About The Owner

       My mother once told me, “The land is the canvas and you are the artist! Be a land-sculptor!”
Gardening truly is an art and my mom was definitely a master artist. As a young boy, I remember our house always being filled with flower and foliage arrangements- always fresh cut from mother’s garden. From the church flower guild, to the garden club, she was always participating in the local botanical groups.

       As I grew older, my mom quickly passed her love for plants and gardening onto me. I began growing my own vegetables, and tending to my own plants and flowers in the greenhouse, and it just kept "growing" from there. As a young man, I spent my summers working at Jackson Heights Nursery and Taylors Garden Center. I started Babylon Gardens "baby you lawn with Babylon", then Nature's Greenhouse (the height of house plant popularity), then Insta-Tree as a teenager, which evolved into a "mow blow and go". I was going to call it Two Red-Necks and a Truck, but my wife rightly thought better of it. My wife, Janice, found our current spot and worked diligently to help me open at our current location in Ballentine. Without her hard work and encouragement, we wouldn't be here today. 

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       Now as the winner of Parade of Homes and the Tour of Homes, as well as a certified Nurseryman and a certified plant geek and tree hugger, we have a huge variety of plant material at reasonable prices (why pay more?). We may well be your nursery destination here at Botanica. 

       I am passionate about my work, and I know that when you come to Botanica, we will be able to find the right mediums to turn your blank canvas into a beautiful land sculpture!