When Tom and Liz McMeekin opened Quality Gardens 22 years ago with only 3,000 square feet of greenhouse, a small parking lot, and one employee, they expected their business to grow.

And grow it did.

Today, Quality Gardens on Route 228, Valencia, has 30 employees, 30,000 square feet of greenhouses and several acres of outdoor production, which includes a wide range of floricultural and horticultural products.

Tom likes to tell his customers, "We have it all. Period."

But if you like statistics, throughout the seasons, Quality Gardens boasts big numbers: 6,000 roses, 10,000 4" pots of annuals, 3,000 spring hanging baskets, 15,000 perennials, 13,000 fall mums, 10,000 poinsettias and thousands of bulbs and lilies for Easter. And these numbers do not even include trees, bushes, and shrubs.

Quality Gardens is a full-service gardening center, which means it not only has hundreds of thousands of plants, but anything a home gardener may need to work his lawn or garden. From seeds to trees, garden hoes to garden hoses, Quality Gardens keeps it in stock ready on the spot.

If the homeowner needs help with lawn design, Quality Gardens offers landscaping services, providing two crews that are busy from early spring to late autumn. A unique feature is available through the computer-imaging program that allows Quality Gardens to show what a completed project will look like before work begins.

With 10 acres, Tom and Liz knew they had the capability to continue with this growth pattern. Plans began a couple of years ago when the couple traveled through Europe searching for a structure to complement the grounds for their showroom expansion. In Holland they found what they considered to be the perfect building, a totally glass structure.

Presently under construction, the building, the only one of its kind in the United States, is to be completed by the end of May.

The new facility, the outdoor living center, will house their ever-expanding product lines, a display of patio furniture, unique pottery, simple to ornate fountains, statuary, garden art, and of course, garden essentials to meet the specifications of the most discerning shopper.

A visit to Quality Gardens provides the shopper with the opportunity to buy cut flowers for the table, fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, and a variety of gourmet foods at Quality Gardens farm market, where the area's highest quality seasonal home grown produce is offered.

The McMeekins expect their business will continue to grow as they meet the growing demand for quality goods and service, while living up to their name, Quality Gardens. Their business philosophy is simple and direct: "Make customers not sales, by treating each and every person as you expect to be treated".

Quality Gardens is open year-round during these times:

Easter to Oct. 31: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 1 to Easter: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 a.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.