About Us
We’ve been producing bespoke topiaries since 1954.
Jacques Van Den Hombergh, the founder of Old World Gardens, first traveled to the United States from the Netherlands to work as an exchange student for Howlett Fruit Farms. He eventually purchased Howlett Fruit Farms and continued to farm fruit crops until he ultimately built greenhouses on the property. Jacques started Old World Gardens in January of 1954. He married his wife (Mia) in 1956; she was also from the Netherlands.
Jacques was able to grow the business for nearly 40 years before his daughter Teresa and her husband Eric took over ownership of the business in 1993. Teresa met her husband Eric in Tunisia where they were both working as Peace Corps volunteers.
Teresa and Eric successfully managed the business for an additional 28 years. They were successful at growing and developing their topiary product lines while extending their delivery to the Chicago, Detroit, and Ohio regions of the Midwest. However, their product outreach extended well beyond the Midwest states with customers traveling from all over the United States to hand select specialty topiary plants for their customers/businesses.
In November of 2021, Teresa and Eric decided it was time to retire so they could travel, visit family, and enjoy life. This led to their decision to sell Old World Gardens to Tyler and Wade Richardson; brothers who own another local wholesale nursery business.
Tyler and Wade plan to pay homage to the long-standing family history of Old World Gardens by continuing and expanding on the Old World Gardens’ product lines and by maintaining the quality and reliability customers have come to expect from Old World Gardens.
We have a great team on staff and are ready to help meet your topiary and house plant needs.
Old World Gardens is a wholesale bespoke topiary and house plant supplier/grower that has provided quality plants to retail stores and garden centers for over 67 years. We provide delivery services to the Chicago, Detroit, and Ohio areas of the Midwest. We are open for prescheduled customer pick-ups Monday-Thursday 6:30 am to 2:30 pm and Friday 6:30 am to 12:00 pm.
Looking for how to care for our topiaries/plants?
All plants have unique care requirements, and a one size fits all care plan will not ensure the survival of all our plants and topiaries. A good plant parent dedicates time to researching your specific plant variety’s needs so that proper care can be given to ensure that your plant/topiary not only survives but thrives. We plan to continue to expand the cultural information on our website so check back often for more variety specific information and care instructions.