A bricklayer by trade, Harry van Horik followed his wife, Mary, and emigrated from The Netherlands in 1952. He worked bricklaying until he was sidelined by an injury. After acquiring a piece of land outside of the city at auction, he decided to build a greenhouse for Mary, who had a fondness for growing snapdragons.
Originally opened in 1969 by Harry, Van Horik's Greenhouses and Garden Centre was later purchased by the spouses of two of the Van Horik children in 1980: Steve Teske and Rhoda van Horik, spouses of JoAnne (née van Horik) Teske and Remi van Horik. The greenhouse operated for 45 years until its closing in 2014 at the owners' retirement. Through the years it occupied 2 locations, moving to a larger space in 1985, and employed nine Van Horik grandchildren.
Harry and Mary were married for 58 years, working alongside each other at the greenhouse. Harry passed in 2011 at the age of 83.
Van Horik's Landscaping
Having spent much of their youth working at Van Horik's and all having previously worked as landscapers, Kevin van Horik, and Mat Teske decided to employ their vast knowledge about plants, their talent for designing gardens, and their passion for hardscaping towards a new endeavour. Opened in the Spring of 2017, Van Horik's Landscaping is operated by the third generation of Van Horiks, who are looking forward to once again working with the London community to beautify their outdoors.
