A Black Cat Named Spruce and Shovel with a Hole In It

RIO GRANDE – Spruce, a chubby, eight-year-old black cat, is frequently asleep on the checkout counter at Secluded Acres Farm & Garden Center. Spruce has been at the garden center his whole life, but so has Diane Mills, who runs the store alongside her father, uncle, and dedicated staff.
“I’ve been here as long as I can remember,” she said, wearing a dark green “Secluded Acres” vest on a breezy spring afternoon at the garden center. “I would run around and play here as a kid. A lot of customers still remember those days.”  
Spruce joined the Franks family when he was just a kitten. He was found huddled in a corner of the barn that sits in the back of the property. The cats were feral but have since become the garden center’s beloved mascots. They certainly earn their keep.  
 “People will come in just to see Spruce and Juniper. That’s fine by me!” Diane laughed.  
Diane’s family – the Franks – founded the garden center in 1984, and it remains a family operation to this day. Our interview was interrupted frequently by excited shoppers, most of whom knew Diane by name. She greeted them all with a friendly smile, and with words of gardening advice.  
The business has expanded a whole lot in four decades. A small white shed, which was once the main storefront, is now dwarfed by a large greenhouse and a large storefront that faces Route 47.  
In those passing decades, Secluded Acres hasn’t lost its identity as a small family-owned and operated business. It also hasn’t lost track of its specialty – chrysanthemums. “We are one of the only places in New Jersey that still grows field-grown ‘mums,” she said.  
She pointed to a bright orange shovel that hangs proudly in the main store building. “That was my Uncle Tom’s,” she said. “He would paint it bright orange every season, and by the time he dug all the ‘mums up, all the paint would be gone.”
 Tom used that shovel for fifteen years until he wore a hole through the thick metal spade. Tom still digs up all the mums from the field come harvesting time, but by now he has found a better shovel.  
Nearly all the plants sold at Secluded Acres are grown on-site. A large greenhouse on the property grows annuals, including Lantanas, Diane’s favorite summer flower. And to fill gaps in their inventory, Secluded Acres work with other South Jersey garden centers to source locally-grown flowers.  
“If we don’t have something, please support one of our local neighbors,” she said. Diane always encourages people to shop local – she believes that small businesses like Secluded Acres can be gathering points for the community. Customers come in to browse flowers and to grab supplies, but also to chat and to spend time with other gardeners.  
To this end, Secluded Acres puts on a “Fall Festival” and auto show every year. And at Christmas, Santa pays a visit.  
Secluded Acres opened for the season in late March. Right now, they have cool-weather spring and early summer flowers. Come late April, they hope to have a wide selection of summer veggies. “Each season there’s something new here. I’m never bored,” Diane said.   
Secluded Acres Farm & Garden Center is open 9-5, Monday through Saturday from March to Christmas. Visit them at 1024 NJ-47, Rio Grande, or give them a call at (609) 886-8574.