Rick and Trudy Effinger are good friends and long-time customers. Together they own and operate Effinger Garden Center, a thriving place for plants in Belleville, Illinois. Nearly everything about their work place is infused with the enthusiasm and passion they have for their business. They are the type people that you just like to be around, because it just make you feel better to be in their presence. 

Trudy jokes that Rick takes care of the fun while she handles the nuts and bolts. The two make a dynamic team; Trudy holds a degree in Horticulture, while Rick's degree is in Psychology, giving them serious insight into what both plants and people need.

You can get healthy plants at plenty of shops, but how many of them also hand out snapping plastic alligators for the children? To say that the Effingers run a family friendly operation is quite an understatement. Customers have commented that their children ask if they can go there for fun!  And now the children who were brought in by their parents 25 years ago are bringing their children in. One could call that a wise investment by any standard.

Trudy has a life-long love of gardening and plants. She says that as a child she was always the one to ask for the outdoor chores and ended up in the garden every year. Even now, she prefers working in the yard to working in the house.

Rick began working with plants as a young man, cutting grass for extra money. Eventually a small glass greenhouse used by florists to raise flowers for arrangements went up for sale and Rick bought it and the couple has worked hard to turn it into the kind of place where they know both your name and what kind of plants you're likely to want.  

This time of year is busy, tiring, exciting and fun for gardeners all over the country.  While "make it exciting" may not be a  water-tight business plan, when paired with a dedication to plants and to people it helps keep customers happily coming back!