Business Profile: Katonah Nursery, Somers
With over a century’s worth of combined experience, Katonah Nursery services customers with care that only a family owned business can provide. On 17 acres off Route 100 in Somers, garden center managers Michael and Joseph Lopane grow their own product on local property. The nursery offers an abundant selection of plants, shrubs, trees and tools, along with expert consultation.
The nursery stands apart from others in the area by offering a wide selection of product. Aside from flowers and shrubbery they sell exotic bamboo, flagstone and mulch for landscape structuring. In addition to its nursery, the company has a thriving landscaping business. Joseph and Michael’s brother and resident landscaper, Frank Lopane, offers landscaping service year-round from conception to execution, and guarantees their plants for up to a year.
Beginning with their father, Joseph Lopane Sr., in the 1950’s, the nursery has since grown tremendously. Incorporated in 1977 when they moved from Scarsdale on Weaver Street to Northern Westchester, they have further expanded their business acquiring properties in multiple areas including the Mastro Pietro Nursery in Somers, and 145 acres in Dutchess County.
“We came from humble beginnings in Scarsdale. We moved up here in 1977 and have been growing ever since.” said Michael Lopane.
“I think what makes us different is that we offer a personal touch because we’re family owned,” said Lopane, “we really know the plants, they’re grown right here and are much heartier than if they were imported.”
The lush entrance to the nursery shows just a taste of what lies inside, with spacious greenhouses of perennials and row after row of thriving Japanese maples, which Joseph Lopane says is the largest selection in the state and most of it is grown on their own land.
“We have everything home depot has and a lot more,” he said. “We have clients from lower to northern Westchester. We also sell to other nurseries in the area, as well as landscapers and garden centers, because we have products that other places don’t.”
Katonah Nursery carries trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, bulbs, grass seed, fertilizer, tools, pottery, potting mixes, mulch, ornaments and more.
The Lopane family is so confident in their product that they offer a six month guarantee on plants purchased from the nursery. They offer 50 percent off any replacement purchases.
Although the nursery does most of its business from April to June, it is steady during the fall season right on through Christmas. “People like mums and such in the fall and they come in for their Christmas trees and wreaths in the winter,” Joseph Lopane said.
Katonah Nursery, located at 194 Route 100 in Somers, is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beginning in September it will be open on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The nursery is closed from Dec. 23 through March 15 for the winter.
For more information, call 914-232-3570, email info@katonahnursery.com or visit katonahnursery.com.
By Kristen Mutarelli
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
