A longtime garden center that closed in Milwaukee has reopened in St. Francis
This small greenhouse in St. Francis is not your garden variety plant store.
Owner of Custom Grown Greenhouses Paul Budzisz has over 50 years of gardening experience, which he said is “since I was just a lad at 16.” He also employs a horticulturalist and master gardener.
Mum is not the word (other than the flower) as the staff said they want to share their knowledge with the community.
When Custom Grown Greenhouses shut down its Milwaukee garden center last year, Budzisz thought it might be time to retire. But another opportunity came up.
“Sometimes things just fall into place,” he said.
While he’d sold plants by the Layton Fruit Market, 1838 E. Layton Ave., for a long time, a partnership has made that more permanent.
“They’re great people to work with,” he said of the fruit stand owners.
Last winter, Budzisz installed a concrete pad and built a single greenhouse next to the Layton Fruit Market building. He didn’t think he’d have it ready for this spring, but construction went well, and he was able to reopen ― even keeping a few of his employees.
Budzisz said he isn't being charged rent, but was simply allowed to use the space, calling it a mutually beneficial arrangement for both businesses. In the event the greenhouse closes, ownership of the space belongs to the fruit market.
The grand reopening happened May 1. Customers can "poppy-n" anytime during the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
A longtime business, Custom Grown Greenhouses, gets a fresh start
After working at a greenhouse for years, Budzisz decided to start his own business in 1988 and had a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse. In 2010, he was able to expand onto a property at 4507 S. 6th St. in Milwaukee. There the business grew into 40,000 square feet of greenhouse space until it closed in 2023.
The landowner had “a change of plans,” according to Budzisz, meaning Paul, who had been renting his space, had to exit quickly.
Going from multiple greenhouses to just one meant the business had to greatly downsize its offerings.
“For this year it was just a guessing game,” Budzisz said of his inventory.
For example, at his last location he had about a dozen different types of vegetables to offer, while here there are only three.
“We can’t grow it all,” he said.
Susan Kelly, Custom Grown's master gardener, said the supply of tropical plants is very decreased due to the cost to the business to get them from Florida. Greenhouse businesses get plants shipped as “plugs” and they grow them from there, she said.
Despite the limitations, customers “seem to be fairly pleased,” Budzisz said.
Some of the most popular items are the hanging baskets, but as the season continues there will be less variety, so he suggests people stop in soon.
A few plants were damaged in the recent hailstorms that hit last week, but luckily none were killed.
“It made a mess,” Budzisz said of the recent storm.
Hey bud, how’s it growing? Tips to help with your gardening.
Not everyone has a natural green thumb, so Budzisz, Kelly and the business' horticulturist, Sande Carney, shared a few tips on how to put your flower petal to the metal this spring.
Budzisz said most mistakes are related to watering and feeding, saying about 85% of people underwater their plants and some forget to feed them. With every purchase, Custom Grown Greenhouses includes a special pellet that will feed some plants for up to seven months.
If someone has an issue keeping plants alive, Budzisz suggests a dragon wing begonia, saying they are "one of the hardest to kill."
Overall, he said he can speak with customers individually to offer customized help, which he said is one of the most fun aspects of his job.
A lot of people’s issues with keeping plants alive are related to purchases at big box stores where plants aren’t typically as healthy, Kelly said. She also echoed Budzisz in that lack of feeding plants is often an issue.
“They need food too,” she stressed.
Last bud not leaf, Carney had one simple tip – ask for help.
She said, “gardeners are people willing to share their knowledge.”
Always wanted that garden or a simple flower basket? Now might be the time to grow for it.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Custom Grown Greenhouses garden center now open in St. Francis
