In a unique celebration, Abernathy & Spencer Greenhouse and Garden Center will celebrate both its 100th anniversary and its grand opening this weekend.
The Lincoln nursery opened in 1925 as Hill Top Plant Gardens, operated by Bentley “EB” Gregg and his son G. Holmes Gregg. David Lohmann purchased the center in 1997, changing the name to Abernathy & Spencer and running the operation for the next three decades, until his retirement last year.
Since March 2024, the new owners have been hard at work restoring and expanding the nursery, with the fruits of that labor set to be featured during this weekend’s grand opening celebration.
For owners Hillary Pennington, Jacob Baker, Jim and Autumn Knowles, and Matt Lamberski the idea of purchasing the garden center started with a casual conversation one night when the longtime friends were hanging out. The talks quickly turned serious.
Just weeks later, they owned the complex.
“None of us had been in the nursery business before, but it was a business, and we’ve all run businesses,” Jim Knowles said. “We didn’t think too much about that. We didn’t have a lot of time—I mean, two and a half weeks of diligence in businesses isn’t a lot of time. So it was kind of like: Do you want to buy it? Yes or no? We said, ‘Sure, we’ll buy it.’”
They’ve been working nonstop ever since.
Major renovations include a rebuild of the property’s iconic conservatory, which served as a pool house on an estate in The Plains before being moved to Lincoln by the Greggs, who also relocated greenhouses from the USDA’s Arlington Experimental Farm before the Pentagon was built on the property.
Over the past year, new greenhouses were installed using structures from the recently closed Blue Mount Nursery in Ashburn and five more perennial houses were set up.
In addition to the physical improvements, the team has expanded the plant selection with a focus on native species as well as a greater inventory of trees.
They’ve also set up classroom spaces
“A big piece of our focus is not only selling plants, but educating people on the process of how to use that plant—what you can do with it, and when to plant it, and how to plant it,” Knowles said.
Some familiar faces remain, as Lohmann’s collection of rescued Macaws and cockatoos, who long welcomed visitors at the check-out register, conveyed with the property. Now, they have new perches their own aviary. Those include Lola—known for greeting patrons with a raised foot and saying “Hi”—who provided inspiration for the on-site coffee cart that serves as a neighborhood meeting place.
“We get a lot of the moms that will drop the kids off at school and then come over and then they’ll sit here for an hour in the morning,” Pennington said.
“It’s all about community—sharing tips, sharing secrets, sharing problems, sharing like things that have been bugging you,” Knowles said. “Gardeners get together and 100% they start talking instantly about what they’re growing at home. It’s just a common thread that people can come here and not talk about politics, not talk about anything else. They’re plant people, usually, and they can talk to other plant people about that stuff, which is kind of fun.”
With their first spring and summer selling season behind them, the team shows no remorse for the decision.
“I grew up gardening, and Jim and I have been just obsessed and really passionate about it for the last 15 years—doing a lot of intense gardening ourselves and traveling to learn about it, and just studying on our own with our science degrees,” Autumn Knowles said. “Mostly when it comes to plants and horticulture, it’s self-taught from experience, which I think is the best way to learn.”
“I think we all learn something new about plants every day,” she said.
And it’s not just about the plants.
Pennington said it has been great working with her friends, meeting so many new people, and seeing how much the century-old garden center means to the community.
“And we always talk about how no one comes in here unhappy,” Autumn said. “When you’re coming in here for a gardening or for plants, everybody’s just happy and it is so nice to be surrounded by that 24/7.”
The celebration kicked off Friday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
On Saturday, there will be garden talks, live music, face-painting, refreshments and raffles throughout the day. Festivities continue Sunday.
Learn more at abernethyspencer.com.
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