Shortly after the civil war, when the western United States was struggling to build a frontier society, Alex Waldbart and his sons in 1872 began a fruit tree and flowering shrubs business in downtown Saint Louis. The family successfully grew that business, relocated several times, and eventually moved into the more suburban area of North County.

As the demand for quality ornamental plants grew the company’s direction centered on quality landscaping. The nursery today is one of the largest landscaping firms/garden centers in the St. Louis metropolitan area and one of only a few businesses in Missouri that has been in business since the nineteenth century. It continues to provide quality nursery plants and service to the businesses and homes of the area, just as it has over the past 130 years. 

The nursery has grown from a small, one-family operation to a three-location business in two states, expanding to Illinois in 1980. In spite of the many changes that Missouri and Illinois have seen over those 130 years, the owners, managers, and employees have carried on the tradition started long ago: High quality plants, exemplary customer service, and friendly team-oriented employees. 

A. Waldbart and Sons Nursery has carved out a solid niche in the Missouri/Illinois landscaping market because of their unique approach to trees: They grow their own. The company operates a 300-acre farm in Illinois. Trained horticulturists and nurserymen grow a full variety of both hardwood and ornamental trees, appropriate for the rigors of the local climate. Thousands of shade, ornamental, and evergreen trees are harvested yearly. The farm has a 3 to 7 year production cycle that allows the company to have mature trees available at all times. They are able to supply the highest quality trees that customers have come to expect. 

The company employs designers with bachelors degrees in horticulture with and emphasis on landscape design and supervisors who are certified nurserymen. The company understands that not only must their employees keep up with the market through continuing education, but also the nursery must keep abreast of industry developments and directions.