Meet the Team!
Our Owners: Jeff and Nique
Jeff Wallitsch was born and raised in his family’s nursery, started by his grandparents in Louisville. His background is in Horticulture and Elementary Education. A lover of the Louisville food scene, Jeff also enjoys cooking all of Ina Garten's recipes for his blended family and has developed a loving tolerance for his business partner, Nique. Jeff and Nique also are the owners of Petals, a local houseplant and floral shop in St. Matthews Louisville.
Nique Freese grew up in a family of gardeners, which oddly enough, she never enjoyed as a child. After getting a degree in accounting, she quickly discovered she preferred being outside surrounded by plants and color. Nique loves spending time with her husband, kids, grandkids, friends, and her two pugs.
Operational Manager: Maddy
Maddy is our Operational Manager. She joined the team in 2023. She worked in fine dining for almost a decade, and worked for Girl Scouts as a boating staff and high ropes facilitator. She loves traveling and trying new foods with her wife and their two rescue dogs! Her favorite thing about working with plants is introducing people to new plants that they have not heard of!
Annual and Perennial Lead: Molly
Molly is our Annual and Perennial department Lead. She joined the team in early 2025. She has been in the landscaping and yard maintenance industry for over 10 years. She is a nature lover, garden dork, critter kisser, chocolate enthusiast, and travel dreamer. Her favorite pass-time is birding!
Tree and Shrub Lead: Aaron
Aaron is our Tree and Shrub department Lead. He joined the team in early 2026. He loves seeing plants mature and change over time, as well as helping customers find landscape design solutions that reflect their personality and desired aesthetic. He spends his free time with his dogs and searching for his new favorite rock band!
Houseplant Lead and Social Media Coordinator: MK
MK is our Houseplant department Lead and the Social Media Coordinator. She joined the team in late 2024. Her background is in fine art, and she enjoys hiking, snuggling her dog Stevie, growing houseplants, and junk journaling in her free time! She loves the satisfaction of getting a Hoya or Orchid to bloom!
Planting and Delivery Lead: Andy
Andy is the Planting and Delivery department Lead. He joined the team in 2023. His background is in restaurant kitchen management, but he has a love for native gardening! In his free time, he enjoys hiking, camping, playing and listening to music, spending quality time with his lovely wife and two dogs, and continuing to learn about native plants and wildlife!
Planting and Delivery Specialist: Lucas
Lucas is our Planting and Delivery department Specialist. He joined the team in 2025. His background is in the automotive industry, and he enjoys bonsai and spending time with his four daughters. He likes to grow tomatoes and basil in the spring. Lucas also enjoys a nice smoked gouda!
Production Specialist: Eraelio
Eraelio is our Production/Back of House Specialist. He joined the team in 2025. His background is in construction and he enjoys watching baseball and horseback riding in his free time! He loves traditional Cuban food.
Customer Experience Specialist: Jamie
Jamie is one of our Customer Experience Specialists. She joined the team in 2026.
Customer Experience Specialist: Kristina
Kristina is one of our Customer Experience Specialists. She joined the team in 2026.
Customer Experience Specialist: Jennifer
Jennifer is one of our Customer Experience Specialists. She joined the team in 2026. She used to be a high school teacher in Chicago and has a culinary degree. She loves any fragrant flowering plants, thrifting, traveling the world (she has been to 38 countries!) and her Yorkie named Buddy!
Office Administrator: Mary
Mary is our Office Administrator. She joined the team in 2023. Her background is in real estate, and she now has a small farm that she lovingly plants and cares for. Her Australian Tree Ferns are her "pets"!
Receiving Lead: Ron
Ron is our Receiving Lead. He re-joined the Wallitsch team in 2026. His background is in Project Management, but his real passions are spending time in nature, staying active, traveling, bird watching, and growing plants, especially Orchids! He loves seeing his Orchids flourish and bloom, as well as learning from mistakes and other plant community members!
Lead Diva: Smog
Smog is our Lead Diva. She joined the team in late 2024, and has run the place ever since! She enjoys bossing the staff around for treats and pets, sleeping on the job, and being angry at dogs! You can often find her sleeping on top of the registers during the warmer seasons, or in the Glasshouse with the houseplants in the winter!