Meet The Founders

However, like a sudden gust of wind, Cindy moved on to new horizons in college where she crossed paths with a charming lad with roots in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. Their hearts intertwined, leading them to build a family of four adorable kids, including mischievous identical twins.

Life seemed to sparkle with high-tech triumphs as they basked in the golden glow of California before settling in affluent Virginia. And let’s not forget those frequent escapes to a prestigious estate nestled in the enchanting landscapes of Hawaii.

But life, as it twists and turns like a river unraveled this life and like plummeting off a waterfall, the universe had other whimsical surprises in store for her. In the uncertain realm of mid-life dating, she stumbled upon Steve, a man of many talents who was destined to turn her life upside down.

Before Cindy knew it, Steve swept in with the gusto of a gardening maestro, revitalizing her backyard into a garden oasis captivating her heart in the process. This garden helped sell that home and the new owner enthusiastically took up the mantle to complete the garden design based on a hand drawn blueprint mistakenly left behind, much to Cindy’s delight.

Now let us turn the spotlight to the enigmatic character known as Steven Easley, born in California and relocated to Maryland at the tender age of four, he was raised by a loving matriarchal team consisting of his mother, grandmother, and aunts.

Despite an unconventional educational path that involved bidding farewell to high school at 15 years of age, he quickly ascended the ranks of the landscaping world becoming a foreman at the tender age of 17. Yet an insatiable thirst for knowledge, led him to higher learning as he embarked on a journey through college, emerging triumphant with flying colors and an accounting degree, graduating cum laude from the esteemed University of Maryland.

As destiny would have it, Steven always viewed himself as an artist, and his aspirations gravitated toward owning a landscape company. Amidst his academic pursuits, he held a unique affinity for devouring philosophical tomes. Still in his teens, Steven delved into the wisdom of Lenin, Gandhi, JFK, and countless other luminaries. Known for his mathematical acumen, he earned the moniker “MacGyver” from those around him, even before the iconic TV character became a household name. Raising three wonderful children, he carved out a successful career as a consultant to various businesses, a true master of his trade. However, the tides of life, forever capricious, led his family down an unexpected path, leaving Steven to retreat from it all.

In his quest for solace and enlightenment, Steven embraced the realms of philosophy, venturing into the great outdoors to hike and to climb cliffs along the Potomac River near Washington DC. In his quest for solace and enlightenment, he lived frugally for over a decade, surviving on meager earnings while his reserves slowly dwindled. It was during this transformative period that destiny intervened once again, bringing the pragmatic and down-to-earth woman Cindy into the life of the creative and idealistic Steve. Fate exerted itself again in the lives of these two when his own house, he had spent the previous seven years renovating, succumbed to flames.

With their hearts ablaze with love, they tied the knot and used the insurance proceeds to embark on a new adventure. They bid farewell to their previous lives, embracing the sunny landscapes of Orlando, Florida, as their new haven. Unbeknownst to them, the winds of fortune had something extraordinary in store for them.

That fate came in the form of paradise the two of them would create in less than five years, one small garden space at a time, they affectionately called “Escapes” always surprising its creators at how each spaces harmonized as part of a greater thing, a garden paradise of whimsey and magic, one that delights the sense and stimulates the mind and heart. This garden became more than something outside, it became something inside for each of its architects Cindy and Steve. That something is a passion for an expression of art and a sincere compassion for the lives of others, plants, animals, and insects as we created new families of plants we would fawn over day after day like enthusiastic new parents.

This garden gives us a sense of things never experienced before, new connections to nature and new realizations about reality. Creating and tending to a garden develops mind and hand in reason and skill but also reaches into something we can only describe as our “soul” as we feel, at times like we are on the planet of Pandora.

Like a modern “Adam and Eve” emerging from Eden after devouring of forbidden fruits a new life is developing, one of giving and sharing, and here we are.