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Sturtz and Copeland

Celebrate your mom while supporting a mother-daughter duo

Article by Rosie Chester

Photography by Alexandré Hooson

Originally published in Boulder Lifestyle

HOW LONG HAVE YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER WORKED TOGETHER?

I’ve been fortunate all my life as I had a workplace where my three children were welcomed and encouraged to be a part of my business from the time that they were in pre and elementary school. Back in the '70s the Sturtz and Copeland greenhouses were located at 15th and Arapahoe, right next to Boulder High School. We lived in a small house behind the greenhouses and my daughters would come in after school and play when they were small. They learned all about the business and, as they got older, they actually began to work with the plants and flowers. After college they all went their separate ways, but my daughter, Jennifer, eventually returned from San Francisco and started helping in the office.

WHAT UNIQUE QUALITIES DO YOU EACH BRING TO THE TABLE + HOW YOU COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER?

Jennifer is much more organized than I am and handles payroll, paperwork and office duties that I really don’t enjoy. But, most of all, she’s my sounding board. I can run through business models and changes that I want to make, and she always comes up with something better than what I envisioned. We’ve even started working on some other business ventures outside of the realm of plants and flowers and that has been both fun and rewarding.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT SINCE WORKING TOGETHER? BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU'VE HAD TO OVERCOME?

Our biggest challenge was probably back in the '80s when we had to move the greenhouses so that Boulder High could expand. It was difficult to find another property and to start building from scratch, but it turned out to be one of the best things that we ever did. The location at 2851 Valmont seemed like it was on the outskirts of town at the time, but now we find ourselves in the center of things. 

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE TOGETHER AS A MOTHER-DAUGHTER TEAM?

Over the years some of my grandchildren have carried on the Sturtz tradition. This spring season one of my grandsons will be driving a Sturtz van, and one will be helping bedding plant customers and one of my granddaughters will be a cashier.

FAVORITE MEMORY OF WORKING TOGETHER?

Jennifer and I are both avid gardeners and are looking forward to the spring planting season. Some of my favorite memories will always be when we were together planting up containers with bright annuals for our porches and patios. 

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE WAYS TO CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP EVERYDAY? ANY TRADITIONS?

Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for us at Sturtz and Copeland. We can’t do the traditional brunch or lunch on that day, but we can sit and enjoy our gardens together for the entire summer after the hectic days at the greenhouse have subsided.

Carol and Jennifer's Top Mother's Day Picks: 

Bring Mom in and help her pick out plants and flowers and then go home and help her plant them.

Patio pots full of colorful annuals that will bloom on Mom’s porch all summer long.

Bright and colorful outdoor hanging  baskets. We have so many different varieties. Fuchsias, impatiens and begonias for the shade. Geraniums petunias, lobelia, calibrachoa and mixed annuals for the sun. And the best part is that we do a 20% off hanging basket sale for Mother’s Day.

SturtzAndCopeland.com
@sturtzandcopeland

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