RIVERTON - It was the desk job that drove Michael Greenway out the office door and into landscaping.

Now it's a family affair at Green Scapes Landscaping and Nursery in Riverton. Greenway and his wife, Michelle Lee Greenway, have operated the business on state Highway 42S for the past 15 months. Michael's parents, Sam and Christine Greenway, are involved, too, with ordering, delivering and other tasks. And now, the Greenways have a second nursery, which recently opened in Bandon on U.S. Highway 101, about one mile south of town, next to Coastline Auto Body.

One change brings another.

For the Greenways, it was the closure of Bandon's Blue Diamond Nursery last year that enticed them into town. Greenway felt there was a market for another nursery and many people felt they needed more than plants. They also wanted landscaping help.

Yard projects can become overwhelming. Some people struggle to choose plants. They angst over where to plant them. They aren't sure whether to plant grass or use ground-covering plants. And installing an irrigation system? That kind of project begs for professional advice.

“I usually try to help everyone out as much as I can and if I don't know an answer, I'll look it up in a book,” Greenway said.

Michael gained much of his experience while working two years for a major landscaping company in Reno, but had worked in the business prior to moving. He met Michelle in Reno. She worked at the same nursery. But for starting a business, Reno was very competitive. Michael's parents lived in Riverton (Sam is a Coquille High School graduate), so the couple moved west and, in 2001, began operating Green Scapes Landscaping.

“We wanted to start our own business and felt there was a good market here,” said Michelle.

In March 2006, they opened the Riverton nursery. The Bandon store opened in February.

Michael runs the Bandon store, while Michelle takes care of the Riverton operation. The business carries a large inventory of trees, shrubs, ground cover, annuals, perennials, grasses and vegetable starts. Green Scapes employs seven people who can implement Greenway's designs at both homes and businesses and will travel from Florence to Roseburg to Brookings.

“I lived in Germany most of my life because my father, who grew up in Coquille, was in the military and my mother is German,” Greenway said. “So I kind of have a European influence of landscape design. I think my landscaping is different from most people's.”

Greenway likes to implement color into all his designs and also installs and maintains the plants or simply provides the plants for the do-it-yourselfer.

The first step in landscaping, according to Greenway, is to choose the types of plants you want to include. Green Scapes has 68 varieties of rhododendrons. The nursery also offers 30 different varieties of heathers, a colorful and fragrant ground cover, as well as 30 to 35 types of ornamental grasses, which do well in the coastal climate.

“I have everything in inventory to show customers what I'm talking about implementing into their landscaping plan,” Greenway said.

Not all projects are big. Greenway understands that. He said he's happy to answer questions and give advice.

Among the two nurseries, Greenway estimates there are 20,000 to 25,000 plants. Green Scapes grows much of its own inventory, but also buys stock from other nurseries or growers in the Northwest. Many of the nursery's trees are located at the Riverton store.

“The Riverton store is like a big park,” Greenway said.

As to landscaping, a consultation runs $50 and Greenway will come to the site. A design runs more, depending on the time it takes. But Greenway said he will work within any budget.

Greenway is proud that Green Scapes is a member of the Builder's Association and at this year's South Coast Home Show won a Best in Show award for its display of landscaping and nursery products.

But probably most of all, Greenway is happy to have a job that keeps him moving around all day.

“I just love the outdoors. I hate to sit in the office,” he said.

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(Green Scapes in Riverton can be reached by calling 396-5000. The Riverton store is open form 10:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. The Bandon store can be reached at 297-6000 and is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays, “but if the gate's open, I'm here,” Greenway said. Through the end of the month, Green Scapes is donating 10 percent of all proceeds from the Bandon store to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.)