and Wendall. Good friends invited us to join them in Bedford County where farmland was more affordable. We were ecstatic to find thirty-eight acres in Bloomfield Township suitable for milking cows, with—oh joy!—room for building greenhouses.
Allen enjoyed renovating the old butcher shop into the nursery office and sales room we still use today. April 1, 2002 was Grand Opening day, and the rest, as they say, is history!
From Wholesale to Whole-House Installs
We soon discovered there is a demand for installing larger trees. For example, an elderly couple might come in and purchase several heavy items, requesting us to plant them. This led to us doing “whole-house” installs, which is now the main part of our business.
Our Children—Our Greatest Blessing
Our children, who now number seven, have always loved to go along on landscape jobs. Elaine, Justin, Lucy Rose, Janelle, and Suzanne quickly learned the ropes—to “get up early,” packing their little lunches. They could also help with easy jobs, like removing the containers from the plants and situating them at the designated spots.
A Family Nursery, Ready for Spring
I hope you enjoyed this inside glimpse of the history of a family-owned-and-operated nursery. Our entire crew is eagerly anticipating the arrival of sweet Spring! Our hearts beat faster at the thought of Spring peepers calling from Halter Creek, which flows through our pasture. Spring brings a time change and working outside until dark. And it means homeowners like you will be dropping by with pictures and measurements, looking for help with the free landscape designs we love creating.
We look forward to meeting you! Please call 814-224-4508 to set up a free consultation.
Ellen Stauffer
“A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love!”
— Saint Basil