This episode of Business LO is all about beautifying our fair city! We appreciate it so much that our podcast cover art highlights our love of the signature flower baskets all over town.
You may be wondering who and what is behind all this. We are excited to feature Jonn Karsseboom, owner of The Garden Corner in Tualatin, also known as the "Garden Rebel." As he says on his LinkedIn profile, "Under the guise of 'work' I play the entire day long outside...creating all kinds of hanging baskets for every season and every occasion."
We also have Beth Oliphant Hoover, Executive Director at The Oliphant Hoover Community Charity, who will discuss the story of our beautiful, bodacious baskets around Lake Oswego. Heather Graves Ramsey, owner of Coach to Brilliance, leads the conversation and specializes in Executive Coaching & Leadership Development. Of course, local celeb and Chamber CEO Liz Hartman will share the insider info we all need with "What You Need to Know in LO!" Michelle O’Dell is your host, and we welcome you to another episode of Business LO!
Jonn Karsseboom, The Garden Corner - The Garden Corner
Beth Hoover, The Oliphant - The Oliphant Hoover Community Charity
Contributions to the Flower Baskets program can be made here: The Lake Oswego Chamber Foundation - Lake Oswego Chamber Foundation | Home
Lake Oswego Fourth of July - Star Spangled Celebrations 2025 | City of Lake Oswego
New Store - Let's Celebrate - formerly Lucky Me on First
Third Thursday - Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce | Third Thursday
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LIZ HARMAN:: This is Business Lo, a podcast by the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, which connects, educates, advocates, and champions, our business community. We have nearly 500 members from international corporations to home-based businesses, and we serve them all. Each episode of Business LO gives insider information to the local business community and the neighbors who support them.
LIZ HARMAN:: And now let's talk Business lo.
MICHELLE ODELL:: Today is June 24th, 2025, and this episode is publishing on the 1st of July. It's all about beautification of our Fair City. I'd be remiss if I didn't remind our listeners that our podcast cover art. Highlights are love of these signature flower baskets all over town. And who and what is behind all this well Garden Rebel Jonn Karsseboom.
MICHELLE ODELL:: Owner of the garden corner in Tualatin. He says on his LinkedIn [00:01:00] profile, under the guise of work, I play the entire day long outside. Creating all kinds of hanging baskets for every season and every occasion. And if you go to the garden corner, you're going to see what I'm talking about. It is amazing. And then we also have, it's a wonderful lady.
MICHELLE ODELL:: I've seen her around town. Now I get to put a name with a face, Beth Oliphant Hoover. She's the executive director at the Oliphant Hoover Community Charity, who will be discussing the origin story of our beautiful Bodacious baskets around Lake Oswego. Leading the conversation today again is Heather Graves Ramsey, owner of Coach to Brilliance.
MICHELLE ODELL:: Heather specializes in executive coaching and leadership development, and of course our very own local celebrity and chamber, CEO, Liz Hartman will share the insider information we all need to know with what you need to know in lo. And I'm Michelle Odell, and let's [00:02:00] talk beauty. Heather, take it away.
HEATHER GRAVES RAMSEY:: Love it.
HEATHER GRAVES RAMSEY:: So it's so nice to meet both of you, John and Beth, thank you so much for taking time to be here with us and to share about this wonderful program that Lake Oswego has To kick us off, John, I'd love to hear just a little bit about like where did these baskets come from? What is all this flower basket piece all about?
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Well, it is a long history. Lake Oswego has a wonderfully long history, and I bet that it might be one of the longest hanging basket programs in the country. Believe it or not, continuous. Not only that, it is supported by the entire community. From the businesses to the city, to just people living in Lake Oswego.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: It takes the entire community to make these baskets happen 30 some odd years ago, it started with a simple 84 hanging baskets, [00:03:00] and back then it was, and Beth can help on this, on the history of this as we go on later on, but 84 lonely hanging baskets. And it was back in a time when the plants weren't even developed for hanging baskets, and now some years later, we have the most amazing plants that can go in these hanging baskets that bloom all the summer from beginning of May all the way to the end of October.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: So it is a nonstop show of bloom.
Speaker 3: I love it. Love it. And so we started with 80 or so and now what are we up to?
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Yeah, we're up to 240 or so and there is still lots of room, believe it or not, especially on the improvements in Lake Oswego. Lots of room for more baskets even. Yeah,
Speaker 3: well it's definitely something that, you know, people notice.
Speaker 3: I know when we first moved here, we were just in awe at how amazing these baskets were and knew nothing about them. And [00:04:00] so excited today to learn a little bit more about yes. The history and why they're so important. So we have, you said we might be one of the first ones, which is amazing, but help us with why does this community support this program so much?
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: The beginning leaders that started this program really laid out. A wonderful plan. Not only were they inspired to create the baskets for the city, but they also laid out the groundwork so that truly when you donate to the program, it is a charitable giving on that so you can take it out of your taxes, and that just helps pave the way.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Not only that, back then it was a whole community effort just to. Lift and raise and hang the basket. So a lot of things were laid out in the beginning that made it so easy to run a program today. Nice. And the city's involved as well, which is amazing.
Speaker 3: What feedback do you hear [00:05:00] from businesses and from the community?
Speaker 3: I.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Oh my goodness. If you could hear the comments we get just watering and maintaining the baskets. I just thought, gosh, I could just record this. Send it to the community. How many people slow down stop when they're walking, just to say thank you? And I think it means a lot to a lot of different people.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Just even coming home from the airport, rolling into town, seeing the hanging baskets there, there's a feeling. There's a feeling of safety. There's a. Feeling of uplifting. There's a feeling of, Hey, this is what's happening. This is what it's happening. Just a wonderful total community feeling. We know how important our work is, so it we know it's just well beyond just a hanging basket.
Speaker 3: And a question for you, Beth, what does it mean to you
BETH OLIPHANT:: to see these flower
Speaker 3: baskets displayed?
Speaker 5: Hmm. Whenever I drive down the street, I'm so grateful for John, of course, because he's the genius and the creative master [00:06:00] of all things blooming in Lake Oswego socially. On the up on the baskets on Meadows Road through downtown state, and a.
Speaker 5: It means so much. I typically, I'll say hi dad when I drive by a basket, but it means to our family so much. For the support from the volunteers from the Chamber, the city, as John had said, I'm so grateful the way that it draws people from Happy Valley. I know people that come specifically from all over the community just to be in Lake Oswego.
Speaker 5: It's not only beautiful, but it feels safe. There's community pride. I know people that have come to Lake Oswego the last year just to vacation here because it's such a unique and special place, and the baskets add so much to it. They
Speaker 3: absolutely do. Mm-hmm. And you said sometimes you say, hi, dad. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Speaker 3: I
Speaker 5: can, in fact, I'm looking at some notes. Back on December 26th, 1990, he [00:07:00] had his very initial notes about hanging baskets, city beautification. And the genesis is my dad and my mom went to Victoria, Canada. They enjoyed so much the beautiful array of flowers, the hanging baskets, and they specifically went there because of that beauty, and they knew that that could be duplicated in Lake Oswego.
Speaker 5: So they pulled a committee together. And I have the names of the original people. There was only seven of them. I'm not sure. I think many of them have passed away, but they all came together as a, a band of. Friends and gifted particular talents, and then they decided that they would give it a try. My father was so excited to see other things complimenting those baskets too.
Speaker 5: The benches, the artwork, everything else that came together in order to create beauty in Lake Oswego. So what they did, and it's fascinating to me because one of my dad's [00:08:00] notes was March, 1988, and one of the priorities was to beautify Lake Oswego, and one of the hallmarks on his notes was hanging baskets.
Speaker 5: So it. It started in 1990, but there was conversation back as late as 1988.
Speaker 2: Can you give your father a shout out for our listeners who might not know? Yes,
Speaker 5: yes. My dad is Doug Oliphant and he was with the Chamber many years as well, and that gave him a good start. Just being able to have touch points throughout the city and making contacts.
Speaker 5: Like I said, every time I drive by, I always go, hi dad. Hi dad, and hi John. I
Speaker 2: love that. I'm
Speaker 5: gonna say hi to your dad from now on. Oh,
Speaker 2: thank you.
Speaker 5: I wanna get on board with something that John had said. So my dad sent out a press release to the National Garden Bureau, and every garden writer in the country received his press release and then about.
Speaker 5: The beautification of Lake Oswego and then it took off like wildfire and then that's [00:09:00] when they started getting requests from the chamber for information related to how to build your own kits. The entire nation came forward from New York to Ohio to Los Angeles. They wanted to know how they could implement this in their cities.
Speaker 5: So it's true John. I think like Oswego, it might be noted is the genesis of hanging baskets in the United States. That
Speaker 2: is, it gives me goosebumps. I love that. I know, I know. Yeah. That's amazing. Yes. So help
Speaker 3: us with, what should people know about the efforts that are, that go behind this program? I think these, these baskets are there and we, some of us may take it for granted.
Speaker 3: We don't realize how much goes into that.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: It is a challenge. Every single year. 'cause I know there's a lot of people that we have to move much earlier than this season begins and it really begins with fundraising and the chamber is just so key to this and the people that serve in that committee. And it's a [00:10:00] program that has been established now for so long, but it's always, it's maybe now at a point that it can be taken for granted.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: So that the baskets will always be there, but it actually takes a lot of people and a lot of work, and it takes effort. Even a member in the community writing that check a business, giving that amount, all tax deductible, that all those people coming together starts the motor. We plan out those baskets well in advance.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: We have new varieties coming in. We test them years before. Lake Oswego was a city, by the way. Where all the plant breeders came together to test out their plants because we want a real test ground for a real life situation. So some of the plants we have in the baskets are really first and foremost, the first look on some of the plants.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: I can't stress enough that it's just every year it's a new challenge and, and bringing these [00:11:00] people together, and I don't want. Anyone to fall asleep at the wheel. It's, it takes all of us and it takes an entire community to make it happen. Everyone who sees the baskets should des deserves a, a pat on the back because they made it happen.
Speaker 5: A lot of people presume that it is funded by the city. Or funded? I did. Yeah, I did too. Yeah. Right. And so the more that we share that they can get on board and beautify a block or beautify a street or a corner, we have the opportunity to enlighten people with that information and invite them to participate by making a charitable donation of any amount.
Speaker 5: And why is
Speaker 3: beautification, why is it important for building community? Mm-hmm. Why is this such an important thing? In your perspective.
Speaker 5: It's fascinating because I picked up a quote that my dad had written and he summed it up by Emerson, who is a poet. He said he summed up the success of the Village Flower Basket Program that Emerson said The earth [00:12:00] laughs in flowers, which is amazing, right?
Speaker 5: So that's so powerful of a statement because the earth laughing in flowers really. It's just a nugget of joy for our community, right? And so many communities struggle with a lot of things. I know that our community has its own struggles, but the flowers really do delight and invite people into Lake Oswego.
Speaker 3: For me, it does have a feeling of safety, right? You come in, yes. And you see. I don't know if it's necessarily like a, I'm not consciously connecting it to that, but there's just this feeling of this wonderful small town feel. I feel safe here. Yes, I feel welcome here. Right. Yes. And it just, I don't, I don't know how to describe it other than that, it really makes a difference.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: The baskets, by the way, are waterwise baskets. It's something that the city mentioned several years ago. We, we designed a new. Pot, so that holds the water, so into a water reservoir. [00:13:00] So even times of severe drought, we're using that water wisely. Also, it's a completely bee friendly, butterfly friendly, hummingbird friendly basket.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: So there's nothing that gets sprayed on it or. Added to it that would harm any of the wildlife. So it's really a cutting edge. Shout out to our, our Oregon love of our land that we take care of it. It also is, goes right along with our baskets
Speaker 3: well and cutting edge. 'cause like you said, we're testing out which flowers are working.
Speaker 3: I also learned in this process that we're a pollinator city. Tell tell me more about that.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Not only that, by the way, way back, I forgot which year we, city of Lake Oswego won the American Bloom contest and that, and. Part of that winning that award, which is they have this committee that judges these communities on their size and level.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: But it was that coming together, the community on the hanging baskets that really won over the, the committee and [00:14:00] awarded the Lake Oswego American Bloom Award. And it's all about the hummingbirds, the bees, the butterflies. So making sure that they have enough. Food and energy and the baskets. Believe it or not, if you stop and watch those baskets, you'll see the hummingbirds there.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: You'll see the butterflies. That's awesome. Yeah, so
Speaker 3: keep 'em coming, for sure. Yeah. John, how did you get plugged in to doing the flower basket? I think you've been doing 'em for a long time. Right. The
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: basket program really started our business as well. So it was a while ago. That was Tracy and I, our husband, wife team.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: We started the baskets. Now back then, and truth be told, it was through Owl's Garden Center where we. Tracy's father gave us the project and then we started our own company. It's called The Garden Corner. And we're all about hanging baskets 'cause that's something we learned to do really well. Yeah. And so we make hanging baskets the size of the palm of your hand to the world's largest hanging basket.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: [00:15:00] We
Speaker 3: love seeing that. Yeah. In the parade every year. Exactly. The 4th of July. Yep. So this is the history part, but where do you see this program evolving in the next five years?
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: So all the new improvements in Lake Oswego, and again, kudos to the city for planning out in advance saying, Hey, we need these poles, we need these type of brackets to put on future hanging baskets.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: And there's room for more. I. Absolutely want to see more baskets. I just think, I'm not saying that as a business wide thing as much as. When you have baskets that are sporadic, it doesn't quite give that magical feeling. There's a amount of baskets that when you see them, when you're driving, when you're walking through that you create this.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: It's just a magical number. There are spaces and spots definitely through Lake Oswego, through the Boones Ferry area that we can really up our game on. And [00:16:00] anytime you hang a basket, it just invites all the good feelings about for businesses, for tourists, for community members. It's just that uplifting all around.
Speaker 3: Beth, what do you see the
Speaker 5: program in the next five years? Well, I'm in agreement. I would love to see more baskets. I think one of the areas that we've talked about is Meadows Road. That's a great example, John, of how it's just all tiered out block to block to block. And then. They're particularly beautiful because some of 'em are shade plants and some are heavily, you know, floral.
Speaker 5: And part of that too is understanding the need to fundraise. Right. And also, as John shared, there's a ton of work that goes into the baskets throughout the year before they're actually hung. Everybody kind of just assumes that they're done and they, they're hung and they get watered. Inviting businesses to participate, inviting people to share in their donation to support it.
Speaker 5: I remember, I'm kind of [00:17:00] thinking out loud. I remember there was a day where people would meet at five 30 in the morning and they would enjoy breakfast, and then they would loft the baskets. Independently with ladders, I'm sure that it was just an really a wonderful event and it created this culture of people bringing their community together and it became too difficult and too heavy, and I.
Speaker 5: Not manageable to do that, and probably not safe actually to, to loft those baskets. But there might be an opportunity to re-invite the community in some way and the city in some way that it was quite a. A nice morning when the basket went up. When that happened. Yes. Now,
Speaker 3: as a business owner, businesses always have to be thinking like, you know, what's the economic return on investment?
Speaker 3: Right? Why should I invest in this? What is it that is in it for them, besides the beauty? 'cause I do love that too, but Yeah.
Speaker 5: Well, one of my thoughts is, is that it draws businesses to do tourists, businesses. Like I said, I know [00:18:00] people that come from ha all the way from Happy Valley every weekend to have an ice cream at salt and straw, walk through Millennium Plaza.
Speaker 5: Just spend time in Lake Oswego. So for businesses, it is a draw. People wanna be here, and it exposes your business. Hopefully that's the, that's the desire.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Yeah. Not only for the retail and the tourists, but there's also a little cache. Yes. Your business is in that area. So there's a little bit Oh, you run a nice business.
Speaker 3: Yes, exactly. Have you experienced any or heard any feedback from people that they stay longer or that, that it influences folks in their shopping and their dining habits? What, what have we been hearing?
Speaker 5: I just left a meeting about an hour ago and I was mentioning that I was leaving to depart to spend time with you, and one of the ladies in my meeting said.
Speaker 5: Oh my. I love the baskets. I literally just stand under the baskets and I try to determine, you know, what the flowers are. And she said, I have a question, John. Actually, you could answer this. She says, do you know if [00:19:00] they fertilize the baskets throughout the year? I said. Good question. So this woman at my previous meeting was drawn into the conversation quickly and wanted to know more about the baskets
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: because it was a community effort.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: I thought, okay, all of our secrets are also out and about. So I made sure I wrote a white paper. I say it's the most explicit set of hanging basket instructions you'll ever read, and I go over. Every single step and anyone can email me, sign up on our Rebel newsletter. I go over all the steps we do for to get the exact same results we do in the city.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: So we have a particular earth friendly fertilizer. We'd have two earth friendly bug controls as well. Oftentimes, a hanging basket looks its best the day it's brought home. But it should actually improve and get better as this season goes on.
Speaker 3: They totally do. Yes. Oh my gosh. It's, it's so fun to watch them just keep getting bigger [00:20:00] and bigger and more beautiful.
Speaker 3: So for business owners that are listening, you know, what would you want them to know about why the flower baskets matter? The baskets
Speaker 5: matter because once again, it draws people into the community. People enjoy walking the streets. It magnifies. The street corners.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: If everyone does a little bit, we can really keep this program going.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: It's always a threat that it's taken for granted and other things can come in the way. If, if I could say anything, it's, it's everyone contributing a little bit,
Speaker 3: and I know for sure people would notice if it wasn't here. Right. Like they, they,
Speaker 5: I love the term hospitality. I think it's Lake Oswego's way to extend hospitality.
Speaker 5: One of the dangers, kind of what John's talking about is just a population that is aging out of the genesis or the, the beginning of this. And we just assume that the baskets grow themselves and then they water [00:21:00] themselves and. So helping the community and businesses understand that they're invited to participate and they're invited by their dollars and by their voice just sharing that they have a, you know, even the, like a view I give them credit for putting in a just a giant ad.
Speaker 5: Which is very much appreciated. And whenever I open the review, I am always reminded, you know, today is the day I need to make a donation. So, right. I appreciate the Lake review and it, it would be impossible without others. So.
Speaker 3: Yeah. And I would just say, everybody that's listening to this today, if they can just tell five people, because again, yes, people don't know and they.
Speaker 3: Zoom. And I think just keeping the word out there and keeping the memory out there and understanding that, you know, these are the things that make Lake Oswego this special gift and this special place to be. And we really thank both of you for making that happen because without the community support, without the knowledge that you have, John, [00:22:00] without the way that you, you make this as affordable as possible, it just, it really does make a difference for us and for our city and for our businesses.
Speaker 2: If people want more information, John or Beth, go ahead and give a, a name, a email address, whatever, Beth Hoover
Speaker 5: and my email address is the elephant, the number1@gmail.com.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: And John I. Any technical information about hanging baskets, you can just go to the garden corner.com.
Speaker 3: Beth, I wanna thank you for the work that you do on fundraising and just keeping the word out there and keeping this program alive.
Speaker 3: I know your dad, Doug, would be completely proud of how you continue to show up for this community, and it's just really appreciated. Thank you. Thank you so much for your time, sir. Compliments
Speaker 5: to Liz too. Yes. Your outstanding leader, outstanding executive director for the Chamber. I thank you so much.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
JONN KARSSEBOOM:: Thank you.
Speaker 2: What wonderful people we have and that so many great chamber members. What do we need to know in [00:23:00] LO?
Speaker: Well. The big thing is the 4th of July because Lake Oswego is the best place to be for the 4th of July. You get to start the day at 7:00 AM with the pancake breakfast, with the Lion's club. The parade at 10:00 AM and you'll see the largest flower basket in the world will be coming down a avenue.
Speaker: After the parade, 1145, the Lake Oswego Review is doing a community photo. So come down to Millennium Park Plaza, bring your banner and be in the photograph. And we have some new stores coming to Lake Oswego. And even though Lucky me left, we now have celebrations. They just opened. They have helium, if you want helium balloons.
Speaker: They have cards and they have fun things for kids. We have a couple of new business groups that have started. The Cruise Way Business Group is meeting monthly at 7:30 AM on the third Thursday. They go someplace different every month, so you have to read the Chamber newsletter to find out where they're meeting.[00:24:00]
Speaker: And the downtown business group has reactivated. They're meeting monthly, and you can find that in the Lake Oswego. Chamber newsletter as well. And then there's the Lake Grove Business Group that talks about business on Lake Grove. So they talk about the Oregon wine walk, the hanging baskets, things that enhance business on Boones Ferry Road.
Speaker: Just wanna let people know that the leadership Lake Oswego. Class of 2026 applications are now online or call the chamber office. We just graduated a class of 32 members, so we're looking forward to putting together the class of 2026, and we would like businesses to watch the newsletter. The city will be doing another questionnaire.
Speaker: It will come out in September. This is the information that helps us. Market to people who come to be customers in our business.
Speaker 2: Thank you everyone so much. Another wonderful episode in the books. And don't forget, every day is a [00:25:00] Chamber of Commerce Day here in Lake Oswego. I.
Speaker: The Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce.
Speaker: Thanks you for listening to Business Lo. We would love to have you as a member so you can help Lake Oswego continue to be one of the best places to live, work, and play. If you want to share an idea for a future episode. Or become a member. Visit us@lakeoswegochamber.com and please like and follow us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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