One more dream: Ted Lare Design Build + Garden Center

A lot of people think of Central Iowa and never get past soybeans and corn. But for those who know the peaceful countryside just south of Des Moines — the Midwest’s fastest-growing metro area — thoughts run instead to an award-winning destination garden center and luxuriant, high-end landscape design, thanks to Ted Lare Design Build + Garden Center.

First-timers quickly discover what draws people to the Cumming, Iowa, spot from across the state. Yes, it is exceptional plant selection, over-the-top pottery and water features, and the spectacular, strollable grounds. But it’s also little treasures tucked in garden center corners and a warm, enthusiastic staff eager to share their love of plants, gardens and landscapes with customers.

The story behind this Midwest paradise dates to August 1982, when a young man who’d worked for a few landscaping companies went out on his own after learning “all the things not to do.” With a shovel and a pickup, the one-man Des Moines business launched as Ted Lare Design Build. Ted quickly solidified his reputation for superior work.

Within a few months, the first employee came on board, then rented garage space for mulch. Before long, there was a small warehouse, a new facility and an ever-expanding workforce. Twenty-four years later, the highly successful design build landscaping business was firmly established in a prime, 5-acre Des Moines location. But one thing wasn’t in place.

“I had a daughter who wanted to have a garden center,” Ted says, “So I said, I’ve got time for one more dream.”

Evolving together

Visit Cumming, Iowa, today and you’ll see how that dream panned out since Ted and family relocated the business in 2007. A greenhouse flanked by garden center and design wings comprised the initial facility design. “Since then, it’s grown considerably,” Ted says.

The main facility, complete with greenhouses, display gardens and additional structures, sits on 12 acres of an 89-acre piece of land. The staff of 90 includes 20 people devoted to the garden center. Design-build projects — often challenging, outdoor-living installations highlighting water and craftsmanship with natural stone — account for 81% of sales. A full-service, residential-focused landscape maintenance department contributes 7%. Garden center sales provide the remaining 12%.

With Ted still at the helm, but slowly pulling back, the business remains a family venture. Ted’s wife, Jean Lare, has been designing and managing projects since 1995. Landscaping manager and designer Keegan Lare, Ted’s son, joined the business in 2008 after an engineering career. And then there’s Melissa Peterson, garden center manager and the daughter behind the dream.

Though the rest of the family has landscape architect degrees, Melissa took a different path after joining the company in 1999.

“For me, I’ve always loved the business and enjoyed the challenge of growing it in different avenues. I also loved putting creativity into things. For me, the garden center was a better fit,” she says.

Her vision to create a special destination — a happy place for people to come and enjoy — plays out around her every day.

“With the garden center, people like to come out and wander the gardens and check out the water features and just see what we have planted in our planters,” she says. “It’s just a really happy, positive experience, a fun place to come.” She credits her happy, outgoing staff with helping that come to pass.

Ted says sales percentages don’t adequately reflect the impact of Melissa and her team.

“I don’t know that we’d ever really have a complete knowledge of how much business she brings to the design part. People come out here and like what they see and then decide to invest with us, to create their new yard or whatever portion they may want to work on,” he says.

Keegan agrees: “It’s great inspiration to have all these things out here to see firsthand for ourselves and our clients. There’s a lot of new calls that come in from the garden center for work every year, every month. We’ve never really measured it, but it’s significant.”

Education, events and trends

Along with gorgeous plantings and friendly staff, Ted Lare’s Garden Center is known for its extensive seminar and event schedule.

“It’s one of our ways that we draw traffic — just because we are a little bit farther out, we’re not smack dab in the metro area,” Melissa shares.

A typical weekend finds four to eight distinct classes on tap, with topics ranging from sustainable gardening or Vegetables 101 to craft-focused terrariums or wind chimes. Along with many other events, from art shows and dinosaur days to garden tours, the garden center offered 125 different classes last year.

Jean points out that garden center offerings and landscaping projects both reflect the prevalence of outdoor living and socializing, as the garden moves indoors and the home moves outside. Garden-inspired home décor and garden art complement increased demand for outdoor kitchens, firepits, custom pools and very natural water feature designs. “We’re playing with water in ways that nobody else would,” Ted adds.

Like many places, native and pollinator plants are popular here. But in a state once the heart of America’s tallgrass prairie, those trends represent something more. “We’re seeing people here in Iowa wanting to get back to the native roots of things. The prairies that we used to have are pretty much nonexistent because of all the farming that happened here,” Melissa shares. “We’re seeing that movement and customers having genuine concern for what’s happening with pollinators.”

Other trends include drought-tolerant plants, big tropicals for fun container impact, more perennials and more color and interest across the board, along with growing food.

“People want to garden more for the fact that they can grow some of the things they eat,” Ted says, noting the pandemic’s impact. “COVID changed a lot. All of a sudden, people wanted to be outside. They wanted to do more, and they wanted to garden more. … For us, it was a great year.”

The influx of new gardeners hasn’t diminished at Ted Lare’s. Melissa points to a younger gardening demographic emerging, like young moms wanting their kids to experience gardening firsthand. “That’s been really cool to see,” she says.

While Garden Center magazine’s recent “2023 Houseplant Report” suggests houseplant sales are maturing, Melissa notes an important trend coming out of the houseplant craze. “Now we’re seeing those people transition into gardening outside,” she says. “There’s a lot of new gardeners that need more information and need more help.” Her staff is ready to help people get excited, learn and have fun.

What’s next for Ted Lare’s?

Not surprisingly, the dream for Ted Lare Design Build + Garden Center keeps growing. “There’s always bigger dreams and goals,” Melissa says, mentioning a coffee shop, more greenhouse space and more events.

She credits a lot of the garden center’s success to perseverance. “You try something and maybe it wasn’t a success the first time you try it, but you tweak it,” she says, noting the garden center’s popular art shows. “The first time we did it, it was this dismal affair.” But rather than quit, she persevered. Now the shows are two of the best traffic days of the whole season.

Melissa’s also quick to credit her team, and her practice of putting people where they can use their strengths and do things they love.

“That has made our garden center team just really dynamic in what they’re doing. We have people that love to do creative things; they’re doing creative things on a day-to-day basis. We have people that just love selling; they’re selling to people. We have people that love deadheading and cleaning plants; that’s what they’re doing,” she says. “… I think that helps with the customer experience. It makes the people working here happy and the customers happy, too.”

Jean, Keegan and Melissa all point to core values Ted instilled in the business: Prioritize and take pride in customer service, always treat each other with kindness, work hard but carve out time for fun and do things right the first time, to name a few.

Ted’s happy with how his original dream and Melissa’s addendum are working out. The idea of multiple locations doesn’t move him. “I’m just not geared that way. I like being hands-on with this one business, and we make this the best thing that people can come to. I think that’s gone really well,” he says.

His initial goal to have his company be a family business remains important. Family extends to employees, too. “We have a number of people that have been here quite a long time. I just feel fortunate that I can provide good livings for a lot of people,” he says. “It’s great to see. I always want to see that continue and see the growth happen both for the business as well as the employees.”

Melissa adds that she feels blessed to love her work and the people working with her. “I’m excited and happy to come to work,” she says. “I think it’s about creating that really positive culture — and it is harder as you get larger to maintain some of those things — but just keeping those core values that started with Dad.”

Jolene Hansen is a freelance writer specializing in the horticulture and CEA industries. Reach her at jolene@jolenehansen.com.