A Garden Rebel by Any Other Name

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    “It’s a working world,” my father says every time one of us children leaves for work or school. Neither of which, I feel the need to mention, is at all related to gardening in any shape or form outside of this article. You see, every single one of us children (J-Dogg has four) has rebelled. While we are happy to help out in the background, none of us know “gardening” in a horticultural way. We have each taken a path outside of the gardening world, seeking future jobs in medical, engineering, and business management. Oftentimes, when people hear what our parents do for a living, they expect us to be experts. 

    Details and intricacies about gardening that take years to learn about we have vehemently avoided. I remember, each vacation as a child included at least one garden center walk-through, and there were times when we children opted to stay in the car rather than see one more garden center. During this time in my life, gardening was strictly related to work, it was something that interrupted the fun. In truth, gardening is hard work. The working conditions are terrible, you have to be outside all the time. A glorious landscape takes many hours of hard, backbreaking manual labor. Planting takes patience and an extreme amount of googling in disguise as professional training (that’s why we have our app!).

    The nursery continued to grow just as fast as all of us children. Then, eventually, came the idea of a Garden Rebel. Something my father created to be beyond a cheesy customer tagline, it is an exclusive clique, only for real hardcore gardeners. Garden Rebel is a name that sounds like it should carry a level of power. Something strong, out of the box, someone who can defy all laws of gardening to create something extraordinary. Really, a garden rebel can be anybody. It does not take a fancy degree, or any extraordinary studies and experience. A garden rebel is someone who takes the time to stop and look at a garden, identify a plant outside of your work. Garden rebels start with an idea, a thought, inspiration and they expand from there. 

    Yes, gardening is hard work. It is backbreaking at times. Working conditions can be extreme. There is very little that I have found, at least, that is more peacefully rewarding than watching a garden, a plant, or even a leaf flourish. If you look close enough, all of us kids have chosen to continue to return to the nursery. You might see us on occasion. One of us will bring a load of fresh baskets, another will be dropping off your online order or replacing an empty flat on a table. We are here, happily working alongside our father, appreciating the time we have to spend with him. Individually, a different type of Garden Rebel on our own. We encourage you to come and join us, take a day in the garden, treat yourself, and as always, Live Your Passion!