Taylor Phelps, Lead Grower at Walters Gardens, Inc.  
Taylor is a lead grower at Walters Gardens, Inc., North America’s leading wholesale grower of perennial plants, located in Zeeland, Michigan. His primary responsibilities include managing crop moisture and fertility, inventory, environmental controls, PGR applications, and a team who help make it all happen. In addition to his duties as a lead grower, he coordinates the rotational internship program at Walters Gardens. He designed and implemented the rotational program to help students find their best fit within the company and industry.

Taylor attended Virginia Tech and graduated with a B.S. in Horticulture in 2019. During his senior year, he was President of the Kappa Chapter of Pi Alpha Xi, the national honor society for horticulture, as well as President of Students for Cultivating Change, a collegiate affiliate of the Cultivating Change Foundation.

Walters Gardens Inc. -- The nation's leading grower of bare root perennials
Walters Gardens specializes in perennial starter plants, including plug liners and bare root material. We have grown to be one of North America’s largest wholesale perennial growers with a reputation for superior quality, excellent service, and cutting edge new varieties. Our breeding program works with almost 100 different genera of perennial and has introduced hundreds of cutting edge new perennials to date. This combination of high quality product and unique plant introductions has led to a partnership with Proven Winners® as the home of Proven Winners® Perennials.

The Walters Gardens, Inc. story began in 1942 when Dennis Walters and his new bride, Harriet, took over the family perennial business from Dena Knoll, Harriet's mother. With the help of his four brothers, Dennis expanded the company to include bare root, potted, and packaged perennials, and built one of the industry's first tissue culture labs at Walters Gardens, Inc. in the mid 1970s.

Today, the company is run by the second and third generations of Walters aided by numerous other family members and dedicated employees including plant health experts, skilled horticulturists, capable customer care and marketing staff, and a pool of sales representatives and brokers nationwide. Our company has grown from a small farm of less than five acres worked by just a few men to a multimillion dollar corporation with over 200 employees, 1,500 acres of land, and 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space. Over 18 million perennial liners are shipped annually to independent garden centers, wholesale growers, landscapers, and municipalities across the US and Canada. Each year, approximately 100 new items are added to our catalog of over 1,000 bare root and plug perennial liners.

Address:     1992 96th Ave. PO Box 137 Zeeland, MI 49464 Email:    sales@waltersgardens.com     Contact:   Laura Robles Phone:    616-772-4697   FAX:  616-772-5803

Bare Root Perennials

Walters Gardens is the largest wholesale grower of bare root perennials in North America with a wide selection of varieties. Most are grown for one season and sold as #1 grade transplants. Daylilies, Hosta, and select perennials are grown for two seasons.

Walters Gardens is the largest wholesale grower of bare root perennials in North America with an incredibly wide selection of varieties. Most are grown for one season and are sold as #1 grade transplants or divisions. Hemerocallis, Hosta, and select perennials are grown for two seasons. Our most popular varieties are offered in economically priced #2 and #3 grade divisions.

#1 Grade (G1)

Most #1 grade perennials are one year plants or generously graded divisions of a one year plant. #1 Grade Hemerocallis and Hosta are sold as 3-5 eye/fan divisions of a two year field clump depending on the variety. Intersectional peonies are sold as divisions of a two year field clump.

Count: sold in multiples of 25

Minimum order: 1 box of 25

#2 Grade (G2)

Most #2 grade perennials are one year plants or divisions of a one year plant. #2 Grade Hemerocallis and Hosta are sold as smaller 2-3 eye/fan divisions of a two year field clump.

Count: sold in multiples of 100

#3 Grade (G3)

Select Hemerocallis varieties are sold as a #3 Grade division. These are some of our most popular varieties offered in an economical 1-3 eye/fan division of a two year field clump.

Count: sold in multiples of 250

Plug Liners

Most of the plants offered in our catalog are grown in plug form. Our plants are grown in four tray sizes: 20, 30, 72, and 128 count. The majority of our plugs are easy to transplant Elle Plugs, while others are traditional loose fill plugs.

Most of the plants offered in our catalog are grown in plug form. Our plants are grown in standardized tray sizes, including 20, 30, 72, and 128 count. The majority of our plugs are easy to transplant Elle Plugs, while others are traditional loose fill plugs. The type of plug used is based upon the specific needs of the plant.

Larger 20 and 30ct plugs are best suited to customers looking for faster turnaround times and sales the same season. Smaller 72 and 128ct plugs are better suited for growers looking to produce larger quantities at a lower input cost. They are typically planted in summer for sales the following spring.

We offer a number of perennials in economically priced 72 and 128ct plugs which are ideal for growers looking to produce larger quantities of their best selling items at a lower input cost. Don’t see exactly what you’re looking for? We accept custom orders for 72s and 128s (minimums apply). Please contact us for details.

One of the most common questions we hear is why Deep Cell vs. Elle? We trial every perennial in both trays to determine which option provides the best product for our customers. Our Elle trays hold plug liners that have been wrapped in a thin paper sleeve designed for ease of transplant. The sleeve is biodegradable and in a healthy environment does not hinder root development. Deep cell trays hold loose fill plug liners and have the added depth some perennials need to encourage better root development.

Hosta Greenhouse Production Tips | Walters Gardens
We grow and ship a lot of Hostas here at Walters Gardens, and we've been doing it for over half a century. Some greenhouse and growing practices have changed, while others have stayed the same. Join Laura, our Trials Grower, as she talks about some of our experiences and recommendations for getting the best crop at retail!

New Perennials for 2021
Join Laura as she talks through some of our most exciting new plants, including the latest and greatest from Proven Winners Perennials. These plants will be professionally released in 2020 and available at retail in 2021.