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Spring Creek Growers expanded its Texas native plant program from about eight to 10 selections to roughly 50 to 60 in four years. The Waller-based company says the category is now its second-largest, following a request from major customer H-E-B; the report also describes staff training, conservation partnerships and ongoing production trials.
Spring Creek Growers expanded its Texas native plant assortment from about eight to 10 selections to roughly 50 to 60 within four years, making the category the Waller operation’s second-largest crop program behind annuals, according to a 2026 report by Greenhouse Grower. The expansion followed a request from grocery chain H-E-B, the company’s largest customer, and has involved production trials, staff education and partnerships focused on Texas ecology.
The report says Spring Creek had grown a small number of native plants before H-E-B asked for a larger commitment to Texas natives several years ago. The company then built out the assortment and its production approach. It now distributes plants to roughly 250 stores across Texas, according to the report, though it does not provide sales figures or a breakdown of how much of the business the native category represents.
Some experience came from the company’s long-running production of Texas bluebonnets. Co-owner, Chief Operations Officer and Head Grower Evan Jones said the team spent years working through problems with germination, uniformity and yield. He described the seed pretreatment process they developed as a “secret recipe,” and said the crop taught the team that it could require less intervention than expected: “Less is more. Nature is just so resilient.”
Production knowledge remains uneven for some species, the report says. Spring Creek’s growing team has tested methods including vernalization and adjusted techniques based on how individual plants respond. Jones called commercial-scale production “big experiments,” adding that some practices are not documented in textbooks or written guidance. The company has also corrected native labels after learning that one or two plants previously marketed that way were not correctly designated.
From Specialty Crop to Major Program
The expansion shows how a retailer’s demand can prompt a greenhouse operator to develop a category beyond a small selection. For Spring Creek, native plants have become a substantial part of its crop mix in a short period, while the company works out how to grow a wider range of species at commercial scale.
The report connects the business decision with customer education and regional ecology. Native plants may arrive at stores without flowers or the uniform appearance shoppers expect from familiar bedding plants. Spring Creek uses larger, visual tags to show what plants may look like at maturity and describe ecological functions such as supporting pollinators, hosting other species or providing wildlife habitat. That information can help customers judge a plant by more than its appearance at the point of sale.
The program also sits within wider concerns raised by the company’s owners: pressure on Texas water resources and development replacing prairie and other undeveloped land. The report documents those concerns as part of the company’s rationale; it does not quantify the program’s effect on water use, habitat or conservation.
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Building on Bluebonnet Experience
Spring Creek is a family-operated grower based on a 60-acre property in Waller, Texas, with about 500,000 square feet of growing space, according to the report. President and owner Lauren Kirchner and her brother Jones lead the operation. The company has grown from roughly 30 employees several years ago to nearly 100, the report says.
Kirchner has used visits to stores carrying Spring Creek plants to observe what customers choose and to hear their experiences directly. She said she wants to understand “who’s buying the plants” and how customers define success with them. The report presents that feedback, alongside H-E-B’s request, as part of how the assortment developed; it does not identify specific customer research results or sales data.
Regional accuracy is another issue. Texas contains multiple ecoregions, and a plant native to one area may not suit every market the company serves. Spring Creek has worked with the Native Plant Society of Texas on ecological knowledge, bloom timing and regional distinctions. The group also led an all-day staff training, and Kirchner worked with it on a test and certificates for employees.
The company has also partnered with the Coastal Prairie Conservancy, which protects roughly 10,000 acres of prairie about a mile from the greenhouse, according to the report. Spring Creek supplies plants for the conservancy’s native plant sales, sponsors events and sends employees to learn about plants growing in the Katy Prairie.
““Less is more. Nature is just so resilient.””
— Evan Jones, co-owner, chief operations officer and head grower at Spring Creek Growers
Sales, Results and Regional Fit
The report gives assortment counts and the category’s ranking within Spring Creek’s crop programs, but it does not publish revenue, unit sales, profitability or year-by-year growth. It is not clear how much of the expansion reflects customer demand, H-E-B’s initial request or other retail purchasing decisions.
Nor does the report measure environmental outcomes, such as changes in water use or the amount of habitat supported by plants sold. The company’s owners discuss those issues as motivations, but the extent of any impact is not established in the material provided. Production methods and the suitability of individual species for different Texas regions also remain areas where the company says it is learning and refining its approach.
Trials and Retail Education Continue
The report does not announce a new expansion target, launch date or next commercial milestone. It describes Spring Creek as continuing to test growing techniques, improve staff knowledge and refine how it identifies and presents native plants to shoppers. The company’s partnerships with the Native Plant Society of Texas and Coastal Prairie Conservancy provide channels for ecological training and local learning, while visual tags explain plant maturity and habitat roles at retail.
Further detail on the program’s trajectory would depend on future information from Spring Creek or its retail partners, including updated assortment figures, sales data and any measured environmental outcomes. For now, the confirmed development is the growth already reported: roughly 50 to 60 selections and a second-place ranking among the company’s crop categories.
Key Questions
How large is Spring Creek Growers’ native plant assortment?
The Greenhouse Grower report says the assortment grew from about eight to 10 selections in its first year to roughly 50 to 60 today.
What prompted Spring Creek to expand the program?
H-E-B, identified in the report as Spring Creek’s largest customer, asked the grower to make a larger push into Texas native plants several years ago.
How important is the native category to Spring Creek?
The report says native plants are now the company’s second-largest crop category, behind annuals. It does not give revenue, sales volume or the category’s share of total business.
How does Spring Creek help shoppers understand native plants?
The company uses larger, visual retail tags that show how plants may look at maturity and describe roles such as supporting pollinators, hosting other species or providing habitat for wildlife.
What is still unknown about the program?
The report does not provide sales or profitability figures, quantify environmental effects or set out a future expansion target. It also describes continued trials as the company develops production methods for species with limited greenhouse guidance.
Source: rss
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