#sparkchamber 050222 — Lisa Hunter
The calendar turns to May, and we’re officially on a gardening spree!! From the massive botanic garden at Dodger Stadium featured here on April 18, #sparkchamber flips the scale, so thrilled to welcome Lisa Hunter, the tiny gardener. “I’ve always been passionate about nature/plants. As a kid I would describe myself as an independent player. If I wasn’t playing in the garden or looking for bugs, I was in my room playing Barbies for hours, creating their world and orchestrating their lives.”
At age 17, Lisa was hired at a local Home and Garden Center where her captivation with nature and love of organizing beautiful things began to evolve into a career. When she started a family, she was ready to branch out on her own. Her company, The Tiny Gardener, offers expert service on designing, growing, and maintaining the perfect garden. “I make it my mission to develop gardens that not only look spectacular, but also function well for my clients’ needs and wants without negatively impacting Mother Nature. Plants, animals, and insects are meant to be together. We have a responsibility to find ways to make that happen so all of us can thrive.”
Her philosophies are formed and reflected by her influences: Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, at the forefront of the new perennial movement, modernist painter Georgia O'Keefe, known for her landscapes and oversized paintings of flowers, and landscape architect and designer John Brookes who brought abstract and modernist principles to garden design.
“My medium is always changing, growing, evolving ... sometimes dying, so nothing is finite about it. There are so many variables to consider, and it is always in motion. I think that is the part that I like most.”
1.] Where do ideas come from?
I find that I need to actively search for inspiration every winter. That may be going to trade shows, museums, attending seminars etc. If I don’t, I get stalled quickly. I need to be rebooted lol
2.] What is the itch you are scratching?
For some silly reason, the need to prove myself is forefront in my mind. My industry is male dominated. That is changing fast but as a small 20-something woman selling plants and products at a greenhouse I was constantly being overlooked by customers and had to prove I knew my stuff before they could take me seriously. It was exhausting! I think I still have that mentality hanging around in my head when I get approached with a new project. I always think “How can I make this amazing??” in order to win my client over. I wish that wasn’t my answer but I think it is.
3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?
I find as a business owner and mom, this is really hard! Having to wear 800 hats in a day and be creative is so challenging. I’ve given up on forcing myself to tackle my creative projects if I’m not in that mood. Otherwise it is completely forced and I’m so out of the zone that the design is never good. I’m a procrastinator by nature and am constantly fighting that part of me and trying to manage my time to suit my behavior. It’s a struggle. The paperwork end of business has its own due dates by nature, so I carve that time out fairly quickly to stay on top of things [and get paid lol].
4.] How do you know when you are done?
With plants, even if the design is installed and I can walk away, it never really is done. It evolves and changes and needs tweaking every few years. My actual pen-to-paper plans are used in conceptual form and come together on the job site. When I can confidently find homes for every plant and see in my mind what it will look like in 5 years, then I know I’m done.