It all began in the early 1970's when Dieter Lodder began grafting ornamental pears (Pyrus kawakamii) at night on his kitchen table in La Verne, California. With his wife, Monika's assistance, he was able to produce enough grafts to fill the orders that had begun trickling in. Most of the early orders were delivered out of the trunk of their old Monte Carlo. By 1972, income from sales of grafted plants was equal to the income from Dieter's day job, and he decided to go into business for himself full-time.

In 1973, the Lodders purchased land in the neighboring city of San Dimas, California. The business gradually grew, and the product line increased as well. Dieter's family in Germany had also been in the nursery business, growing bare-root fruit trees, so fruiting trees became a natural extension of the product line. Dieter started grafting apples, pears and avocados, and gradually expanded into citrus, more deciduous fruits, and finally subtropical fruits. Contract grafting of ornamental tree cultivars, such as Magnolias, Liquidambars, and Pyrus has always been a significant part of the business as well.

By the late 1990s, the business encompassed 20 acres in the cities of San Dimas and La Verne. With no available land left to expand into, 43 acres were purchased in the town of Piru, California. In December of 2000, an additional piece of land was purchased to allow for anticipated future expansions.

Today, La Verne Nursery, Inc. is operating with a total of 35 acres under production, with 42,500 square feet of greenhouses, 30,000 square feet of shade houses, and up to 60 employees. We produce a full line of fruiting trees in 5 and 15 gallon container sizes, as well as contract-grafted ornamental plants in 1 gallon and Tree Pot sizes. Our delivery area includes portions of the states of California, Arizona and Nevada. Our customer base includes retail nurseries and garden centers (many of our original customers are still with us!), as well as landscapers and home improvement centers.