Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Dale.
Amy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I managed a holistic healthcare center in Evanston called Chiropractic First, for 12 years. The owner of the business had a grandfather who was a horticulturalist. He had taught her all about plants, and when we would take walks at lunchtime, she could name every plant. This started my interest in horticulture. The owner decided to move back to Louisiana to take care of her mother. I went to talk with a friend who was a life coach and asked him to help with ideas of what my next career would be. He asked me what I liked to do and when I talked about gardening, he said, ‘my whole face lit up’. In my 12 years of managing the holistic health care practice, I became aware of a variety of different healing modalities. During this time, it became apparent to me that people derive their healing from many different avenues, including nature.
After talking with my friend, I decided that I would enroll in the Master Gardener program at The Chicago Botanic Gardens. Once I finished the program, I wanted to learn more and went on to do a degree in horticulture at the College of Lake County. While I was in school, people who I had met at the healthcare center and friends, asked me what I was doing, and when I told them about what I was studying, they would ask me to come and design their gardens. As a single mom, just out of school, I started this business with no capital. I started the business out of my home, with a borrowed van and some tools.
This is my seventh year in business and it has grown purely by word of mouth over the years and I am very grateful that I get to do what I love. I have moved the business out of my home to s storefront in the Arts district in Evanston. We have a small retail space, a propagation area for growing vegetable seedlings, a design area and an office space. The neighborhood has been very welcoming and we are happy to be here. The building is over 100 years old and has a good deal of character. There are many interesting small businesses in this area.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have always been learning curves along the way. Our job is dictated by the weather, which always makes it difficult and causes schedules to change constantly. Sometimes, there are unforeseen obstacles during the garden installations, and you have to stop and come up with a different plan. With a growing business, figuring out how many employees you need to cover the jobs and when to purchase more vehicles and equipment is also a bit of a challenge. I have been lucky enough to have never had to look for employees, they have always come to me and I take good care of the employees I have. We pay a good living wage at Green Edens. Our employees have families and work very hard, we also have a good deal of fun!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Green Edens Horticultural Services – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
At Green Edens, we believe that the health of mankind and the health of the earth are inseparable. Green Edens Horticultural Services is a female owned landscaping company with a focus on helping to re-establish the balance in nature brought about through using sustainable gardening practices and landscaping for nature. We also provide education to our clients on how to take care of their gardens through sustainable practices.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love how diverse Chicago is. Chicago is a very livable city for such a large city. They do a good deal to beautify Chicago and also to make the city sustainable. We have the most rooftop gardens in the United States. I also love that we have Lake Michigan.
As most other cities, I believe we still have a long way to go towards racial discrimination and crime.
Contact Info:
- Address: Green Edens Horticultural Services
1402 Greenleaf Street
Evanston IL, 60201 - Website: www.greenedens.com
- Phone: 847-997-7748
- Email: info@greenedens.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Green-Edens-Horticultural-Services-243789559157852/
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