A look back at
Willbrandt Farms
For many years I made a long, seven hour drive to the Willbrandt family's greenhouses in North Muskegon to buy annuals, perennials and herbs for my gardens in Cincinnati. You may wonder why I traveled so far for plants, but only if you never strolled through the rows of beautiful flowers at the Willbrandt Garden Center. Doug Willbrandt and his wife Marcia ran the business from 1990 to 2003 after taking over from Doug's parents, Bill and Doris Willbrandt.
Floriferous Corner
Geraniums and Gerbera Daisies
Their enormous herb greenhouse would have been worth the trip by itself. There you could find exotic plants like mega-sweet stevia, a replacement for sugar, and rose, chocolate, strawberry, lemon, ginger, cinnamon and orange-scented geraniums, as well as the standards: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Jerry Barnaby filmed a segment there for his TV show in 2002. Marcia and some of the women who worked for her prepared a delicious feast that included herbed chicken, corn on the cob with Herb Butters, Marcia's Summer Fruit Salad and Lavender Punch. (Click on the underlined words for recipes.)
Marcia amidst the rosemary and thyme
Though bedding plants were a big part of their business, the farm's original and primary product was celery, which went into Campbell's V-8 juice. A massive dike and pumps held the waters of Bear Lake back revealing rich, black soil, perfect for growing the tall green vegetable. Five generations of the family grew celery in West Michigan from seed to harvest, first in greenhouses, then in fields. Another farm in Decatur, Michigan is currently owned and operated by Doug's brother Brian, and nephews Jake and Matt.
Marcia, Doug and son Jason in 1982
In 2003 Doug and Marcia decided to sell the North Muskegon farm to a developer. Their sons have followed other paths. Justin is a chef, and his brother Jason works for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Their land was the last undeveloped section on Bear Lake, and very desirable. The pumps were turned off and water filled the fields.
Former celery field
Due to the economic down-turn, the developer who began building on the property has since returned the land to Marcia and Doug. It now awaits a lucky entrepreneur to pick up where he left off. The site is exceptionally beautiful, and perfect for residential and commercial development. (Click HERE for more photos and information.) Doug was working for Wagonmaker Farms in Fremont when he fell from a stack of celery crates in August 2009 and broke several bones. Please keep him in your prayers. He has a long recovery ahead of him.
Marcia continues to teach cooking and gardening classes throughout Western Michigan, as she has for several years. She created an organic garden for Utopian Marketplace in Montague, which has already won a local gardening award. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final Note: On the far side of the dike, which still stands, reed grass and loosestrife wave in the breezes that waft in off the lake. Marcia took me there one day to watch them sway. The magical scene inspired my story, Learning to Dance. (Click on the title to read this short "word painting".)