In the 1930s, James Vander Giessen built a greenhouse off the back of his house on Grover Street in Lynden, Washington. A hobby gardener, he decided it was time to build a greenhouse to suit his gardening needs. In 1938, when he quit his job at the Darigold plant, James took the opportunity and with his wife, Anna, opened his greenhouse for business. In that year, Vander Giessen Nursery was born.

During the following years, James and Anna's son Lawrence joined the business and began diversifying the services offered by the nursery, expanding specifically into landscaping and commercial spraying. In 1947, James and Anna's daughter Ada married John Vos and the two joined Vander Giessen Nursery as business partners. John began working with the spraying operation and Ada worked in the greenhouses and floral business, another service offered by the nursery. As business continued to grow, the nursery expanded with additional greenhouses, a larger floral shop and a shrubbery lot.

In 1953, the nursery suffered a devastating fire. A fire that started in a barn behind the greenhouses quickly moved into...

 

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