“My goal is for every landscape design to be customized to meet the needs of each family member and to grow with health and beauty. It is my philosophy that the finished project should maintain ecology and balance, two staples of our designs.”
Lorraine Mennen, Garden Great Rooms, 2006
The People
Lorraine and Armand Mennen are the owners and operators of Pathways to Perennials. Lorraine’s parents came from England, and her in-laws came from Holland. She and Armand both grew up in Aurora. The story in King begins in 1980 on a 10-acre property at the 8th concession and 16th sideroad. The countryside and availability of land were deciding factors in selecting a location for their home and business. In 1988, with two children, they had outgrown the house and moved to a larger home, but a smaller property in the small town of Ivy, Essa Township. It was during that period of two years in Ivy that the name Pathways to Perennials was chosen, as they realized that each design they had previously completed always had a path leading to somewhere. They moved back to the property in Pottageville, purchased in 1994. The business has been on the current 11½-acre property in Pottageville for 20 years. Their purpose is “bringing plants and people together, in a sustainable and ecological way.” (Lorraine Mennen). It is important to them that the client agrees with the concept of environmental responsibility.
Pathways to Perennials is truly a family business. Lorraine and Armand manage the business. Their son Nick, born in 1981, does the landscaping. Their daughter Angie, born in 1988, focusses on the retail aspect of the business and the marketing. Having worked in the business full-time for seven years, daughter-in-law, Lindsay, now has a supporting role, while raising two young children.
There are three additional full-time seasonal staff: Josh helps Nick with the landscaping; Lisa helps with the landscape design and the selection of the plants, and Rachel helps with the maintenance of the property, along with part-time students. John Cooper, a father of three from Cookstown, is the chef in the Blossom Café. He is passionate about food and preparing food to perfection.
People come to Pathways for assistance when faced with a landscaping challenge, like a new home garden or landscape renovation project.
The Product
Many clients have a design project implemented over a 2 to 5 year period. This frees up the customer’s time and budget, allowing the Pathways team to follow the growth of the plants, check for warranty concerns, and answer maintenance questions about the garden during the process. The landscapes can include perennial gardens, hard-scaping, carpentry and decks, and water features. The business currently operates with 75% landscape and design construction and 15% retail and café.
Examples of built structures, stone walls, patio lay-outs and landscape vignettes are at the design centre. Unique water features, structures and furnishings are incorporated into the display gardens for education and inspiration. Countless perennials, vines, small trees and shrubs have been planted to offer garden ideas to visitors to the property. Items in the gift shop complement the design and landscape functions.
The Blossom Café provides delectable food in an atmosphere ideal for mulling over the many landscape ideas available. Workshops, speaker series, and group events have also been added to the services provided.
The Performance
The family has a 100-year business plan, which includes the factors of quality of life for their family and for quality service to the customers. The decision to be designers and sellers, rather than growers, was made early in the process. Long-term planning was crucial, as it takes many years for perennials, shrebs, and trees to mature.
After taking possession of the current property in April of 1994, soil and seedlings were ordered and suppliers of quality products were researched. The soil arrived three days after moving. Lorraine began with the Kids’ Garden Club, and it evolved into the Kids’ Environmental Day Camp. She managed it herself for the first three years, but hired staff to help when numbers attending grew.
Trees were planted first, as they created privacy for the family home, as well as a retreat atmosphere, and provided a backdrop for the design function of the business. It took 15 years to create the desired ambience, and to manage the workload effectively and professionally. Landscaping the property continues to be a work in progress. Initially, Pathways was open seasonally part-time on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; now it has its doors open full-time five days a week during the Spring, Summer and Fall.
The outside café, licensed under the LCBO, opened in 2009. In 2013 it expanded to include an indoor section, which evolved into the Blossom Café. The hidcote Hideaway Wedding Venue, named after Lorraine’s favourite variety of lavender, also opened in 2014. It is a private venue suitable for special outdoor day-time gathers, including wedding ceremonies and private parties. This year the 10th anniversary of the Mother’s Day event was celebrated with a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, for which 120 reserved seating.
Pathways to Perennials is a dedicated participant in the local community, supporting the King Chamber of Commerce, participating in local events, and donating their expertise to projects like the water efficient garden on King Road in Nobleton. Pathways to Perennials participates in many home and garden shows and has received numerous awards over the years, including: the industry’s Outstanding Display of Hardgoods and Outstanding Display Gardens over 500 sq. ft. , Green Profit Magazine’s Young Retailer of the Year Award (Lindsay Mennen), Landscape Ontario Award of Excellence, and the King Chamber of Commerce Green Business Achievement Award.
For over 30 years, the family business has been providing quality landscale design products and service to its clients. The business has weathered many storms, both figuratively and literally. Through the unpredictability of weather, pests like the gyspsy moth, a changing political stage, and the ups and downs of the economy, the Mennen family and their dedicated staff have created a successful and sustainable business at the ‘grass roots’ level.
