We take great pride in what we do here at Groovy Plants Ranch and it's incredibly exciting when others take notice of our passion for plants, growing and horticulture. Below you'll find articles that the ranch has been lucky enough to have been featured in and awards we feel honored to have won.
Midwest Living
This Ohio Couple Sells Unique Succulents
June 24, 2019, Print & Online
"The original idea behind Groovy Plants was to sell unique plants," Jared says. "And that's still what we do. We breed or find succulents that no one else has."
Ohio Cooperative Living
Customers experience flower power at co-op members' unique garden center
August 2021, Print
"If its vast plant selection weren't enough, Groovy Plants Ranch also offers a potpourri of far-out experiences. Customers get to shop for premium seeds and arty greeting cards in an 1869 schoolhouse or relish planting something green and gorgeous at the Potter's Saloon. Featuring an open bar, the self-serve saloon has two kinds of soil on tap - Jungle Boogie for house plants and True Grit for succulents and cacti."
The Columbus Dispatch
Garden centers, nurseries adapt to coronavirus pandemic
April 12, 2020, Print & Online
Jared Hughes, the owner of Groovy Plants Ranch in Marengo, about 30 miles northwest of Downtown Columbus, had closed his on-site retail operation several weeks ago in response to the coronavirus pandemic. He has since reopened his doors.
“The whole thing changed for me when the governor and the top doctor (Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton) said that gardening is something we should be doing, that it is one of the best ways to get exercise” during the current crisis, Hughes said.
Columbus Navigator
A Visit To Groovy Plants Ranch Is The Perfect Way To Nurture Your Green Thumb
Spring 2020, Online
The Ranch is nestled into a 2-acre partially wooded property. The plant selection changes by season, with fruits and veggies, herbs, annual and perennial plants, pumpkins, house plants and more. The place is a plant lovers heaven. Honestly, it’s heaven whether you enjoy plants or not. The smells, the sounds of live music through the trees, it’s all insanely magical.
The Morrow County Sentinel
Groovy Plants Ranch set to open new speciality nursery in Marengo
March 3, 2016, Online & Print
Groovy Plants Ranch, a wholesale specialty plant nursery located in Cardington, aims to blend a distinct shopping experience with its wide selection of unusual plants and succlents, for its customers.
Greenhouse Product News
Groovy Plants Ranch to Open Retail Store
March 4th, 2016, Online & Print
“We’re definitely purveyors of plants and hope to hook a whole new generation of gardeners with our unique mix of plants,” says owner Jared Hughes. “Here, we’ll feature quality, craft-grown plants that shoppers won’t find elsewhere.”
The Columbus Dispatch
Gardening | Experts, too, have their own
December 29, 2019, Online & Print
Hughes wants to dive into raising some challenging or unusual plants.
“I am digging deeper into growing more unique things from seeds,” he said. “I am trying to grow more rare perennials from seed."
What Should We Do Today Columbus
Groovy Plants Ranch is A Plant Lover’s Heaven!
Fall 2020, Online
Groovy Plants Ranch in Marengo, Ohio is a plant lovers dream come true! Greenhouses filled with cacti, house plants and succulents and rows of annuals and perennials are a delight!
The Morrow Country Sentinel
Groovy Plants Ranch has unique selection
October 13th, 2020, Online & Print
“We have an amazing selection of carving pumpkins and heirloom pumpkins, all those funky ones everybody loves. We have bulbs for spring flowers in the schoolhouse right now. Our mums are perfect gumdrops with tons of flowers on them just cracking color.”
Columbus Underground
Shop Talk: Groovy Plants Ranch an Oasis of Houseplants, Cacti & Succulents
October 28, 2020, Online & Print
Groovy Plants Ranch, located at 4140 County Rd 15 in Maregno, is a one-stop-shop for all things plants. In addition to their massive selection of plants and ceramics, their knowledgeable staff is ready to answer any questions and make sure you know how to care for your plant before you take it home.
The Morrow Country Sentinel
Groovy Plants Ranch owner boasts online success
March 19, 2021, Online & Print
Groovy Plants Ranch owner Liz Hughes of Marengo overflowed with enthusiasm as she described the changes and growth in their business since increasing their online presence during the pandemic.
Garden Center Magazine
Cultivate'21 IGC road trip
July 10, 2021, Print
True to its name, Groovy Plants Ranch (GPR) offers customers a break from the norm and lends itself as a prime garden center destination, even during the off-season summer months. GPR specializes in perennials, annuals, houseplants, succulents, air plants, and cacti and is entirely outdoors. Customers can meander through the different stations, some of which feature blooming cacti intertwined with native plants, a 152-year-old schoolhouse, and even an Instagram-famous hippie van. GPR's artistic, informative signage (complete with handy QR codes) sets their customers up for success long after they leave the garden center.
614 ColumBEST Magazine
How Marengo's weird and whacky Groovy Plants Ranch blossomed into the plant destination it is today
May 13, 2022, Print & Online
Ask Jared Hughes where Groovy Plants Ranch began and he’ll give you the same answer he gives to everyone. And it’s the last place most of us would expect.
“It was the floor of Foertmeyer and Sons,” he said with a restrained chuckle.
While in college, Hughes took a position as a general laborer at Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse in Delaware, Ohio. He didn’t know—or care—much about plants or their cultivation at the time, but slowly, like the green sliver sprout breaking through the soil, both his knowledge and his desire grew.