All about us
Lets grow together!
Joey, Joe, Joseph, “The Guido gardener”, “The plant man” and “The plant Guru”, while I have acquired many names over the last 40 years, you can call me Joseph.
I have been a proud plant parent since I was a young boy. I would pull weeds, trim bushes, and mow neighbors’ lawns to raise money for my next new “have to have” plant. By twelve I had acquired a modest collection of around 25 plants in my bedroom. This juvenile collection consisted of aloe Vera, pathos, spider plants, prayer plants, and even a monstera deliciosa that I received for my birthday. I was lucky to have friends who were listening or maybe all my begging actually worked!
My passion for all things green continued to grow over time. Then fast-forward to high school, I was the grounds keeper for a small ranch and chose agriculture and agriculture for my electives with the intent of becoming a farmer or a florist one day.
My first official job after high school was as a professional landscaper working for a landscape company in the bay area. I continued to explore my possibilities in landscaping and continued to dabble with it on and off over the years. While my connection with plants is constant, working with challenging clients isn’t. As fluid as a willow blowing in the wind, my career path waivered to and fro, and I tried my hand at many different career options, all while caring for my treasured garden and helping friends and family with theirs.
After relocating to San Diego, I really got into drought tolerant plants, succulents, aloes and so much more. Such a fun and rewarding collection of plants, I used this wonderful pallet to create living art where It was published in one of Debra Lee Baldwin’s succulent books. I also created and sold bespoke potted gardens and gifts. With experience in floriculture under my belt, I fulfilled several succulent weddings and supplied the bouquets, boutonniere, table centerpieces, and all living decor. My obvious passion for plants has come with many requests from friends, family and new aquaintances for whom I completed several drought and xeriscape gardens all throughout California. I saw these as “passion projects” reserved exclusively for special people who appreciated all the hard work and effort that goes into a well thought out garden built to last for years to come.
But Life is interesting. While living in the bay area, I and my husband Antonio and our pup Enzo were all fortunate to find our first home together in the East Bay. This is where I created some of my most detailed work. My xeriscaped front yard was a living gallery that demanded the attention of the entire neighborhood, and all whom passed by. This opened the gates to new friendships and introductions to admiring neighbors.
As much as we loved our gardens, along with all the food we grew in our food forest and veggie gardens, unfortunately, I was laid off from my retail job due to the pandemic. Taking care of such a large property started to feel challenging. By the end of 2021, we had decided that as special as our home and garden were, we needed a change. One that would allow us more freedom to travel and see all the amazing gardens and lands that this stunning earth has to offer.
This exciting new chapter included moving to a walkable downtown urban area, thus saying goodbye to our suburban oasis. The new challenge is fulfilling my innate passion for plants in a low-rise industrial loft in a concrete jungle. We are fortunate to have found a large open loft that serves as our live and work space. It is filled with natural light coming from the skylights, 14-foot walls of glass facing east along with two atrium-like patios. Now after a year in this inspiring new space, I find myself surrounded by all the special plants that have found a space in my heart. I cherish my indoor garden and value all the joy that it brings me. I have been told by our new friends in the building that my passion for plants is very apparent by how happy and lush they are. I love to see people’s reactions when they stop by and say, “WOW, look at all the plants!” Our new friends have encouraged me to create this blog. In fact, they always ask me how to care for specific plants or to identify what is wrong with their plants. These interactions have inspired me to help the rest of the world care better for their plants! Please follow and subscribe to my blog to be well informed, and let’s grow together!
