From family history to garden center ownership
For Jeff Ramert, the decision to own a garden center was a return to his roots.
“My grandfather owned garden centers when I was growing up,” he said.
Though he initially pursued a degree in accounting and psychology at the University of North Texas, he found himself drawn back to gardening at age 30. The revitalization of the center was no small task.
“When we bought the [center], it hadn't been taken care of in a long time,” he said. “We rearranged the whole sales yard. We took some structures down that were on the property, moved things around and turned our building into more of a barn. We have also put up a couple greenhouses over the years. One of the greenhouses is our tropical greenhouse. It's taken 20 years to get [the center] to where it is today.”
Sourcing and selecting plants for Texas climates
A key focus of Round Rock Garden Center is sourcing plants that thrive in the Texas climate. The majority of their inventory comes from within a 200-mile radius, spanning from Waco to Houston to San Antonio.
“Most of our vegetables are locally, organically grown, mostly in Georgetown,” Jeff Ramert said.
For specialty plants like tropicals, the center turns to Florida, attending the Tropical Plant International Expo each year to select the latest varieties.
Despite the challenge of unpredictable Texas weather, the garden center does everything possible to ensure that customers receive plants that can withstand the region’s conditions.
“Our goal is to provide native, organic products that will do well in this area,” Jeff Ramert said.
A commitment to customer education and success
Beyond selling plants, the team at Round Rock Garden Center is dedicated to educating customers on how to care for them.
“A successful customer is a happy customer,” Jeff Ramert said. “It’s our job to make sure that we are sourcing material that works for them.”
Staff members, including certified nursery professionals, provide advice and possible diagnoses for plant issues. Customers can even bring in samples for identification and treatment recommendations.
The center also hosts Saturday morning classes, many of which are free, covering topics such as rose care, pruning, lawn maintenance and container gardening.
“On our website, we typically have about six weeks of classes scheduled out, but every one of our classes has been scheduled for about 12 months,” Jeff Ramert said.
A community staple
For Jeff Ramert, the most rewarding part of his job is seeing customers succeed in their gardening endeavors.
“Many times, people will come in and tell us they’ve killed everything they’ve ever planted,” he said. “Six months later, they'll come in and say, ‘Remember that tree you sold me? It lived, and I've done so well with it. Everything you told me is so true.’ It’s really rewarding when you hear that a person learned something. They have a new skill they can use.”
Customer appreciation is evident in more than words. Over the years, people have brought in everything from fresh vegetables to homemade cookies as tokens of gratitude.
As Round Rock Garden Center continues to grow, its mission remains the same: to provide high-quality plants, expert advice and a strong sense of community for generations to come.
Visit Round Rock Gardens Center’s website today to learn more about their plant selection, classes and more.
The above story was produced by Multi Platform Journalist Sydney Heller with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
