Graziano Gardens thriving
By Greg Seubert
After years of working in the corporate world, Shelly Christie was ready for a change.
That change has made a difference for gardeners, plant lovers and landscapers since 2005.
These days, there’s a good chance that Christie can be found at her business, Graziano Gardens LLC, located about 10 miles south of Waupaca at W3280 Akron Court in the Town of Pine River.
“My degree is in marketing, so my first career was in the corporate world, primarily in the paper industry,” she said. “Gardening, design and plants were always a passion of mine. After being in the corporate world for about 15 years, I went back to school for landscape design. My background in proposals and design helped me migrate into this business. I took a passion and turned it into a business.”
Graziano Gardens opened in 2005 as a landscape design, installation and maintenance business focusing primarily on specialty design and maintenance of gardens.
Since 2014, however, that focus has changed to a retail business.
“I was so blessed and fortunate to have people who wanted nice landscapes, but they weren’t necessarily do-it-yourself gardeners themselves,” Christie said. “It was a privilege to be able to work for them, but this is different. Many people who come here are do-it-yourselfers, plant collectors, those that want to learn about gardening. Rather than do it for someone, I can help someone do it for themselves, which is really rewarding.”
Graziano Gardens grows about 99% of its own perennials plants.
“By doing that, we’re able to provide unique things that might be old and tried and true,” Christie said. “We provide a very nice selection, but we’re constantly hearing from people about the quality of our plants and the service we provide. I do a lot of design standing right here with people who don’t have that sight, that vision, that green thumb. We’re able to direct them to things that are fail-proof that are still going to be there even though they may not be the best at it.”
Word of mouth
The business draws customers from a large area and Christie deals with customers that like her, have a fascination with landscaping and plants.
“I really think that especially in light of the last year and what’s been going on (with COVID-19), people were at home and not spending every waking moment working,” she said. “They had an opportunity to look out in the yard and say, ‘Oh, I want to change this.’ Not only that, they had an opportunity to be out in the yard and determined how therapeutic it is.”
COVID-19 didn’t have a major effect on the business last year, according to Christie.
“We were deemed necessary because we did have vegetables and edibles,” she said. “People realized how important gardening is. There were a couple of weeks there where we had all of our plants ready, but we weren’t sure if we were going to open. We had a phenomenal year and brought a lot of fun to people because they could get outside.
“We did enforce the masks, the rules and extra sanitizing, but for the most part, we had a great year and it’s continuing into this year,” she added. “People are ready and really anxious to get out. We have earlier business this year because people started something last year. There’s more out there that brings some joy than the electronic world, TV and all of that stuff.”
‘Share the experience’
Christie looks forward to meeting customers, whether they are repeat visitors or someone checking out Graziano Gardens for the first time.
“A phrase we use a lot, whether it be in our social media, advertising or with our customers, is ‘share the experience,’” she said. “To me, it really is about the experience: the experience they have while they’re here, the experience they have after they leave and being able to share that. As gardeners, we all like to share our activities, our experiences. If we can make it about an experience and not just about a purchase, that is more important than anything.”
Christie runs the business with help from her handful of part-time employees. Her office is in Waupaca in the Shearer-Cristy House on Lake Street, the 139-year-old home Christie and her husband, Scott, purchased in 1994 and restored.
“I do all the behind-the-scenes stuff – the accounting, the buying, the purchasing – from home,” she said. “We are open from the end of April through the end of August and we are out there from late February through Christmas.”
A lot of people arrive not really knowing what they want, according to Christie.
“It’s great to be able to say, ‘Let’s talk about your environment and your conditions,’” she said. “Not everyone thinks about how much sun do you have, how much shade do you have. Is it morning sun or afternoon sun? Is it moist? What kind of soil do you have? Do you have cyclical bloom? Do you want your perennials to bloom from spring through fall? All of those things play a role in successful gardening. Not everyone knows to think about that. My tables are set up from early to mid to late blooming so that when I’m showing design and talking about combinations and plantings, it’s an easy way for customers to understand.”
So what kind of an experience will a first-time customer have?
“First of all, we’ll ask where you’re from and if this your first time here so you can get the lay of the land because we’re kind of spread out,” Christie said. “Some people love to meander and stroll because of the environment. Other people have a list or specific lists. We help them get through that so that they buy the right thing for the right place. That’s the key: the right plant for the right place.”
If you go
• Graziano Gardens LLC is located about 10 miles south of Waupaca off of County Trunk A at E3280 Akron Court in the Town of Pine River. Watch for signs.
• 2021 hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday (until July 4); and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily (after July 4).
• Special events planned for this year include a garden party and open house on Saturday, June 12; and Daylily Dazzle on Saturday and Sunday, July 17-18.
• Updates, ordering and pick-up options can be found on the Graziano Gardens Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GrazianoGardensLLC/.
• More information on the business can be found on its website, grazianogardensllc.com or by calling 920-427-9004.