Today we’d like to introduce you to Wade Lee Richards.
Hi Wade Lee, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It was a lovely sunny day in Saint Augustine, Florida. I could feel the salty sea breeze kiss my cheek as we posed for photos. I had just married my best friend Stephen in his hometown.
Friends and loved ones commented on how beautiful the flowers and plants were at the wedding. Surprisingly, I had picked them out that morning at a local nursery called Leonardi’s.
It seemed like the next day we were back in the hustle and bustle of New York City life. Six months later, three days before Thanksgiving, Stephen was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer.
A year later, we faced both a pandemic and Stephen’s declining health. We decided to leave New York and move to St. Augustine. I was scared of all the new beginnings and uncertainties.
But I remembered that beautiful nursery in St. Augustine, Leonardi’s. I stopped in at the first chance and purchased my first few plants, which would change my life forever.
I found so much peace and grace in caring for plants, just as I was caring for my husband. In the hospital, where we spent most of our time, we would paint pottery to ease our minds and pass the time. At home, we spent time on our patio filled with plants.
In the process of caring for the plants, they as well were caring for me. Plants helped me through my grief journey—they truly saved my life. Stephen passed shortly after moving to Florida, but I cherish our moments on our plant-filled patio. Today, I love seeing those pots we painted in my plant room.”
What started as a hobby to bring some solace into my life turned into a business, a plant podcast and lead me to my dream job as the lead Gardner at the historic Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Grief is a natural and complex human emotion experienced. It’s the anguish and distress that follows significant loss That one must sit with. In that process for me sitting alone for hours with my plants brought so much clarity and peace.
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?
The creativity and craftsmanship I honed as a hairstylist seamlessly transitioned into my gardening pursuits. Today I am the lead Gardener at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida. I am actively involved in my local plant community, I teach sold out plant workshops throughout northeast Florida. And host of the Plants by Wade Lee Podcast featuring horticulturists, botanists, plant authors and plant influencers. On my off time you can find me working a plant market selling plants or traveling the country attending Plant Conventions as a Plant Influencer.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up as a gay kid and rural Wisconsin, so life was not easy for me. I grew thick skin and it only fueled my desire to leave.
But, I was a happy kid, who loved fashion and music.
I dreamt of living leaving the quietness of the surrounding farm land for New York City.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.plantsbywadelee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantsbywadelee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16PiFSTjXM/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-lee-richards-457b0b334
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@plantsbywadelee?si=_-swD_pWG-FYB9xN
- Podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plants-by-wade-lee-podcast/id1735309794
