BUCYRUS – Sarah Bessinger has always had her hands in the dirt. Now she’s “digging up” another creative project for her greenhouse and landscaping business southwest of town.
Bessinger, 40, is the owner of Scapes By Sarah at 2082 Wyandot Rd. A venture that started out providing landscaping services 19 years ago. A business that has “blossomed” into a greenhouse, gift shop, and – beginning in May – a major expansion project.
Bessinger is the “cultivator.”
“I started out with landscaping, but I always had the greenhouse inspiration,” said the gardening guru, who is already prepped for the spring planting season and perhaps her busiest year yet. “But over the years my love for plants has always helped get me to the next level.”
Bessinger is not only about to debut a line of fresh-cut flowers and house plants but she’s also poised to break ground on a new building near the intersection of Ohio 4 and Denzer Road. A 70-by-30-foot L-shaped structure will serve as another retail location for Scapes By Sarah.
“I wanted it from the get-go, but I didn’t know if it would make sense,” admitted Bessinger. “I’ve got a lot of ideas coming in for what all I’m actually going to do in there. It’s going to catch the Route 4 traffic, the lake traffic in the summer, so I think that’s really going to be key there.”
Beginning Monday, Scapes By Sarah will be offering cash and carry bouquets. A cooler of floral arrangements reflecting a “trendier vibe” and, down the road, custom orders for special occasions. She’s also introducing “Flora 19,” a house plant line created by Emily Thomas of Bucyrus and inspired by the local “419” area code.
Bessinger’s passion for plants is deeply “rooted.” She was inspired by her parents, Tom and Dana Walkins, who grew flowers from seed and created beautiful flower arrangements, and from her grandmother, Evie Benham, who worked at Cameo Floral Design. She started landscaping for her grandparents when she was only 16, and the word soon spread.
The 1999 Wynford High School graduate went on to get her degree from The Ohio State Agricultural Institute in Wooster, then returned to her hometown to put her knowledge and landscaping skills to work out of a pole barn next to her home, with support and encouragement from her family.
She’s been following her dream ever since.
In 2011 she added the greenhouse, which is overflowing with a colorful array of potted flowers, hanging baskets, vegetables, and succulents. Not your typical annuals though. “Whatever new and different flowers, I try to get my hands on. Updated looks. I try to find different baskets and combination planters.”
The gift shop in front is brimming with garden décor and gift items, plus jewelry, candles, graphic T’s, and a variety of garden tools and accessories for the home. It’s a short jaunt to the house, where she and her husband, Jeff, who were married in 2003, live with their three children.
“Scapes” has been successful, Bessinger said, because of hard work and dedication but also because she has deliberately surrounded herself with a team of plant lovers and experts in their field. Employees committed to the business, and to the town they call home.
“It’s starting to take off more so it’s very exciting,” she said. “The end game is to get people in the community I was raised in and grew up in and try to give something back to them. I’m just trying to make something for our town, the town I grew up in.”