Metrolina Greenhouses is an industry-leading, family owned and operated wholesale greenhouse producer of ornamental plants including annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.
In 2022, Metrolina celebrated 50 years in operation and was proud to be named the AIPH International Grower of the Year at a ceremony in the Netherlands.
Metrolina Greenhouses leads the floriculture industry in research and development, marketing, innovation and retail partnerships.
Metrolina Greenhouses proudly serves 1,400 retail garden centers in 19 states and fulfill online orders in all 50 states for our three main customers, Lowe’s Home Improvement, The Home Depot and Walmart.
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With over 200 acres of greenhouses under glass, Metrolina is the largest single-site heated greenhouse in the United States.
5 Ways Metrolina Greenhouses is
Earth-Friendly Every Day
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100% Water Reclamation:
Metrolina Greenhouses implemented a state-of-the-art water reclamation and recycling system more than 20 years ago. The system makes Metrolina’s growing operations completely self-sufficient and independent, so it doesn’t draw on the local water table.
In peak production, Metrolina Greenhouses uses up to 1 million gallons of water per day, so having its own constant supply of extremely clean and plentiful water is essential. Through Metrolina’s extensive water system, it can reclaim water from weather events in multiple retention ponds at both locations. For every inch of rain that falls onto its two campuses, the operation can recycle it into 5 million gallons of clean, fresh water at the greenhouses in Huntersville, North Carolina and 1 million gallons at its farm in York, South Carolina.
Recycling:
Metrolina Greenhouses partnered with each of its three major customers – Lowe’s Home Improvement, The Home Depot and Walmart – to implement a recycling program, starting in 2010. To date, Metrolina Greenhouses’ plastic recycling program reclaims, reuses or recycles up to 6 million pounds of plastic annually that would otherwise end up in landfills. With its plastics recycling and reuse program firmly in place, both internally and at its retail customers’ stores nationwide, Metrolina is committed to recycling a minimum of 15 million pounds of plastic annually by 2030.
Energy:
Metrolina Greenhouses fired up its Vynke biomass boiler system from Belgium in 2009. The wood boilers cover at least 95% of the operation’s heating needs at the Huntersville main campus. Metrolina sources 100% of the wood it uses locally, from recycled wood pallets and construction and timber industry byproducts, which are then made into woodchips to feed the biomass boilers. Using reclaimed wood byproducts that would otherwise be thrown away helps the environment and boosts the local economy.
Biocontrols:
Metrolina’s research and development team began investigating methods to reduce its chemical and pesticide use throughout the company nearly 10 years ago. In 2015, the team introduced the use of biological controls, including biologically or naturally derived pesticides, beneficial insects and predatory insects to eliminate insect pests.
A combination of strict sanitation procedures and the use of biocontrols also helps the operation reduce or eliminate plant diseases, keeping crops as healthy and productive as possible. These efforts have resulted in a 25% reduction of chemicals by 2021, including the complete elimination of the neonicotinoid class of pesticides.
Sustainability Leadership: 
Metrolina Greenhouses has earned several distinctions and memberships in top-level climate-focused organizations through its sustainability efforts. Metrolina reports its water, energy and control-product use and has submitted its carbon emissions goals to these organizations:
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Carbon Disclosure Project. https://www.cdp.net/en
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Science Based Targets Initiative. https://sciencebasedtargets.org/
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Floriculture Sustainability Initiative. https://www.fsi2025.com/
Ask Abe:
What makes you most proud of what you do and what Metrolina does as a company?
Coaching and leading teams who perform better as a unit than they would individually. I know that sounds like a cliché, but it really is the great part of how we grow and perform.
What makes Metrolina innovative as a company?
Innovation is not an “invention” by a person or department, it is a “mindset” by everyone at the company on finding ways to get 1% better every day. We can innovate our work on a daily basis by always asking ourselves the question “Is there a better way to do this?” Innovation is alive in our production, our shipping, our analytics, our in-store merchandising, and in all work we do every day.
What are some special varieties/flowers/plants that we produce and what makes them special to you?
New items are the #1 way we can grow as a company, so we spend tons of time on asking consumers what they like and don’t like, and then matching that up with our data. We also do testing with a 2,000 person internet consumer panel that tells us before we grow if a consumer will buy it and how much they would pay for it. This statistically relevant data sample allows us to lean in on new items because we have data to know if it will work before we put it into stores. This has increased our success rate on new items and our 1-3 year build plan on new items. Great examples include Freesia, Alstroemeria, Dragons Breath Celosia, and a unique color plant and foliage mix.