With their base located in Leopolis and positioned under the umbrella of Paisar Swamp Camp Industries, owners Darry and Janet Paisar conduct business as Glacial Stone Nursery, Pony Creek Decorative Curbing and Lawn Care, and Konkel’s Green Magic.
Glacial Stone Nursery — purchased by the Paisars in 2014 — is a wholesale perennial plant supplier for approximately 20 garden centers and landscapers throughout Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.
“We are extremely grateful for our loyal, wholesale customers as they are the main component of our nursery,” said Darry Paisar. “We also offer decorative curbing, lawn mowing and landscaping. On top of that, another division — Konkel’s Green Magic — handles lawn fertilizing and weed spraying.”
Altogether, the businesses tout a one-stop landscaping and lawn-care shop, which takes care of mowing and fertilizing lawns and supplying perennial plants, trees or shrubs as needed.
Working 25 years in a corporate job, Darry Paisar felt the stress of constant deadlines and expectations wearing him down. With much traveling involved, he decided to make a career change in his 40s.
“Being in manufacturing my whole life, there were always critical deadlines, and when you meet them, people expect them — it was a high-stress environment,” said Darry Paisar. “Now here, everyone’s happy and there’s beautiful flowers; not saying there isn’t stress or worries here, but it’s just different.”
Discovering the nursery was for sale, Darry Paisar didn’t know the first thing about growing plants but his wife, Janet, had more of a background and a love for it.
“After the first year, I ended up liking it perhaps even more than Janet did. We had decided the time was right, and we ventured out,” said Darry Paisar.
The previous employers helped the Paisars, coming nightly during the transition and any time they had questions or concerns.
“Their help and knowledge were an invaluable resource, and we are so thankful for them. Even to this day, they are always willing to answer any questions we might have,” said Darry Paisar. “Hands-on experience has been our teacher as well.”
Darry and Janet Paisar credit long-time employee Tia Bestul for her knowledge and skill.
“Tia, our greenhouse manager, with her schooling in horticulture, strong work-ethic and willingness to always learn, has brought our quality of plants to a new level,” said Darry Paisar.
Depending on others, the Paisars contribute much of their success to those who stepped up to help.
“If there was any way we were successful at first, it was because of family and friends,” said Janet Paisar. “We felt we were living down at the nursery in our first year and without their help with planting, bringing meals, pulling orders, etc., we don’t know how we would have had success. We are so grateful for their help and support over the past 11 years.”
The Paisars are also extremely grateful for the staff they employ.
“We have dedicated workers. Our continued success is based on our fantastic staff. They are dependable, consistent and faithful,” said Darry Paisar.
In addition to working at the greenhouse, employees handle snow removal and snow plowing. They also help in the woods early spring by tapping trees and servicing lines on approximately 3,300s for their sap business, Paisar’s Swamp Camp.
Year-round employees are employed because Glacial Stone Nursery umbrellas other businesses. Getting into shrub pruning, lawn care and snow removal just to extend the season, the Paisars were then able to offer their helpers full-time positions.
Truckloads of plants are shipped to the greenhouse in February, coming in as bare-root, tiny-plug liners. The greenhouses are heated as they’re being filled. The temperature stays at approximately 35 degrees in February to keep the plants from growing too fast and allowing the energy to go to root development.
Offering some native plants at their nursery, which are typically better for pollinators because they’ve evolved together for thousands of years, Darry Paisar accredits God’s hand in the native plants.
“Natives are God’s creation, where cultivars are man’s creation,” said Darry Paisar.
Open to the public one three-day weekend a month, the nursery attracts repeat customers who come because they know they’re getting healthy plants.
“When we first started, we had so many neighbors, friends and family stopping by to purchase plants and it really interrupted the wholesale production and productivity,” said Janet Paisar. “We decided to open to the public just a few times our second year, so we could have more staff on hand to help. With so many requests, we decided to open to the public one three-day weekend a month. Our kids thought we should post on Facebook, and now the nursery attracts both new and repeat customers.”
The Paisars enjoy the public sales, which bring the opportunity to share their love of planting and gardening with others.
“Public sales are the fun part of this job. Customers come from near and far. Many see it on Facebook or by word-of-mouth,” said Janet Paisar. “I love plants, love gardening and it’s so fun to share that with people. It’s a hobby that’s healthy and a great way to get away from TV and screens and to be outside.”
Darry and Janet Paisar have three adult children and eight grandchildren — all of whom, at one time or another, have helped in certain aspects of their businesses.
Glacier Stone Nursery has a Facebook page for sale date reminders. For information, email darold.paisar@gmail.com or call 920-427-8973. The nursery is located at N5578 County Road D, Leopolis.
Greenhouses at Glacial Stone Nursery are temperature-controlled and fully stocked with many varieties of perennials ready for sale to wholesalers. A three-day, once a month sale is open to the public. Dates are noted on the nursery’s Facebook page. (Kay Reminger)
Many varieties of perennials await shipment to wholesalers throughout Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. (Kay Reminger)
