If you've shopped for garden plants at a big box store and no doubt many other places, you have probably encountered Bonnie Plants. In the spring their little black, green and yellow plastic pots offer up all sorts of herbs and veggies at our local Home Depot, WalMart, etc. We've certainly purchased who knows how many dozens over the years to put tomatoes, straight neck squash, cucumbers, various peppers, and such in Dianne's garden.
I recently noticed something about the little pots I had always missed before. Right there on the side it says, "Headquarters/Union Springs, AL". Hmmm....And "Since 1918". Hmmm....
Actually, the company, the largest plant and vegetable grower for home gardens in the U.S., relocated its headquarters to Opelika in early 2022. One reason given was the close proximity to Auburn University, with which Bonnie Plants has worked for decades.
A couple named Bonnie and Livingston Paulk moved to Union Springs in 1917 and the following year began to sell cabbage sprouts in town. Within a few years the couple and their hired help were offering onions, strawberries, eggplants, peppers, potatoes and more for sale. The company erected its first greenhouse in 1936 and the growth never stopped. Bonnie Plants now sells in all 50 states and Canada and has 70 growing stations around the country.
A video created to celebrate the firm's 100th anniversary can be seen here.
I wonder how many individual plants the company has sold....
The ribbon cutting held in January 2022 for the new Bonnie headquarters in Opelika
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