Sunlight filters through panes of restored glass in The Conservatory at Abernethy and Spencer Greenhouse and Garden Center. The scent of damp soil mingles with the smell of coffee and a display of extravagant plants. In the middle of the structure, a bronze fountain depicting the tea party scene from “Alice in Wonderland,” sparkles beneath the skylight.
This past September, the nine-acre property, tucked away in the village of Lincoln, marked its 100th anniversary with a community open house, unveiling months of careful restoration and vision rooted as much in its history as in its growth. After a whole year of renovation, the century-old nursery is once again in full bloom.
The story of Abernethy & Spencer began in 1925, when E.B. and Holmes Gregg, a father-and-son team, opened a modest fruit and vegetable stand called Hill Top Gardens. Before long, their operation blossomed into being the largest pansy producer on the East Coast. After more than fifty years under the Greggs’ care, Hill Top Gardens changed hands several times before David Lohmann took ownership and renamed it Abernethy & Spencer in 1997. For nearly three decades, Lohmann nurtured the business and its legacy until March 2024, when a new stewardship began.
A group of friends, Autumn and Jim Knowles, Hillary Pennington, Jacob Baker, and Matt Lamberski partnered together to run the business. Although the group had no prior experience in owning a nursery business, they were quick to set up an offer with Lohmann. Within two weeks of discussing an offer, the group owned the business. Pennington, a former funeral director of twenty years, recalled the moment it all began. “We were just hanging out one day at Jim and Autumn’s house,” she shared. “Jim brought the idea up—thirty days later, we jumped in and here we were.”
Within weeks of taking ownership, the new partners rolled up their sleeves, eager to breathe life back into the century-old grounds. The team restored aging glasshouses, revived historic brickwork, and restructured the grounds to honor the site’s century-old charm. “The history of the place and what it has meant for the community has inspired all of these renovations. You may not know the state that all of these greenhouses were in when we took over. They were basically in states of disrepair,” Knowles discussed.
At the heart of the property stands The Conservatory, a restored greenhouse where sunlight filters through the skylight. Once a modest cashier’s booth with makeshift birdhouses, the historic greenhouse has been reborn as a gift shop, café, and library.
Abernethy & Spencer’s soul is not just rooted in its plants, but also in its long-time residents. The nursery is home to a flock of beloved parrots and cockatoos inherited from a former owner who began rescuing birds years ago. Today, the birds, Sunshine, Maxie, Norman, Lola, and Juliet enjoy a peaceful “retirement” in a newly built birdhouse complete with indoor and outdoor enclosures. “They’re older, and they just needed another home. People don’t recognize how long their lifespan is before they adopt them, so they eventually ended up here,” Pennington commented.
Just outside The Conservatory, a coffee cart named Lola’s honors the chatty cockatoo known for cheerfully calling out “hi!” to customers. The cart serves an assortment of teas, coffees, smoothies and pastries. These refreshments can be enjoyed while shopping for plants, walking the native species trail, or sitting down in The Conservatory.
The recently completed construction of The Glass Room, designed to function as a classroom, serves as a space for community education and engagement. From children’s workshops to horticulture lectures, The Glass Room reflects that a nursery should nurture not only plants, but people too. “It’s just a cool place for the community to come and learn about plants in the green world around us,” Knowles mentioned.
A century after its first seedlings took root, Abernethy & Spencer Greenhouse and Garden Center continues to blossom. What began as a humble garden stand has become a sanctuary of nature. “The conservation of history and what this place has meant for this region and community encouraged us to put in that backbreaking work,” Knowles expressed. The nursery’s renovations and additions serve as a reminder that with care and vision, even the deepest roots can bloom again.