About Us

Large group photo at nursery picnic table

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

Plants of the Wild
Carrie

Carrie, 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, and nursery management. She has stepped seamlessly into the role of manager earlier this year, leading her Plants of the Wild team with unparallel motivation, support, and charisma! We are so lucky to have her! 

Most of her free time is spent keeping up with her 2 cats and Bassett Hound pup Maverick, who can be found at the nursery most mornings, and nephew's Zeke & Eli - for her, being a "Titi" is a full time job!  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! Hobbies include container gardening, crafting and shopping, and anything that the nieces and nephews are involved with. 

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Person kneeling among large green plants.
Kate

Kate first started as a summer helper in 2025 to fill her summer break, but she enjoyed the plants and people here so much that she decided to stay instead of returning to her teaching assistant job! Over her first year here, her job has slowly transitioned from greenhouse duties to being full-time in the office. She can now be found at the front desk as a receptionist helping with anything from orders, website updates, customer service, and inventory lists. She has been a huge help during the shift of Kathy retiring and Carrie moving up to her new position as well!

Being in the office hasn’t stopped her from hanging out around plants. In her free time, she loves to garden, read, bake, and spend time with her husband, dog, cats, and chickens - a huge change from growing up in Seattle! If you ask her, she will go on and on about her love of the Palouse area and how happy she is that she ended up here in the tiny town of Tekoa!

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Man in winter clothing standing outdoors near a stack of wooden pallets.
Mark

Mark 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 Cyndi 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!

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Bearded man in glasses and striped hat standing indoors under curved ceiling.
Json

Json (yes, NO a, it isn't a type-o!) joined our crew for a short stint back in the late '90's... and after exploring many parts of the USA has "come home to roost" in Tekoa, and joined us again in 2022!!  We are thrilled to have him back, leading our greenhouse staff and keeping all things "greenhouse" on schedule.  His easy-going personality and can-do attitude has been such an asset to our team!  He is ultimately in charge of all greenhouse and cooler orders for delivery, will-call and shipping, and manages to keep everyone involved and in-the-loop through numerous changes, additions, substitutions, etc.  

In his down time, Json is an avid reader, fisherman and a very talented voice-over personality.  He is a very involved dad, with a great kiddo, who is also a part of our POTW Summer Helper family.  A fabulous and creative cook, he often shares his concoctions with us, which is always a treat - with lots of spice!

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A woman proudly holding a carved Halloween pumpkin.
Alex

Alex has worked with us since April of 2025 and has made an amazing addition to our Plants of the Wild team! Her degree in Wildlife and Fisheries has been useful as she works not only on the day-to-day duties, but on many special projects as well. Taking on additional roles such as pest management, special growing projects, and aiding in seed stratification, she truly hit the ground running, and we are so thankful to have her!

When she is not continuously learning and striving here at work, you can find her playing with her 3 wonderful kids, cooking, and spending time outdoors! She especially looks forward to the summertime, when they spend every weekend possible out camping! Something that may surprise you about her is her love of birds – her chickens and emus love to keep her on her toes!

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A couple smiling and holding hands indoors.
Pablo

Pablo started with POTW in 2001, and besides a few stints in the oil fields of North Dakota, has been with us for the long haul! A seasoned veteran, Pablo started out pulling and packing small plant orders.  Now, 20+ years later, transplanting large stock, canyard maintenance, irrigation and large container orders are Pablo's specialty!  He is the creator of our stacking system for full trailer loads and winter storage and has perfected this art over the years to make it not only sturdy, but usable too, for those odd-season shipments that come up, and have to be pulled from the pyramids.  Pablo is a quiet leader, who never expects more out of others than he expects from himself and having his sons and brothers work along side him has been a huge blessing to us all.   When they're not in the nursery, Pablo and his wife Leo spend their free time doing yard work and housework for others in the area, enjoying family time with their kids and extended family, entertaining at their home, making tamales for the whole community and sharing pictures of their granddaughter Melany!

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Two young men standing outdoors near large, arched structures.
Esau (R)

The BROS!!   Esau (right) has been working for us since 2016: part-time at first while in High School, and then full time during summers and after graduation. After going on to pursue his education at The Barbering Program with Paul Mitchell, he has remained a dedicated part of our crew, while working on his certifications and getting his own Barber Shop set up.  Esau's duties include large container orders, large container transplanting, unloading incoming trucks and carefully and artistically loading the trucks and trailers we send out to customers.  He is also part of the crew responsible for hauling everything into our warehouse and stacking it for winter storage.  Nene, as we call him around here, is always willing to help, and has a great sense of humor that keeps us all on our toes!

 

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Two nursery workers standing inside greenhouse
David

David 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, 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 rusty oil cans, signs and old cars - the collection of which just continues to grow!   Other pass-times (besides collecting vintage artifacts) include working on cars, fishing, cooking, grilling and spoiling - and spending time - with his young nephews.  Small town life is new for David, but he has taken to it well, and now calls Tekoa his home along with Carrie, their 2 cats and Maverick the Bassett Hound. 

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Graduate in blue cap and gown, smiling proudly.
Alex

Alex started with us as a summer helper while still in high school back in 2021. After graduating from college with a degree in fine arts earlier this year, he has decided to stay with us year-round for now! He has big dreams to one day either become a fashion graphic designer, nail artist, or massage therapist. But for now, he is a huge help in the greenhouses, using his eye for design to make sure our plants are kept clean and looking great, pulling together beautiful orders for our customers, and transplanting our small plants to give them a new, bigger, better life!

Now that he has some extra free time since graduating, he can spend more time doing the things he enjoys; drawing, traveling, and shopping! He loves to be surrounded by his friends and family, using his talent for impersonating voices to give everyone a great laugh!

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A family dressed in red and black plaid outfits posing happily in the snowy woods.
Kathy ~ SEMI-RETIRED!

After 39 wonderful years, Kathy, our Nursery Manager - and Fearless Leader - has OFFICIALLY RETIRED!! She is still taking on the seed sales side of the business which means we still get to see her in the office occasionally!! YAY!! 

Settling into retired life alongside her husband Dan, Kathy has been enjoying 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!  

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Plants of the Wild
LaDonna ~ SEMI-RETIRED!

LaDonna has now officially RETIRED...sort of!  After being on our full-time staff for 16 years, in the Spring of 2023 she transitioned to the "retired" life, and is now coming in part-time to help out wherever she's needed - phones, filing, orders, organizing, transplanting and deliveries.  Besides her time spent between the office and nursery, LaDonna has also recently retired from being a volunteer EMT with the Tekoa Ambulance after 28 years of service to our community. She spends any spare time with her dog, Blue and grandsons Zeke & Eli who live right across the street.

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Plants of the Wild
Paul ~ RETIRED!

Paul 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, Ernie, 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.

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