The Story Behind Wren Hollow Farms

Looking for the best plants for Southern Utah? Wondering how to create a beautiful, water-wise landscape that can survive St. George's extreme heat, cold winters, drying winds, and challenging soils?

In this episode of The Samantha Parker Show, Samantha sits down with KP, owner of Wren Hollow Farms, one of Southern Utah's most unique plant nurseries specializing in hard-to-find desert-ready plants, native landscaping solutions, pollinator gardens, and customer education.

KP shares what makes gardening in Southern Utah different, why so many plants fail after installation, and how homeowners can create thriving landscapes that use less water while adding beauty and value to their property.

Whether you're a homeowner, gardener, landscaper, plant lover, or simply curious about sustainable gardening in the desert, this episode is packed with practical tips and expert insights.

In this episode we discuss:

Water-wise gardening in St. George, Utah

Best plants for Southern Utah landscapes

Native plants vs. adapted desert plants

How to keep plants alive in extreme heat

Starting and growing a local business

The story behind Wren Hollow Farms

KP also shares her journey from corporate HR to nursery ownership, how she acquired Wren Hollow Farms, and why education is at the heart of everything they do.

If you're searching for gardening tips, landscaping ideas, drought-tolerant plants, native plants, pollinator gardens, or plant nurseries in Southern Utah, this conversation is for you.

📍 Wren Hollow Farms
St. George, Utah

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:30 Favorite Gardening Podcasts
01:17 What Wren Hollow Farms Is
02:26 Beating the Desert Heat
04:18 Unique Plants and Education
06:45 Palm Trees in St. George
08:02 Soil and Keeping Plants Alive
09:36 KP Background and Roots
13:22 Pollinators and Garden Community
15:37 Moving to Utah and Buying Farm
17:45 Word of Mouth Wins
19:14 Seedling Society Plans
20:06 Viral TikTok Boost
20:37 Wild Plants Spotlight
21:29 Prickly Pear Stories
23:11 Native Plant Reality
25:06 Inventory and Data
27:14 Houseplant Confessions
30:14 Future Vision Outreach
33:09 Public Hours and Visit
34:30 Local Morning Routine
34:59 Closing Thanks

Wren Hollow Farms:

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Transcript

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Hey guys, welcome back to the Samantha Parker Show. Today I've got a really awesome local lineup and I'm sitting down with someone who's very inspirational, so thanks for coming in to Kiln today. But you are the founder of Wren Hollow Farms. This is KP. Welcome to the show. Thanks so much. It's a pleasure to be here. Glad you're here. And you said this is your first podcast. It is my first podcast, yes. First podcast ever. Ever. Do you listen to podcasts? Yes. What do you listen to? Garden- gardening shows. I really- Okay, what are your favorite gardening podcasts? You're gonna think I'm nuts, but I love listening to the Gardener's World out of the UK with Monty Don, 'cause I'm a huge fan of what he does. Okay. W- I've never heard of him. Oh, like, he's a, he's a legend in British- Oh, really? ... gardening. Yes. Just- And Gardener's World has been around, I don't know, 30 years, and they have a show on BBC and Bright Box, and it's just how to, and- You just kind of vibe out ... just down to earth, and just kind of vibe out is my happy place. Yeah. I like to listen to, you know, marketing people, and I'm like, "Oh, that was so cool how they did that," but if I think about it- Mm-hmm ... that's not entertaining at all. Yeah. No. That's not vibing out. Yes. Not at all. Okay, so Wren Hollow Farm, let's just give everyone a really brief run through of exactly what it is. It is a local plant nursery that specializes in unique and hard to find plant material that are water wise and friendly for the environment that we live in and for where our little planet is heading. Ooh, I love that, where our little planet is heading. Yes. Where do you think it's heading? I think, I think the planet's trying to decide, but t- water is, is key, and any way that we can to conserve it. But I also believe in, in green and growing and getting your f- hands in the dirt, and finding peace in that process. So I think more people are turning to gardening, turning to maybe growing their own at least herbs and some of the easier vegetables and things like that. Yeah. And I think it's just a really good outlet that one can do in, in a pot or in their yard. Okay. I love it. I've been out there. Yes. It's absolutely stunning. Thank you. We're coming out again. Yep. And I said you have to go out, like, first thing when you open. Yes. Because the light is so beautiful, and it gets really hot in St. George. Yes, it does. What are you doing for all the plants now that it's hot? 'Cause you're just a, you know, you're basically... I don't wanna call you a nursery. Mm-hmm. But what would you call it? Well- A plant farm? A plant farm. No, I mean- ... I guess we, we are a nursery, and education, we're rooted in education, so I really want to help people understand what they're doing and what thrives and how to help it thrive. For our plants, you know, unfortunately, whenever this world began, they decided that black plastic pots were a good idea for putting plants in wish it was white for reflective heat. So we do take care. We water early. I have a team that comes in early. We have a shade house where we've moved some plants in for the, the h- the really hot heat of the day. We're also gonna be putting up some more shade structures. Just it really helps mitigate water loss, which is what we're trying to do when they're in their pots from their growers. Okay. So basically you're just kinda shuffling plants around all day? Yep. Yep, pretty much. Yep. Is that, is that what I'm hearing? We're doing the plant shuffle, yes. We should probably come up with our, with our own dance step for that, but yes. But a lot of the plants are probably okay, right? They are. Like the cactuses and- They are. They are. The cactuses do well. I don't need to shade them. Our agaves, we have some beautiful specimens that we, we bring in. Trees are doing well, too. We're starting to incorporate those trees to provide natural shade throughout the nursery. It's, it's the smaller the plant, the more care they need because they dry out so quickly. Oh, okay. Are you feeling good about sound? Yeah, so far I can cut it out. I'm just waiting if they get louder. We- so there's a podcast room here, but I think you'd... I hate it. It's like a black dark room. So Yes. So whenever we record in here, these guys are breaking for lunch, you know? Uh-huh. So it's like you have a little bit of that, but it doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me. Yeah, I can cut out most of the background noise so far- Yeah so. Okay. You guys sound good. Yeah. No, I feel great. Yeah, it doesn't bother me. Okay. Yeah. No, no, no. Good. Okay, so what makes you different from kind of a typical nursery? You know, we're starting to scratch the surface here, but I want people to really understand what you are, and then I really want people to understand why you started this. Okay, so what makes us different? The easy answer to that would be our plant selection is unique. We source, or I do most of the sourcing from some really interesting growers, maybe some smaller growers that really specialize in unique plant material. I have one gentleman in particular that I just adore, and he's who I go to for... He's a good mentor on, on certain plant types. He's a great educator, and he has created some hybrids that are unique for us. So for example, you take a plant like an Ocotillo, and it's- And what is that? It's the tall, spindly ones that you see. It's a type of cacti that gets like the orange- Oh ... on the top. Yes The tall ones. Yep. But those aren't necessarily cold hearty in our area. But this gentleman, Tom, has actually hybridized, so we're able to offer them so they're more cold hearty for our area. Oftentimes people think it's the heat that is challenging for us. It really... Yes, it's a challenge, but it's actually more about the combination of our terrible soils, we have very salty soils our wind, which is very drying, and it's the cold that makes our zone more challenging to find plant material to really give that oomph to your yard that you can fall in love with. So we, we specialize in that. The other thing that we do is and my team will attest to this, I'm, I'm very I'm a driver when it comes to good customer service and, and knowing what you're, you're saying. So I educate my team, and they know if they don't have the answer to tell our customer, "You know what? Let me get back to you," and find the right answer for our customers. 'Cause gardening here is not like gardening in most other places in the United States. Oh, for sure, because we're in the desert, which I feel like is the superior place to live. Yes. But because of modern technology. It's the best. Yes. Yeah. We have water and- Yeah ... air conditioning. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. But the rest of the time, it would be awful if we didn't have those things. Yes. No, it would be terrible. Okay, before we get into the background of this, 'cause you're actually, you're... This lady's a total badass. Like, she could school us in a whole lesson in business. You guys are gonna die when we get into this. But I have to ask, because it's sitting in the front of my mind. Uh-huh. Ever since I was a little kid, you know, I'm from Salt... Well- Uh-huh ... I grew up in Utah County. Yeah. Then we lived in Salt Lake for a long time. Mm-hmm. But we'd come down here to vacation. Yeah. And I always thought the palm trees were bizarre. Yeah. They don't belong here. Like, what are your thoughts on them? So I used to think that too until I actually was blessed enough to travel to South Africa. And in the wilds of Africa, you see palm trees everywhere, and you kinda go, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that." Yeah. It gets cold here. And you know, in my mind, palm trees are something that you experience if you're a tropical region or Hawaii or something like that. Well, they're, they're not native. They are not native, but they are loved by many, many customers. Mm-hmm. So we- They're fun. They are fun, and they aren't messy, for those folks that have a pool and things like that. And, and they serve a purpose. They can be a nice, tall statuesque point in the garden from a design perspective. But but yeah, I mean, they're, they're popular here. There's not some... I'm an English gardener by heart, so, they're typically not what I would put in my own personal garden but I do love them. They're kind of spendy. They are. They are, and it's best to order them bare root by truck, ha- be prepared to put them right into the ground. You know, they're a process. I, it's not something that I would encourage a homeowner to do on their own. They're, that's where you really wanna partner with a good landscaper who c- knows what they're doing, knows how to plant it, and, and can help coordinate- Well- putting those in bare root ... it sucks because pretty much everything I bought earlier this year is dead. That's not good. I'm like, "What did I do?" You know? But it sucks when you bring home plants from the nursery and they just die. Mm-hmm. And a lot of it is I'm just standing there looking at them, and I'm like, "Well, that's cute." Mm-hmm. "That's cute." You know, we have a lot of really... We have a really cool yard. You should come check it out. We're in Bloomington. Oh, oh, I love Bloomington area. Yes. Yes. So we've got our grapevines. Mm-hmm. I'm like, I could just circle the yard. It starts with plums, grapes, apricots pomegranates, our raspberries, our apple tree. Mm-hmm. My son's here today. I'm like, "What else do we have, Caden? We have pears." We did not- All things that do well here ... yeah, we didn't plant our garden boxes this year Oh. But... Oh, we have peaches too. Oh, peaches are great. All your stone fruits do really well here because of the, the heat. Yeah, and I don't really- And ripe and they're delicious really do much for them. I just go out and I'm like, "Look, they're ready." That's good. Yeah. It's, it's organic gardening at its finest, right? Yes. But you know, everything does really well, like our yard really- Mm-hmm ... does great and we don't have to do much. But I did buy some flowers for my pots this year, and then they just died, and I was like, "Oh, that, that sounds about right." But imagine buying, you know, thousands of dollars in palm trees- Yes ... and they die. Yes. Not fun. Not fun. So you, you have to know how to install them. You have to know how to irrigate them. You have to understand our soils here. I know it's boring. Nobody ever wants to talk about soil, but, but it needs to be part of the equation and the discussion here in southern Utah. Well, I hear that, like, tomatoes grow good here. They do. Yeah, they love the heat. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So, I mean, there's probably some good things. There's a lot of good things. You just have to be mindful of the few areas that need a little extra love. For sure. Okay, so I've gotten to know just, like, a little tiny snippet of you. You know, I sat in your shed. Yes, you did. I was like- You did. Yep ... I was gonna call it a greenhouse, and I was like, no, it was a shed. No, no, it's a shed. And then I'm like, maybe it's an office- ... and I'm like, it's a shed. I sat in your shed and you, you know, told me a lot about your background. You're part of the Samantha Parker takeover, and we're just so happy to have you. Yes. It's been really fun. But I know part of your background, but I really think there's a lot to learn here. So what is your background? Because you, it wasn't just like, "Oh, I'm just gonna cute, make some cute plants," you know? You started out in the corporate world. I did start in the corporate world many, many, many moons ago, and so I, I came from human resources. I headed up HR for a worldwide company. We had 10,000 employees in multiple countries and states, and ran double breasted, so I had union and non-union employees, and I gardened for stress relief back in those days. And then I went and started my own business and did USDA certified organic manufacturing, and basically was retired, and then this opportunity to, Owning a nursery kind of just fell into my lap, and gardening's something I've always been passionate about. My grandmother always she raised daylilies and bred them. Somebody, somewhere out there are three daylilies named after myself and my two sisters. I keep searching for them, but I can't find them. Okay, wait. What's a... What is that? A daylily. A- How would they be named after you? So she bred and created daylilies back in the- Okay '20s and the '30s with the- Sorry ... Society, with the Daylily Society. My father's side of the family comes from- The Daylily Society? Yes, it's such a thing Okay. And so out there somewhere are Kimberly Ann, a Candice Mer- M- Marie, and a Karen Michelle daylily, and I'm trying to find them 'cause I thought that would be really cool to find, but- That would be really cool. Yeah, so it's kind of in my, in my genes. And then this opportunity came along, and I'm passionate about it. I absolutely love what I do, and I said, "Sure, why not?" Well, you can tell that you're passionate about what you do because you're successful at what you do, but when you go out there to the farm- Mm-hmm I'm like, "Oh, this is cute." Thank you. You know? Yeah. There's a vibe, and you can tell that you love it. I do love it. I'm sure there's hard days, though. W- Yeah, yeah ... you know? Yeah, you mean like when the windstorm comes and snaps a eucalyptus tree in half? That happened over the weekend. Oh, Sunday the wind was so bad. Oh, yeah. We walked into the nursery and went, "Well, little bit of damage there," so... But, but you know what? It's all good, right? I mean, if the, the only thing I have to complain about in life is that the wind snapped a eucalyptus tree in half, I think I'm doing pretty good. But yeah. I mean, there's challenges with, with this business like there are with any business. Yeah. What surprises you the most about this business? Well, I'm gonna say it, and it's probably gonna be not too popular, but it's the truth, and that is just the lack of knowledge relative to how to care and plant for, and plant the plants that thrive here. Like, the- there's just this lack of, of education relative to really how to, to design and install and, and care and maintain a beautiful garden. I mean, I would- I have no idea. Like, literally no idea. That's what... Yeah, and it's no fault of anyone's. You know, it's just the challenges of this area and with rapid growth, and I think there's a lot of people that want to have a beautiful garden, something that's truly meaningful for them, and that can be everything from a Zen garden to, you know, a cottage garden to a French garden. They just don't know how to do it here. And that's somewhere that I feel very confident in my team and, and what we can do in helping people kinda create their own Eden. Yeah. Our neighbors next door to us were just in the garden show- Mm-hmm ... that just took place. Oh, yeah, the Parade of Gardens? Yes. Yeah. And then their neighbors across the street were also in. Okay. You know? So everyone's like, "Which house was yours?" I'm like, "You know, the house with the lawn." Wow. The, these guys took out- Right ... one of them did, you know, a lot of rock, Uh-huh ... and it's beautiful, and then the neighbors across the street had kind of, like, they have, well, have this wildflower thing going on. I know exactly where you are because I did that t- tour since we sponsored- Yeah ... the Parade of Gardens this year. So- We were one of the sponsors ... our house was the one next to the rock with the basketball hoop. Okay, I know exactly where you are. That's my house. Now I know where you live. Yes. Did you see my artichokes though? They are popping out front. Yep, artichokes do very well here. Yeah, we just let them grow and flower. Oh, they're beautiful. I used to go cut them and cook them, but our neighbor, the one- Uh-huh ... that was in the garden tour, she has bees. Yeah. Yes. So I just let them flower, and I just- Yeah ... in my head I'm feeding her bees. Yeah, she does all the pollinators. That's something I'm very passionate about. We need to care for our pollinators. Those guys are incredible people. Mm-hmm. Her name is Marilyn, and you know she wrote a book. Mm-hmm. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. She brought me the book when we first moved in like three years ago. Awesome. And then my husband talks to her husband all the time. Uh-huh. They're like... It kinda reminds me of Wilson from Home Improvement. Oh, yeah. Like, they talk across the walls. Over the fence. Yeah. But now he just comes to the front door. They bring us eggs, like, several times a week. Yeah. Yeah. Their chickens are, like, legendary. Have you seen the chickens? I... Yes, I went into their back. I saw their chickens. Yeah, I watch them over the wall, and sometimes I'm like, "Sorry, I'm just, like, watching your chickens," and they're- Yeah ... like, "We don't care." Yeah, yeah. They're so cute. It is cute. But that's what... You know, a lot of people for pollinators- You know, don't underestimate that you can put pollinating plants in, like, containers and, and have your beautiful desert garden with some pots of pollinator plants. Yeah. And it's just a lovely- Oh, that's cool ... addition. Yeah. Yeah. And they're perennials, most of them, so you don't have to worry about replanting them every year. They come back. Yeah, I think they have concerns about our yard, 'cause she's always like, "Come over and I'll show you some stuff." And I'm like, I just don't... Like, I put a lot of my time and effort into my business. Yes. You know? Oh, I, oh, I understand that. Yeah. Yeah. I love being home but I just kinda let... My husband just does what he can, you know? Yeah. Yeah. You're gonna have to ask. The garden whisperer can come to your house, and I'll help you. I know, and that's you, right? That is me. Okay, so what was it like... How long have you been in southern Utah? Coming from California, right? Yes. Moved ... Sh. Moved here in 2014. Oh my gosh, you've been here for a long time. We have. What were you doing between 2014 and then opening this? Finding who I wanted to be when I grew up. Love it. With my other business, rolled that out or continued to. And then COVID came along, and that kind of changed a lot of the world that I was in, because I was doing a lot of overseas international distribution. So then I just decided at that point to, to be here, and did some consulting, did some plant designing and then did this. That's really cool. Mm-hmm. Okay, how did this come about, though? 'Cause you purchased the farm from someone else just last year, right? I did. I did. I was offered an opportunity to come on in and, and kind of help, Sorry. Cindy, sh. Do you need that mic closer? I still probably can hear you, but yeah, just in case, I think- Sorry. Sorry. Mm-hmm. What'll happen is when you're listening to it, you'll hear yourself kind of trail out. I fa- okay, I don't wanna do that. So that sounds good. Yeah. So am I good, okay? Yeah. Yeah. All right. All right. Sorry, but keep the casual conversation coming. Okay, fine. I was getting relaxed. Can you tell? Yes. Uh-huh. Well, you gotta talk in the mic. All right, I'll talk in the mic. So how did this come about? I was asked to take a look from a consulting perspective. So through the years, I continued to do a lot of HR consulting, business consulting 'cause that was my area forte, and was asked to just come on and take a look at the documents and see what they were doing and, and give my opinion relative to where it was and what, where it needed to go. And I did that, and I found some gaps. And by the time I made the suggestions, and they were already in a position where I'm not sure they had a vision or weren- knew where they wanted to go I just had the opportunity to step in and, and take over, and I did. Yeah. That's awesome. Rolled up my sleeves and found a great team, and here we are. So it's been less than a year, but we're doing great. Well, it's kind of wild to think that it's been less than a year. It, yes, it is wild, wi- right. Because I feel like you've had a lot of wins. Do you wanna share some? Sure. I've had a lot of wins. I'm very blessed. So we have great business with contractors who have found us who understand that we're really there to partner and help them be the best that they can be. And so I've gone out to sites to help contractors with where do... Okay, now they get all these plants, how do we place them? And I'll go out or I'll send a team member out, and we'll actually help them place plants. And so without doing anything relative to advertising or marketing, word of mouth spread- Mm-hmm um, about our knowledge and the team and our responsiveness and our real desire to really educate and give good customer service. And it's through that that, that we just have people coming into the yard all the time, and new customers, and the plant material's beautiful. We have some great partners with growers that are unique but do really well here, Mediterranean plants. I have several plants from Australia I'm bringing in, not all the way from Australia, but that's the environment that- They originated ... they originated in. And, and of course, we're starting to bring in a lot of natives that we're finding, even though they're hard to find. And, and that's driving our success. It's really been by word of mouth. I'm getting ready to launch a series of educational programs which is near and dear to my heart with the, we're gonna launch the Seedling Society. Okay. And start doing some educational seminars for growing and, and learning in this area on how to garden. So yeah, it's, it's been, it's been a wild ride with things just literally dropping in my lap on a daily basis. So sometimes life really feels like that. It does. You know, I think you have to do a lot of hard work- Mm-hmm ... and go through a lot of things, and then there's just these periods where you're like, "I can't make this shit up anymore." No. I'm like, "What's happening?" You know? Yeah. Uh-huh. And things just really do seem to fall into place, or people... You know, your hard work too, like your reputation. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. You know, someone goes out there and they have a great experience, they tell someone else. Mm-hmm. And you can really see that, like- Yeah ... compound quickly. It does, it does much to my delight and surprise. I posted about you guys on TikTok- Yes and it had a little viral moment. It did. It's still climbing. Yes. The amount of saves on it have kinda blown my mind. We've had people come in and say, "I heard and saw you on the Samantha Parker program." And yep, so we're seeing them come in too. It's wonderful, asking good questions. And, and one of the things I enjoy most are the folks that are coming in are really interactive and asking about the plant material that they've never seen before and, and knowing that, "Really? This will grow here?" Yes, not only will it grow, but it will thrive. What, what plant is that, that people are like, "Oh, my God, no way"? Well, all of them actually, 'cause we have some really unique plant material. I have a beautiful eucalyptus tree that is stunning, that will do just right here. I have something that I love, it's called a willow wattle. I love the name. It's a type of acacia. But we also have some beautiful cacti hybrids that are cold hardy beautiful epicenters with big pink blooms and- So I've learned through this experience to love my cacti and agave. Like I said- Mm-hmm ... I was an English gardener girl, so think, you know, delphiniums and roses in a previous life. But, but I'm really learning a lot, which I love to just absorb knowledge and finding plants that thrive here that are unique and different. We have a prickly pear in our front yard. Did you see it? Yes. Yeah. It's huge. Yep. They can get big. There's some smaller ones too, but yes. So when we moved in, we had several neighbors come to our door and tell us that we couldn't remove the prickly pear- Mm and I was like, "Well, we weren't planning to." Right. But then people come over, like I'll go out and people will be taking the fruit. The paddle. Yes. Oh. Oh, so you actually have the lysianna variety that's edible. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And some of our neighbors will bring us the prickly pear jam. Uh-huh. Like, it just gets left on our doorstep- Yeah, yeah and I'm like, "I guess this is from our prickly pear 'cause it's a neighborhood treasure." So that's why they didn't let you take it out, right? Yeah. 'Cause they harvest it. Yeah. I thought it was so funny- Mm-hmm ... 'cause I was like, "Oh, okay. That's like good to know." Yeah. You can't eat all prickly pear fruits, but the lysianna is, is the one known as nopales in Mexico, and you can cook and make jam and all sorts of good stuff with it. Well, apparently that's what we have because that's what- Well, that's awesome ... that's what goes down. Okay. Well, and some of them can get really big. We have some dwarf varieties that'll stay nice and small. One of the popular ones is called Dark Knight, and it's got a really purple paddle on it. It's really pretty, dark, and then it gets a beautiful pink bloom on it. Yeah, these do get stunning blooms. Mm-hmm. I think it's, it's got a few left right now. Mm-hmm. It's so funny, though. One day I came home and my husband had the shop vac- Uh-huh ... and he was vacuuming it, and I'm like, "What are you doing?" And he's like, "Well, I can't get all the leaves out." Yeah. He was vacuuming- Smart man, 'cause nobody wants to put their fingers- Yes in that one. Yeah. And I was like, "I'll just leave you to it, I guess." Uh-huh. He's out there vacuuming the cactus. Yeah, well- I was dying ... learning how to handle them and move them I got a tip, an insider tip from a grower, and he said, "Just get an old strip of carpet. Like, get a carpet remnant and that's what you wrap around some of these cacti to help move them and plant them." Oh. And it was the best tip ever. Yeah. It's thick. It's thick. Can't get to you. It probably still does. Yeah, probably. For sure. What is your favorite plant that is native to St. George? Ooh It's just like pop quiz and knowledge too. Yeah, native. Yeah, there's not a lot of pretty natives here. I'm trying to... Well, that's why I wanted to ask is 'cause, like, I don't know actually what is native. Not a lot. Uh Um, teddy bear cactuses? Yeah, chollas. I do like a, a creosote. Which I- Is that the one that smells like rain? Yes, so when it, in the winter and, and it gets little small blossoms on it. But- The little yellow ones the little yellow ones. You know, native is an interesting terminology that is used quite loosely. But we get it. Are there plants that are better suited to this environment that fall into the native ca- Yes, like fourwing saltbush, some of the artemisas, big sagebrush, Utah junipers, pinyon- Sagebrush, we love those. Yeah. You know, you know, Utah junipers, pinyon pines, things like that. Yes. The problem with native is they're very hard to propagate, and they take a very, very long time to grow. So I think one of the things that I like to think we offer at Wren Hollow is the ability to, you know, maybe we can't get you that cliff rose, but we'll get you that cordia that looks almost like it will thrive in a condition here in our soils and, and still Be low in water use. And so good sub- there are substitutions of similar plant material, just maybe need to look to Australia or the Mediterranean to find some of those varieties from a true native perspective. Okay. What is your favorite plant that has been brought into southern Utah that seems to thrive here? I gotta tell you, I'm loving the willow wattle. One, I love the name. I gotta look this up. And it's just an acacia shrub, and it's beautiful, thin, thin leaves. It gets little yellow flowers on it in the, in the spring, and it's just this nice, soft, evergreen shrub that does well in a variety of designs in the garden. Okay, so from a business perspective too- Mm-hmm how do you decide we should get more of one plant? Like, how much product do you end up with that you're like, "I can't do anything with it"? M- not much. We have a pretty good turn rate. And it's all about understanding. I like customers. We ask our contractors, "What are the plants you like?" You know, "What do you, what do you turn to? What do, what are some of your staples?" And of course, if some of the staples from my perspective are a little, "Yeah, let's mix it up. That's a little vanilla." We'll give them some options for some good substitutions to try and change up some of the look and feel here. But it's really about understanding your inventory, managing it well, and paying attention to what's selling and what's not selling, Mm-hmm and reporting all of that. So one of the things I did do immediately when Ren Hollow was all mine was I got a great inventory system that can track all of that, so I have data. Data is so important. And there's a lot of moving parts in the, in the plant business. So I look at that data on a weekly basis. That's awesome. Data is super important. Like- Mm-hmm ... you know, obviously we're always looking at social media data- Yes, yes ... data, and then... I'm all data, data, whatever. Right. Depends on where you're coming from, right. But then there's all these other factors that go into it. Mm-hmm. You know? I'm like, "Well, of course that post isn't doing well. The account only has this many..." You know, it's brand new- Mm-hmm ... and there's just, like, so many things that go into it. There is. I mean, one of- When we first started, I first started bringing in really unique plant material, you, you kinda hold your breath too, because you're asking the community at large to take a chance that this plant that they've never seen before or heard of is going to grow. Mm-hmm. But we've done our homework. I've done my homework, and it will. It will thrive. And I think that trust is growing. People are coming back. Their gardens are changing. They have beautiful new looks and feels, and they're loving that. And so I am seeing kinda this repeat of customers going, "Okay, yep, that mediopecta did really well. Now, what do you suggest next?" And that's fun, because it's all about bringing the community along with us so that they can trust us and know that we are selling things that will thrive here. I'm not gonna sell you something that's not. Okay, this might impress you or scare you. Okay. I have about 40 houseplants. That's im- very impressive. I was like, "Don't judge my yard." I take really... I walk around in the morning- Oh ... and they talk to me. Uh-huh. And I'm like, "Which one needs what?" Yeah. Yeah. Pay attention. It's also really good for you, right? Do you find it brings you peace and just this calmness about having- I love my plants. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We recently, though, I think we might have closer to 50. I need to count. My grandma recently passed away- Aw ... and people just kept giving me plants. Yeah. And but I already had a huge chunk of plants from when my grandpa passed away a few years ago. Yeah. You know, and our cleaning ladies are like, "Where did you get..." This one is like, oh my God- Mm-hmm ... it's like this whole trough of plants. Mm-hmm. And I know I need to break them up, but I've been putting it off. Right. 'Cause I'm like, "Where am I gonna put- It's work ... these 10 plants?" In 10 more pots? Yeah, just- Yeah. My cleaning lady was like- When they're happy, they grow "Where did you get this?" And I'm like, "You know, people just die, and then people give you plants." Yeah. But I love them. Mm-hmm. That's probably why people, they're like, "Oh, just get her a plant." Yeah. I scared my husband, because of course I've always been an outdoor gardener, and I've never really done inside plants, 'cause I've never had the time. And then this past winter, two winters ago, I was bored, and I brought home my very first houseplant. Where did you get it? And my husband was like, "Oh, this is gonna be trouble." It is. And it is. It is. Now I'm addicted, right? Yes. Yeah. I think each bomb is four inches, and now they're huge. I'm like, "Oh, I guess I can grow a houseplant." Oh, absolutely. Yeah, so. When people say, like, they can't keep plants alive, I'm like- Mm-hmm ... that's- You're stupid Yeah ... is how I feel. They're so easy. I mean, outside, yes, 'cause I forget to water them. Well, that'll kill. That's the number one. You know, people are like, "I don't understand why I killed the cactus." Mostly overwater. You know, oh, yes. Dying agaves. That's, like, the number one no-no. Yeah, succulents. People love it too much. I worked at a floral shop for years. Oh, yeah. In fact, my grandma was a florist. Uh-huh. And so we would do the succulent pots- Yeah ... when I worked at Bloomers here in town. Oh, yeah. And it's like people would bring them back in. They'd be like, "Oh, it died," and you'd pull it out and, like, water would be dripping. It was all, yeah, all rotted. Yeah. And I was like, "Oh, I'm so sorry." Mm-hmm. Like, just neglect it. Yep, yep. Yeah. Mm-hmm. They're hard, though. I had a jade tree too. Oh, yeah ... but that one, I swear I would give it, like, a splash of water, and it would be like, "Too much." Yep. And it would just kinda crumple in on itself. Mm-hmm. That one was hard. And I remember I got another one 'cause I was like, "Okay, I got this." No. No. I was really sad about that- Yep ... 'cause they're so cool. They are. I, I do. I could really get into houseplants, much to my husband's chagrin, but yeah. Oh, I love my houseplants. I was on vacation, and some of them have a specific day, and some have a different day. Mm-hmm. Which I used to have them on the same schedule- Mm ... but they didn't like that, you know? Mm-hmm. So I left my husband. I'm like, "You're gonna have to water the plants while I'm gone." Oh. Usually, I try and, like- ... stretch it, and I came home and every plant was in, like, a different spot, and I'm like, "Do you live here?" You know? Like, bizarre. Where I was like- What'd you do? ... "This doesn't even fit in that plant holder." Yeah. So they can't be trusted- Yep ... with indoor plants. Yep, yep. Yep. He does feed the animals, so. Yeah. He keeps... He's kept the kids alive. Okay, that's good. Yeah. That counts. Yeah. That counts. But he mixes up my plants. Right. Okay, so where do you see Wren Hollow going from here? Like, so you're just one year in, right? Yeah, not even. Little baby business. Little baby. But actually a booming business. Yes. When you told me what you were doing, I, like, basically fell out of my chair. Yeah. I was like, "What?" Yeah. No, it's going great. So congrats. Thank you. You know, you brought a lot of your knowledge and all your past experiences into this- Yeah ... and you can see that, you know, all that shit. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. You learned a lot. I learned a lot, let me tell you. Absolutely. Yeah, but where do you guys see yourself going next year and even in the next 10 years? Well, you know- I think it's a blessing and a curse relative to all of the experience that I've had. And, and now, now I'm doing this because it's what I love to do and what I wanna see which brings a whole different meaning and joy to owning your own business. And I really am passionate about education and community outreach. You know, we stepped up to s- be a sponsor for the Parade of Gardens, but I would really like to do more community outreach. I'd love to get into the school kids and get them excited about growing things. Kids love to get dirty and get their hands in the soil and, and that connection I think is, is so important. So I think over the course... I mean, we're, we're growing. We're already out of room, right? Mm-hmm. We're looking. But I, I see the business staying true to its roots, rooted in education partnering with the community And, and just kind of enjoying what we do. I have some fun stuff I'd love to bring people into the garden and, and we've been blessed with the people that have walked through our doors that are butterfly experts and things like that. So- Butterfly experts? Yeah, Tony. I wanna meet this butterfly expert. Tony has offered to do a, a class for us in the Seedling Society, and it's all about just talking about what butterflies need. Pollinator plants- Can we possibly we do have background noise today 'cause I don't like to podcast in the podcast studios. I like to podcast wherever I want. Like, we could have come and set up shop in your shed. Yeah. You know? And I would have been so happy. Maybe we do that. Yes. But he's, he's gonna come in and talk about the difference between pollinator plants and host plants, and what butterflies really need. You know, those are the kind of education classes that, that I kinda dig, right? It's, it's, it's, okay, so I have this plant, but why is it important? And how does it connect to the, the community around us? And so that's what I'm looking at. Just staying focused, loving our contractors and our customers, and, and being there to help them with what they need, and answer questions, and being accurate and timely with our responses. This is one question I've seen kinda popping up. You guys are open to the public. Yes. I know you are- Yes ... but that's a question that people keep asking. Yeah. Yep, we absolutely are open to the public. Our, in fact, we're getting ready to extend our hours starting June 1, so we'll be open 6:30 to 4:00 Monday through Friday, and 8:00 to 3:00 on Saturdays. Oh, awesome. Yeah. Which we're open to Saturdays now, but 10:00 to 3:00, but we're gonna go to 8:00. And with the heat of the summer coming- It's too hot ... it's too hot. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Well, and St. George too, it's like you just go out in the morning, and then you go out at night. Yep. Yeah. And we've been asked if we're gonna open up on a Sunday, and I'm not because I need my team to rest. I need my team to be- Mm-hmm ... with their families. And I think it's just really important to have a good balance. Yeah. So, and that goes for this owner too. I need my Sunday in my garden, so we're not opening on Sundays. You're like, "I'm busy." I have other plants to attend to. You just need a day where you actually don't have to go anywhere. Yep. Yeah. That's even my thing. Like, even if I do a few things at home, like- Mm-hmm ... at least I didn't have to get up and go somewhere. Yep. 'Cause we get up and go- Yeah, wasn't... You probably get up super early. Yep. We're up, in this business, absolutely, trucks start rolling in at an early hour. Yes. So- We were there the day the trucks were coming in. Yes. Yep. And I loved it. Yep, we have... We, I'm here, and there's a truck unloading as we speak, so yeah. Well, you missed it. I did. I'm like, "Sorry, guys, gotta go." "I'm on a podcast today." Yeah. "I can't help unload." Yeah. Yeah. If you're in St. George and you're listening to this, which most of my listeners are I kinda figured out the perfect morning. So you go to Red Hollow Farm, and then you go over to Grit and Grind- Yes ... and you get a coffee. Mm-hmm. And then you h- hang out at the farm. Yep. Or you can reverse that. Yeah. You get, get your iced latte- And come over ... stroll the garden. Mm-hmm. You know, stroll the farm. Mm-hmm. 'Cause they're right down the street. It's pretty cool. It is pretty cool, and I always tell people, "Just come take a walk. You don't have to buy, but just come take, take a stroll and take a look at what's, what's available." Awesome. So thank you for the legacy that you're planting here- Well, thank you ... in Southern Utah, and thanks for being on the podcast today. I've enjoyed it. Thank you so much.