In fact, their retail operation, Living Color Garden Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a testimony to the pair's hard work. Starting from scratch in 1990, the 1 1/2-acre site has blossomed into a destination for many South Florida gardeners.

Color fills the area in front of the main building by means of annuals, perennials and tropical flowering plants. Two parallel paths -- one lined with palms and bedding plants, the other arched with flowering vines -- lead to a duck pond. Under the covered retail area are hundreds of indoor tropicals such as orchids and bromeliads.

But the Herndons aren't satisfied. The garden center is truly a work in progress and Mark is more than willing to talk about his plans.

"I'm going to put up another walkway of vines here ... This area is going to be a topiary garden ... My biggest problem is that I want everything to happen right away. I've taught myself that things take time and you can't do everything at once," Mark said.

Constant improvement

Confessed workaholics, Kim and Mark have poured the past 10 years into the garden center and adjacent wholesale operation, Black Olive East Nursery. Their minds rarely wander, even during vacations.

"When we take a trip somewhere, the first thing we do is grab a phone book and see what garden centers we can visit," Mark said.

Some of the Herndon's favorite stops have been New Garden Landscape & Nursery in Greensboro, N.C., Waterloo Gardens in Exton, Pa., and Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar, Calif. From these visits, the Herndons have learned the value of creative retailing and have sought to rise above what is standard for South Florida garden centers.

For an area that is filled with natural beauty, most Fort Lauderdale/Miami garden centers lack a great deal of sophistication. Most evolved from roadside fruit stands and still have that overall feel.

But by seeing upscale retail shops across the country, the Herndons have learned that a "destination" garden center can attract a large base of big-spending customers from a wide geographical area.

To keep these clients happy, the Herndons try to stock plants and hard goods that are found almost exclusively at their stores. Growing up in a family of South Florida nurserymen, Mark has an eye for new, exotic plants and is constantly testing new trees, shrubs and vines for the garden center and the wholesale operation.

"We really try to go the extra mile to keep people out of Home Depots and the other garden centers that supply just the basics," Mark said. "It's a lot of work growing all of the unusual stuff and it's difficult educating employees on them, but we wouldn't be as successful if we didn't do so."

High-end garden decorations including ironware and statuary are also found at the garden center. In January, a shipment of hand-painted fountains imported from Spain arrived.

The latest project

Near completion is a 3,300-square-foot, steel and polycarbonate Stuppy retail greenhouse with a 1,200-square-foot entryway. Register counters made of cut limestone and stone columns will be throughout the structure. The floor is paved brick and the front facade reaches 34 feet high.

"People drive by and ask me 'What is that going go be? A Taj Mahal?" Mark said. The checkout space and a florist area will be covered with trellised vines and Mark designed a planter system so the plants can be watered automatically without dripping on customers. Much of the entryway will be covered with vines also, reminding customers of the many flowering varieties available to South Florida residents.

Kim and Mark will be very happy when this multi-year project comes to an end. If anything, the greenhouse is a monument to trying to do too much by themselves. Rather than hiring a contractor, Mark decided to do the construction himself. Unfamiliar with the permit process, the greenhouse has taken longer and has been more expensive than he planned.

But a lesson was learned -- you can't do everything. For this same reason, the Herndons are in the process of eliminating their landscape division. There just wasn't time to manage it, the garden center and the wholesale nursery. But keep an eye on this couple and their company. As their plans and ideas develop, this already beautiful garden center will continue to improve and thrive.

Living Color Garden Center. Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Owners: Kim and Mark Herndon. Founded: 1990. Acres: 1 1/2 acres retail, 20 acres wholesale. Employees: Retail division: 10-12; wholesale division: 25-35. For more: Living Color Garden Center, 3691 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312; (954) 985-8787; fax (954) 985-1710.

. © 1999 Branch-Smith Publishing