About Us

 

Owners: Violet Bledsaw and Angela Swanlund

Address: 589 Hwy. 359

Lamar, Arkansas 72846

(479) 214-8860

rustyhoe@outlook.com

After a lifetime in the horticultural industry, and 35+ years working with Stanley Brown at Blossomberry nursery, my mother, Violet Bledsaw, knows how a commercial greenhouse and retail garden center should be operated. Stan’s principals, ethics, and business practices set the bar for excellence and combined with Violet’s plant knowledge and customer service - Blossomberry grew into a premier source of both plants and information in the Arkansas River Valley. When Stanley decided to retire and sell Blossomberry, Violet soon followed suit, but neither have lost their passion for horticulture!

I’d operated a produce business since March of 2017, and while I produced all of my own plants in a tiny backyard greenhouse and often sold my extra plants – I’d never actually given much thought to opening a nursery. My passion is gardening! The decision to open our own nursery was quite honestly born from our mutual desire to carry on my mother’s life’s work. Nothing makes me happier (or prouder!) than to be able to grant her this desire, and to work alongside her.

We started very small in Feburary of 2020 with a tiny “hot house” that Marcus Mott, my father – “Hoe Daddy” Everett Bledsaw, and I made of 3/4” PVC pipe hoops, covered with window plastic. I received my Nurseryman License and passed inspection shortly thereafter. We officially opened to the public March 1, 2020. We’ve really grown since then! The tiny “hot house” was replaced with a large greenhouse, built by the “Hoe Daddy”, over the summer of 2020. 

 

None of this would have been possible without the support of friends who believed in us and our mission. Ben Powell, Stanley Brown, Bailey Pledger, Stacy Cox, and Doug Brody were all so very kind and gracious – generous to a fault! - and there to encourage and support us every step of the way. That’s why we often say – “We don’t know what competition is. We have only friends in the business.”

Visit some of our friends today, and tell them the Rusty Hoe sent you!  BP Nursery, Cox Family Nursery , Freyaldenhoven's Greenhouse, Cumberland Street Nursery,

But above all else – the very heart of our business is YOU. We truly don’t know what the term “customer” means, because to us – you’re all friends. Friends we’ve known for many years and friends we’ve just met for the first time today --- YOU --- are what makes the Rusty Hoe a success. We thank you ALL for your love and support and look forward to growing with you – season after season!

 

Angela Swanlund

Violet Bledsaw

“Hoe Daddy” Everett Bledsaw