Confidence to delegate and scale.
Sandhill Native Growers put field crews and office crews on the same work orders — so the COO could stop counting plants by hand and start steering the company.
Chris Holly
- Founded
- 2001 — from a kiddie pool to a multi-acre grower, tripled over the last decade
- Location
- Florida
- Specialty
- ~150 native plant types — pond, wetland, wildflowers, grasses
- Customers
- Contract growing for the trade, plus their own wetland and restoration plantings
Plants counted on paper, work split across spreadsheets.
Sandhill ran on QuickBooks and the usual Microsoft suite, with inventory spread across spreadsheets that only a few people could touch. Chris took inventory on paper and carried the numbers in his head — which made it nearly impossible to tell anyone else what was ready to sell.
In Florida, that uncertainty has a sharp edge: when a hurricane is coming, the nursery has to know exactly what's on the ground to submit for crop insurance. The team needed one source of truth, not a count in someone's head.
They weren't willing to give up QuickBooks.
After years of weighing whether a system would be too grand — or too simple — for a nursery their size, Chris heard Plantiful on the Plant Movement Podcast and knew he had to reach out.
The deciding feature was QuickBooks. Sandhill runs it day to day and wasn't willing to give it up, so the fact that Plantiful syncs with it was decisive. Sales orders and production run simply, and items sync straight into QuickBooks.
We still run QuickBooks day to day, and we weren't willing to give that up. The fact that Plantiful syncs with it was a game changer for us.
Imported quickly, rolled out at their own pace.
The Plantiful team handled implementation — plant species, sizes, costs, retail and wholesale splits all loaded in — then ran weekly trainings. Chris learned the system behind the scenes and trained his employees from there.
Sandhill deliberately went slow, reworking production around the software over their first 18 months. The support made it possible: a call, email, or text gets an issue figured out, sometimes within minutes.
The support we get from the team is like no other. We can call, email, or text, and if we're having an issue, they get it figured out — sometimes within minutes. That's almost more important than anything.
Work orders that keep field and office on the same page.
Production became collaborative in a way it never was before. Field crews and office crews now work from shared work orders and production planning, so everyone knows what's happening at all times — no more juggling separate spreadsheets.
Picking tickets were a first for the operation and have been, in Chris's words, a lifesaver: far fewer errors on the truck, and no more driving back across the state for one more plant. Quicker answers on the phone help too — in this industry, the grower who can't answer right away usually loses the sale.
Picking tickets have been a lifesaver — far fewer errors on the truck. We're not driving over to the East Coast again for one more plant.
A 30,000-foot view of where the business goes next.
The biggest change is what Plantiful freed Chris to stop doing. With his team confidently handling sales orders, work orders, and inventory control, he's no longer bogged down in menial tasks and can think about where the company is headed next.
A multi-generational team — from early-20s hires to near-retirement staff — all use it comfortably, and the operation is finally on a clear path to scale its land, team, and systems together.
Plantiful has given me the confidence to delegate so we can scale the business in other ways. I'm not operationally bogged down with menial tasks — my team handles sales orders, work orders, and inventory control. I can finally put my 30,000-foot view sunglasses on and think about where we're going next.
The features behind the story.
Production
Work orders and planning shared by field and office.
See how it worksQuickBooks Integration
The QuickBooks sync that sealed the decision.
See how it worksLogistics
Picking tickets that cut errors on the truck.
See how it worksReports
Know what's on the ground when it matters most.
See how it worksHear from more nurseries.
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Read the case studySee what Plantiful does for your nursery.
Book a walkthrough with our team and see how Plantiful works for an operation like yours.