At Bill Tribou’s funeral in 2010, one of the speakers said that you could see a little bit of PlumLine Nursery anywhere you go in Plum. Driving around nearby neighborhoods like Holiday Park or Summerville Estates — which were growing right alongside the nursery and landscaping business Tribou founded in 1974 on the Plum-Murrysville border — it’s not hard to see. There are certain design elements in front and side yards and combinations of plants that are instantly recognizable to customers as they wander the gravel and stone paths that lead to row after row of trees, shrubs and flowers at PlumLine.
The nursery is marking its 50th anniversary this year. Tribou, who worked for Plum entrepreneur Larry Mills in the ’70s, began PlumLine with about a dozen rhododendrons lined up in his yard, said his wife, Karen. Over the years, the business slowly grew.
“The time clock was in the kitchen,” said his son, Micah. “Guys would come punch in when I was getting ready for school.” There was far less traffic on Logans Ferry Road back then, Karen Tribou said, and as Bill added landscaping to his offerings, PlumLine was well-positioned as the east suburbs continued to grow around it.
“Bill was sort of on the cusp of landscaping changing,” Karen Tribou said. “People used to just plant a row of yews in front of their house and that was it. But they were doing more design work and using unique plants, which Bill loved.
” Karen Tribou said her children can drive around t.
