About Bluestone Perennials

Bluestone is a family owned and operated business founded in 1972. We grow and ship over 3 million plants a year nationwide.   We are located in Northeast Ohio close to Lake Erie.

Historical Background of Bluestone Perennials, Inc.

Bluestone Perennials was started in two small rented glass houses in Mentor, OH in 1972.  Richard Boonstra had a vision that the new plastic cell-packs and soil-less potting mediums were a natural fit with mailorder marketing and sales.  He and his wife, Patti, and their two teen-aged children set their feet on a path that would become their life’s work.  They shipped 400 orders that first year from a card table sized office set up in the potting area.  Three years and larger rented facilities later, sales were good enough for Rich to devote himself full time to Bluestone.

In 1978, the Boonstras purchased a vegetable farm on 47 acres in Madison, OH.  The big farmhouse was in sad repair, but the land was good.  They set about fixing up the house, and for the first 15 years, the office occupied half of the house.  That first year Bluestone sold vegetables, mums, pumpkins, and, oh yes, perennials.  Every year saw growth and more greenhouses. 

Bill returned to the business in 1983, bringing his young family and wife, Sarah, back to Madison.  Daughter Jan married in Michigan and returned with her husband, Al Pavlinak, and their son in 1989.  Bill took over the business in 1994.  Sarah, Jan, and Al are all very active in the business. The third generation is in college but all help when they are home.  In 1992 a small house on the property was converted to office space.  Rich has now retired to pursue his many hobbies but is still present at the nursery.

Thanks to our many loyal employees, many of whom have been with us since the early days, Bluestone Perennials has grown to where we are today.  We do our own shipping, we have 250,000 square feet of greenhouses and employee a staff of over 100 during the shipping season. We put a full color catalog (designed completely in-house) into homes across the country, propagate 3 million plants a year on site, advertise in national gardening publications, and maintain a popular website. The Boonstra family and staff are very grateful for the support of our customers, business associates, and professional organizations and we look forward to beautifying your world for many years to come