Skagit Horticulture, Skagit Gardens to cease operations this spring

Skagit Horticulture, including its Skagit Gardens and Northwest Horticulture brands, is closing this spring and ceasing operations, the company announced Wednesday. 

In a letter to customers, Skagit Horticulture President and CEO Scott Crownover and Skagit Gardens Retail-Ready Sales Manager Katie Miller said that Skagit will discontinue operations April 7 but plans to continue to have products available for sale through March 29 on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. 

"We have weathered many challenges in the past. However, current economic issues including market pressures, production cost, energy cost, freight cost and the business climate in the State of Washington have all contributed to this decision,” the letter reads. 

According to Nasdaq, Washington state has the highest minimum wage in the country at $16.28, other than Washington, D.C., where it’s $17. (The minimum wage is $16 in California, $15.69 in Connecticut and $15.13 in New Jersey, with New York, Massachusetts and Maryland all having minimum wages of $15.) 

Customers should continue to work with their account managers, or they can place orders at skagitgardens.com. All sales will be final. For other questions, contact Katie Miller at katiemiller@skagithort.com or 360-395-4309.

“We have truly appreciated your support over the years and wish you and your business the very best going forward,” the letter reads. 

According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice filed Wednesday with the Washington State Employment Security Department, the closure will affect 169 employees. (Generally, the WARN Act requires companies with 100 or more employees to notify affected workers 60 days prior to closures and layoffs.) 

Based in Mount Vernon, Washington, Skagit Horticulture operates greenhouses, container yards and open field production centers in both Washington and California. 

Skagit Gardens — which was founded in 1966 by Jim and Ruth Youngsman — provides wholesale plants and flowers to independent garden centers, small-chain retailers, landscapers and municipalities throughout the U.S. and Canada as the company’s Retail-Ready finished plants division. 

Skagit Horticulture serves as the brand for the company’s agriculture division, while Northwest Horticulture exclusively serves large-scale home stores. 

Northwest Horticulture and Skagit Gardens merged as one company, Skagit Horticulture, in January 2017.