Since 1926, Monrovia has been a pioneer in plant technology, innovating dozens of horticultural techniques along the way. During our start up years, our Founder, Harry Rosedale, pioneered the concept of growing plants in containers rather than uprooting them from the field. Early on, we became the first grower of topiaries and today offer the most extensive line of trained forms in the industry. Eighty years of innovations such as these have made us one of the world’s largest producers of container grown plants, today growing 22 million Distinctively BetterŪ plants year. Our Founder’s innovations of the 1920s and 1930s were followed by more breakthroughs in the 1940s. Our trucks became the first to make regularly scheduled and published deliveries in Arizona and California and we became the first nursery to develop its own exclusive sales force. During the 1950s, we were the first grower to ship plants across the country, the first to establish a dedicated Research Department and the first to mix fertilizers and minerals directly into our soils. The fifties also unveiled Monrovia’s own patented plant program. Thirteen patented varieties were introduced, representing the first of hundreds of patents we now hold. In the 1960s, Monrovia pioneered adding nutrient-rich liquid feed to our automated irrigation systems. We affixed gardener-friendly full-sized, color picture labels to blooming plants, and were the first to automate putting soil in containers, adding time-release fertilizers to help our plants continue to flourish after leaving our care. In the 1970s, Monrovia was first in the industry to recycle water, pioneering environmentally friendly methods of capturing, purifying and reusing runoff. The decade saw the end of metal cans as plant containers, with our plastics not only proving better for plants, but safer for gardeners. Monrovia's growing fields were the first to be certified snail free by the State of California and we became the first grower to disinfect its pruning shears with environmentally friendly monochloramine. The 1980s saw Monrovia’s introduction of the first informative color posters for popular plant categories, appreciated by gardeners and retailers alike. On the research front, we pioneered the use of citric acid as a pH water conditioner, a much safer and less caustic material than the inorganic substances formerly used. In the 1990s, concern for the environment prompted our discovery of two natural ways to control weeds. Our researchers found that using pecan shells to mulch container plants eliminates Liverworts, a troublesome weed that favors Camellias. They also discovered that adding ground-up eucalyptus waste to container soils releases allelopaths, a plant’s own defense against competitors. Customer education soared with Monrovia’s introduction of the center-folded “InfoLabel” presenting detailed information about a plant’s suggested care. In the 21st Century, Monrovia is working to expand the company’s 80-year commitment to excellence. Our distinctive moss-green, banded pots continue to signal shoppers that they have found a premium product. We remain the leader in developing and marketing exciting “New Plants,” supported by consumer advertising and in-store merchandising. Our informative, award-winning website with the industry’s first comprehensive photo library of plants receives tens of millions of hits each year. Not surprisingly, the foundation of excellence, our soil remains the best. Monrovia is the first grower to add mycorrhizae to our 42 nursery soil blends as well as our packaged soils.