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During the peak production season—January to June—some 250 employees work at Pleasant View, planting and tending trays of tiny plants that are set out on the concrete floors of the greenhouses like living carpets. They can plant, label and set out 500 trays an hour. Electric forklifts beep-beep-beep up and down the miles of aisles between sections of trays, moving plants in and out.

Later in the season, the trays of cuttings—called "liners" in the trade—are joined by hundreds of thousands of labeled plastic pots, neatly arranged in sections according to plant variety. Hanging planters, many already in bloom, create a suspended garden over the greenhouse aisles, where they won't cast a shadow on the plants below. Jeff says that liners account for about 65 percent of Pleasant View's total sales, with finished plants making up the rest.

Staff members check on liners—trays of small plants that are sold to wholesalers.

Much of the routine work of caring for the plants is handled by automated systems supplying water and fertilizer through sprayers that travel up and down the rows on overhead rails. The water is pumped from a holding tank beneath the building, and it drains back to the tank through holes in the floor to be filtered and used again. In these greenhouses, one person can do the work that a dozen might have done years ago.

Despite all the growth and change that has occurred at Pleasant View over the past three decades, the character of the family business hasn't really changed at all. The company's mission statement—"At Pleasant View Gardens, we are growing a more beautiful world through innovation, superior plant programs, and a commitment to our customers' success"—reflects the same ideals and principles that Jon and Eleanor always upheld.

Many family businesses run into trouble when it is time for one generation to pass on leadership to the next. That wasn't a problem at Pleasant View, because Jon never hesitated to share decision-making and responsibility. In fact, the change seemed to occur naturally over a period of time. "I just took longer and longer vacations, and the boys took more responsibility, and I was glad to have them do it. Then one morning I came in and my desk was out in the yard," Jon says with a laugh.

It's still a multigenerational business. Jon keeps an eye on things from his house across the road from the Loudon greenhouses, and Jeff's 26-year-old son, Ben, became part of the management team about a year ago. He's running a new pick-up greenhouse in Pembroke, where landscapers and buyers from area garden centers can come in, choose the plants they want and take them away, just like in the old days.

Between them, Henry and Jeff have five children, all boys, and although Ben is the only one currently working at Pleasant View, they hope that others will join them in the future. Ben thinks that's likely and he looks forward to it. The five boys grew up in neighboring houses next to the nursery and across the road from their grandparents—they call their neighborhood Huntingtonville—and like their fathers, they worked side by side in the gardens and greenhouses from childhood. Ben feels particularly fortunate to have been able to work with his grandfather as he was growing up. "He's my idol," he says.

"We've told all of our kids that we'd like nothing better than to have them here," Jeff says. "But if they want to have a leadership role, we expect them to go to college first, and then they have to work for somebody else. That gives them a chance to learn something from someone else and get some experience. Then they can make their own decision about whether they want to come back."

"Our parents never forced us into the business," Henry adds. "It was our choice, and I think that's important. It would be great to have our sons here, but there's no pressure and no guilt if they decide to do something else. Whatever they choose to do, we hope they'll be passionate about it." ~

Jake Chapline is a freelance writer in Middlebury, Vt.

Also read:
Preparing for the Future
Blooming Wildcats

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