“Gardening has always been an art, essentially.” – Robert Irwin

A well-designed garden box contains the stuff that gardeners dream of. The curation is art-istic in form. Pleasing to both the eye and to the soul of the gardener, it echoes the sentiments of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote, “The soil is the gift of God to the living.”

To those of us who appreciate the simple beauty of the indoor plant, there’s something pure and purposeful in cohabitating with this representation of nature. Be it large or small. Be it housed in a dish, a succulent pot, a hanging planter, a terrarium or a box, these green accents to your sanctuary bring joy.

It is with full appreciation of this that Ashleigh Shrouder began her GardenBox

– @gardenboxja.

#MotherDaughterGoals

Ashleigh’s affinity for plants is a generational heirloom. “My plant story began with my mother, Hyacinth Clarke, who had been a plant mom for more than a decade…My mother is a plant fanatic. I would always see her in the sun or rain taking care of her plants or even admiring her plants through the window at nights.”

The mother-daughter duo, a perfect mutual appreciation society, transformed their hobby to a business. Ashleigh explains, “Just before the pandemic, I decided to help my mother with marketing since her collection had grown tremendously. This decision gave birth to GardenBoxJa. It was the COVID-19 pandemic which launched us into the social media space, as we still needed access to the plant market. My mom has been thrilled that I have developed the love for plants because she always wondered what would happen to her plants when she was no longer here. For this to thrive, into a mom and daughter business has brought her joy.”

What’s In Your Garden Box?

GardenBox caters to the indoor gardener, the easy-care plant lover and those with a general penchant for green accents throughout the home and at work. It’s also perfect for those of us who like to bestow thoughtful tokens of celebration and appreciation. “GardenBox is a plant company that caters to individual and corporate gifts. We provide trendy plants for your home and garden. We also provide unique plants as collectors’ items for plant moms and dads,” Ashleigh says.

Oxygen For The Soul

The pandemic has painfully provided us with a deeper understanding of oxygen’s vital role within the ecosystem.

Ashleigh explains, “Plants represent life. They are very important in the production of oxygen as well as air purification. In addition, they add to the aesthetics of the environment. During the pandemic they have proven very therapeutic to many plant lovers as gardening is an absolute stress reliever.”

As we strive to preserve our ecosystem, and by extension our lives and those of generations to come, we must not only feed our souls in our indoor and outdoor gardens but also protect ourselves, those we love and the entire Jamaica by ensuring that we are vaccinated.

In this time or turmoil, the word from our verdant hearts to yours is always love.