By Steve Oldfield
Special to the NKyTribune
The Cincinnati Open attracts the best tennis players in the sport and it’s also gaining a reputation for world-class landscaping, thanks to a Northern Kentucky horticulturist.
Elmer Grosser, a Bellevue native who now lives in California, Kentucky, with his wife and business partner, Sara, has been supplying flowers and plants to the tournament for more than a decade.
Their company, Diefenbacher Greenhouses, has seen the business explode since billionaire Benjamin Navarro’s Beemok Capital took over running the tournament in 2023.
“We used to supply about 5,000 pots before Beemok,” Grosser said. “When Navarro decided to make this a top notch event, he upped the number to 35,000 eight-inch pots of annuals.” Navarro helped to make watering all those plants easier by installing a massive sprinkler system, Grosser said. Before the new owners took over, it all had to be watered by hand. “The sprinkler system helps to keep everything green and lush,” he said.
Grosser and his team also install some larger plants, with the vision for the design coming from Navarro’s wife, Kelly.
“She wanted a more subtle color palette,” Grosser said. “Kelly wanted a graceful, ‘cottage garden’ feel with wispy stems punctuating the gardens.”
Grosser said the landscaping team’s job is just beginning when the plants are delivered. “It’s a non-stop rhythm of the landscaper planting all of our flowers to make the artwork of the flower beds explode with color and life.”
Grosser says his biggest challenge is ‘timing all the plants so they are in full glory for the tournament,’ despite changing weather and growing conditions. That’s where his 45 years of experience helps. The 61-year-old has been working in greenhouses since he was 16 and studied horticulture at the University of Kentucky.
Grosser played high school football at Newport Central Catholic and admits he’s not much of a tennis fan – but he loves being a part of the tournament team.
“I enjoy watching the facility go from a ghost town to a sheik, major city in under 30 days,” Grosser said. “I appreciate the professionalism and “get it done” grit by the people that pull it all together to make it look like the top notch facility that it is.”
Grosser and the tournament team take a lot of pride in their work.
“I think it is awesome that last year, the players voted it (The Cincinnati Open) the best tournament site for 2025.”
This year, tournament organizers asked him to add flowers to a new indoor experience where fans will be able to watch players tune up before a match, “It is refreshing they’re always open to new ideas and are dedicated to making it a better experience each year,” Grosser said.
Qualifying matches begin on Tuesday, August 11th, with community events underway. The Cincinnati Open runs through Sunday, August 23rd.
