Five generations ago, in the early 1890s, Great grandfather Bernard Hufnagel opened a florist and garden center on Bergen Turnpike in Union City (then known as Union Hill).
At the time, the area was inhabited primarily by German immigrants who took great pride in the quality of nursery stock and construction materials used in their gardens.
Dedicated, long before it was nouveau, to the importance of horticulture in the urban environment, Bernard developed a stable and prosperous enterprise, well known in the Hudson County area for many years to come. Bernard continued to work in the garden until his death in 1940. He left the business in the hands of his wife, Anna, and his grandson, Edward C. Hufnagel. But when World War II began Edward went to work in the shipyards of Kearny to support the war effort. With age and inexperience holding her back, Anna was unable to manage the garden center. So, in 1942 she sold the business to her son, Edward B. Hufnagel. He continued to operate, until the state required the land to be used for housing in 1949. So the property was sold and the garden center dissolved. During this time, the war was ending and by 1945, Edward C. having the experience and the entrepreneurial vision went out on his own.
He was able to establish himself as a sole proprietor in the landscape design and maintenance business until 1980. By 1986, at the age of 70, Edward wanted to retire. With the possible thought of selling the family business, Valerie stepped into her father’s shoes and decided to change her career path to horticulture.
Edward and Vicky continued to be active in the business until Edward’s death in 1992 and Vicky’s death in 2003. Today the decisions and operations are in the hands of Valerie and Jason, Edwards grandson, the fifth generation in the family business. They have continued their effort to strive for excellence in performance and client satisfaction that was initially valued so highly by Bernard.
As Jason continues the family tradition and marks the fifth generation in the garden, we at E.C. Hufnagel Landscaping have dedicated ourselves to continuing a long term family commitment of beautiful landscapes.
