Leaf Greenhouse to close in South Boise

Jan and Peter Angleton are marking their fifth and final season as the owners of Leaf Greenhouse, 2128 S. Longmont Ave. in Boise. The Angletons will close the greenhouse at the end of May or the first part of June depending on remaining stock.

“It is with some sadness that we’re closing,” said Jan Angleton. “We’re proud of what we’ve done and proud of the plants we’ve offered.”

The greenhouse specializes in annuals, particularly geraniums. Leaf sells 36 different kinds of geraniums, some 4,400 plants each year. Their quality is such that plant brokers have joked about testing the water in the neighborhood to determine its special qualities, said Angleton.

But keeping the aging shop open has become a challenge, she said. Parking shortages have been an issue, along with running a business that operates for just part of the year. The staff starts preparing for the season in January and usually sells out of plants by late spring.

“We’re at the point now where the greenhouse is old and we’re just limping through the season,” said Angleton.

The Angletons bought the greenhouse from the Kern family who operated it for 30 years. Angleton said that families had operated greenhouses there dating back to the 1920s when Broadway Avenue was a dirt road and home to at least one tree farm. Jan’s husband Peter Angleton is an ER doctor in Boise, but the Angleton family has a long association with Boise businesses. Peter’s father Hugh Angleton owned Angleton, a high end gift, art and design store for many years in the Sonna Building in Downtown Boise. Peter Angleton inherited his father’s design sense, said Jan. He designed Leaf’s courtyard, which includes a fountain and a sculpted lion’s head from Italy.

Angleton said she doesn’t yet know whether the greenhouse will go up for sale, and what her future projects may be.

“We’re looking at different options,” she said.

Keep up with Leaf Greenhouse on its Facebook page.

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Leaf Greenhouse to close in South Boise."