Profile: Rhodes Garden Fresh

June 18, the Maumee Valley …

When Jeff Rhodes purchased the old Walt’s Market on Monroe Street in 1989, he intended to enter the retail produce business, perhaps also offering hanging baskets and flats of annuals during the season, although, in his words, he “didn’t know much about plants.” What a difference 19 years makes!

Today, in addition to offering produce, annuals, and a broad selection of containers and garden art, Rhodes Garden Fresh is a treasure box full of unusual, beautiful finds for the urban garden. For many years Rhodes featured hybrid tea roses, selling as many as 1500 every season. The greenhouse at 4171 Monroe Street still shelters many roses (and, during today’s visit, a hungry hummingbird), but today, Rhodes says, more customers want easy-care, high-impact plants, and he is adapting his product mix to meet this need.

It’s hard to imagine a higher-impact plant for the sunny deck or backyard than the angel trumpets (Brugmansia) featured at Rhodes. Jeff starts these gorgeous small-tree-size pot plants (annuals in our climate) from cuttings. On offer are several colors, whose pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers have a delicate, attractive scent which is most noticeable in the evening.

Other unusual finds include the Jade Frost variegated sea holly (Eryngium), and the stunning “wind flower” (anemone leveillei) which can be grown in partial shade. Because of Rhodes’ urban location, with many tall trees to the south, Maumee Valley growers with shady growing conditions will find a broad selection.

Jeff Rhodes sources plants from all over the world, and during the winter he propagates a few favorites in a small greenhouse on-site. His enthusiasm for these unique varieties is evident (ask Jeff about his perennial begonias or passion flowers). Rhodes says that he serves all kinds of customers, from those looking for a convenient and affordable source for hanging baskets and flats to the gardener who wants that special, hard-to-find variety. Customers come from the nearby neighborhoods and, for specialty items, from throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

Rhodes, whose Monroe Street location is just west of Douglas Road, is open April-December, from 9 AM to 8 PM Monday through Saturday and on Sundays from 10 to 6.