Knowledge. Experience. Passion.
Gardening started as a hobby and turned into a career for the three of us. In fact, we worked together as colleagues for the past few years, designing and installing kitchen gardens ~ and grew together as friends. That led us to launch Garden Girls! We realized that gardening is always more fun with a friend (or two!).
The benefit of working with Garden Girls is that you not only have access to one amazing garden designer, you have access to three. We are proud to live in and grow in Houston, right alongside you.
Our logo, a butterfly, represents both transformation and hope. Gardening through a pandemic has felt like a soulful experience that connects us to something bigger than ourselves. While the world shut down, nature refused to. Monarch caterpillars become butterflies. Seeds become flowers. We become happy gardeners.
Jennifer McDonald
"She reminds me of me a long time ago. I am very impressed."~ Martha Stewart
I’m Jen, and I began gardening five years ago after watching too many Nancy Meyers movies. As a home stylist and lover of outdoor entertaining, I longed to set the ultimate scene with a swoon worthy garden that produced beautiful vegetables, loads of herbs and picture perfect flower bouquets, while wearing white linen (because, you know, that's practical).
I grew up in Napa Valley, CA with hills and vineyards as my backdrop. My father had a full, productive garden and I remember spending afternoons sitting on an overturned bucket, watching him pluck tomatoes and snap peas from their vines.
For the last eleven years, I've called Houston home. I’m a Certified Organic Vegetable Garden Specialist and I love growing in this climate, which affords us a fantastic opportunity to grow year round. With fourteen raised garden beds and over 400 square feet of garden space in Piney Point, we grow everything from tomatoes to peanuts, louffa to sweet corn. Our gardens were recently featured in Martha Stewart’s newest series, “Getting Down and Dirty with Martha”, Season 1, Episode 8.
I enjoy connecting with families and individuals who want to find magic in gardening. Let’s dream a little and then turn that dream into your very own Nancy Meyers garden! Wear your linen, or wear your workout pants. Either way, let's design something fabulous together.
Jill Oliver
I come from a long line of gardeners. As the daughter of a beekeeper and pecan-tree farmer, the granddaughter of fruit and vegetable gardeners, and the great granddaughter of another beekeeper, a true love of gardening is deep in my roots.
These days I continue the family tradition with my own 400-square-foot kitchen garden and greenhouse in Hunters Creek in the Memorial area. The best parts of my day are spent in my garden tending to all kinds of herbs, vegetables and flowers.
Bees and beekeeping are an important part of my gardening experience. Like my father and great grandfather, I understand how important bees are to a thriving garden. With pollinators and native plants in my yard, the bees can feed on nectar and pollen and keep my garden self-sustaining for consistent, bountiful results.
I have worked as a garden designer for more than two years, and I have installed hundreds of beautiful gardens in Houston. Sharing my love of gardening with others is my passion, and I was featured on the cover of The Memorial Buzz where I talked all things garden in the article “Kitchen Garden: An Edible Yard in the City.”
Let’s get started on your dream garden today! I would be honored to work with you to create your very own space to grow what makes you happy and help you learn the rewarding, lifelong skill of gardening.
Nicole Shah
I’m Nicole and my garden is where I go when I need to lose myself. I love gardening because the food nourishes my body and the time spent in my garden nourishes my soul.
When I moved to Houston over 20 years ago, I had many failed attempts with gardening. I grew up in West Virginia and spent summers picking green beans and cucumbers out of my parents and grandparents’ gardens. I desperately wanted to taste a home-grown cucumber out of my own garden.
My gardening success completely changed once I started growing in a raised bed and learned the timing of when to plant certain vegetables in the Houston climate. I love growing in Houston because we can grow all year. It’s not hard with a little guidance!!
My favorite thing to grow is herbs. Fresh herbs can elevate any dish. And, my favorite thing to eat off the vine is a cucumber. Nothing compares to a homegrown cucumber.
My dream is for every Houstonian to have a garden or pot of herbs. My hope is if I can design you a beautiful garden space and give you the best ingredients for a successful garden that you will become hooked like me and spread the joy.
The Garden Girls are honored to have been featured in a variety of local and national publications and television shows.
Click below to find out how we’ve been able to help others get growing!
