Changes have been taking place at Colonial Classics Landscape & Nursery, but longtime shoppers can expect to see familiar faces.
Backed by a group of local investors, Andrew and Jesse Diekhoff this winter purchased the longtime landscaping business and garden center from Julie and J.T. McCarty. The latter’s father, Jim Sr., and grandfather, Jacob, opened McCarty’s Garden Centers in 1958 at 4801 Washington Ave. The business remained in family hands for the next 66 years.
In that time, the business bloomed like the plants it sold. It quickly outgrew its two-car garage with a gravel floor, and operations moved to a new building in the 700 block of South Green River Road with more space for the store and corporate offices. Services were added, including landscape contracting and maintenance and holiday decorations, and retail options expanded into lawn furniture, giftware, and accessories.
The McCartys consolidated operations to a new location on Epworth Road in Newburgh, Indiana, in 2007, offering a sweeping greenhouse, nursery, and garden center, as well as deepening its investment in commercial and residential landscape design and building through Colorscaping Associates. The business also became an authorized dealer of Thursday Pools, in-ground, temperature-controlled swimming pools manufactured in Fortville, Indiana.
The winds of change began blowing at Colonial Classics a few years before the December 2024 sale. Andrew Diekhoff had served as Colonial’s landscape design manager since February 2018. The Reitz Memorial High School graduate had formed a strong relationship with the McCartys — J.T. even officiated the Diekhoffs’ wedding — which got him thinking about the future. Andrew was ready to take the next step in his career, and he knew the McCartys did not have another generation to carry on the family business. Sentiment also played a part.
“I love the place. I met my wife there. I knew I wasn’t going to make a career change, and I didn’t want to move and start somewhere else,” he says. “It seemed like a dream come true to be able to do that, instead of starting from scratch. … I thought, I can pull this off. There’s no better opportunity in this region.”
The McCartys agreed. “We felt very good about that transition because we know how much passion he has for the business, and he’s a local person,” J.T. says.
“I think I’m kind of surprised that I’m not more nervous about it than I am,” Andrew laughs. “I just know there’s such a good team in place. We can keep growing.” He adds, “(J.T.) knows we’ll take care of a legacy that’s very personal to him.”
Bolstering the buy was the group of local investors backing the deal. A private equity initiative called eFund 1 raised the capital needed to purchase Colonial’s business operations and land. GrassKickers, a lawncare company run by Casey’s Dugout owner Casey Keown, was folded into Colonial’s services. Keown also manages Colonial’s social media campaigns.
The deal launched the group’s aim to fund more endeavors to keep area inter- ests in local hands.
“The whole mission is in matching local capital,” says Kyle Fields, co-founder and managing partner of Bridge Alternatives and one of eFund 1’s investors. “There’s a lot more capital than people probably realize in our community, and we’re matching local capital with local talent, aligning everybody’s interests.”
Fields, who grew up with Andrew, says he wanted to support his longtime friend because he “is super talented. You can see his talent, passion, and conviction.”
Andrew stresses he’s not trying to reinvent the wheel at the business. His and Jesse’s mission is straightforward: to make Colonial Classics the premier destination for all things outdoors.
“We want to build on the foundation that’s already there. We don’t want to do things too differently as much as we want to add to what we’re doing,” Andrew says. “Having the longevity it’s had, you don’t get there by being big. You get there by offering quality service, being fair, taking care of staff and customers, and offering a good, quality product, whether it’s something in the garden center or a project in someone’s house. You deliver a trustworthy service.”
Colonial clients can continue to have a one-stop shopping experience with regard to their landscape needs. In addition to handpicking which plants to plug into their landscaping, customers can receive tips for pruning their shrubs, services to fertilize their lawn, assistance planting trees, installation of a swimming pool or outdoor lighting, and expert designers drafting 3-D conceptual presentations of swaths of colorful blooms or the perfect patio.
Meanwhile, new services — like an irrigation department — are on tap. “The irrigation department is something we’ve dabbled in,” Andrew told Evansville Busi- ness in January. “We’ve already made some hires, and that team is being built. We want to offer more maintenance services and keep growing, and we’re build- ing teams that are qualified.”
In addition to overseeing Colonial’s business operations, Andrew also serves as president of the board of directors for Keep Evansville Beautiful. Meanwhile, his wife, Jesse, is shaping the retail experience. The Newburgh native took an after-school job at Colonial Classics in 2014 while attending Castle High School, and she fell in love with horticulture. Rising in the ranks to assistant manager, she developed the hobby of drying and pressing flowers. She steadily built a side business of custom floral work set in resin, and in 2024, she opened her own shop, Jesse Jeanne’s Flower Boutique on Washington Avenue — coincidently near the site of the original Colonial store.
She said leaving her longtime job at the garden center was bittersweet. “It was hard for me and everyone (at Colonial), but I knew I wanted to venture out on my own,” she told Evansville Living in 2024. Now, she will run her floral boutique in addition to helping guide retail operations at Colonial. She and Andrew are parents to daughter Sammie, who turns two in May.
“It’s nice to have Jesse there to help with the retail side of things, because she’s familiar with that,” Andrew says. “Some areas of the business are not in my wheelhouse, and in those areas, Jesse can help, our investors can help.”
As the Diekhoffs move Colonial Classics into its next chapter, they’re adding to their ranks people who share their passion for plants and commitment to excellence.
“We want Colonial to be a career place for people, not just a job,” Andrew says. “We are finding the best candidates for what they do in this industry and community.”
Colonial Classics’ Operations
1958 Jacob McCarty and his son, Jim Sr., open McCarty’s Garden Cen- ters at 4801 Washington Ave.
1958 The business moves into a new facility at 735 S. Green River Road. It operates under the name Colonial Garden Center.
1990 Jim McCarty Sr.’s son, J.T., takes over the family business, which has evolved into Colonial Classics.
2007 Colonial Classics’ services are consolidated under one roof at 3633 Epworth Road in Newburgh, Indiana. Services expand with a new garden center and nursery, plus specialties in landscape design, building, and maintenance.
2024 Andrew and Jesse Diekhoff purchase Colonial Classics from J.T. and Julie McCarty.
