Variety is Our Calling Card: A Visit to Brownridge Greenhouses

Tucked up behind the 10th sideline in Milton, Ontario is Brownridge Greenhouses, a wholesale grower that has been quietly supplying independent garden centres and retailers with a wide variety of high-quality perennials, annuals, herbs and vegetables for over fifty years.

Variety is Brownridge’s calling card. When planting season hits, large box stores tend to source a small selection of trendy or tried-and-true plants that consumers will recognize in their garden centres. But smaller, independent retailers often take a different approach. Unique varieties and niche plants are what set them apart from the big competition. And that’s where Brownridge comes in. A grower’s grower, they specialize in niche, rare and forgotten varieties – the kinds of plants that make discerning green thumbs say, “I’ve been looking everywhere for that!”

“Our customers will ask us to try a new variety and we’re happy to do it. There are so many new choices out there and we like to try them. But at the same time, the old varieties are still good. There’s no reason to forget about them,” said Doug Brownridge, who manages the farm together with his sister, Carrie Brandow, following the retirement of their parents, Bill and Elinor Brownridge, who established the farm in the late 1960s.

Brownridge Greenhouses takes its focus on breadth and depth seriously. For instance, they grow over 40 varieties of pansy, over 50 varieties of hellebore, and over 100 varieties of hosta.

“A big draw for the independent stores is offering customized planters with unusual plants that you can’t find at the box stores,” said Doug. “We specialize in growing the parts for those planters. We have dusty miller in 4″ pots year-round and we have hundreds of varieties that are ready to go by March. We operate on having a large assortment, and since that limits our shelf space, we tend to turn most of our orders out within 24 hours.”

As a partner to A.M.A. for more than 25 years, our team has long been inspired by the hard-working, unassuming, straight-shooting approach that Doug and Carrie bring to their operation.

“What always stands out to me is the loyalty of the Brownridge team. Many of the team members have been on staff for decades. So, you get to know Doug and Carrie, but you also see the same dependable faces year after year,” said Janan Alles, Manager, Growing Containers, Soils and Equipment, A.M.A. Horticulture. “This dependability extends through A.M.A.’s relationship with Brownridge. We’ve worked together as partners for decades and we want to go the extra mile to make sure they continue making great container choices that support their business.”

Starting from humble beginnings, Brownridge Greenhouses now has a seasonal team of 35 people, and a full-time staff of 20 people, some of whom have been with the greenhouse for over thirty years. Brownridge grows and ships across Ontario, with customers from North Bay to St. Thomas, right up until the end of the season.

“As the season slows in the fall, we’re busy planting again by November. Then we watch Ontario wake up in the spring,” says Doug. “The calls start coming in in Kitchener area, and by mid-March, North Bay is calling. Retailers are walking our greenhouse to see what we’ve been growing for the season.”

But Janan isn’t surprised that Brownridge’s phone is always ringing. “Customers know they can count on them, both to deliver high quality plants, but also to say what they mean and do what they say. And that’s highly valuable in any partnership.”

We thank Doug and Carrie for welcoming the A.M.A. Horticulture team into their greenhouse for a tour, and for their trusted partnership over the years. Learn more about Brownridge Greenhouses at their website.