About Our Story

Lauren’s Garden Service is dedicated to creating beautiful outdoor spaces for people to enjoy. We take the hard work out of gardening by doing it for you!  In fact, the company was created to offer an environmentally friendly option for garden lovers who just didn’t have time to maintain their own gardens.

Lauren’s Garden Service embraces permaculture practices in all aspects of our gardening and landscaping.  These practices include plant selection,  fertilizing and soil enhancement, planting and weeding techniques and other installation and maintenance practices.

About Our Owner

 

Lauren Turner

Lauren Turner

Owner and Operator

With over 20 years of gardening experience, Lauren is the founder and owner of Lauren’s Garden Services. She has the experience to ensure that your project is installed according to specifications.  You can be certain that your project will be completed in a timely manner, and with care and respect for your property.  Lauren has a BS in Horticulture from Pennsylvania State University and an MS in Herbal Medicine from Tai Sophia Institute for the Healing Arts. She has studied landscape architecture, sustainability, native plants, medicinal plants and permaculture practices. She has experience working on high-end landscapes, installing and maintaining beautiful gardens, hardscapes and ponds.

“I love learning about plants…I just feel blessed that I can nurture my love and knowledge of plants everyday in many ways to create peaceful spaces, to attract wildlife and beneficial insects as well as to grow edible plants or plants that can be used for medicinal purposes.” –Lauren

One of the things Lauren loves about her work is the satisfaction of putting hard work into improving someone’s garden.  She has continued her education to ensure that she is knowledgeable and up to date on all aspects of her field.  One of the areas that she is passionate about is environmental sustainability so it’s not only a part of her gardening  practices, it’s a part of her life.

“We grow organic fruits and vegetables, raise organic, free range chickens for eggs and meat, buy locally, compost, recycle, use cloth diapers with our babies, save electricity and water and use them consciously.  We also buy from thrift stores, consignment stores, or Craigslist instead of new.” –Lauren

About Our Team

 

Office Team

Our office is comprised of a team of diligent professionals who are passionate about our values and the services we provide.  From initial contact to project follow up, our ladies strive to offer excellent client satisfaction and an experience that stands out from the rest.

Chrissie McLaughlin

Chrissie McLaughlin

Administrative Manager / Project Manager

Chrissie came to us in 2020 with a passion for sustainability and a love of nature.  In 2017 Chrissie embarked on a life changing journey when she decided to change careers from early childhood education to horticulture.  She graduated in the top of her class in 2019, earning an Associate in Applied Science in Sustainable Horticulture.  After graduating, she briefly traveled abroad, studying plants and ecological initiatives in Iceland.  Chrissie has three years of experience working in and managing greenhouses, as well as several years of experience in customer service.  When she is not working hard at LGS, she can usually be found crafting miniatures, enjoying a good sci-fi/fantasy show or spending time with her family.  Some of Chrissie’s favorite native plants include Ninebark and Beardtongue.  Chrissie’s passion for mentoring and helping others make her a great leader.  Her creativity and dedication to the cause are why we love having her on our team.

Alex Wiitala

Alex Wiitala

Maintenance Manager/ Project Manager

Alex graduated from CCBC with a Certificate in Sustainable Horticulture through the American Landscape Institute.  She has a level one certification from the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals.  Alex also earned an AA in History from Harford Community College.  She loves being out in nature and it was that love that got her to completely change her career field and go back to school. Her happiness in this decision shows in her work. Alex is an avid reader and loves to sip tea while reading a good book. One of her favorite native plants is mountain mint, but she loves them all! She joined our team in spring 2020 as a crew member.  Her dedication to client satisfaction and knowledge of plants make her a great addition to the LGS team.

Irene Casarez

Irene Casarez

Project Manager/ Materials Manager

After moving to Baltimore City from Delaware, Irene decided to turn her love for sustainability and conservation into a career. She recently graduated from CCBC with her Associates Degree in Sustainable Horticulture. She currently holds her Basic Horticulture Technician Certificate, Greenhouse & Agricultural Production Certificate, Landscape Installation, Maintenance & Design Certificate, and Turf & Landscape Maintenance Certificate. She also holds her CBLP level 1 certification and looks forward to gaining her level 2.  Irene grew up in the horticulture business.  Her father has a small traditional landscaping company in Delaware, which she aspires to help transition into sustainable practices that utilize native plants and support pollinators. She hopes to never stop learning and wants to share this love and passion with others, especially those in her community. One can often find Irene in walking botanical gardens, and her favorite native plant is Monarda fistulosa. Irene is a wonderful team member and her commitment to sustainability and passion for horticulture shows in her work.

Jessie King

Jessie King

Administrative Assistant

Jessie has always loved nature and the outdoors. She followed her passion and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland- College Park in 2019. She comes to us from Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, MD where she worked as lead environmental educator. She taught people of all ages about the wonders of the natural world. While at Robinson, she gained an appreciation for native plants and what they can do for our environment, which is why she was drawn to LGS. Her favorite native plant is moss phlox, and on her days off she is often found playing with her cat and dog or hiking a new trail. Her can-do attitude makes her an excellent addition to our team!

Nursery Team

Our nursery team is a knowledgeable, hard-working, and well-rounded team. From watering, to ordering plants, to helping customers, our nursery team can handle any situation, rain or shine. These ladies are passionate and driven, and are an integral part in our nursery’s success.

Cianna Rowe

Cianna Rowe

Native Plant Nursery Manager

Cianna’s love of nature started early with family camping trips and helping in the garden. After graduating in 2014 with her Bachelors in Fine Art, it was hard to find a job that combined all of her passions. Fast forward to 2020, she got started at Lauren’s by watering plants during the pandemic. Then transitioned to working the weekend plant sales, to nursery assistant to Cultivate’s manager to now being the Nursery Manager. In her spare time, Cianna loves to hike, garden, and paint. Her favorite native plant changes with the seasons but she loves Mayapples, Milkweeds, Asters, and Coneflowers. Cianna is an amazing, hardworking individual who brings so much joy to our team!

Ari Passovoy

Ari Passovoy

Native Plant Nursery Weekend Manager

Ari has a passion for wildlife and is dedicated to sharing her excitement and passion with others. She has a background in zoology and was a zookeeper for many years. Her love of educating others about wildlife is where her excitement for native plants comes from. In her spare time, you can find her quilting, felting, watching horror movies, enjoying the natural world, hanging out with her cats, caring for her fish, or tending to the jungle she’s growing inside her home (she has a lot of houseplants). Some of her favorite native plants include Jack-in-the-pulpit, pawpaw trees, and columbine. Ari’s scientific background and sensible approach to eco-friendly landscaping and nursery care makes her a valuable member of our team.

Eve Josar

Eve Josar

Native Plant Nursery Associate

Eve is a life-long gardener who loves to chat about native plants and building healthy ecosystems in home gardens. Her favorite native plant is Spigelia marilandica. She started working at LGS as one of our native plant nursery associates in April of 2022, and now she works a few days a week at the nursery and spends the majority of her time studying landscape architecture at the University of Maryland-College Park. Eve’s strong knowledge of native plants and her benevolent way of talking with staff and customers allows her to excel in our nursery.

Lindsey Christensen

Lindsey Christensen

Native Plant Care Associate/ Cultivate Store Associate

Install and Maintenance Teams

Our crew approaches each job with dedication, care, and consistency.  We ensure that each crew member is well trained on all the critical aspects of garden and landscape maintenance and installation.  They are hard-working and share the owner’s love of plants and gardening.

Crew Leaders

Darlene Richardson

Darlene Richardson

Install Crew Lead

Darlene joined LGS’s team in March of 2022. She is passionate about connecting plants and people in order to foster conservation-minded sustainable communities. She was first introduced to working with plants when she spent a summer working on an organic farm. Then some years later she discovered her love of the outdoors while traveling as a live sound engineer. One career shift later she traded powered speakers for pruners, microphones for mulch, and couldn’t be happier about it. She is currently back in school studying Environmental Horticulture through Montgomery College. Her favorite native plant is purple cone flower and she is often reading, hiking, or playing piano in her spare time. Darlene is a natural leader and born horticulturist, and we love having her on our team.
Kevin Casey

Kevin Casey

Install Crew Lead

Kevin moved to Maryland in 2008 from Portland, Oregon.  He has always enjoyed working outside.  He has been managing his own landscape since he was 12.  Kevin appreciates learning all he can about landscape design and maintenance techniques, and applies that knowledge in his own landscaping endeavors. Kevin’s favorite native plant is heucheras and he loves to catch up on tv shows and movies with friends in his free time.  He came to us in the spring of 2020 with a plethora of experience from landscaping companies to nurseries. Kevin’s strong work ethic and quiet, thoughtful approach are assets to the LGS team.

Gwen Keith

Gwen Keith

Maintenance Crew Leader

Assistant Crew Leaders

Chris Marsheck

Chris Marsheck

Install Assistant Crew Leader

Chris joined LGS in March of 2022, but for the past decade, Chris Marsheck has balanced his time between being a professional musician and a retail sales manager.  In the fall of 2020 he decided it was time to pursue a job that was more meaningful. Being an avid hiker and amateur naturalist, horticulture seemed like a perfect fit!  Chris recently graduated with  a sustainable horticulture degree from CCBC and has already earned his Basic Horticultural Technician Certificate and Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional certificate. His favorite native plant is the white oak tree as it is a host plant to over 500 species of insect, and in his free time, Chris is often camping, playing with his band, or partaking in historical reenactment. He has a pragmatic way of looking at projects, which makes him a fantastic fit for our team.

Max Thomas

Max Thomas

Install Assistant Crew Leader

Max joined LGS as a crew member at the start of the 2023 season. He enjoys working outdoors as well as tending to his indoor plants, which makes work at LGS a natural fit. Max’s background includes a B.S. in Psychology from Towson University and a wide variety of work experience in produce, carpentry, automotive repair and restoration, and psychological research. In his free time, he can be found watching movies with friends and family, woodworking, doing odd jobs, or spending time at Church. His favorite native plant is the American Sycamore. Max’s ability to jump right in and get things done makes him a great addition to our team.

Crew Members

Leah Oliver

Leah Oliver

Install Crew

Leah has a work background in education and child care, but she transitioned to gardening and landscaping when she began working with LGS in June of 2022 . She is passionate about herbalism, naturopathic healing, and aromatherapy. Some of Leah’s hobbies include painting, making fresh and dried flower bouquets, and her favorite native plant is lobelia cardinalis. Leah’s calm and collected vibe helps keep the team going during difficult projects. We enjoy having her a part of LGS.
Jennifer Franchek

Jennifer Franchek

Maintenance Crew

Jennifer began her professional career in customer service, but her love of nature brought her to Maryland and LGS in July 2022. While at LGS, she is growing her knowledge of sustainable gardening. Her favorite native plant is echinacea due to its beauty and its wonderful utility as a tea. Jennifer is an avid road-tripper and camper. She even has tent camped for a month straight and has also lived in an airstream. Besides camping, in Jennifer’s free time, she loves watching homesteading and travel videos. Jennifer is good-natured and dedicated to our work, and we love having her be a part of our LGS team.

Jeremy Fleming

Jeremy Fleming

Crew

Growing up in northern Baltimore county, Jeremy has long since had a great love and appreciation for plants and wildlife. Early on, he spent a lot of time gardening and harvesting with his grandfather and working part time at his local garden center. He recently came from a commercial background in ecological restoration and is excited to apply his skills and strengths to a residential horticultural setting. In his free time, Jeremy enjoys flying kites, traveling, and creating gardenscapes with his wife at home. His favorite native plant is mountain laurel. We were excited to welcome him to our team in 2023. Jeremy’s delightful attitude and affinity for giving everything his all make him a prime example of what our company is about.
Jessica Mboumba Bigoundou

Jessica Mboumba Bigoundou

Crew

Jessica is from Gabon, a Central African country and has a background in Accounting and Management. With her parents being farmers, she knew a little bit about agriculture practices but wanted to explore the horticulture field. In spring 2021 she enrolled at CCBC and obtained her Basic Horticulture Technician Certificate She is currently pursuing an Associate degree in Sustainable Horticulture. She aspires to, one day, become a landscape designer. Drawing is something that she enjoys. In her free time she likes to cook, spend time with her family and friends and travel. Her favorite native plant is the Goldsturm Black Eyed Susan. With her hard-working nature and positive attitude Jessica has been a wonderful addition to our team since becoming a crew member in March 2023.

Antonin Gusmano

Antonin Gusmano

Maintenance Crew

Myka Moore

Myka Moore

Crew

Dima Mesropov

Dima Mesropov

Maintenance Crew

Cultivate Team

Since Cultivate opened in October 2021, this team has made our garden and goods store a local staple. Cultivate is one of the best places to find nature-themed gifts, home decor, and indoor plants. Our team strives to find products from unique, local, women-owned small businesses that share our passion for eco-friendly practices. These ladies continue to succeed while being exemplary employees and maintaining customer satisfaction.

Leah Lawrence

Leah Lawrence

Cultivate Store Manager

Leah Iannuzzi

Leah Iannuzzi

Cultivate Store Associate/ Nursery Associate