Pemberton’s Greenhouses, an oasis of green tucked in an industrial corridor, celebrates 150 years
For a century and a half, a lush, green family-owned horticulture business has been discreetly tucked in the midst of an otherwise industrial and utilitarian corridor two miles north of the Distillery District. Known for many decades as W.P. Pemberton & Sons Greenhouses, the official company name became Pemberton’s Greenhouses in 2009, although it always has been commonly referred to as Pemberton’s. What began in 1871 as a family business with tobacco and vegetables continues as a thriving retail and wholesale garden center – still family-owned and operated.
Located on Keller Court, off Georgetown Street near New Circle Road, Pemberton’s occupies roughly three acres, with 22 greenhouses – one of which dates back to 1915.
“It’s a very old facility – the plants are in the exact spots where they were grown,” said co-owner Janna Pemberton Schmidt. The fact that the facility was “built for the plants, not for people to walk through” makes for some areas that some might consider somewhat difficult to browse, she added.
Both loyal longtime patrons and new customers alike, however, are likely to shrug off that assessment. Perusing the historic greenhouses’ narrow, rambling aisles lined with thousands of plants and flowers is akin to having stumbled upon a secret and wild labyrinthine world. Begonias, geraniums, impatiens, ferns, white velvet tradescantia, potted tulips and succulent gardens mingle with garden supplies and sundries. From the greenhouse structures themselves to the charming, weathered shelving, the entire venue seems to be coated with a century-old patina you just don’t find in newer or big box garden centers.
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Clockwide from left: Jeff Schmidt, Mack Herndon, Janna Pemberton Schmidt and Ashley Pemberton Herndon are sixth- and seventh-generation owners and employees at Pemberton’s Greenhouses. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Pemberton's co-owner Ashley Pemberton Herndon acts as hard goods purchaser and container garden specialist for the greenhouses. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Ashley Herndon works on a container garden for a client. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Ashley Herndon works on a container garden for a client. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Ashley Herndon works on a container garden for a client. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Ashley Herndon works on a container garden for a client. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Schmidt is a sixth-generation co-owner, sharing the business with her two siblings. “We’re all jack-of-all-trades,” she said of the three co-owners. They split responsibilities, with Schmidt, the middle child, serving as general manager; her older sister, Ashley Pemberton Herndon, acting as hard goods purchaser and container garden specialist; and her younger brother, Colin Pemberton, as the properties manager. Schmidt’s husband, Jeff Schmidt, is director of logistics and technology for the business, which increasingly utilizes social media as a marketing tool.
The family members and their staff of 11 full-time employees work closely together on a day-to-day basis, answering ringing phones, running the cash register, building terrariums and container gardens, managing deliveries and plant storage, and overseeing the growing operations. Herndon admitted that keeping such a long-running family business alive can be stressful due to the pressures of “worrying that we do the right things [and] make the right decisions, in order to persevere and succeed to see the seventh generation step in.” But, she says the rewards are incomparable.
“[Inheriting] a generational business such as ours is a tremendous honor due to a strong and loyal customer base continuing their support throughout the generations,” she said.
As for that next generation, Herndon’s son, Mack Herndon, is the seventh generation to be working in the 150-year-old family business. With a chemical license to help combat insects, he also oversees plant storage – a significant aspect of the family business – and is often Pemberton’s presence on social media, rattling off intricate horticulture facts and descriptions as he enthusiastically shows off the different plants and flowers growing in the greenhouses.
As for the plants, all of the seasonal and bedding plants are grown on the premises from plugs or from cuttings. About half are sold wholesale to landscapers and churches, and the other half are retail sales for homeowners, farms and other properties. Some of the tropical plants are grown from plugs; others come from Canada and Florida. On the perennial side, Pemberton’s brings in hostas and coral bells, hydrangea shrubs and roses. Through their partnership with Bower and Branch, a collective of growers and independent garden centers, larger trees and unique specimens can be ordered by customers and brought in from growers across the country.
Pemberton’s will deliver throughout Central Kentucky and “up to Cincinnati, over to Louisville and down to London,” Schmidt said, adding that 75 percent of their customers are in Lexington and surrounding counties, with the rest falling within that 80-or-so-mile radius.
The Pemberton family considers their four seasons of the year to be spring, fall, Christmas and Easter, with poinsettias being the star attraction for Christmastime and lilies for Easter. Last year was strong for perennials and vegetable sales, Schmidt said, due the abundance of folks staying at home and trying to beautify their landscapes or trying to cook their own food. Tomato plants and other vegetables, along with herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley, were particularly popular during the pandemic.
A unique service offered by the garden center is plant storage, either for winter storage or for rehabilitation. “We store about 2,300 tropicals for roughly 400 customers throughout Central Kentucky,” Schmidt said. “We nurse those things back to health and then deliver them back in the spring when everybody’s ready to take them on after the frost.”
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The business offers a variety of planters and other garden accessories in addition to its deep inventory of plants. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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The business offers a variety of planters and other garden accessories in addition to its deep inventory of plants. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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The business offers a variety of planters and other garden accessories in addition to its deep inventory of plants. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Other services Pemberton’s offers include renting plants for weddings, funerals and other events, and creating unique centerpieces consisting of succulents or ivy instead of cut flowers. Container gardens are another Pemberton’s specialty, with Herndon serving as the in-house container-garden expert. The first step for customers who want to have a container garden professionally designed, she said, is for them to determine where they intend to put it and how much sun it will get.
“My job is to find a container that suits their needs, if they don’t have one already, then ascertain the sunlight it gets and maintenance level the customer is comfortable with,” Herndon said. She has seen people bring in everything from small silver bowls for a dining room centerpiece to large ceramic containers to beautify their outdoor living spaces. In addition to providing her expertise on sunlight and soil, Herndon has an eye for design, so she asks about general color preferences and other surrounding elements with which she could coordinate.
“It’s amazing how many people don’t like yellow,” she said with a laugh.
Apparently, Pemberton’s has a knack for figuring out what people do like – a knack that has fueled the business for a century and a half and counting. For more information on the plants and services offered at Pemberton’s, visit www.pembertonsgreenhouses.com.
Indoor gardening tips from Janna Pemberton Schmidt:
• For indoor houseplants, use a potting soil with a fluffy mix instead of a moisture-control soil. “It should have lots of little white molecules that are perlite,” she said.
• Avoid the discoloration of leaves caused by spider mites by mixing a teaspoon of dish soap in a gallon of water and spraying it on the leaves, leaving it on for about an hour and then rinsing it off. “If you can do that once every month or so, that usually keeps your plants bug-free during the winter.”
Photo by Emily Giancarlo