Oliver J. Gardner
Owner and President

If asked how life has changed him over the past 5 decades, Oliver Gardner will tell you he is essentially the same person, with the same interests and personality traits of his first memories. His life has revolved around three interests since childhood: sailing, horticulture and travel. At four years old, he first expressed his aptitude for boats by insisting that the bathtub be filled at all hours of the night to allow him time to sail his boats. Oliver is a native of Maine and grew up in Easton, a small town centrally located in the heart of the “County”.  Like all other children in Aroostook County, he worked in the potato industry from preschool days through college.  He credits his humble beginnings working in the potato industry for the personality traits that have characterized his approach to business and his lifestyle. “The climate, the work and the farmers were all very demanding.  A good work ethic was the norm.  At an early age, one had to be resourceful, persistent and self reliant.  The very nature of the work motivated me to get an education and see the world.”
 
After graduation from college, Oliver was lured to the Burlington area by the beauty of the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain.  Soon after his arrival to the area, he began teaching school and embarked on a series of business ventures that began as a peddler in Burlington and would soon evolve to Christmas tree farming, running a restaurant, importing heavy equipment, greenhouse production and a number of less ambitious ventures.  In 1978 he purchased Four Seasons Garden Center. As owner and president, he grew the business to become Vermont’s Largest Gardening Resource.  In January of 2003, Oliver opened the doors to his greatly expanded garden center on Marshall Avenue in Williston.
 
Oliver designed his new garden center with the vision to become New England’s preeminent gardening destination and to reflect his deeply held beliefs about gardening as a way of life. When asked of his motivation to expand and relocate Four Seasons, at a time in life when most of his peers looked forward to retirement, Oliver remarked, “The challenge was there.  The location and economic conditions were near perfect. I had the opportunity to implement all that I had learned over the past 30 years about retail and wholesale gardening.  The risk is something that I have always been comfortable with, in business or at sea.”
 
The new Four Seasons Garden Center is a mirror image of Oliver’s commitment to gardening as a way of life.  The industry is a natural fit with his goals for social and environmental responsibility in business. His interest in the beautification of urban areas is exemplified by the gardens at Taft Corners Park, the Williston In Boom initiative and his recent collaborative effort with the AOT and Williston Public Works, at exit 12, off interstate 89.  As a leader in the industry, Four Seasons promotes gardening programs for the entire family and offers free access to the new facility to all organizations that relate to gardening and a healthy environment.
 
For the last 20 years, with few exceptions, Oliver has spent 4 or more months of every year, aboard his s/v Panacea, sailing the waters of the Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific oceans. After spending 5 more recent winters in the south pacific, he sailed north to Hawaii where Panacea remains docked.  He has put his lifelong quest to sail around the world on hold.  Oliver offers, “...right now, I can think of nothing more fun than spending each day at Four Seasons.” 

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© 4 Seasons Garden Center 2003
472 Marshall Avenue, Williston, VT 05495 802-658-2433