A horticulture business fell easily under the umbrella of the family excavation and road building business, RK Construction. The young couple opened a greenhouse on the family farm, and in 2002 opened another on Highway 2 just east of Deer River. In 2005 RK Construction bought a corner property along Highway 38 on the north side of Marcell and the couple began to develop another greenhouse site there.

This year Lloyd’s Landscaping will complete the move into the office/shop building addition. It will be the start of what Lloyd and Amber see as a true landscaping center: a place that provides all the materials to start and complete a landscaping project either as a do-it-yourself project or with their services. There are a lot of parts to a landscaping project. For instance, with their backgrounds, Lloyd and Amber can provide design consulting – recommending plant materials and working with the county and Department of Natural Resources where necessary. When the design is selected, the soils, mulch, rocks and shrubs can be delivered, - along with a rental T190 Bobcat if the homeowner wants to do the job himself.

Nursery and bedding stock is purchased rather than grown because of high winter heating costs, explained Lloyd. But the couple’s goal is to carry high quality plants and encourage purchase of those plants that will do well. For example, the Colorado Blue Spruce has trouble with the humidity in this area; a better choice would be a Black Hills white spruce, they explained. “We really strive,” said Lloyd, “to get a plant that is going to live up here.”

There are some new plants that they are excited about as well. Quick Fire Hydrangea has a white bloom that turns pink at the tip as the flowers mature, said Amber. Zestar is a new apple that is superior in taste and texture and was developed at the U of M. Summer Wine Ninebark is a new shrub that can add a maroon leaf color to the garden while not showing dieback in the winter. And, in an example of how experience with a plant can change a recommendation, Lloyd has found a Zone 4 tree, Crimson Frost Birch, to be successful in this area.

One interesting product is cocoa bean mulch. With a fragrance of chocolate, it claims to deter slugs. However, Amber cautions, it is better used in drier areas and where dogs will not dig it up.

The mulch joins cedar and pine bark nugget mulches as well as a number of different soils, crushed rock and bulk potting soil. Greenhouse products include Chef Jeff vegetables and a full line of bedding plants, perennials, shrubs and trees. There are seeds, onion sets and spring bulbs. And there is a section devoted to birds: bird houses and feeders home built out of native cedar as well as bird baths and bird seed.

The couple plans to expand a rental business for landscape work - everything needed, Lloyd said, to start a garden, build a rock wall or do other landscaping.

There’s a party coming up as well. On June 2 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. the business will host an Open House to celebrate Ray’s 40th year in excavation.