Inspiring Conversations with Samantha Taylor of Treasure Gardens

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Taylor.

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The summer before my freshmen year of high school, I got this wild hair to get a summer job at the greenhouse operation that was right down the road from our family farm. Now I just want to put this into perspective, my family lived 20 minutes from my high school and 45 minutes from the town we got groceries in.

So, I lived in the middle of nowhere. This summer job was not anything exciting for a typical teen or even adult, but I fell in love with the whole process. It was hot, you were sweating in places you couldn’t imagine, and you had dirt in places that you could never dream of. We wrapped up work around the 4th of July and then school started. I began taking Agriculture classes. I was an die-hard FFA kid, which inspired the dream of owning my own greenhouse/floral business even more.

Fast forward… several, several years! I finally made that dream a reality. In 2013, I fell into floral designs thanks to a family friend who pushed me to start Treasure Gardens. Floral design was not my original plan for Treasure Gardens, but it definitely help me get my name out. In 2017, I started growing chrysanthemums (mums) in our yard, by 2020 I finally saved up enough money and had my first Spring season.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! NO! Money, time, spaces, weather, getting people out to my business location.

It’s crazy to think but literally, the slightest change in weather around our area or even in a different country affects the floral industry in many ways.

The unknowns- for example, fall of 2019 my number one selling mum was fall fun, but then in 2020, it was candy corn. You can plan and predict as best as possible and you are probably going to be wrong.

Getting people to drive literally 5 minutes out of the city to our location versus driving 15 min in town to go to a box store.

We’ve been impressed with Treasure Gardens, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Treasure Gardens is an event florist and garden center boutique. We are a small business that is mainly run by myself (Samantha) and my husband Brian. Sometimes you will find my mom, sisters, or friends helping out. I would say that Treasure Gardens is either known for its succulent selection or its unique floral designs. We offer spring annuals, perennials, veggies, succulents, houseplants, topicals, fall mums, pumpkins, and freshly cut Christmas trees.

Brand-wise, I would like to say that I am proud to work with every customer to create their outdoor oasis. It’s not uncommon for customers to bring their spring pots in and have me design them or have me walk through the greenhouse with ideas and suggestions. It lights a fire in my soul. If it comes to wedding design, brides can come to me with their heads spinning and I can easily take those ideas and turn them into their dream wedding.

We also offer custom potting, where we come to you. Just this past spring, I had a local elder lady call saying “she just can’t get out, but here flowers bring her some much joy.” She asked if I would be willing to come to pot them up for her. Brian and I did. When we finished she was over the moon with joy. She said “flowers are where she always splurged and our small business made that happen for her”

I offer floral help in any way I can. If you were to go through my Facebook messages or even text messages, you will find several past messages asking hey, what’s wrong with my plant, hey, I saw this flower and I want it can you tell me what it is? Hey, can you help plant these roses for me? Yes, I will gladly help you!

When I started this business, I wanted to make one heck of an impact on the northwest Missouri horticulture industry. If I don’t know what you are after, I will gladly learn with you!

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I still work a full-time job.

Monday – Friday, I am a material planner for Land o’ Lakes Purina. I plan bulk ingredients for three feed mills in Wisconsin, so if you come into the greenhouse or drive by and see me on my laptop or overhear me on a meeting that’s what I am up to! I started working for LOL after college in 2013. I am lucky enough to work remotely and yes, they know I have a side business.

I didn’t get a degree in horticulture! I took tons of classes in college around horticulture, but my degree is in Agriculture Science. I have learned so much about horticulture by doing.

I am a self-taught floral designer.

I am the baby of 5!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tgfloral.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treasuregardens/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecosbyflowergirl