The Walter family has been in Point Pleasant, Bucks County, Pennsylvania since the 18th century, working as farmers, teachers, merchants, doctors, and for the past four generations, nurserymen and garden designers.

John Willis Walter, Jr. graduated North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Forestry in 1930. That same year he opened Walter’s Nursery with a fresh crop of tree and shrub seedlings that he had planted while in school. In the Depression and war years he grew and planted evergreens for state and federal reforestation projects as well as fruit trees for victory gardens. His client list was limited to the few who could afford landscape gardens during those hard times. In the post war boom, his design abilities were put to good use as his small client list grew and his nursery expanded to keep up with demand. After years of growth, he turned the firm over to his two sons, John J. and Craig, in 1975.

Through the 1970s and 80s, John and Craig expanded their client base and their reputation for quality plants and workmanship. Craig’s talented wife Dot became the lead designer for Walter’s in the 1980s. John’s sons Jim and Buck, and Craig’s son Joey studied design and horticulture at Temple University, preparing for the future of the family business. Today, twelve descendants of the founder, John Willis Walter, Jr., and a score of other folks are working hard to keep his nursery going strong.