Today we’d like to introduce you to Gage Rountree.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Savannah Secret Gardens opened in 1995 and was started by Mike Bashlor and Paula Bashlor and is now the largest plant grower in the Savannah low country area. I Gage Rountree grew up at the nursery, started working part-time in middle school, and have been full-time for the last six years. We have spent the last 27 years perfecting our craft.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The early 2000s were great for our landscape installation and maintenance crews. After the 2008 Recession, we downsize and started focusing on the Nursery more.
Being the first generation it has been challenging figuring out the tricks of the trade everything from what chemicals work well without damaging the environment to the simplest things like how much water each plant needs.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a supervisor for Secret Gardens I am in charge of quality control, inventory, delivery, and running our installation, and maintenance crew. I’m known for my ability to diagnose problems with plants, and my attention to detail in knot gardens.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
With Covid-19 we were very lucky. It didn’t affect us as badly as other small businesses in our area due to us always working outside, social distancing, and everyone being home and wanting to work in their yards.
Contact Info:
- Facebook: Savannah Secret Gardens Retail & Wholesale Nursery
