Homegrown greenhouse business builds for international market
Old- school integrity: Sales driven by excellent service and exceptionally sturdy structures
At the centre of the Conservatory Garden, voted Best in Show at the B. C. Home & Garden Show in February, was an elegant, vintage, black- framed Cape Cod style greenhouse.
The garden itself was full of beautiful plants, but it was the greenhouse that captured attention, mainly because of its sleek lines , spacious interior and shelves full of orchids.
The Cape Cod is just one of several top- selling designs produced by Surrey- based B. C. Greenhouse Builders, one of the top hobby greenhouse manufacturers in Canada.
The company has been in business for 63 years and today exports greenhouses all around North America as well as across the globe, including Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Chile, France, Norway and even to the mecca of greenhouse enthusiasm, Britain.
As well as hobby- size greenhouses for keen greenthumbs, the company also produces large, customized greenhouses for a wide variety of uses, including conservatory style installations at the Stanley Park Teahouse, the Book Bindery restaurant in Seattle and Sonora Resort in Desolation Sound.
Elementary and secondary schools in New York have also used greenhouses made by the Surrey company as part of its Edible Schoolyards program, using the greenhouses as classrooms to promote healthy eating and sustainability.
In Brooklyn, a greenhouse is currently used at a school to generate food so that each child has access to a free, nutritious, organic lunch.
B. C. Greenhouse Builders Ltd. sells hundreds of greenhouses a year, ranging in price from a basic eight- by- eightfoot polycarbonate Sungarden for $ 2,195 for beginners, up to a giant- sized, built- to- order Meridian Estate Greenhouse, which sells for $ 100,000plus.
More than 4,000 greenhouses are featured in the company’s product catalogue, but the top seller is still the eight- by- 12 Traditional glass house, which has been produced since the 1950s.
In technical terms, it is a “straight eave greenhouse” with a classic conservatory look that provides “maximum light transmission for a spacious feel and optimum viewing of plants.” Sounds a bit like the 1950s, too.
The Traditional is included in the company’s Cross Country series, featuring a total of six styles, including the Cape Cod, Sungarden, Cottage, Pacific and Legacy. Popular sizes are eight- by- 12 and 12- by- 16.
You can view them all at the company’s comprehensive website at www.bcgreenhouses.com.
The company started in 1951 and was bought by longtime employee Henry Heinen and his wife, Greta, in 1972. Today it is run by their son, Rick.
“One of the reasons people choose our greenhouses is the exceptional strength of their structure,” says company marketing director Angela Drake.
“Our basic standard greenhouse can handle 150- km winds and 30 pounds per square foot of snow.
“The appeal, too, of our Traditional greenhouse is the classic West Coast design, tempered safety glass and the fact that it is built to carry 50- pound hanging baskets on every roof bar.”
Sales slumped a little with more people moving into smaller homes with less yard space, Drake says, but the tide has turned, partly through the interest of young families keen to grow their own fruit, herbs and vegetables, as well as people who want to set up a greenhouse on a rooftop.
“Our business is greatly affected by weather, both positively and negatively,” says Drake.
“Ninety- five per cent of our sales are through a distribution network of more than 20 retailers throughout North America. But this year, many of our customers are still under snow and can’t even think about installing a greenhouse yet.
“However, we think we will hear from customers who want to get a start on gardening and long for a controlled environment in the fall or next spring.”
One of the company’s best customers has been Thomas Hobbs, owner of Southlands Nursery in Vancouver, who has bought a total of 16 structures from B. C. Greenhouse during the years.
“I own the record of having had the most greenhouses from them, period,” says Hobbs, who got his first greenhouse from the company when he was 15.
“I somehow persuaded my mother to get me a real greenhouse back in 1969.
“She couldn’t afford it whatsoever, but Henry ( Heinen) allowed her to make monthly payments. I think it was $ 75 a month for one year.”
In 2013, B. C. Greenhouse Builders completely restored the 110- year- old commercial greenhouse at Southlands.
“They did a fabulous job of using and matching the original parts to create a safe and more energy efficient structure,” says Hobbs.
There is much to consider when buying a greenhouse, including heating, ventilation, location and overall size.
But one of the first decisions is to make a choice between a free- standing or home attached model.
“Free- standing allows you to select the appropriate site and to maximize sunlight exposure and esthetic appeal,” says Drake. “Home attached models offer convenient access to services, good use of yard space and added insulation.”
The best location for a greenhouse is where it will receive six hours of sunlight a day in the winter months.
“Anything less and you may have to supplement with grow lights. It is best to align the longest side of your greenhouse to face south,” she says. “This permits the roof to attract the most amount of sunlight during the day.”
B. C. Greenhouse Builders has also produced a free ebook manual called The Essential Guide to Greenhouse Foundations, w ith 35 pages of advice plus “the top seven questions every gardener should ask before they break ground.”