For the curious, “Country Joe” was born in Lantana, Florida in the 1940’s. As a teenager, Joe had an enthusiasm for life, friends, and the garden he kept in his parents back yard. This earned him the nick name “Country Joe” by his high school classmates. After furthering his education and building a career as a realtor, Joe branched out with a partner into the nursery business in the spring of 1979.
Eighteen months later, David Englert was hired as the manager/grower. David previously worked for Richard Naugle at Naugle’s Nursery and at United Brands Floriculture. Throughout the 80’s, Joe’s favorite time of the day was to visit the nursery and stroll through the beautiful greenery. Late in 1988, Joe suffered with severe abdominal pain, developed a cancerous tumor which later ruptured before it was discovered. Shortly after Christmas of 1989, “Country Joe” passed away.
At that low point, David was given the opportunity to buy the nursery business from Joe’s estate, which he did. All through the 90’s David and his wife Brenda prayed for God’s provision for a place to relocate the nursery. In 1999, with one year remaining on the lease, the Lord opened the door to purchase an 80 acre site which is Country Joe’s present location. Up until the 1950’s, most of this 80 acre property had been used for row crops, but then, for some unknown reason, it was abandoned for any agricultural use. Over that time the invasive trees invaded the property and all it’s native habitat.
After a long and costly mitigation process with the US Army Corp of Engineers, South Florida Water Management, and Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Dept. we now have the nursery as it exists today, a unique symbiotic blend of wetland and native habitat alongside a fully functioning nursery. If you have an astute eye, you might even be able to see an alligator in one of the four ponds on the property. Many of the best management practices are implemented to enhance the environment and the quality of plants produced.
Here at Country Joe’s, we strive to continue our tradition of quality and service to all of our valued customers.