About Us
Shop Address:
570 Dekalb Pike.
North Wales, PA 19454
Shop Hours:
Mon-Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm
Sun: 10:00am to 4:00pm
Contact Us:
Email: flowershop@rhoadsgarden.com
Office: 215-699-2207
Fax: call 215-699-9450
If you are trying to find us using a GPS, please use address 587 Dekalb Pike. This will take you just north of our store. Using our actual address in GPS will sometimes lead you to the wrong location. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Originally established in 1939 as “Lukens & Rhoads” by Walter Rhoads and William Lukens, we began as a roadside stand selling tomatoes in North Wales, Pennsylvania. The business flourished leading to an eventual expansion in 1963, which included a nursery, bedding plants, and a retail area, creating a smaller version of what our store is today. In 1969, Lukens passed away, and Rhoads soon sought the help of his family to keep the business running. His sons, Tom and Dave, began working at the company, and in 1974 took over as President and Vice President of what then became known as The Rhoads Garden, Inc.
Growth continued in 1976 with the addition of a floral department, and in 1978 with the beginnings of our landscape design/build services. In 1985, the Rhoads brothers purchased a farm in Worcester, PA to begin propagation of large trees, nursery stock, and annual crops. By 1987, another major expansion to the retail property was necessary to include a full-scale garden center, gift shop, floral department, foliage house, retail greenhouse and nursery.
In 1992, Walter Rhoads passed away leaving behind his legacy of hard work, determination, excellence in customer service, and a love of plants. The third generation of Rhoads family members joined the business throughout the early 2000’s in various departments. In 2007, the company completed its third renovation project, nearly doubling the size of the floral and gift shops to the size they are today.
2014 marked the Rhoads Garden’s 75th anniversary. As co-founder Walter Rhoads said, “Our customers are the lifeblood of our business.” With that in mind, we are committed to offering only the highest quality floral arrangements, gifts, plants and trees. The exemplary customer service provided by our dedicated staff will assure you a pleasant and professional experience. We pride ourselves in “going the extra mile.” So come take a walk through the Rhoads Garden, and experience our beauty for yourself. Thanks for 75 years and here’s to growing each and every day.
Meet the Team
Tom Rhoads
CEO, 2nd generation owner
Following in his father's footsteps, Tom is a second-generation horticulturist. Having grown up with the company practically all of his life, he officially "joined" the company in 1975. Tom's background includes a Bachelors degree from East Stroudsburg University and graduate work from Bryn Mawr College. Tom oversees the overall daily operation of the Rhoads Garden, while specializing in Landscape Design and Installation.
Dave Rhoads Sr.
COO, 2nd generation owner
As second generation Rhoads Garden owner, Dave has literally been working a "lifetime" in the business. In 1979, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Delaware Valley College of Science & Agriculture. Today he is co-owner of The Rhoads Garden, along with his brother, Tom. Dave is quite proud of the legacy his father started back in 1939, and hopes to continue its success far into the future.
Mike Kratz
General Manager, Education Team Member, crew member since 1980
Mike graduated from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture with a degree in Agronomy in 1977, and has over 35 years of experience in the nursery/garden center field. He joined the Rhoads Garden first as a grower in the greenhouses, then as Manager. He enjoys the daily interaction with the customers and sharing gardening experiences with them. When Mike's not busy working at Rhoads, he enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Patti, children Brienne and Eric and his grandchildren.
Dave Ramsey
Assistant General Manager, Buyer, Education Team Member, crew member since 1987
Dave is a graduate of Western Montgomery County Vocational School majoring in Ornamental Horticulture, Landscape Design and Floriculture. He also achieved certification from Longwood Gardens in Perennials II and Ornamental Grasses. His interests include bible education, perennial gardening, bicycling, traveling and scuba diving.
David Rhoads Jr.
Nursery Manager, crew member since 2002, 3rd generation family member
David has been working with his father at The Rhoads Garden since he was a little boy. As a third generation horticulturist David comes by his passion for plants naturally. He studied Horticulture at West Virginia University and joined the company full time in 2002. He now heads the Nursery Sales Division. He is a terrific people person. David enjoys helping customers find that perfect plant. He loves to spend his free time with his wife Katie and their children, Baylor, Jude and Lola.
Ernie Heimbach
Landscape Design, crew member since 2005
Ernie is a detailed oriented, highly creative landscape designer. He has been in the landscape profession since 1987, participating in many classes, seminars and on the job training. He started his landscape profession working hands on as a foreman for 17 years handling all phases of landscaping from the design process to job completion. He enjoys spending his spare time with his wife and 2 sons.
Brienne Melnick
Garden Center Manager, Education Team Member, crew member since 2000
Brienne started working at The Rhoads Garden during summers and weekends while going to college both at Bloomsburg University and West Chester University. After getting degrees in Art History and History in 2004 and English in 2008 Brienne decided she enjoyed the diverse work the Rhoads Garden could provide. Learning as she worked, Brienne gained on the job knowledge of so many plants, especially annuals. As part of her love of learning Brienne also teaches classes at Rhoads and works on other aspects of the Li'l Gardeners Program begun in February of 2014. After years of training new employees, helping customers, and educating, her hard work and dedication paid off and Brienne was given the position of Garden Center Manager in 2015.
Lauren Rhoads-Hales
Gift Shop Manager, Buyer, crew member since 2005, 3rd generation family member
Lauren graduated Virginia Tech with a B.A. in Merchandising Management in 2004. She grew her sales skills at a high-end retail store before joining the Rhoads Garden crew in 2005. When Lauren isn’t working on gift shop business, buying for the Rhoads Buds baby boutique, or helping on the in-house marketing team, she loves to be with her husband Justin and their two children Elliana and Vance.
Mary Roylance
Senior Buyer, Education Team Member, crew member since 1987
Mary has been active in the floral field for more than 30 years. After receiving a degree in horticulture from the State University of New York-Alfred, Mary entered into the field of floral design and management. Mary lives in Allentown with her husband. She finds the commute more than worthwhile in that the Rhoads Garden offers exciting professional opportunities and great artistic freedom. As senior buyer, she values the chance to visit some of the finest gift shows in the nation and purchase great merchandise for the store. Mary feels that there are few businesses that can provide the level of service and selection available at the Rhoads Garden.
Molly Walker
Buyer, Education Team Member, crew member since 1997
Molly graduated from Temple University with a bachelor's degree in English, which she loves utilizing when writing puns for The Rhoads Garden sign and marketing materials. She has over thirty years retail sales experience, 18 of which have been spent with Rhoads. Selecting merchandise for the gift shop is exciting and rewarding each season. When she is not at Rhoads, she enjoys gardening for herself with her husband, Jim, and her two children, Miles and Chloe.
Karen
Floral Manager, Crew Member Since 2012
Karen graduated from Temple with a degree in Horticulture and has been a floral designer for over 40 years. In 1985, she started working at Lansdale Florist and two years later became the manager. In 1985, her boss passed away and left her and two other employees the shop. Karen then came to Rhoads in 2012 after the shop closed down. She has been married for forty years with four daughters and six grandchildren. Every year she visits Disney World with her entire family.
Marianne
Floral Manager, Crew Member Since 2011
Marianne started her floral career by taking a program offered at Longwood Gardens. During that time, she learned a range of proper techniques for creating many floral pieces. In 2011, she heard about Rhoads through a friend and has worked here ever since. Marianne loves working with tropical and spring flowers. She loves Halloween and has quite the collection of decorations.
Office Staff
Peg Rhoads: 2nd Generation Owner
Jen Horgan: crew member since 1999
Dianne Rhoads-Esbensen: crew member since 2003, 3rd generation family member
