Gardener’s Supply acquires majority ownership in Dutch Gardens

In what marks its first venture into the “live goods” category of horticultural products, $50 million hard goods cataloger Gardener’s Supply Co. has acquired majority ownership of Dutch bulb cataloger Dutch Gardens. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Dutch Gardens catalog, started in 1965 by wholesaler Langeveld Bulbs, is a subsidiary of International Garden Products (IGP), which will run Dutch Gardens as part of a joint venture with Gardener’s Supply Co. IGP will supply the bulbs from The Netherlands.

Dutch Gardens mails about three times a year. One of the company’s most popular programs has been a neighborhood buying club, where neighbors place bulk orders together to get volume pricing.

Burlington, VT-based Gardener’s Supply has tapped industry veteran Leo Vanderlugt, most recently director of merchandising and general manager for Breck’s Bulbs, to serve as president of Dutch Gardens.