Louis Palazzi Sr. helped his father grow his gardening business, expanding into heavy landscaping in 1958.
Photo courtesy of Palazzi Landscape Gardening
Palazzi Landscape Gardening is celebrating 100 years of business, from the time Augusto Palazzi started his own gardening company in New London, Connecticut, in 1917 to today’s niche operation focused on landscape renovation. Following is a timeline of key events in the company’s history.
- 1917: Augusto Palazzi begins a gardening company.
- 1921: The family relocates to Dunmore, Pennsylvania, and Palazzi Landscape Gardening is established. Lou Palazzi, Sr. is born (father of current owner, Lou Palazzi, Jr.)
- 1925: The business goes full-time with the motto, “Creator of Beauty.” Lou Sr.’s brother, Bernie, is born.
- 1930-58: Three sons help with all aspects of the business. The company’s specialty is lawn renovation. The new motto: “Watch this grass grow.”
- 1958: Lou Sr. expands into heavy landscaping, both commercial and residential. He obtains a master’s degree in landscape architecture, as well as nursery and pesticide certifications. The new motto is “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best.”
- 1962: The company opens its Clarks Summit store, making a total of three stores and 35 employees.
- 1975: Lou Sr. and Jr. focus on specialties, stopping heavy landscaping to take on select gardening jobs. Lou Sr. is the consulting landscape architect for the Ellis Island renovation.
- 1983: Lou Jr. expands business into New Jersey.
- 1985: The Clarks Summit store is closed, followed by the Dunmore store in 1987.
- 1992: Lou Sr. retires and Lou Jr. continues operating a gardening-only business. The motto is now “Landscape gardening since 1921.”
- 1996: The company landscapes the Rockefeller Environmental Center in cooperation with Cerbo’s Nursery in Parsippany, New Jersey. The project involves more than 2,000 plants.
- 1998-present: Lou Jr. moves equipment and his business to Newfoundland, Pennsylvania. The business focuses on renovating landscapes, consulting on landscape problems and expert pruning.