Grandma’s Gardens
Who are you?
Grandma’s Gardens & Landscape, a family-owned company founded in 1979 by Doug and Paulette Rhinehart who still own and operate the business.
What do you do?
Grandma’s is a retail garden center and gift shop open four seasons. We offer landscape design and installation or all the advice needed for do-it-yourself projects. In our 14-acre wooded, landscaped, park-like setting, we feature the finest trees, shrubs, blooming and edible plants, garden art, pottery and fountains. In the 1880s Victorian farmhouse that serves as our cozy gift shop, we offer unique home décor, custom wreaths & arrangements, candles & home fragrances, fashions, jewelry, garden wear, specialty foods and the largest local collection of miniature gardening plants & accessories.
Throughout the year, Grandma’s experts offer educational and how-to classes for adults and fairy garden parties for kids of all ages. Our holiday craft workshops and ladies nights fill up quickly. We’re proud to raise funds for Honor Flight, Trees for Troops, Hannah’s Treasure Chest, and just partnered with the Humane Society of Greater Dayton on our first dog adoption event.
What makes your business special?
It’s beautiful here, especially when Spring is in bloom! Our unmatched setting, selection and service make a trip to Grandma’s a fun outing for the whole family. The size of the garden center and the number of staff members have multiplied many times over. But Grandma’s Gardens has been growing with generations of local families at the same country setting on Route 48 south of Centerville since the beginning.
We are celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. The combined experience of key staff members totals hundreds of years, with most department managers proud to average over 20 years in our always growing business. It’s a good thing we all started so young! The Rhineharts were in their mid-20s when they opened their little landscaping business with a few tables of annuals in the perfect location between Dayton and Cincinnati. But not everyone sets such deep roots. Working at Grandma’s Gardens has been the perfect first job for local teens. Now operating businesses or raising families of their own, many have shared fond memories of the experience they gained as a loader or cashier at Grandma’s.
The little train that carries happy passengers around the Fishin’ Hole to the Pumpkin Patch every October weekend has to be one of our most unique and memorable attractions. Doug and his dad Jim have always been train buffs and, over 20 years ago, added the track on which Dewey the Diesel clicks along.
We also have some friendly furry seasonal guests that visitors love to pet and feed. A couple of Pygmy goat nannies and their kids are chosen by a local farmer to spend their summer in Grandma’s goat pen where they get all kinds of attention. The new babies usually arrive by late April.
What do you love about Dayton?
The warm and friendly nature of local residents, many of whom have settled here from other areas of the country to raise families. We love hearing their stories and becoming one of their favorite destinations. Dayton offers culture and convenience — big city benefits without all the traffic!
