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Our History in the Nursery Business  My father started a small lawn maintenance company in the early 1970's. Seeing the need for quality plant material he started growing a few plants in our backyard. The word started to spread about the quality plants Mr. Martinez was growing and within two years the small backyard experiment became "William Nursery". Mom and Dad ran the nursery for the next 20 years until selling it in the mid 1990's. This brings us to the next chapter in the Martinez Family business. My new company, "The Greenery", is a complete one stop shop for ALL your landscaping needs, where the emphasis is on QUALITY not quantity. As you can see in the pictures here, my kids have also gotten the itch to be in the nursery and garden center business. As their dad, I am very proud of both of them and nothing would make me more proud than to see them continue our family business someday. If you are wondering whatever happened to Mr. Martinez, he is still growing quality plants in his backyard. All of which will be available at The Greenery.
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| The Greenery in the News  If you're a gardener, finding a nursery with quality plants and expert advice is the secret behind a green thumb. For many Lutz and Land O' Lakes families, the Martinez family has been their nursery supplier for over 30 years. Until recently, the father-and-son team could be found at Pine Lake Nursery on north Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz. And as of just a few weeks ago, the Martinez' are now happily advising customers at The Greenery Nursery and Garden Center, located on US 41 just south of the Land O' Lakes Post Office. The Greenery's plant lineage goes back over 30 years to when Orelso and his wife, Maria, emigrated from Cuba in 1968. They settled in Tampa and founded William Nursery on Hutchinson Road in Lutz in 1974, operating it for 20 years until they sold it in 1992. The couple planned to retire, but plants get in one's blood and a few years later they were back in business along with their sons, Will and Ivan, at Pine Lake Nursery. This landmark Lutz nursery fronting Dale Mabry grew some years by 500% during the real estate boom and became one of Tampa Bay's largest commercial and residential nurseries with sales that topped $4 million. But sometimes big is not always best. So at the beginning of this year Will decided to leave Pine Lake and start a small nursery that would bring back the "mom and pop" atmosphere of his parents' original nursery. He wanted a smaller business where customers became friends and plants were still grown and propagated by his father. |
 It’s almost been a year since Will Martinez opened The Greenery Nursery and Garden Center on US 41 just south of the Land O’ Lakes Post Office. And yet many of his former Lutz and North Tampa customers are just now finding his new location. Will opened The Greenery last spring after leaving Pine Lake Nursery on Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz, where he worked at the family business for nearly 15 years before going off on his own. is new garden center has quickly become recognized for some of the best trees and palms in the market. From luscious tropical plants to a huge line of colorful freeze-tolerant shrubs, The Greenery always has something new to satisfy his customers’ ever-changing landscaping needs. “I hand select all my plant materials and take great pride in my plants’ consistency in size, color, and overall appearance” said Will. “If the plant doesn’t meet my standard, then it should not be in anyone’s landscape or garden.” The couple planned to retire, but plants get in one’s blood and a few years later they were back in business along with their sons at Pine Lake Nursery, which became one of Tampa’s largest commercial and residential nurseries. But sometimes big is not always best. So last year Will decided to leave Pine Lake and start a small nursery that would bring back the “mom and pop” atmosphere of his parents’ original nursery on Hutchinson Road. He wanted a smaller business where customers became lifelong friends and were not just an invoice. |
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Will Martinez has a gift for remembering names of customers and the plants that grow in their gardens. “When I see a returning customer, I visualize a diagram of their yard in my head and can remember what plants they ahve bought from our nursery,” said Will, owner of The Greenery Nursery and Garden Center in Land O' Lakes. Will's uncanny memory and attention to detail are evidence of how much he loves his customers and the nursery business. "I've been doing this for over 25 years and I still wake up every morning excited to go to work," said Will. Will is celebrating the second anniversary of The Greenery later this month. He opened his business on US 41, located just south of hte Land O' Lakes Post Office, on April 10, 2010 after working alongside his parents at two successful nurseries the family owned in Hillsborough County. |
After taking 2 year hiatus, my father got the itch to be back in the nursery business. He gathered my brother and I and gave us the blueprint on being successful nurserymen. In 1998 we opened "Pine Lake Nursery" and within few years it became one of the biggest nurseries in Hillsborough County. Although we worked well together my brother and I had different philosophies towards business. And in November of 2009 we parted ways.
