A Greenhouse Odyssey: A Memoir by Lorraine Miller

Introduction

When I decided to open a houseplant business in 1975, I knew nothing about either. I thought houseplants were really cool, and business was most likely mundane. That was the extent of it. How could I begin to fathom the responsibilities of ownership, the commitment required, the vital skills to be learned, and the values critical to success? I was always flying by the seat of my pants.

I was on the lam, running from a boss whose management style was guided by verbal abuse and constant criticism. There were many times when he said to me, “Lorraine, get your wooly head out of the way and stop asking questions. You will never understand this.” What was he implying by this reprimand? My hair was straight. How could I not ask questions? A curious person needs to know. After a year or so of this, going home at the end of the day feeling more like a dog than a human, I realized that to survive I had to escape.

My thoughts didn’t center on finding another job—I had the single-minded idea of becoming a boss myself, even if I was the only staff member. But a boss of what? What could I do? The thinnest, most threadbare notion came to me. While I was working for Mr. Bad Boss, I’d taken a few dollars from my biweekly paycheck to a local nursery with a houseplant section and bought a two-inch Ficus or small spider plant. I lined up my plant collection on my bedroom windowsill.

Opening a plant shop was the first step in my odyssey. I had no models, no maps, no compass. Heck, I didn’t even know if “house plant” was one word or two. If I were to become a plant magnate, I had a lot to learn.

The steps that followed were fragmented but not completely rudderless. Opportunities arose and risks abounded. Sometimes I wasn’t sure which was which, but what did I have to lose? I put my head down, tied my shoelaces into a tight knot, and starting running: soon building a greenhouse, a parking lot, a gift shop, another greenhouse, more parking, a koi pond, another greenhouse. Things got in the way, too, and had to be demolished: an art gallery, a gas station, a home, a greenhouse, a koi pond. It wasn’t a follow-the-dots plan, but over the years the dots connected.

A business philosophy evolved, too. Among all the complications of growth, a simple objective matured: take care of people—customers and employees alike. If we can do this, everything else falls into place.

July 5th, 2025, will be Cactus & Tropicals’ 50th Anniversary. The new owners, Scott and Karin Pynes, have added their own skills and talents to the business and have opened more locations, taking Cactus & Tropicals to new heights. The odyssey continues!