Hoods Gardens Offers Extensive Range of Wholesale Flowers
Photographer / Amy Counts
Everyone knows that flowers can beautify a city or the entrance to a neighborhood. Hanging baskets and planters of brightly-colored flowers add charm to downtown Noblesville, as they do for surrounding communities. Going to a garden center and selecting annuals to plant is a rite of spring for many. Locals might be surprised to learn that Hoods Gardens in Noblesville is the source for much of the floral beauty seen locally and beyond.
Hoods Gardens is a wholesale production warehouse owned by Steve and Tina Hood. It began with a small dream that grew into the large operation it is today. The Hoods currently own 28 acres of land and rent 12 more for the business. There are five acres of greenhouse space, and more than 10 acres for mums and other outdoor production.
Steve and I both went to Purdue University and majored in horticulture, Tina Hood explains. After graduation we worked for Heartland Growers in Westfield. It was our dream to start a business of our own. In 1982 we began by renting a greenhouse in Westfield. Then we found land in Noblesville. We never thought the business would be surrounded by houses.
Hood says more than half of the professional landscapers in the Noblesville area currently purchase from her business.
The overall growth of central Indiana has increased beyond what we ever imagined, she says. We sell to retailers and independent garden centers. We are so grateful to those first customers such as Johnnys Market in Broad Ripple and Gatewood Vegetable Farm on 206th Street who have been with us for more than 37 years.
Greenhouse plants from Hoods can be found in many local retail locations and seen in many nearby communities. From spring through the winter holidays, Hoods products can be found at independent garden centers such as Allisonville Nursery, Rosies Gardens, Habig Garden Shops and Sundown Gardens. The cities of Anderson, Fishers, Indianapolis, Noblesville and others purchase plants from the business.
All our annuals are top quality, Hood says. In the spring we sell hundreds of thousands of pansies plus Mothers Day plants. Our line of summer annuals includes hanging baskets, planters and flats of all varieties and sizes. For the fall we grow more pansies, plus ornamental kale and cabbage. We have started to produce holiday combination pots that the surrounding cities buy.
Hoods Gardens supports many local fundraising drives. From Mothers Day through Christmas, the business will work with nonprofits, sports teams and other local organizations to provide seasonal plants that can be sold to raise funds.
We feel blessed, Hood says. We love what we are doing and its been fun serving central Indiana. We get to see our plants growing from just a seed, and so many blooming together makes it smell like heaven. When we drive around, we see our flowers every day, everywhere.
Hoods Gardens is located at 11644 Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville. Visit HoodsGardens.com or call 317-773-6015 for more info.
