BAKER CITY — The chilly January air seemed a world away as Tiffany Newman moved hoses and checked the plants happily growing within the warm walls of Rock Garden Greenhouse.

Newman is the new owner of the nursery started more than 30 years ago on Hunt Mountain Lane, about 12 miles northwest of Baker City, by Donna and Mark Servid.

Newman and her family — husband Alex and sons Carson, 5, and Caleb, 3 — moved to Baker City in December 2023. She bought the greenhouse business in July 2024 after working for the Servids. The business also includes a greenhouse in Baker City.

“I worked for a season to see if it’s what I really wanted to do. Yep,” Newman said with a smile. “I’ve always loved plants. I grew up with a mom who was always in the garden.”

Newman, however, thought she had a brown thumb until college when she gained more experience with plants.

“I really enjoyed it. It made me feel at peace,” she said.

Prior to their move, she worked as a wildlife biologist for a timber company in the Willamette Valley.

Greenhouse life

As frigid January air pressed against the greenhouse walls, the inside felt nearly tropical.

The ideal temperature range for plants, she said, is between 52 and 70 degrees.

“They’re slightly growing, and not freezing,” she said.

The big greenhouse is still located on the Servids property, but will be moved by the end of this growing season. Also, she said Donna is sharing her many years of knowledge.

“She’s helping me learn what her process was, which I’m really thankful for,” Newman said. “She’s great to work with.”

On Jan. 28, the greenhouse contained an inventory of hanging baskets, geraniums, petunias and more.

The next day, however, some of those plants were moved to other greenhouses to make room for more stock.

Newman checks on the plants daily, and has to open a vent so it doesn’t get too warm.

“Pretty much seven days a week,” she said.

The plants are grown either by plugs — tiny starts — or by seed. Plants are shipped by truck from several locations, including Minnesota.

Her greenhouse season started in October — when outdoor gardens are going dormant — and by early January she was planting hanging baskets.

The goal, she said, is 1,200 to 1,500 baskets.

“Most of them have different varieties and color schemes,” she said.

And those are in addition to the individual plants sold to brighten local gardens and yards.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s satisfying,” she said. “As spring progresses, the greenhouse is gorgeous.”

Spring

Rock Garden Greenhouse starts selling plants in early April, and will be open weekends at 2601 Oak St. in Baker City, just north of Campbell Street, as well as the greenhouse on Hunt Mountain Lane.

Newman said hours switch to seven days a week around Mother’s Day, which she remembers as very busy in 2024.

“They needed a vehicle running back and forth” between town and the greenhouse, she said.

She’ll stock lots of flowers, as well as some tomatoes and other vegetables.

Except cilantro.

“Me and cilantro don’t get along,” she said with a laugh.

And while she will offer some new varieties of flowers, a visit to Rock Garden Greenhouse won’t be much different from past years.

“Things may not look exactly like Donna did, but similar,” she said. “I’m so happy she’s teaching me. I want to give Baker the same healthy plants she did. People expect that.”

For updates on the season, check the Facebook and Instagram pages for Rock Garden Greenhouse.

“I’ve always loved plants. I grew up with a mom who was always in the garden.”

— Tiffany Newman, new owner of Rock Garden Greenhouse in Baker City