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This need to meet their customers’ expec- tations was common for Harold and Lois throughout their ownership of the green- house. They even installed a telephone at home for the greenhouse calls.
“They would go at the drop of a hat to satisfy their customers’ needs. The custom- ers became their friends,” Grooms recalls. “Dad always believed in the old adage ‘you do business with the people who do busi- ness with you.’”
During deliveries, Harold would make stops throughout La Crosse in his green delivery van to visit with friends and further develop relationships in the community. During this time, Lois and other family members—Wally and Mart Jones and Mae and Vern Harvey—would help watch the shop, ensuring customer needs were met. And on Decoration Day, Harold knew exactly where each cemetery flower needed to go.
But the selling of plants didn’t just hap- pen naturally. It required planting, watering and waiting.
In the spring, dirt was hauled into the greenhouse using wheelbarrows and wooden planks. The dirt was put through a manure chopper to ensure the best product. Planting was done by hand.
In addition, Hillview Greenhouse had hotbeds outside the greenhouse that helped start vegetables early. Grooms said they were among the first greenhouses to grow four-foot tomato trees. Also, cuttings from
geraniums would be put into sand beds for rooting and then transplanted into pots, where they would then grow and be sold.
Once the plants were large enough to sell, regular customers would return to purchase “the usual” and others would come by word of mouth. The Joneses built a reputa- tion of quality and were known throughout the area for their plants.
Harold’s parents, Lillie and David, grew leaf lettuce for purchase that also attracted many customers. To help the plants devel- op, Harold fumigated weekly to keep pests away, a common practice at that time.
The greenhouse was filled with vary-
ing sights and smells throughout the year; however, Judy and Deanna (David and Lois’s great-niece) recalled the poinsettias at Christmas and lilies at Easter as being the most beautiful. “There were many customers who came in specifically look- ing for them,” Judy said. “They were well known for the quality of plants they sold at holiday time.”
Harold seldom took time away from the business, and the couple raised their family and worked within the 700 block of North 24th Street. In 1987 they retired, a difficult decision for Harold, as he enjoyed working and interacting with his customers.
The devotion of Harold and Lois to Hillview Greenhouse was remembered by many, even after they sold it to Joel and Jean Olson.
Wedding photo of David and Lillie Jones taken in 1902. David and Lillie owned the property from 1926 to 1963, when their son David “Harold” and his wife, Lois, purchased the property.
“I have many memo- ries in my short time in the greenhouse,
playing with the beautiful snap- dragons they grew and standing as the lookout for my grand- father as he would sneak his pipe. There wasn’t a better place to be or two better people to be with— unless you count the other family members that were around. “AUTUMN GROOMS
I have so many wonderful childhood memories with my parents owning the greenhouse—the great times and the not so great times, never needing a baby sitter, always knowing where my parents were. I learned so many life and business skills from my parents, just by spending time with them at the Hill- view Greenhouse. JUDY (JONES) GROOMS
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PHOTO: Jones Family