Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Hovis.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I started my first business at 18 and have been having my businesses since then, some with success, and some just fizzled. I’ve found starting my own thing easier than getting a traditional job. I’ve changed careers several times and have always been fortunate to get to do work that I’m passionate about. I love creating things. The business has always excited me because it involves so many varied skills. I love every aspect of starting a business, from establishing the overall vision to all the details, like, creating the actual space, establishing top-notch systems, and building the team, the brand, the service, and the product. Today I am enjoying how my two businesses are so different yet complement each other. We design landscapes and outdoor spaces for high-end residential and commercial projects at Eden. Our team is talented and driven, and we have so much fun working together. Our projects are all about an overall vision, yet every detail must be well thought out, well designed, well fabricated, constructed using the best materials, and perfectly executed. Our gardens and botanical designs need to be stunning, and we only do projects where that’s the goal – to create something new and amazing. My other business, Barton Springs Nursery, it’s all about the love of gardening, education, planting, and the plants themselves. They are two different worlds, yet they are all about plants, nature, and creation.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve always known I was on the right path and loved all the work I’ve been fortunate to do. It’s always been challenging, though. I work hard and always have. I’ve always needed more stability. A business is about being comfortable taking risks and living on the edge. I’ve never known anything else, so I’m comfortable with that. So I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road, but not a rocky one.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Eden Garden Design is an award-winning landscape Design + Build Firm in Austin, Texas, specializing in the design and buildout of luxury landscapes. We have a collaborative team. We design our landscape with native and adapted plants that flourish and thrive over time. We handle various projects from land restoration to restaurant design and high-end residential to boutique commercial. We design and build natural experiences to enrich daily living by creating outdoor living rooms, swimming pools, outdoor lounges, botanical gardens, vegetable gardens, and many things in between! We have a collaborative team of designers and project managers and handle projects from concept to completion.
Barton Springs Nursery is a Plant Nursery and Garden Center unlike any other. When you enter through its gates, you may feel you’ve been transported to another world. We have a huge selection of landscape, house, and tropical plants, as well as veggies, herbs, perennials, annuals, succulents, and everything in between. We specialize in native and adapted plants and grow wide hard-to-find varieties on-site. We have a wonderful gift shop, a huge garden supplies store, a genus bar for hard-to-answer plant questions, ponds, free coffee, an aviary, and some pet tortoises we’ve adopted. We have a staff of horticulturalists, botanists, landscape designers, and plant nerds who love nature and want to grow and share their knowledge. We believe in education and community and spreading the love of plants and gardening.
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
I don’t know how much I believe in good or bad luck since I don’t like to label experiences as bad but rather the path along the way. I often think of Nietzsche’s quote, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Many tough things happen, but I try to stay present and look to the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: bartonspringsnursery.com, edenaustin.com
- Instagram: @barton_springs_nursery, @eden_garden_design, @amy_hovis
- Facebook: Barton Springs Nursery, Eden Garden Design
Image Credits
Greg Thomas
