You can’t have Petunia Fest without petunias, and you can’t have petunias without Nichols Greenhouse.

As the city celebrates all things Petunia this week, people will be pouring into Dixon to take in the sights and sounds that the Petunia City has to offer during its annual celebration – and some might just wonder where all the city’s signature flowers come from. After all, there’s nearly 300 pots just hanging around the city. That’s a lot of petunias.

So, when the city needs some flower power, they turn to the longtime business with a penchant for petunias – but this year, there was a new owner at the helm, making sure the city got the best bang for its blooming buck.

After 43 years in business the greenhouse has a new boss – but you might not notice at first. That’s because the previous owners are still around.

New owner and Dixon native Lori Sheridan has no horticultural degree and no greenhouse experience, but she boasts of something better: “I have Terry Nichols.”

Every day, she, previous owners Terry and Bonnie Nichols, and various friends and family members, water, transplant, move, and prepare hundreds of trays and boxes of developing flowers and vegetables.

This is on-the-job training at its finest – “Terry is good at teaching and has a lot of patience,” Sheridan says – and she appreciates the commitment the Nicholses have made to help her make her first couple of growing seasons a success.

She talked to area business owners to learn about the industry, and spent hours with the Nichols, picking their fertile brains. She considered renting the business, but Terry suggested she dive in and buy it, and she did. But why not call it Sheridan’s Greenhouse?

“I kept the name because Dixon residents know where it is, and it’s hard to change,” and, perhaps most importantly: “People love the Nicholses,” she said.

Before and after Sheridan’s 12-hour days at the greenhouse, she works from home as a medical coder, which gives her some flexibility.

Earlier this year, the nine greenhouses were full of sprouting and growing seedlings that were ready for purchase when the store officially opened for the season on May 1. Organization is paramount to planting at the right time, and she kept a book of planting schedules. All flats are tagged with dates.

Nichols carries annuals only – perennials must be started in January, and the Nicholses transplant themselves to Florida in the winter.

It also sells bulk seed for gardens, potato and onion sets, tomato and pepper plants, and herbs.

She still sells silk other items, too, such as Memorial Day wreaths and arrangements, and she offers a wide variety of colorful outdoor pots that staff helps design and plant.

And then there’s the higher calling – higher, as in the flowers that people in Dixon look up to.

Sheridan plans to keep a longtime Nichols tradition in the pink: She’ll still provide the Petunia City’s 276 petunia baskets that bloom downtown and along Galena Avenue. This year, she planted them with help from the Women’s Garden Club.

Sheridan is adding her own spin to the business, too. This past winter, she sold Christmas décor such as sleds, wreaths, and planter boxes. She’s also teamed up with Natalie Rutherford of Farmhouse Antiques to offer planter box classes, and also is planning other types of classes.

Also on tap: A new weekend parking lot sale in October that will feature local crafters and vendors of all types.

Visitors also will find old and new faces on staff. There’s Lanette Bushman, who worked for Terry; Ben Melendrez, Sheridan’s father; and Kathy Melendrez, her sister-in-law. Her friend, Sue Krein volunteers in the florist section.

Krein is enjoying learning how to care for and fertilize different plants.

“Lori is one of the hardest-working friends I know, sometimes having two or three jobs,” she said. “I really love working there.”

Community members Marilyn Steder, Laura Sward, and many others, like the garden club members, also volunteer their time and experience.

“I am so thankful for all the help. They just show up and ask if there is anything they can do,” Sheridan said.

So, Sheridan’s game plan involves taking the best of Nichols’ long and storied history and combining it with fresh new ideas.

“You’ll find everything you used to come for here, but now you’ll find more.”

PAY NICHOLS A VISIT

Nichols Greenhouses is at 1228 W. Fourth St. in Dixon.

It is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Find it on Facebook or call 815-284-3805 for more information.