GROWING BETTER TOGETHER®
About Us
Four Star Greenhouse is located in a small town in Michigan with a population of fewer than 2,500 residents.
Our greenhouse was started in 1977 by high school sweethearts, Tom and Sharon Smith, who still own it today. This family-owned business has grown to nearly 30 acres of greenhouses and an extensive display garden that showcases the amazing performance of Proven Winners® plants every year.
Over 40 Years of
Plant Growing Experience
We have been working with growers, retailers, garden retailers and professional landscapers to provide high-quality young plants and finished crops for more than 40 years. As a founding member of the Proven Winners® brand, Four Star Greenhouse invests heavily in research and development and has bred many outstanding Proven Winners® and Proven Selections® brand plants.
Wholesale and Retail
Grower Programs
At Four Star, our programs are tailored to maximize grower and retailer profits. Our Supernova® Liners shorten grow times and provide consistent flowering, helping growers save money and increase profit margins. Our team of grower experts is available to offer customized programs to fit our customers’ needs throughout the year. Four Star provides young plants nationwide and has developed an extensive shipping and delivery program with options to save time and money. Finished plants are shipped regionally, and customers can visit the How to Order page for more information.
Planting the Initial Seed for
Four Star Greenhouse – 1977
Four Star Greenhouse began as Smith’s Greenhouse in 1977 when Tom Smith started growing plants in Carleton, Michigan, and focused mostly on finished crops of bedding plants from seed sold at markets. In 1982, Smith began producing starter plants, or “plugs,” to sell to growers. Tom and Sharon Smith became the founders and respective president and vice president of the new company, Four Star Greenhouse, Inc.
The Movement Which Led to
Vegetatively Propagated Annuals
In the late 1980s, Four Star began a relationship with Germany’s Kientzler when it began producing New Guinea Impatiens bred by Ludwig Kientzler. In his work with Kientzler, Tom Smith traveled throughout Europe, meeting and listening to other breeders working on new and unique vegetative annuals, and his experience abroad eventually led to the creation of Proven Winners® in the United States in 1992.
The debut of the Proven Winners® brand placed a new emphasis on garden performance and plant brand in the horticulture industry, as growers began to adjust their business and operating practices to grow vegetatively. More and more growers became Proven Winners® licensees, and many retailers adopted the premium brand strategy as the brand gained name recognition with consumers. The Proven Winners® partnership continues to market this brand heavily to consumers and the industry, adding Spring Meadow’s shrub line in 2004 as ColorChoice® shrubs; perennials from Walters Gardens, Inc. in 2011; and leafjoy™ houseplants from The Plant Company in 2022.
Four Star is committed to providing the very best performing plants to promote the success of every grower, retailer, landscaper and consumer.
Growing New Varieties Through
Research and Development
Each year, thousands of varieties undergo Four Star Greenhouse’s extensive Proven Winners® trialing process in hopes of one day becoming a Proven Winner. Each year, a select few are chosen.
Every Proven Winners® plant begins its life in a laboratory, free of viral contaminants and diseases. Varieties eligible to become Proven Winners® undergo a rigorous series of tests over a two-to three-year trial process, during which time the team measures each variety’s performance in numerous greenhouse and landscape environments. Tests are conducted at multiple trial locations across the country, and if all propagators unanimously agree that a variety has exhibited exceptional garden performance, then it can begin production as a Proven Winners® variety.
At Four Star, we are proud to have a year-round team of experts dedicated to research and development. With many years of combined experience and access to state-of-the-art facilities, they provide the proper care and environment for all the varieties in trial. By focusing exclusively on trialing, our team is confident and knowledgeable when they recommend a variety for Proven Winners® introduction.
The Continuation of
Four Star’s Growth
Today, Four Star Greenhouse has more than 26 acres of indoor growing area and four additional acres of outdoor growing space at the Carleton, Michigan, headquarters. Three recent greenhouse growing areas have been added for expanded production of annuals, perennials and shrubs. The award-winning display gardens are open to the public and industry professionals in summer months.
Our grower sales team is here to help you whenever you’re ready. Please visit our Grower Sales Team page to contact your respective representative by region.
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