ABOUT US
Huls Nursery is currently operated by brothers Laurence (Larry) and Paul Huls.
History
Huls Nursery was started by our father, Ernest Huls. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he returned to St. Wendel, and on a small 1-1/2 acre parcel started growing strawberries and raspberries for sale to St. Cloud grocery stores. Eventually he began growing and selling evergreens and other plants in addition to the berries. As time went on another small acreage was acquired at our current main site. In 1969, the nursery was expanded again by acquiring the current acreage. During this time the operation was truly a family affair, with our mother Irma and all of the children (including Larry and Paul) helping with work in the nursery. In 1972, Ernest retired from the Great Northern railroad where he was employed, and began operating Ernest Huls Nursery as his full time profession.
In 1994 Ernest passed away, and the nursery began operating as Huls Nursery PTR, with brothers Larry and Paul as owners. During this time, many changes were made to improve the nursery site. The most dramatic change invloved terracing of the growing fields which helped to reduce erosion and improve production and plant quality. During this time we also expanded the number of new plant varieties we offered for sale, and continued to expand the varieties we tested, looking for qualities such as hardiness, disease resistance, flowering characteristics and overall performance.
In 2010, Huls Nursery PTR was reorganized to become Huls Nursery LLC. Together, Larry and Paul have a combined total of over 50 years of experience growing trees, shrubs, perennials and evergreens.
Mission
Our mission is simple. Provide high quality plants that are hardy for our local area and offer outstanding service and expert advice.
Many factors influence the quality and characteristics of plants. One of the most important factors is the source of the seed or the source of the original plant. The term for this source origin is known as provenance, and plays a critical role in producing hardy plants. We pay special attention to the sources of our plants and seeds, selecting those which have demonstrated outstanding winter hardiness and excellent growing characteristics. Our seed grown plants are started from locally collected seed, which helps to ensure the plants grown from them are adapted to our central Minnesota climate.
We also employ a technique known as 'root pruning', or 'undercutting' to provide a well branched, strong and vigorous root system on our evergreens, trees, and some shrubs. While this means more work for us, it results in a plant that suffers little transplant shock, and quickly establishes itself in your yard.
We take great pride in our products and our facility. We believe our commitment to excellence is reflected in the products and service we provide. We hope you will become one of our valued cutomers.
