Company History

In 1973, German immigrants Frank and Anita Dech founded Hopewell Nursery as a part-time venture in their backyard on Shed Road near Hopewell Village. Previously, Frank and his brother Peter Dech operated Dech's Nursery on West Cedarville Road in Pottstown. The brothers worked together servicing properties with mowing and landscape maintenance. Realizing early on that operating an independent retail business rather than a service business would offer greater possibilities for growth, Frank and Anita worked hard to build a plant inventory. At that time they grew and sold arborvitae, azalea and forsythia from cuttings and seeds. Frank spent many evenings in the kitchen preparing dogwood seeds for propagation and hand-grafting pink dogwoods, several of which have been growing for years in the Birdsboro and Pottstown areas. Even today, early customers visit and claim that they bought our first forsythias for $1.75 per clump! Frank hand dug, laced and loaded all tree orders without the aid of tractors or mechanical tree diggers — old fashioned grit and ingenuity took the place of modern conveniences.

Three years later, in 1976, the business relocated to its current location with the purchase of 15 acres and one small building and greenhouse built by Frank and Anita. Over the years a larger garden shop was constructed along with several heated and unheated greenhouses. An additional 187 acres of nearby farmland was acquired in the 1980s, enabling the business to evolve into a major grower of conifers, and flowering and shade trees.

Frank and Anita have spent over 30 years working together in all aspects of the business with Frank's focus being the production of trees and shrubs, while Anita, now retired, was in charge of the many greenhouses that she filled with annuals, mums, perennials and poinsettias. Much of their experience is self-taught and comes from a genuine love of horticulture. What started out as a retail operation has transitioned to 65% wholesale and 35% retail. The family-run business which includes son Andy, daughter Monica, along with several dedicated and knowledgeable employees, has gained a reputation across the area as a full-service garden center offering an excellent selection of high quality B&B trees, container shrubs, perennials, annuals, bulk mulches, screened topsoil and exceptional customer service. Volume discounts are available as well as landscape design advice for the "do it yourselfer." Open year round with birding supplies, gift shop and gardening hard goods, stop in and see for yourself why we've been "Growing in Berks County since 1973!"

Mission Statement

Hopewell Nursery was founded as a small backyard nursery 36 years ago near French Creek State Park, and has since evolved into one of Berks County's premier garden centers and nurseries. Located on 200 acres within the beautiful rolling hills of eastern Berks County, Hopewell Nursery is family run with several knowledgeable and seasoned employees. Our dedicated staff is trained in all aspects of customer care, whether you are a home owner needing guidance in creating a beautiful and inviting landscape or a professional contractor seeking plant material or landscaping supplies. We pride ourselves on offering a large and varied inventory of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and unique garden accents. Our mission back in 1973 and still today is to provide exceptional customer service, quality plant material and gardening supplies... all in an inviting and friendly atmosphere.

Retail and Wholesale Staffing
All of our sales staff work hard at providing excellent customer service in combination with plant maintenance. Each of our employees has had professional training or experiences in horticulture combined with a genuine love of gardening, assuring that your shopping experience will be an enjoyable one!

Production Crew
When you buy one of our field grown trees, these men have been involved in that tree's care from the time of planting right through to digging. Each year — and in all kinds of extreme weather — the field crew works hard at pruning, fertilizing, mowing and maintaining protective guards on thousands of trees. It's through their efforts that we can proudly offer a high quality and locally grown tree!