Tucked away in the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley, in Aurora, OR. is a small business with one of the largest selections of hydrangea varieties in North America. Hydrangeas Plus grows and propagates their own varieties with their motto, “We grow with care and it shows.”

Kristin and David VanHoose were in search of a change and a chance when they happened to come across an already established business for sale in the heart of Oregon Wine Country. They bought Hydrangeas Plus 25 years ago and never looked back. They learned as they went, inherited two employees that helped them navigate the roots they were destined to set. Both employees still work for Hydrangeas
Plus today.

“Our parents thought we were nuts. We were working 60 hours a week for somebody else. But both David and I have our MBA and we felt we could tackle the business side. It was just the growing side we had no idea what we were doing. But growing is very logical, you start with a plant, keep it watered, fertilized and then move it to a bigger pot,” Kristin said.

When they purchased the business it was very heavily wholesale – now their main focus is retail. Hydrangeas Plus ships nationwide, with 2020 and everyone home from Covid sparking their biggest year yet. Hydrangeas Plus carries over 300 different varieties of hydrangeas, and that’s just a fraction of the varieties out there, Kristin confirmed.

“Hydrangeas became very, very popular in the early 2000s because of Martha Stewart and the photos from her show. She loved hydrangeas, and others fell in love with them too. Hydrangeas are very diverse, there’s some that just the color changes on them. Then other blooms that have multiple colors and look like a totally different plant,” Kristin said.

With all the hype centered around such a bold flower, that’s when Hydrangeas Plus came in, shipping their plants nationwide and making a huge impression to their customers coast to coast.

“They remind people of their family, their grandmother, their mom. It’s such a family plant. They’re like, ‘oh, you know, my grandmother grew these,’ or ‘I’d love to have one just like grandma,’ it’s such an emotional plant,” Kristin said.

Hydrangeas Plus and the property became such an integral part of the VanHoose’s lives that Kristin and David and Kristin’s brother all got married on the property, where Kristin and David’s children grew up, bringing a new meaning to a family owned and operated business.

Over the last 25 years, Kristin has made connections and friendships to last a lifetime. Hydrangeas Plus and other local and specialty nurseries co-market to create the Cascade Nursery Trail, forming a trail of nurseries through the Willamette Valley.

“The friendships that we’ve made over the course of 25 years is probably what I’m most proud of, and that we’re still in business. Everyone thought we were just crazy to do this since we had no background, but the people along the way have made it all worth it,” Kristin said.

Hydrangeas Plus is located at 6543 S Zimmerman Rd. in Aurora. Visitors are welcome by appointments or on any scheduled open dates that can be found on their website, https://www.hydrangeasplus.com. Typically the summer months offer slower and reduced hours, but come fall is when the business ramps up again. All inquiries can be sent to Info@hydrangeasplus.com or call 503-651-2887.