Meet the Team
Gardening makes our staff happy, which in turn makes our customers happy.
When you stop by The Garden Spot, you'll see a lot of smiling faces ready to help you with whatever you need. If you have a particular plant in mind or a gardening question, our team is there for you.
paige
Paige became the owner of Garden Spot Nursery in January 2020 after working for eight years as a member of nursery staff. She enjoys being outdoors in all seasons, surrounded by plants and gardeners. Paige studied Biology at WWU and loves learning about botany and how plants live and grow within the soil food web. When she isn't at the nursery or in her own garden, Paige enjoys hiking, backpacking, and reading. She has a particular interest in composting and enjoys raising and studying earthworms.
Aaron
Aaron came on full-time at the Garden spot in spring of 2021. He loves working in the garden with his wife Paige, their dog Poppy, and their cat Tobias and he especially loves conifers and Japanese maples. In his free time, he enjoys running, hiking, and playing basketball. His favorite plant is the Chief Joseph Pine and anything from the Dan Hinkley Collection.
Tiffany
Houseplants have always been Tiffany's happy place, and that passion grew into a love for reclaiming overgrown yards and bringing them back to life. She joined Garden Spot in 2021 and especially enjoys the veggie section, though she's been getting to know and appreciate perennials and flowering shrubs too. When she's not at the nursery, Tiffany is usually spending time at the beach with her dog Bella or working on projects around her house. She also enjoys growing aquaponic vegetables and soil sprouts at home.
Carol
Carol surely is one of our veterans in our gardening staff. She started at Garden Spot in 2006 in sales and has been with us ever since. She knows every square inch of the property and routinely helps customers find what they're looking for or suggests a particular type of plant to meet their needs.
Hay
Joining Garden Spot in March 2025, Hay brings a unique appreciation for grasses and prairie plants, a passion that grew while doing research for the USDA. Though originally set on studying animals, they fell in love with plants during college and shifted their focus entirely. When not at work, Hay enjoys mountain biking with their partner, hiking with their dog, reading, and creating multimedia art. They also keep an intriguing collection of bones and taxidermy at home!
Jacki
Jacki began gardening with her mom when she was young and has worked with plants ever since. She started at Garden Spot in May of 2016 and loves to nurture perennials. Her favorite plant is Rosemary.
Angela
Angela joined the Garden Spot Nursery team in the spring of 2018. She enjoys working with customers to help them find the particular plant that they need for their garden. She says that she grew up with more plants than people. She started studying botany and branched out from there. At any given time during the day, she can be found amongst the Japanese maples and shade plants.
Gerry
His name is Gerry with a G, and has been working with the Garden Spot since 2018. Originally from Southern California, Gerry has been in the nursery business for 30 years and is incredibly knowledgeable about both indoor and outdoor plants.
Debra
Debra is a Garden Spot veteran, she's been part of the team since 2002. Debra loves all plants, but what really excites her is the challenge of bringing them together in a cohesive design, playing with colors, textures, and shapes to create something beautiful. Her passion for gardening started with her parents, who always kept a vegetable and flower garden, and was solidified by a high school horticulture class that set her on this career path. Outside of work, Debra enjoys summer concerts in the park, cozy winter movie nights, and traveling whenever she can.
Zack
Meet Zack! He joined Garden Spot in May 2023 and has a special love for houseplants, the greenhouse, and our statuary collection. His connection to plants started early, playing in the garden while his mom tended to her plants. His passion for houseplants really took off during lockdown. These days, he's branching out into growing outdoor edibles. Outside of work, Zack enjoys paddleboarding, camping, playing games, and picking up new skills. Fun fact: he used to work full-time as a photographer and even photographed Paige and Aaron's wedding!
Sage
For Sage, gardening is more than a hobby, it's a way to help the environment, boost mental health, and add beauty to the community. She's been with Garden Spot since May 2020 and loves working with veggies, herbs, and all things edible, as well as water plants. Away from the nursery, Sage is an artist/ muralist in her downtown Bellingham art studio. She also bakes, tends her small farm plot, and cares for her two angora rabbits. Fun fact: She lives off-grid in a 120 square foot tiny house!
Heidi
Heidi joined Garden Spot in February 2024 and has a deep love for flowers, a magical patio garden filled with annuals, perennials, and shrubs, and a thriving collection of 45 houseplants. She feels most connected to a higher power when surrounded by nature and is fascinated by the healing and renewing energies of Mother Earth. When she isn't at work, Heidi enjoys spending time by the ocean, reading, hiking, and traveling to awe-inspiring places. She also loves sunroofs, surprising people and pondering the mystical nature of existence.
China
Meet China! She joined Garden Spot in March 2025 and has quickly become the Garden Spot champion for native plants. She calls herself a "plant symbiote" who simply can't not garden. Her journey began in a plant tissue culture lab, where she worked growing potatoes, pistachios, bamboo and more. When she's off the clock, you'll probably find her gardening or biking around town. And a fun tidbit: she used to work at I502s!
Ari
Ari joined Garden Spot in March 2025 and lights up when coworkers or customers come to her with a cool plant, a new bloom, or a fun fact to share. She also loves meeting all of the dogs that come in to the nursery. Ari grew up in her mom's "indoor jungle," which inspired her to create her own. To this day, she and her mom exchange plant propagations whenever they see each other, keeping their collections nearly identical across thousands of miles. Outside of work, Ari enjoys adventuring in the mountains with her husband and their three dogs, sharpening her native plant ID skills, and experimenting in the kitchen though she admits she's lost without a recipe. She also crafts some cool things (some of which are on sale in the store!) and is a big fern enthusiast. Her life journey has taken her from Oregon to Chicago, Taiwan, and Montana before bringing her back to the Pacific Northwest.
Laurie
Laurie joined Garden Spot in March 2025 and loves ALL plants, with a special fondness for growing things from seeds she has saved herself. When she's not at work, you'll likely find her gardening, interior decorating, cooking, baking, hiking, or spending time with her kids. Originally from Canada, Laurie has lived in five U.S. states and has built an impressive rock collection along the way.
Poppy
Poppy began her internship with Garden Spot in January of 2023. She has since moved up the ranks to become the Chief morale officer. Aside from bringing laughter and joy to the staff and customers, Poppy likes to hang out in receiving and keep Aaron on his toes with the placement of especially tasty plants. In her free time she loves hiding toys and treats, rolling in stinky anything and running like the wind.
