Rosehill Gardens is a true Kansas City success story and this year, they are proud to celebrate their 100 Year Anniversary! To celebrate their centenary, they are giving away 100 trees! That’s right… Each month in 2014, Rosehill is giving away 10 trees to a deserving organization in the Kansas City metro area and they need YOUR help to find those organizations! If your organization is in need of GREEN, please submit an entry!
What kinds of organizations qualify?
Schools
Nonprofit community services
Churches
Senior living facilities
Veterans services
Animal shelters/rescue centers (animals need shade too!)
Click here to submit your entry
Read more about the history of Rosehill Gardens…
When Rosehill Gardens was founded in 1914, Evert Asjes believed that in order to provide the best local landscaping service possible, he would have to actually grow the plants locally, in their native soil. He started out by producing summer annuals for Memorial Day but before long, he was growing trees, shrubs, and perennials with a handful of employees.
Everett Asjes
As Rosehill Gardens continued to grow, so did the need for local plants. Plants were grown in fields, first along the Blue River Bottoms, and then in farms near 157th and Prospect in Belton, where 90% of the plants used by Rosehill Gardens are still grown to this day.
Rosehill Farms
As the business continued to boom, growth and expansion required it to move from its original Bales Avenue location to a new location on Holmes Road, and then to its current location at 311 East 135th Street in Martin City, Mo. During all of those moves, and most of its 100-year history, Rosehill Gardens was owned and operated by members of the Asjes family.
Everett Asjes II and Family
In 2007, Steve Asjes, its latest owner and the grandson of Evert Asjes III, ended a long struggle against cancer, and with his blessing, two longtime Rosehill Gardens employees purchased the company. Gary Weidenbach and Curtis Stroud bring with them a combined 45 years of experience at Rosehill Gardens, and a commitment to keeping the company’s heritage and vision intact.
Curtis Stroud and Gary Weidenbach
In November 2013, Evert Asjes III, grandson of the company’s original founder, passed away at the age of 77. He joined the company in 1958, after graduating from Kansas State University with a degree in Landscape Design. He would later pass the company on to his son, Steve Asjes, in 1992. During his life, Evert Asjes III was an ally and supporter for Kansas City businesses, and he served on the City Council for many years, first appointed to fill an unexpired seat in 1981, then running in 1995 and serving until 2003. He left behind a legacy of community, integrity, and entrepreneurship.
Everett Asjes III
Heritage and history are important to Rosehill Gardens, even as they look to the future. In the century that they have served the Kansas City metro area, Rosehill Gardens has been responsible for many of the large landscape projects in the region, including Arrowhead and Royals stadiums, the NNSA Honeywell plant in South Kansas City, and the new Prairie Fire Arts development in Leawood. They’ve grown to employ more than 150 people and Rosehill Farms now covers over 1,000 acres of locally-grown plants.
For more information about Rosehill Gardens, please visit their website.
