History
of Swansons.....
Swanson’s
Land of Flowers, 9701 15th Ave NW, a place of beauty anytime,
is a floral wonderland in the spring. With some five acres of
undulating terrain, magnificent fruit trees in full flower, the
delightful dogwood, flowering shrubs and row on row of blooming
plants, the place is truly a lovely sight behold.
The
history of Swanson’s Land of Flowers began back in
1888 when August S. Swanson and his bride operated a small
flower shop in St. Paul. It wasn't’t long until they
bought land near the city and built a greenhouse. The business
prospered, but the winters were long and cold.
In
1922, Mr. And Mrs. Swansons came to Seattle, bought land “away
out in the country,” built a comfortable home, and started
the cultivation that eventuated into Swanson’s Land of
Flowers. The know-how and the care exercised by the Swansons
also built a reputation for quality and honest dealing that
is second to none.Time passed and the expanding city encompassed
the location More ground was broken and greenhouses increased.
Mr. Swanson passed on and his son, Ted who “grew up” in
the business succeeded to the management. He with the able
assistance of his wife, Frances, continued to expand the operations,
and do a substantial wholesale business, in addition to their
retail trade.
The
elder Mrs. Swanson still is living in her comfortable white
brick home at the entrance to the park-like grounds and enjoys
the visits of old friends who were customers of Swanson’s
Land of Flowers a generation ago.
-
from a 1958 Local Newspaper Article
In
1976 Wally Kerwin purchased the Nursery from the Swanson family.
Under Wally’s guidance, our staff has worked to bring
and keep Swansons Land of Flowers up-to-date. Gradually converting
former growing areas to retail space.
In
the early 1990s, we added the popular Festivities Cafe and
Trellis specialty shop. In
1994, we re-graded the lower half of the Swansons property
to create an easy-to-shop nursery and garden center.
In
2001, we began building a series of European-design greenhouses
to make Swansons what it is today — more covered, energy-efficient,
modern, but friendly as ever!
We
think we have now taken gardening into the 21st century with
style, and hope you’ll come with us. We look forward
to your visit! |