Bonnie Plants broke ground Wednesday on a new corporate headquarters in Opelika.

The company also entered into a formal partnership with Auburn University that will include two new scholarships funded by the gardening business.

Bonnie had been based in Union Springs, a small town in Bullock County, since the company’s founding in 1918. The firm packages and sells over 300 varieties of plants that gardeners can purchase at stores like Home Depot or Lowes.

The business says they are making the move to Opelika “to help enhance associate recruiting and retention efforts.” Bonnie Plants sees Auburn as an ideal school from which they can recruit interns and employees.

Bonnie’s new building in Opelika, which the company is calling “state-of-the-art” has a target of opening in late 2021.

The business says it “will include several sustainable features including a 10-foot high indoor living wall that will naturally purify air in the office.”

“I am pleased to welcome Bonnie Plants to our community. We are honored that a long-standing company like Bonnie is making an investment in our local economy. This will bring jobs and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Opelika,” remarked Mayor Gary Fuller in a release on Wednesday.

Part of Bonnie Plants’ move to Lee County is a new official partnership with the agricultural and business programs at Auburn University.

Bonnie Plants has endowed two scholarships, “one to a student in the Harbert College of Business studying business analytics and the other in the College of Agriculture for a student majoring in horticulture,” according to a release from the company.

The horticulture company is also supporting Auburn’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation, including becoming a member of a new public-private partnership dedicated to innovating in the supply chain space.

“We are grateful for this commitment from Bonnie Plants to not only support our students and faculty, but also to partner with our Center for Supply Chain Innovation,” said Annette Ranft, dean of the Harbert College of Business.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95