The long Michigan winter necessitates large heating plants, as the greenhouses must be kept at a constant night temperature of 60 to 64 degrees to produce marketable flowers. Mount Clemens Rose Gardens maintain a power plant large enough to heat a town of 300 homes. The original fuel was coal, but some 30 years ago a switch was made to oil or natural gas, which provided cleaner heat and required fewer workers. In the summer, the hot sun necessitates automatic sprinklers and ventilating systems to keep the gardens from overheating. For instance, at the Floral Avenue Greenhouses, there are 2 miles of overhead misting pipes and about 12 miles of steel heating and watering pipes.
Some greenhouses use the Clinton River for irrigation.
When pollution control became an issue, the Michigan Pollution Control Board was asked to check the water at Mount Clemens Rose Gardens. The plant draws water from the river and returns it to the river after use. The board made its examination and found that the water coming out of the plant was actually a little cleaner than that going in. The years have taken their toll of the greenhouses. In 1950, the Breitmeyers moved their operation from its original site to new quarters on South Gratiot, opposite Seminole Hills .