Like the flower varieties they grow, LaSalle Florists is a testimony to family heritage. John LaSalle is the owner-operator of LaSalle Florists and is the third generation LaSalle operating the floral business. When LaSalle's grandfather, James LaSalle, sold his ice cream business to H.P. Hood and Sons in 1927, he started growing flowers as a hobby.
Like the flowers themselves, his avocation grew, and in 1934, James and Bertha LaSalle bought a 16-acre parcel of land in Whately that had two barns on it. They built a glass greenhouse and a design room that remains the retail store for the thriving 91-year-old business.
"My grandfather had a hobby of growing gladiolas and dahlias. He built the greenhouse so he could see the results of his crosses of gladiolas," explains LaSalle. "Crosses refer to cross-pollination of gladiolas. If you start them in a greenhouse, you can see them flower in one year, instead of two."
John LaSalle's father, Jim LaSalle Jr., officially joined the business in 1948 and spent his entire career working on site. He and his wife, Ann, expanded the retail side of the business. They added several greenhouses in the 1950s. Jim's youngest son, John LaSalle, worked with his father for many years before taking over the business in 1979.
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