Specialties
Milaeger's offers the widest selection of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, water plants and fish, nursery stock, hydrangeas, and roses during the spring season. We also have an educated staff that can help you in our garden store with questions on potting soil, mulch, fertilizers, preventatives, and we have an extensive birding department. We also specialize in home decor, gifts, garden, collectible ornaments and figurines, Christmas trees, ornaments and trim. Our clothing department offers everything from shoes, clothing, accessories, TrollBeads, Brighton, Vera Bradley, the Thymes, Jack Black, and Crabtree and Evelyn. Milaeger's offers the best in event planning including fresh flowers and arrangements for weddings of any size, dinners, or any special occasion.
History
Established in 1960.
A little 8' by 12' hobby greenhouse in the backyard of Dan and Joan Milaeger was the seed that grew into the Milaeger's of today. Ten years later, the couple offered their first crop of annuals from a 30' by 90' greenhouse at the newly purchased Douglas Avenue site. Their creativity, energy and spirit of willingness to do whatever was right for the customer propelled the business into continued expansion. Today, the company has over 90 greenhouses, all open to any gardener who seeks the pure enjoyment of viewing a crop of color in its growing environment. Thousands of specialty annuals, bedding plants, vegetables, perennials, and pot crops such as poinsettias are carefully nurtured, offering the consumer the widest array of plant material in the Midwest. The company says, "Something wonderful is always happening at Milaeger's" and, in addition to its many special events through the year, merchandise at Milaeger's continues to evolve as taste change and trends emerge.
Meet the Business Owner: Kristine R.
Milaeger's is currently operated by the second generation family members, Kristine and her husband Daniel, and Kevin Milaeger, all of whom have worked fulltime for the company since the early 70's. Dan and Joan's daughter, Kris, oversees store operations, buying, special events, and advertising. Dan is a landscape architect for the company and oversees the landscape, lawn, tree and shrub care, irrigation and maintenance divisions. Milaeger son, Kevin, oversees greenhouse and store operations; his plant expertise is nationally known. Kris and Dan's daughter, Kara, was raised at Milaeger's from the day she was three weeks old. After getting her college degree in horticulture, she joined the Milaeger staff as head of annuals, director of custom container gardens, giftware, apparel, and footwear buyer and head of Internet sales. Also part of the family business, her husband, Philip, who has a degree in interior design, buys patio furniture, garden goods, and home décor for Milaeger's.