Spring planting with the Rabases

Planting season is now upon us with gardeners and green thumbs across the area rushing to get their hands on this year’s assortment of blooms and veggies. Locally, Larry’s Bellevue Gardens has provided a one-stop-shop for all your garden needs for nearly 30 years. For this year’s Spring Home & Garden issue, we spoke with Larry and Vicki to learn more about their business and what this spring has in store.

Larry developed an interest in plants at a young age growing up on the Otmar and Dorothy Rabas family farm where his mother grew many large flower and vegetable gardens. Similarly, his wife Vicki grew up helping her parents–Chuck and Judy Chada–manage their own flower and vegetable gardens on their family farm in Bolt, never thinking that all the skills she was learning would be so useful. In 1996, Larry and Vicki purchased their greenhouse at 2620 Continental Drive from Larry’s former partner and Larry’s Bellevue Gardens Inc. was born.

Back in 1996, the greenhouse was surrounded by open fields and was the only business in the area besides Gerrits Auto Body and Lou’s One Stop. Now, they are surrounded by homes and other businesses. Vicki notes “With the growth of it all, traffic only increased and new customers would stop.”

While running their business, Larry and Vicki raised four sons–Nathan, Nicholas, Michael and Lucas. They say that their children “grew up at the green house” recalling how they would play with their trucks and tractors in the sand while their parents worked and sleep in the empty rose boxes near the checkout counter. Now grown, Nathan and Nicholas are preparing to take over the business when their mom and dad are ready to pass it on. Vicki describes the moment when her sons approached them about eventually assuming control of the enterprise as “happy and scary” but notes “After working with the boys for some time closely, we can see they have what it takes.” She says “The transition will be seamless for our customers” because Larry and Vicki will still be “active in providing help and guidance for years after”, adding, “We would miss our customers too much”.

With the addition of Nathan and Nicholas, the Rabases have been able to increase their plant material volume and continue to maintain a healthy crop. Throughout the years, they have had a number of employees which they call their “garden angels” stating, “Angles have come and gone, but they will always be a part of our family and we appreciate them all.”

Larry’s Bellevue Gardens describe themselves as “A retail garden center specializing in common and unique annuals, vegetables from A-Z, perennials and rose bushes, large selection of hanging baskets and containers”. All of their products are grown onsite with the exception of their tropical selections from Florida which include mandevillas, dipladenias, tropical hibiscus and ferns. They tell us visiting the greenhouse early in the season will “display the color and items that make us special. It is absolutely gorgeous”.

When asked what sets them apart from the competition, the Rabases respond “We believe it is our quality plant material and knowledgeable customer service. We pride ourselves in having an organized display area and clean environment. When the greenhouse opens in spring, we love to see all the smiling faces getting excited about putting flowers in their yard or veggies in their garden. Making sure our customers have an enjoyable shopping experience is key. We try to greet customers and to be accessible when questions arise. We are who we are because of our customers. And we appreciate all that visit.”

Larry’s Bellevue Gardens can be found at 2620 Continental Drive in Green Bay. In spring, they are open 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30-5 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sundays. More information and their full selection can be found online at LarrysBellevueGardens.com.