Around the turn of the last century, John Alfred Weber was convinced by Theodore Wirth to emigrate from their native Switzerland to Hartford, Connecticut (where Wirth had recently been named Park Commissioner). John Alfred worked as a gardener on various estates including that of J. P. Morgan. About this time John Alfred had a son named Al.
In 1906, Theodore Wirth accepted a job in Minneapolis as Commissioner of Parks. Not long afterward, Theodore wrote to John Alfred that opportunities were good in Minneapolis and convinced him to move west. Theodore helped John Alfred get a job as gardener of the Lowry Estate. In the 1920s, John Alfred became the Head Grower of Rice Brothers' Greenhouse (the present day Malmborg's Greenhouse) in Brooklyn Center. In 1933, young Al married Martha Soderlund and later started a family. In 1938, they purchased land across from Rice Brothers' (where Al worked) and built a house for their growing family. Shortly after, having outlived his second wife and now retired, John Alfred came to live with his son and growing family. In 1941, to give his father something to do, Al built a small lean-to greenhouse against the family garage where John Alfred could raise and sell flowers. This caught on and Al expanded the greenhouse in 1947. Sadly John Alfred passed away before the new greenhouse was finished.
Al continued to expand his greenhouses, even declining an offer to become Head Grower of Rice Brothers' (for which he recommended Lloyd Malmborg, Martha's cousin). Martha ran the day-to-day operations of the greenhouses as Al had a "day job". Al retired at 65, but continued to play in his greenhouses during retirement.
In 1974, Al suddenly passed away, leaving the business to his 24-year-old son John (who had inherited his namesake grandfather's keen growing skill). Martha Weber continued to help with transplanting until her death in 2007, at the age of 97. Over the years, there have been 5 generations that have worked in the greenhouse. Currently, John Weber runs the greenhouse with the help of Pat (one of his sisters), Andrew (one of his nephews), and Kerri (the wife of another nephew).
We'd like to thank all of our loyal customers for their years of business. We hope we can continue to meet or exceed your expectations in the years to come!