After a century in the business of planting beauty and joy, Schaefer Greenhouses isn’t closing the book.

Rather, the owners of the longtime staple in the Fox Valley say they are writing the next chapters under the glass. With the calendar flipped to 2026, Schaefer’s Greenhouse is preparing to mark its 100th year in business.

By any estimate, the achievement is rare. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 12% of American businesses endure beyond their 25th anniversary. By some counts, only about 1,000 businesses — or 0.5% of American shops — reach their centennials.

“It’s really incredible,” said Billy Murdoch, vice president of operations at Schaefer Greenhouses.

Today, Schaefer’s serves as a go-to, year-round destination for flowers, houseplants and just about anything people in the Fox Valley need to make their gardens grow.

The business grew over the decades.

According to information provided by Schaefer Greenhouses, the greenhouses took root in Montgomery in 1926, building the first enclosed growing structures there after relocating from the west side of Aurora. There, the company had operated for about two decades under founders Frank C. Schaefer and John K. Newhall under the name Aurora Greenhouse Company.

The company started in Montgomery with three greenhouses. Within four years, the company added four more. Before the decade was out, Schaefer had bought out his partner and renamed the business Schaefer Greenhouses.

Demand exploded after World War II, leading to four more large greenhouses and other structures to support the demand for the greenhouses’ assortment of poinsettias, cyclamen, hydrangeas, azaleas, geraniums, carnations, mums, violets and bedding plants.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Schaefer Greenhouses continued to add tens of thousands of square feet of new growing structures, including large aluminum greenhouses with automatic shading systems as well as new retail floral and gift shops and a garden center store.

In the 1980s, investments in technology and efficiency allowed the business to expand production in their existing facilities by 25%. And the company marked the first ownership transition as Frank Schaefer’s sons, Eric, Frank and Edward, assumed the mantle while the third generation of Schaefers — John, Jim, Mary Ann and Mike — managed operations.

Under the new leadership, Schaefer Greenhouses grew its floral design and delivery business, with daily deliveries to a region that included more than 150,000 residents in and around Aurora, Naperville, Oswego,Yorkville, Sugar Grove and Elburn. From 1977 to 1983, floral delivery service giant FTD recognized the Schaefers for operating one of its top-performing shops.

Today, floral sales and delivery remain the largest segments of Schaefer’s business, Murdoch said. In addition to retail and deliveries locally and through FTD, the greenhouses supply flowers and plants wholesale to hospitals, offices, interior decorators and more, while operating through the True Value retail system, Murdoch said.

In the 1990s, Schaefer’s overcame challenges that threatened to wither the business. In 1996, a severe flood swamped growing areas and disrupted production; the Schaefer family and their staff worked constantly, running pumps and moving crops, “to keep the operation alive.”

Following the floods, the Schaefers chose not to close up shop, but rather to “rebuild stronger and build for the future.” They responded to the damage by constructing a 35,000-square-foot “showplace, event space and fully automated greenhouse.” The project included a climate-controlled indoor retail centerpiece, among other improvements.

Three years later, in 1999, a fire destroyed the gift shop, boiler room, floral design area and offices. But the Schaefers again rebuilt, with an even better retail shop designed for efficiency and improved production.

In 2025, after 99 years in business, the Schaefer family opted to sell the greenhouses to AEC Supply. At the time of the purchase, AEC said they intended to honor the Schaefers’ longstanding tradition and reputation for quality, with the goal of expanding production and delivery in the region.

Murdoch said Schaefer Greenhouses continues to invest in technology and efficiency, with high-tech computer-controlled heating and cooling systems, as well as water recycling irrigation systems to ensure very little water goes to waste.

Murdoch said members of the Schaefer family continue to partner with the greenhouses and grow plants.

Schaefer’s will remain a top destination for those seeking high-quality plants, whether it be floral arrangements for delivery to a special someone, fruits, vegetables and flowering plants for a home garden, or flowers for a special day or big event, like a wedding.

In addition to their team of floral designers, Schaefer’s has a wedding florist on staff, who Murdoch said is ready to help brides customize their displays, no matter the size of the event. Murdoch said Schaefer’s supplies about 70 to 80 weddings annually.

“We’re one of the few places that does it all,” Murdoch said.

He noted Schaefer’s relies on outside suppliers for some products, but the vast bulk of everything customers find at Schaefer’s will come from right there, under glass, in the Fox Valley.

That is a big reason why people often drive hours to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning stocking up at Schaefer’s each spring, or to pick up some of the thousands of poinsettias still grown on site, or for any of the other wide assortment of flowers and other plants offered year round.

“We just prefer to grow it,” he said.