At the turn of the century the
tunnel was closed due to a death.
The Reomer family had owned the
property and started a tree farm from seedlings plucked from
the eavestrough of the residence of Chatham-Kent.
Reomer developed the property
into a large tree farm and were very successful.
Their daughter was the first of
many weddings held at Colonial in 1952.
Footnote:
In 1964 Henry and Elizabeth Molema immigrated to Canada from
Holland, settling in Chatham and purchased Roemer's Nursery.
They created Colonial Nurseries, the largest nursery & garden
centre in Chatham-Kent. Their children helped develop the
property and when they retired in 1999, their son along with
his family continued tradition, adding a large giftware store.
Perry & Sherry Molema raised their
2 children here and gave the house another addition, making
it the spectacular home it is today.
With their children grown, it
was time for them to move on and that is when Darcy Meville bought the estate.
Henry and Elizabeth operated the
original store out of a garage
attached to the historical home which is still located at
the nursery. Over 35 years later the business had grown into
a 10,000 sq. ft. retail store and 6 acres of perennials,
trees, shrubs, landscape products, ponds and show gardens.
Their destination garden centre was now known as Colonial
Nurseries Home and Garden Centre Ltd. and is visited by thousands
of avid gardeners every year.
In 1999 Perry and Sherry
Molema (the second generation) purchased and operate the
family business with help of their loyal and knowledgeable
staff. Lindsay & Melissa (third
generation) are very helpful in the set up of the gift shop
and are learning the techniques of the "Colonial" way.
Henry the founder with his deep love and passion for plants
is still very much involved in the growing, nurturing and
cultivation of our plants at Homegrown Farms a division of
Colonial Nurseries.
The deep rooted tradition of quality, knowledge and service
are still to this day the foundation of our company. The
old world family traditions combined with the technology
of the new millennium, has continued to keep Colonial Nurseries
Home and Garden Centre on the cutting edge of horticulture
and related services. We have now evolved into a full 12
month a year business, offering home and garden de'cor, indoor
outdoor furniture, and the best selection of perennials,
trees and shrubs in the area, bulk landscape products and
award winning water features and landscapes. Come visit us
and discover for yourself how we can assist you in creating
your garden dreams!
Your recipe for successful gardening
starts at Colonial Gardens. Follow
this to
a gardener's paradise.
We are OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!
[ Top ]
|
