About Us

High-quality Plants... and People, too! Our Employees

Various paths and decisions have brought each of us to Plants of the Wild. We remind ourselves regularly that we are all here for the same reason, we just didn't take the same route.

Our purpose is to provide you, our valued customer, with the best possible product for the best value. Native plants that thrive in your projects are the reason that we are here, and we take pride in the success of YOUR projects.

We feel very fortunate that our team is made up of so many experienced folks! That makes progress and production so much easier, even in the busiest times.
Here is a peek behind the scenes!

At left, employees both current and former joined to celebrate Paul's retirement. Front row: Carrie, LaDonna, Tia, Kayla with Brogan. Seated, center: Jerry, Brenda, Paul, Brexley. Back row: David, Mark, Gerry, Pablo & Kathy.

Our Employees

Kathy Hutton

Kathy Hutton, Nursery Manager - and Fearless Leader - has been with the nursery since 1987. Her knowledge of native plants, which was passed down to her from her late father, has been a perfect fit here at Plants of the Wild. As she says, "My dad was into natives before it was the cool thing to do", and he shared that love with Kathy. After college, when her husband applied for a job in Tekoa as a Vo. Ag. teacher she couldn't imagine what a Horticulture degree could be used for in Tekoa, of all places... then she heard about a small nursery, just down the road. The rest, as they say, is history!

She began working in the greenhouses soon after, and quickly worked her way to the top. Her leadership, patience and guidance have been invaluable to each of the employees as they have found their place at the nursery. Along with her husband Dan, Kathy enjoys entertaining and gardening, spending time at both Clear Lake and Big Creek with family and friends, and of course keeping up with daughters Kayla & Jordyn, son-in-laws Ryan & Madison, and 4 granddaughters Brooklyn, Brexley, Brogan and Quinnley!

Carrie Garcia

Carrie Garcia, Assistant Nursery Manager, began working for Seeds, Inc. and Plants of the Wild while still in High School. After college she came back to the nursery for "a couple of weeks" while going to some interviews, and she hasn't looked back! That was in 1994. Carrie has enjoyed learning "Tricks of the Trade" in seed stratification, shipping, sales, nursery management, and is also the receptionist for Seeds, Inc. Some of her other duties include managing the POTW website, online updates, billing, inventory, and processing online orders. Seeds keeps her especially busy during grass seed harvest & she enjoys working with both the field men and growers to get all the details for their crop!

Most of her free time is spent keeping up with nephew's Zeke & Eli, and for her, being a "Titi" is a full time job! Container gardening has become a new hobby, along with house renovations. Road trips and searching for treasures at any little thrift store or yard sale along the way has become a new pastime that her boyfriend introduced her to, and now she's forever on the hunt for something to repurpose and decorate with! So much junk, so little time!

Pablo Alonso & Leonarda Ramirez

Pablo Alonso started with POTW about 18 years ago, and has just recently returned after a few years in the oil fields of North Dakota. Transplanting larger stock, canyard maintenance, irrigation and large container orders are Pablo's specialty! And you may even get to meet him on a delivery or two, too. We are grateful to have Pablo back leading our transplanting crew!!

Leonarda Ramirez began in the spring of 2004. Sowing, thinning, cleaning, pulling, packing and shipping are just some of her daily duties. She takes great pride in her work and in making sure that each order goes out looking good and - most importantly - correct! Sowing seed by hand is no easy task, yet each spring she tackles the project with precision, enthusiasm and patience!! It takes a special person to be able to do the job, and we are so thankful for Leo and her dedication to getting the job done.

When they're not in the nursery, Pablo and Leo spend their free time doing yard work and housework for others in the area, enjoying family time with their kids...and sharing pictures of their first granddaughter!

LaDonna Sienknecht

LaDonna Sienknecht has now officially been on staff for about 15 years. Coming from a background of owning her own hair salon for 18 years, she understands the bottom line: If you aren't working, you aren't earning!!

She isn't afraid of hard work or long hours, and is willing to do what ever it takes to get a job done. Quickly working into a management position seemed natural for her. Having her communicate with 'the office' to see that jobs are getting done, quotas being met and projects are on schedule has been a positive thing for everyone. LaDonna and Leo work side-by-side preparing and packing orders, as well as sowing, thinning and cleaning plants, (however transplanting 3.5" pots is her favorite task!). If you have had an order shipped via UPS, odds are very good that she has had a hand in it!

Besides her time spent at the nursery, LaDonna has just recently retired from being a volunteer EMT with the Tekoa Ambulance for nearly 28 years. She spends any spare time with her dog, Blue and grandsons Zeke & Eli who live right across the street.

David Peregrino

David Peregrino began working part-time off and on in June of 2020 to help us get caught up on some projects. In February of 2021 he stepped in with an open mind, very little horticultural background, and a desire to learn, to become our new Grower. He has taken the responsibility on head first and got a crash course from Paul and now is being tutored by the best in the business - Kathy!

Before coming to Plants of the Wild, he was self-employed and has decided to turn that love of all things "antique" and "vintage" into his hobby for now. Weekends, and evenings he can be spotted "sourcing" at yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales and the like, with a special passion for old cars. Small town life is new for David, but he has taken to it well, and now calls Tekoa his home.

Mark Daves

Mark Daves began with Plants of the Wild in the spring of 2021. He, however, wasn't new to our company. His journey actually began with Seeds, Inc. working in one of the seed mills for a few years. Retirement called, and he answered that call in December of 2020...only to get "bored" in March and become our fulltime delivery guy!!! So deliveries, transplanting, large container orders and some maintenance duties quickly became HIS... and the list continues to grow! We are lucky to have him on board with us, and appreciate his willingness to do whatever needs done around the place.

In his off-time, he and his wife Cindy have a full farmyard on their little slice-o'-heaven in North Idaho to keep them busy, along with planning for the next big hunt!

Summer Helpers!

OUR HELPERS! Each summer we bring on a few additional hands to help through out the busy growing season. Applicants talk with Kathy months in advance to secure a chance to be called in, and then June - August they work their tails off for us doing all the things - weeding, transplanting, special orders, cleaning and the list goes on.

From left to right: Mel started working earlier this spring and will continue in to the fall. He is quiet, a fast learner and even faster worker who has been a great addition to our team. This year we had one Alum return!! Esau is our veteran and was a huge part of last year's spring and summer crew who returned for his second year of helping us out before heading off to college in the fall. Angel & Alex each started just a month ago and have already knocked so many things off of their TO-DO list. We are going to hate to see them head back to each begin their Junior year of high school in the fall.

Paul Williams RETIRED!

Paul Williams had been with Plants of the Wild since 1996 and in April of 2021 he RETIRED after 25 years! Paul helped many customers over his time here with us and his expertise and opinions were valued by many. We appreciate his dedication to both the plants and customers, and know he will be missed!

Now in his unlimited free time, he spends it hiking the fields and hills around the area with his dog, catching up with friends and checking out the offerings at the local library. Paul is an avid gardener and each year has a bounty from his vegetable garden that he shares with many.