Generally, our association with plants has been on the horizontal plane, looking out across a landscape, broken vertically by horizons of trees and various canopies of vegetation.

In the simple shifting of that horizontal plane by a mere 90°, the whole presentation and visual experience changes; we get to see much more of the intricate and quite exquisite details of the plants themselves; unabashedly offering themselves to be noticed, recognized and appreciated for their distinct individual color displays and characteristics.

It's almost comparable to having a face to face conversation with nature, if you will. An opportunity is created for a closer connection, because you can't neglect that which is right in front of you!  GARDENING IN YOUR FACE!!!

April 2012- The best worst thing that ever happened to me. What was lost? The stability of a salary and benefits. What was gained? An opportunity to devote the time, energy, effort, resources and enthusiasm towards my own vision and passion.

Perhaps stepping beyond one's comfort zone and stable livelihood boundaries comes effortlessly to some; but to others, it takes some concerted effort. It takes try and try again...and again and again. It takes gumption and want to, and SO much work!!!

It takes countless prototypes of a variety of materials, multiple medias, methods, and trials. Plant trials and watering trials. Indoor trials and outdoor trials. Sun trials, shade trials, and continuous evaluation through the seasons. Did I mention work??

It takes loading and unloading, setting up and breaking down. Driving hundreds of miles for shows and priceless opportunities afforded by those who believe in you.

It takes heart. Passion. Effort. COLLABORATION. Networking. Believing. Believing. Believing. Trust. Accepting guidance. Accepting help. Accepting support. More believing. Your entire 401k. More Passion. Cultivation. Growing and growing and growing... and growing. Nurturing Roots, shoots, and fruits. Being grateful. Giving. Receiving. Infinite Possibility. Timing. Follow through. Vision. Dreams*

It takes being yourself and being vulnerable. It takes starting at the beginning. It takes authenticity and confidence. It takes exploring alternative dimensions...ok, just the 3rd dimension...VERTICAL!!!***

It takes a smattering of creativity, which, really, is stepping aside and allowing the beauty of the world unfold before you.

It takes time!!!! Time to gather materials. Time to design. Time to plant. Time to photograph. Time to learn. Time to edit. Time to write bloggedy blog blogs!! Time to post.Time to rest...rarely. Time to gain momentum- more time than you thought. Time to be sure you're not so busy that you miss the goings-on-around-you!! Time to play!! Time for yourself.

It takes being grateful for the food in your belly, the roof over your head, the potable water coming from your faucet, the car in your driveway, and ...every piece that comes together to make the whole.

And so much love that no matter what, you are enjoying your journey through the seasons.

Many blessings**

As most of us know in creating a new url for a website, the most common suffix is .com. A very cleverly named New Zealand nursery was fortunate to have already nabbed .com, and at the time of creating our website, there were a number of alternatives to choose from.

It was decided .us was the most fitting. As you may or may not know, many other countries have an associated suffix for the Internet, for example, .ca for Canada, or .fr for France.

So we were delighted that .us was an option, for two reasons: we just happen to be located in a lovely country most often abbreviated with these two letters, but more appealing was the double meaning it carried. Us, as in we, or more than one.

Coming from a background of strong community and the business model intention of sharing and collaborating, it seemed appropriate to create the website url supporting the essence of what we think is important-working together for the common goal and the common good. US* Perfect! Decided! Proud new participants of one of the most powerful tools of our time for touching and reaching out into the world around us : www.Plantasy.us

Amusing story... I worked at a production greenhouse in Watsonville for some time, and we had a Dutch intern for a spell, Elise. We were focused on projects and improvements in the greenhouse and had made some laminated signs to differentiate the refuse cans in both english and spanish. The one for greenwaste, or plants and soil, translated to plantas y tierra.

The intern spotted them, partially covered, on my desk and delighted in reading 'plantas y' or 'plantasy'...

It was love at first delight*

Thank you for the inspiration seed planted Elise Hoogendoorn!! (who among many lessons, also tought me how to say Gouda in proper Dutch~ which replaces the hard 'g' with a slight spit from the back of the throat carried out by a hard 'h'~ deserved by nothing short of a whole wheel of cheese!