Meet Paul, the
Plant Whisperer.

After a long, rewarding career as a marketing creative, I chose to take my career down a different path—a garden path. In 2022, I launched Paul-Lee-Nation Plant & Garden, a full-service creative studio specializing in interior plant design and small-space landscapes. The name of the business is a nod to my roots as a wordsmith, a mash-up of “pollination” with my first and middle names. 

My love of plants took root at the age of 7 when a seed I planted in a Styrofoam cup at school became a 10-foot-tall sunflower! A lifelong gardener, I studied landscape horticulture at Merritt College in Oakland where I got inspired to remove our home’s front lawn and replace it with water-wise plants. After several neighbors followed suit, I realized, much to my surprise and delight, that I’d started a garden revolution. The result? Less water used, more pollinator visits, and a greater sense of community beautifully cultivated.

My garden was twice featured on the Bay-Friendly Gardening Tour, each time attracting over 200 visitors, and I became the resident green thumb on my street thanks to a neighborhood garden tour I helped organize and grow over the past several years. Having worked as a freelance writer, I had plant and garden articles published in The American Gardener, Pacific Horticulture and Sunset.

The spark for Paul-Lee-Nation came during the pandemic, when I grew my indoor plant collection from zero to 100 through online swaps and community connection. I found immense joy, adventure, and even hope, in collecting and caring for plants and helping them thrive. Could I help others experience these same feelings with their plants? I definitely wanted to give it a shot. 

Both the writer and the gardener in me believe every space has a story to tell through its foliage. Whether it’s a single tropical statement piece or a lush potted patio, plants have the power to connect us with the spaces in which we live and work. Through my passion for plant life, I hope to inspire others to make the most of this connection. Wherever you are in your plant journey (beginner, collector or curator) I’ve been there, too—and I’m here for you.