16 CapitalPress.com
August 18, 2017
Nursery still blossoms 108 years after opening
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. —
Chris Untermann, manager
of West End Nursery, says his
green thumb is in his genes.
“Leaving Germany in
search of the American
dream, my great-great uncle
and horticulturist Richard
Lohrmann bought some land
in San Rafael, California,
in 1909,” Untermann said.
“There, he opened a small
neighborhood nursery serving
the community where he lived
and worked.”
Lohrmann sold the opera-
tion to his nephew, Karl Un-
termann in the 1960s. Chris
Untermann is the fourth gen-
eration to operate the nursery.
Chris Untermann worked
at the nursery through his high
school and college years on
weekends and whenever he
was available. He started full-
time 20 years ago, after he
graduated from the University
of California-Davis with a de-
gree in agriculture economics.
The sprawling operation
boasts 2 acres of plant mate-
rial purchased from whole-
salers around California and
Oregon.
All plants are geared to
Northern California’s climate.
“Japanese maples are our
most popular and expensive
plants that we sell,” he said.
The prices range from $50 for
a small tree to around $600
for ones over 15 feet.
But West End Nursery is
about more than sales.
“In addition to sales, we
spend a lot of time identify-
ing plants for people,” Unter-
mann said. “Customers bring
in leaves or send pictures and
we tell them what it is. We also
help customers with problems
they are having in their gar-
den.”
The busiest time of the year
is March to June, but the nurs-
ery’s Christmas House is also
popular. The seasonal treat be-
gan in 1985 to create a niche
market for well-priced, unique
ornaments and decorations.
Over the last 30 years, it
has grown to include more
than 60 glittering trees, be-
coming a holiday tradition in
the community.
Untermann said there has
always been an interest in
drought-resistant plants, and
that demand has accelerated.
A high percentage of the nurs-
ery’s plants are drought-tol-
erant.
Highly
efficient
drought-tolerant plants also
come from places like Austra-
lia, where they have more wa-
ter problems than California.
Changes have been ongo-
Courtesy West End Nursery
Chris Untermann, manager
of West End Nursery in San
Rafael, Calif., says he solves
customers plant and lawn prob-
lems with innovation and years
of know-how.
ing but one thing remains con-
stant: Every customer wants
instant visual satisfaction, he
said. Plants need to be in full
color and good size to start —
no more waiting for things to
grow.
There are also challenges
the founder in 1909 did not
experience.
“On the upside, it is hard to
ship a plant, so nurseries are
fortunate to not have to try and
compete against Amazon,” he
said. “However, the big box
stores are always a threat to
independent nurseries, but as
long as we can provide quality
plants and quality service that
is hard to find in other places,
I think the nursery business
should be fine.”
The only other fear is a ma-
jor drought, he said, “though
this last one was surprisingly
not bad for business, as cus-
tomers replaced lawns, but a
five-plus-year drought could
be disastrous.”
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