5507 W 3500 So-Bruschke's Greenhouse

George Bruschke's greenhouse

Bruschke’s Greenhouse: A Blooming Legacy in Hunter

In the heart of Hunter once stood a place that grew more than just flowers—it nurtured family, tradition, and community. George and Diane Bruschke’s Greenhouse, located at 5507 West 3500 South, was the result of years of vision, labor, and love. Opened in the early 1970s, it carried on a horticultural legacy that stretched back generations. George’s great-grandfather, Hermann Bruschke, was once a royal horticulturist for a Czar of Russia, designing formal gardens that stretched across 20 acres. After a world tour brought him to Salt Lake City, he met and married a local woman, settled in the valley, and became known for his beautiful work at the B’nai Israel Jewish Cemetery.

This gift for gardening passed down through the Bruschke line until it bloomed again with George. He and his wife Diane—herself from a family of hardworking Italian immigrants known in Magna as “the America Albericos”—saw a need for a greenhouse in their growing Hunter neighborhood. With help from both sides of the family, they built a thriving business rooted in teamwork, heritage, and a love of the land. Diane’s father, known for raising the best tomatoes in the valley, carefully saved seeds and passed them on to be germinated in the greenhouse. Family members gathered for transplanting “bees,” working side by side with joy and purpose. Even George’s nephew Ron joined in as assistant horticulturist, handling everything from potting to customer care.

Inside Bruschke’s Greenhouse, rows of vibrant geraniums, petunias, peppers, and tomatoes filled the air with color and life. The Bruschkes weren’t just selling plants—they were planting beauty across Hunter, one flat of flowers at a time.

Sadly, both the family home and greenhouse were torn down during the construction of the Mountain View Corridor and UTA bus stop parking expansion. Though the buildings are gone, their memory still blossoms in the hearts of those who remember. The Bruschke and Alberico families built more than a greenhouse—they built a legacy of beauty, resilience, and community that will never be forgotten.