ELIZABETH HAYES

Staff Reporter

Along a strip of drab mini-markets on East Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena stands a leafy oasis behind a black metal gate.

It may seem an unlikely spot for an upscale nursery, but since Hortus opened in 1992, it’s done nothing but thrive. Annual revenues have grown from $300,000 to $2 million, as the nursery cultivates a loyal clientele with its unusual selection of plants, classes and lectures.

Hortus (Latin for garden) is the creation of Gary Jones, who had bought the former Fair Oaks Nursery and changed the emphasis from landscaping to retail though not the garden-variety type.

“I had a vision of a nursery that could offer more than what was being offered, a more sophisticated plant palate and more in the way of education,” Jones said from France last week, where he was leading a group of customers on a garden tour. “We’re garden mentors our customers’ garden buddies.”

Lili Singer, a horticultural consultant and editor of a gardening newsletter, said Jones has the right approach. At a time when many local nurseries have gone under because of competition from the major home improvement chains, surviving independents have to compete by being different.

“You have to offer something that’s special enough, as Hortus does, to draw people from around the region. If you depend strictly on the local neighborhood, it’s harder to make it,” Singer said.

Hortus customers come from as far away as San Diego, Big Bear and Santa Barbara. “We’re a destination nursery,” Jones said.

Hortus has found its niche by offering hard-to-find flowers, herbs, shrubs and garden ornaments, all artistically displayed in open-air spaces. The herb garden, for example, contains Roman chamomile, scented geraniums, Tuscan blue rosemary and Thai basil. There are lily ponds and an arched walkway of pear trees.

“This is not a supermarket full of four-inch plants. People spend hours here. They hang out,” said Scott Daigre, events director at Hortus. “This is a place for the gourmet gardener. We work with beginners to collectors.”

The inventory mostly perennials frequently changes. Sometimes, customers will inquire about an unusual plant they have seen. If staff members don’t recognize it, they’ll make a sketch and fax it to suppliers.

Jones also added a landscape design department and offered at-home “finesse garden care” to help customers maintain their gardens with proper pruning and checks for pests and diseases.

It’s a far cry from the big chains like Orchard Supply Hardware and Home Depot, which have competitive prices but typically not the same level of customer service. Then again, Hortus doesn’t compete with those chains, either in offerings or price. Rose bushes run up to $35 for the most hard-to-find varieties, vs. $7.99 to $18.99 at OSH.

“(The big chains) create gardeners and after a certain amount of time, they graduate and are looking for something new and different,” Daigre said.

Hortus customers say they’re willing to pay a premium for the superior offerings and expertise provided by the staff, most of whom have backgrounds in horticulture.

“The people here have great ideas and are very inspiring. You can come here and get expert advice,” said customer Laura Kaufman. “I’m here to exchange something and I couldn’t leave. It’s like a bookstore.”

One of the biggest challenges in maintaining that one-on-one service is finding quality employees.

“We want to make sure the personal service doesn’t fall by the wayside, so that’s the scary thing. It never really got out of hand, but we felt it slipping and I worry about it,” Jones said. “We’re catering to the really well-educated gardeners who don’t want to go in a place and know more than the person helping them. We can’t hire someone with any old experience.”

Hortus’ main marketing tool is its quarterly newsletter, which contains 14 pages of gardening tips, recipes and a calendar of events. About 15,000 people are on the mailing list.

The nursery holds beginning and master-level gardening classes, lectures, an annual tomato tasting, tours of private gardens and programs for local students.

Daigre said the events aren’t big money-makers but do serve an important purpose.

“It’s to inspire people and educate them and, of course, it’s good for business,” he said. “You can’t just be a nursery anymore. You can’t sit on the corner and sell marigolds. You have to excite people and give them a reason to come the next month. And they do.”