Ball Horticultural

07/23/2026

07/09/2026

Naturalism in the garden is IN! This is a no-maintenance area in front of our building that is filled with native perennials. As an added bonus, there are always birds, bees, and butterflies flitting about!

07/06/2026

A little about our company history!🌱

The fireworks may have faded, but our celebration of the legendary companies that built American horticulture continues all summer long! Today, our "Celebrating Our Roots" series honors a true global pioneer born right here in Illinois: Ball Horticultural Company, founded in 1905!

It all began in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, when George J. Ball started a small, localized cut-flower operation, specializing in sweet peas, asters, and calendulas for the bustling Chicago market. Driven by his personal motto—“All the best and nothing else”—George’s passion quickly bloomed. By 1918, Ball was shipping mail-order seeds to commercial growers nationwide, eventually moving to its iconic headquarters in West Chicago in 1927.

Over more than a century, Ball Horticultural has completely revolutionized the way the entire world gardens:
📚 The Industry Standard: In 1932, they published the very first Ball RedBook. Today, it remains the definitive, essential technical guide for greenhouse growers worldwide.
🌊 The Wave® Revolution: Through world-class breeding groups like PanAmerican Seed and Ball FloraPlant, they introduced game-changing, "unavoidably attractive" plants—most notably the legendary Wave® Petunia series that changed home landscapes forever! Wave Gardening
🌍 A Global Family: Now led by its third and fourth generations of family leadership, Ball has expanded across six continents, encompassing leading brands like Star Roses and Plants, while keeping a firm focus on sustainable breeding.

From a single field of cut flowers to a global color powerhouse, Ball Horticultural Company represents the absolute pinnacle of American horticultural innovation. Join us in celebrating their monumental legacy!

Learn more at https://ngb.org/celebrating-members/

06/29/2026

We have over 13 acres of gardens here at our West Chicago location. About 9 acres are replanted every year for our industry customers to be able to browse our offerings — a type of living catalog! This area is our Comparison Trial Garden, where we plant similar products next to each other for the purpose of direct comparison and analysis. While not open to the public, employees are able to walk the gardens and spend time out there on a daily basis. Talk about a job perk! 🤩

06/26/2026

We have some exciting job opportunities available! If you are interested in any of these openings, please visit our Careers page to see the full job description and to apply: https://www.ballhort.com/careers/

06/25/2026

Ashlee is one of our Art Directors here at Ball and is being recognized at Cultivate next month as a part of the 2026 40 Under 40 Class! This is another example of what working in horticulture can look like — highlighted in the Seed Your Future campaign.

06/18/2026

Ever wonder what happens to the plants after big events we host here? After Darwin Perennials Day, we host an EMPLOYEE ONLY perennial plant sale! All proceeds are donated each year, and this year’s proceeds will go to We Grow Dreams Greenhouse right here in West Chicago. 🫶

06/15/2026

This month, we’re highlighting a few of our employees as part of Seed Your Future’s campaign. First up is Landon — Display Gardens Horticulturist! 🤩

06/08/2026

Hailee and Alyson never knew that a part of their morning workday routine as the social media team would involve 10 minutes of stretching…

06/03/2026

(B)all aboard! 🚂 Our team organized shuttles to take employees to see Big Boy at its stop at the Union Pacific Training Center in West Chicago today! Fun fact: our main facility location in West Chicago was chosen by George Ball due to its proximity to the railroad to carry cut flowers to Chicago!