Let's get to know one another

Hi! I’m Ashlynne, the creator and owner of Evergreen Plant Experience. I wanted my first blog to be a little intro about myself, Evergreen, and share with you why I feel so drawn to plants and why I chose this as my career path. 

About Me 

I’m 23, a mom, a lover of small business, and I’m born and raised in Florida. I got my first “small biz” job when I was 17. At 18 I got my first job working in my downtown area for a small business, and have worked downtown ever since. I quickly fell in love with the sense of community that came with it. The relationships that you build not only with your coworkers and customers but with fellow small businesses as well. So many talented and unique people pursuing their dreams, were happy to share and support others in the same way. At about 19, I knew I wanted to own a small business. I continued working locally and even had the opportunity to watch two brand new businesses build from the ground up. At the same time, I was also seeing friends pursue their small business dreams on smaller levels through markets, websites, pop-ups, etc. Seeing the happiness it brought them only further validated my want for something of my own. 

Falling in love with plants

I've always liked plants. I always owned a couple of plants. Some cacti, and aloe. In 2019, I fell in love with plants. I started shopping at local plant shops, researching, and learning. My collection quickly grew. I loved weird foliage. You know the string of pearls, rabbit's foot fern, funky cacti, the lot. Before I knew it, I had hundreds. My crappy apartment patio had become a hidden jungle oasis. The inside was pretty loaded too, like something you’d see on Apartment Therapy. I soon upgraded to a house with a yard. Then I had this “revelation”. I live in Florida, a tropical plant collectors’ dreamland. Why the hell am I keeping these plants inside?! To be honest, I was pretty scared of what the FL sun would do to my babies, it's a beast. But I moved a large portion of my collection outdoors, and of course, they loved it. Soon I upgraded to a greenhouse. Then two greenhouses. Then I ditched them both to build a greenhouse/shade house that's 4 times the size. And that's where I'm at now! There's just something about plants. I know, I know, it's scientifically proven to improve mental health, but the gratification. Seeing something you've worked hard to love and care for growing and bloom. It’s so amazing. Learning their needs, trying new techniques, seeing all that come to fruition, and this amazing part of nature doing its thing is honestly jaw-dropping. The unique, beautiful, and intricate foliage is just the icing on the cake. 

Creating Evergreen

For a good long while, what was at the time a daydream and is now Evergreen, floated around my head. Although feasible, it felt very out of reach. So I continued to let it be just that, a daydream. Something I'd somehow be able to muster up at some point, hopefully. Flash forward to March 2021. I received some news that was quite literally earth-shattering. Although it's not something I really share publicly, I will say this. It changed my perspective completely. It opened my eyes to the fragility of life. How quickly we can get very sick, lose someone we love, or simply suffer a tragic event that alters the trajectory of our lives forever. I started thinking about my life moving forward. Although I liked my job, the idea of looking back at my existence and knowing so much of my limited time was spent working for something that wasn't passionate, or fulfilling to me, made me feel physically ill. I knew then and there I needed to get my foot in the door and start pursuing my dream. I knew I wanted to work with plants. I knew I wanted to have my own business where I could sell plants. I knew for sure I didn’t want to be JUST a plant shop. I wanted to be a place where people could connect and share. I've always loved the relationships that are built through a shared hobby or interest. It's just the cutest thing! Seeing people build these friendships because they all like ceramics, skateboarding, or a band. I wanted to give plant lovers an outlet to achieve that. A place you could enjoy without making a purchase. I wanted plant lovers of all skill sets to be able to share and take something away from this. Not just a shopping destination, but an experience. And so we now have Evergreen! Evergreen creates spaces where you can ask questions, share advice, or just show off a plant you’re loving! You’re able to connect with hundreds of other plant enthusiasts through Evergreen’s social media platforms and through our local events. Then of course we want to provide you access to some of the most beautiful plants around. Evergreen is a certified Florida nursery, so we will grow plants for the shop, but we also work with select nurseries. We have plans for beginners, experts, and everything in between! Plants are our passion. We know you’ll find something here, and look forward to connecting with you. Thank you for your support and happy planting.