Kansas City-area garden centers
Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025
Fee: $99 per person (not included with cost of registration, space is limited)
The tour is currently SOLD OUT. To be added to the waitlist, please contact us at conference@gie.net.
Please note: Anyone wishing to participate in the garden center tour must also be registered to attend the Garden Center Conference & Expo. Requests to attend only the tour on Aug. 5 will be denied.
RegisterSome of the best independent garden centers are in the Midwest, and the retailers of Kansas City, Missouri, are no exception. Join us as we tour these inspiring, nationally known Kansas City-area garden centers to see how they meet and exceed garden consumers’ demands and provide immersive experiences with spaces to learn, shop, dine and grow throughout the year.
| Stop | Location |
|---|---|
| #1 | Family Tree Nursery Growing Facility |
| #2 | Family Tree Nursery - Shawnee |
| #3 | Colonial Gardens |
| #4 | Suburban Lawn & Garden - Kansas City |
| #5 | Suburban Lawn & Garden - Yard Waste Recycling Center |
Colonial Gardens — #79 on the 2024 Top 100 Independent Garden Centers List — has been in operation since 1969 and was purchased in 2016 by CEO Tory Schwope, whose family owned the single-location business under the name Schwope Brothers Tree Farm when he was a child. Since Schwope’s purchase, Colonial Gardens has evolved from its origins as a humble nursery to a locally focused plant emporium, event space, café and agritourism destination, pulling in $6 million in revenue in 2024.
Family Tree Nursery originated as Overland Park Garden Center in 1965 and has grown from a purchased bankrupt business to an ever-growing Kansas City-area company. That original location is now Family Tree Nursery’s Overland Park location. In 1981, Rieke Nursery was acquired and added as the business’ second storefront as its Shawnee location. In 1986, the Family Tree Nursery Wolcott Farm was added as a growing range in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1989, Bruening’s Garden Center in Liberty, Missouri, was purchased, becoming Family Tree Nursery’s Liberty location. In 2019, a new state-of-the-art growing facility in Kansas City, Kansas, was built and named Family Tree Nursery Donahoo Farm.
Suburban Lawn & Garden was started by Bill Stueck in the early 1950s as a lawn-mowing business while he was in grade school. Since then, Suburban has grown into a multifaceted retail, wholesale and service organization dedicated to the principles of growing superior products, providing excellent service and always delivering great value. Suburban has two growing facilities that supply nearly 75% of the trees, shrubs and bedding plants sold at Suburban’s three locations in the Kansas City area. The company also operates a yard-waste recycling center that accepts yard waste for recycling into mulch and soil products; a lawn care department; and a truck shop that maintains a fleet of 150 vehicles used for delivering products and transporting lawn care crews. Suburban employs about 500 people at the height of each spring season.
Space is limited, and the last Garden Center Conference & Expo tour SOLD OUT.