Our History

Established during the last years of the Great Depression, Flowerwood Nursery has a long tradition of implementing practical solutions for real world challenges.

Like many Americans facing intense pressure during the Great Depression, our founder, Harry Smith, was advised by his doctor to find relief from the stress of his career as an attorney. He turned to his love of camellias as a solution, rooting cuttings in hotbeds and then potting them into small clay pots to establish.

Harry Smith enjoyed sharing his interest in camellias with others, and was fortunate to meet like-minded hobbyists in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. This led to the establishment of the Men’s Camellia Club of Mobile. Through his participation in the club, the quality of the bloom within his collection of camellias grew a reputation.

Demand for Harry Smith’s plants forced a transition from a small growing operation in the Smith’s backyard on Springhill Avenue to a 180-acre production tract on Dog River near Mobile Bay. Quickly, Harry Smith’s hobby had become a business.

In 1938, Harry Smith encouraged his son, Greg Smith, Sr., to return to Mobile after completing a degree in Business Administration at the University of Alabama, hiring him to manage the growing nursery. Greg Smith, Sr., later stated, “My father liked growing plants, but he didn’t like selling them.” It was at this time, with father and son working together as grower and businessman that Flowerwood Nursery was officially established.

Despite the economic hardships of the late 1930’s, Flowerwood found itself in a time of relative prosperity. The location of the nursery on Dog River presented several production advantages: increased freeze protection due to the marine climate, soil that was heavy enough for plants to be field grown and sold ball and burlap, and a full nine months of growing season, which made it more profitable to grow broadleaf evergreens than it was to do so in other southern climates. Business grew as Greg Smith, Sr., established relationships with garden centers throughout the South.

When the nation entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 a pivot to stabilizing rather than growing the young business was required.