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By Valorie Brecht The bright blooms of spring flowers remind us that life endures, even after loss.
Brenda Schlinsog, co-owner of Turn Pike Greenhouse, passed away last month after a year-and-a-half long battle with breast cancer. Her husband, Dusty, plans to continue the legacy they built together through cultivating beautiful plants for the community.
“She helped build the business and it is what it is today because of her. We are going to go on in her honor,” said Dusty. “The business is going to go on with the same values we’ve always had — customer service with a smile, and if we don’t have something you are looking for, we will get it for you.”
Now in its 16th year of operation, the Granton area horticulture hub has expanded greatly since its inception, going from one building to three, adding a floral arrangement and delivery service, and offering additional local products. At W2760 County Road H, Granton, the greenhouse sits on what was Dusty’s grandparents’ dairy farm. Turn Pike is centrally located, with it being about 5 miles from Granton, 7 miles from Chili, and 9 miles from Loyal.
Three dedicated employees help tend to the plants, fill orders, and assist customers. Each works 20 to 30 hours a week.
“They are three very nice ladies. I’m really blessed. They’ve helped to hold things together and get us through,” said Dusty.
Dusty likes to call Turn Pike a “full-service garden center” because of the wide variety of items offered.
“It seems like we grow a little every year,” said Dusty. “There’s pretty much all aspects of a garden center, you know, from the seed potatoes all the way up to hanging baskets, nursery stock, and fresh flower arrangements.”
Turn Pike carries a large selection of annuals, including over 100 types of petunias, and an ever-expanding perennial selection. They offer trees and shrubs, indoor plants, tropicals, and gardening supplies such as soil, mulch, fertilizer, and pots. They also sell outdoor décor such as metal works, Amish wood works, and fairy garden decorations. They have lots of specialty planters, more this year than ever before. Customers can also design their own basket.
As time has gone on, the Schlinsogs have made an effort to sell more goods from neighbors and other nearby vendors, boosting the local economy and filling a need in an area with no grocery store nearby. Those “extra” items include fresh produce and baked goods, wine, cheese, pickles, honey, maple syrup, and chocolate.
“We’ve really tried to sell more vendors’ items in the last three years. We’ve done more novelty foods, focusing on providing a more complete experience,” said Dusty.
In addition, for the last roughly five years, Brenda has operated “Brenda’s Fresh Flower Shop,” providing bouquets and arrangements year-round for weddings, funerals, birthdays, and other occasions, with delivery service available.
“Brenda had that eye for design,” said Dusty. “It was her wish to keep the flower shop going.”
He and one of the employees will continue doing floral arrangements.
A “city girl gone country” Dusty and Brenda met while working for Seats Inc. in Reedsburg. They married on Sept. 17, 2005, at the homestead in Granton; and began a new chapter there farming. In 2009 they held an auction and sold their cows. The next year, they opened their 48-foot by 30-foot greenhouse.
“It was just one little greenhouse when we started. We grew from there,” said Dusty.
Growing flowers was an easy choice for Dusty, given his agricultural background.
“I grew up with plants on the farm, so it was just natural for me to want to do it,” said Dusty.
Brenda, on the other hand, grew up in Reedsburg and was, in Dusty’s words, a “city girl.”
“I was as green as it gets,” Brenda said in an article for Agri-View back in 2012, “A progress in the making.”
Despite her lack of experience, she jumped in with both feet and began learning as much as she could. She attended garden shows and conferences with Dusty, and networked with other greenhouse owners.As her floriculture knowledge grew, the business also grew. In 2014, they added a second greenhouse with the same dimensions. In 2017, they built their 96-by-42 garden center, while keeping the two other greenhouses. Also in 2017, they purchased a pot-filling machine.
The greenhouse wasn’t their only job, as Dusty also farmed and hauled milk, and Brenda worked various places as well. However, in the last few years, they switched to the greenhouse and flower shop only, with more than enough work to keep them busy. During peak times, Dusty said they could easily spend 10 to 12 hours a day in the greenhouse.
Although Turn Pike is officially open six-and-a-half months per year, it really is a year-round job. The Schlinsogs typically plant 50,000 cuttings annually. This includes all the hanging baskets and the table products. They had 2,000 hanging baskets this year, all of which Brenda planted.
“Brenda really had her hands in all of it, all aspects of the business,” said Dusty.
They began planting for the season in February. The greenhouse opens for customers in mid-April, this year opening April 19. May is one of the busiest months with Mother’s Day and spring planting. September is the other busy month. In the fall, they stock 8,000 mums in over 1,000 colors, plus offer wagon rides and a corn maze. The greenhouse closes for the season Nov. 1. However, in the winter season, they continue to sell floral arrangements, as well as Christmas items like poinsettias. There is also a lot of paperwork and ordering for the next year to do. Their customer base has expanded over the years, in large part due to Brenda’s networking. “We built a lot of business through the farmer’s market in Marshfield. Brenda was always telling people about our business and encouraging them to
VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO
