In 1952, whenever Ralph Pinkus heard a car turning onto Northaven from Hillcrest, he knew customers were coming to see him.
“We were really ‘out in the country.’” recalls the owner of North Haven Gardens.
Ironically, the nine acres Pinkus bought in North Dallas for his landscape and plant business were supposed to be located on one of the main thoroughfares. When Central Expressway was built, all that changed. Today North Haven Gardens is located in a quiet Preston Hollow neighborhood.
But this hasn’t slowed potential customers from finding this horticultural Mecca.
Growing up / When all the other boys were chasing girls, Ralph Pinkus was chasing butterflies. His son, Jon, who now oversees daily operations at North Haven Gardens, says his father’s love for plants and the challenge of growing plants in Texas started this business.
Ralph studied at the National Farm School, now known as the Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture. From there, he was in charge of the tree collection at the New York Botanical Gardens. Merck Pharmaceuticals soon offered him a challenge, hiring him to oversee the development of quinine in Guatemala. Pinkus and wife Muriel lived there seven years, both of their sons were born in Guatemala.
It was during several trips Pinkus made to the States that he crossed over Texas and decided to put down roots in the Dallas area. The first building constructed at North Haven Gardens was the one housing Jon’s playpen.
Ralph’s first landscape jobs were performed out of his own truck; 49 years later, many local residents claim to be ‘Ralph Pinkus’ first client.”
Passing the hose / North Haven Gardens retains its neighborhood family atmosphere partly through the generations of Pinkuses; Jon has worked there most of his life.
“My mother has a letter I wrote when I was eight years old applying for a job,” he says.
When Jon first joined his father full time in the 1970s, he was interested in construction, especially building greenhouses for indoor plants. He also helped develop the family’s extensive plant farm in Wylie. There, the famly controls the quality of plants they sell, so Jon spends several days a week there.
Over the years, Jon noticed a growing interest in landscaping.
“People want to build their own little Garden of Eden,” he says. “They are much more knowledgeable, they read more and are coming in all the time with books and magazines asking about specific plants.”
The trend has grown to include conserving the environment and landscaping with Texas-friendly plants, Jon says, along with growing interest in decorative garden items.
Different row to hoe / These days, the garden store also offers customers a full-service florist. The store sends countless floral greetings to homes and hospitals, and Jon says it isn’t unusual for patients recovering from illness to be seen meandering through the store for a tranquil stroll.
For many neighborhood residents, North Haven is tantamount to a botanical garden, a term not unfamiliar to Ralph, who was instrumental in developing the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Visitors often drop by just to stroll through, gleaning inspiration from Mother Nature. It’s all fine with the proprietors.
And, of course, there’s North Haven Gardens community center. Jon says there are as many societies as there are varieties of flowers. Most weekends are dedicated to special interests such as Rose Weekend or Spring Herb Days. Check out the company’s website to find your special interest at www.ntwgs.org.
