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Oak Hill Gardens Story

Oak Hill Gardens was founded in the fall of 1973 when Hermann and Dorothy Pigors purchased the five-acre site with three existing greenhouses, home and service buildings. Hermann had the benefit of five years professional training and work experience in Germany plus an additional 17 years of working with orchids and orchid hobbyists with the Hausermann firm in Villa Park, IL.

The previously empty greenhouses purchased in Dundee were gradually stocked with a variety of house plants and orchids. The houseplants were propagated on site and the orchids were purchased from domestic and overseas sources. An internal laboratory for seeding and tissue culture was established, producing many thousands of unusual orchid species from seed and tissue culture, as well as hybrid varieties. Many of these were and are exported world-wide.

Initially a price list was issued, then catalogs were mailed to customers every two years. Thus a substantial mail-order business has been established. Participation in orchid shows in the continental US and Canada was and is a part of the steady growth.

The business quickly grew to require additional help beyond immediate family members Robert, Liese, and Susan, who all helped during their school years. Robert and Liese remained active full-time after school, and Liese returned in the summer of 1995 with husband Greg and sons Cameron and Jared. The firm is now incorporated and includes Greg and Liese as officers. Since 2001, Greg and Liese have been primarily involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Hermann has been concentrating on the development of the laboratory, and most of his time is spent in this capacity. Six additional employees make up the entire staff at this time.

Oak Hill Gardens' diversified business includes plant rental, gift plant deliveries to the Chicagoland area, orchid and house plant walk-in trade (both retail and wholesale) as well as mail-order to the orchid hobbyist, a segment of the business which has grown substantially over the last five years. Species orchids are an especially strong feature of the firm as well as hybrids of the unusual type for the hobby grower. Expansion has brought a total of over 20,000 sq. ft. under glass in eight greenhouses.