Edwin's influence on young Charles "Jink", 21, and William "Red", 18, was evident when they started their horticulture careers in 1929 at Sterling Floral Company.

At the time, Sterling Floral Company was one of the largest and oldest floral companies in the state of Illinois.

Sterling Floral Company was started in 1871 by Mr. Mangan and then purchased by Robert Lundstrom in 1904.

 In 1933 Robert Jr. took over and ran it until he left for the service in 1942, later reopening in '46 after the war ended.

In the 50's he changed the name to Lundstrom Florist and Greenhouse.

For thirteen years, Red and Jink honed their skills at Sterling Floral Co / Lundstrom Florist.

In 1942 during the war, while Robert Jr. was away serving, Red and Jink, left to venture out on their own and start up Sterling Floral "Shop" in downtown Sterling, Illinois.

It would be 30 years before another LeFevre worked at Lundstrom Florist.

The two brothers also had the corner on the market with fresh produce they sold to area restaurants.

Red and Jink successfully operated their business for 17 years, from 1942-1959, the year that Jan "Bud" LeFevre was born.

On the other side of Bud's family, his Great Uncle Vinny Oehl was a founding member of the Dixon Men's Gardening Club and very active in the Dixon Farmer's Market.

With all the interest in horticulture it's no wonder that one of Red's two boys picked up where he and Jink left off.

Red's youngest, "Bud", grew up learning at the knee of his dad and uncle about flowers and vegetable gardening.

In 1973, at 13, Bud started working for Lundstrom's Florist.

He was the second generation LeFevre to work for Lundstrom's.

Lisa's grandmother, his neighbor, Mary Higby, and the person who gave him his nickname, "Bud", got him the job.

In 1980, Bud received a degree in Ornamental Horticulture with emphasis in greenhouse and garden center management from Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois and then went to Swartley's Greenhouse in Sterling as a grower.

In 1985 he ventured out on his own freelancing, and, like his grandfather, also worked at National Mfg.

He did this for the next twenty-two years.

In 1992, the fourth generation of LeFevre's to work in horticulture, Quin Allen LeFevre, was born.

Later in 1999, Distinctive Gardens opened in Dixon, Illinois.

Bud's son, Quin, started working with his dad at 8 years old.

To present, Quin, at age 22 is still working at Distinctive Gardens after graduating from college.

For Bud, he feels very fortunate to do a job that he loves while working with his family at the same time.