Meet Katarzyna Wrobel: Organic gardener and garden coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katarzyna Wrobel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katarzyna, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Gardening is not an easy business, especially in the Southwest. What really helped me, I think, is my stubbornness, perfectionism, and will to get things done. All this needs to be implemented in this field of business. But when you do, and things start to “grow” (pun intended) you get a great satisfaction and a huge grin on your face.

What should our readers know about your business?
To start off simply, my business is gardening. But that is not as simple as it may seem. I focus on Sustainable Desert Gardening as it pertains to the region, I live in. And not only does that set me apart from most other gardeners, the fact that I focus on all organic gardening is another bonus. The journey to reach this point in my business was not an easy one. There were many ups and downs and the beginning seemed everlasting. But step by step I pursued the idea I had, along the way, gaining Master Gardener certifications that would help me define who I am as an individual gardener as well as who Crazy Plant Nanny is as a business. My family constantly supported me on every twist and turn on this journey and as we continued little by little, gaining clients, they too became a support to me. Gardening in the desert is not easy. Sometimes things don’t go the way that I nor a client imagined but working with nature instead of against it is a huge lesson. I focus on building relations with each and every client of mine. Trust is the key. In order to make their garden the place of their dreams, while keeping in mind the power of the desert (it tends to be a fickle thing), I first have to gain access to their visions of it and that comes entirely from trust. I treat their gardens like they are my own, with love and care and absolutely no corners cut. We are not competing with landscape companies (We do not perform simple monthly “clean ups”). As a gardener, I want to help clients start/grow their gardens, show the proper way to take care of plants and home landscape, design and install garden beds, and now, since I obtained a desert landscape certificate (from Phoenix Botanical Garden) I can design gardens and residential landscapes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start of by taking my friends to downtown Tempe. You can’t go wrong with all the pubs and small restaurants available. Afterwards, a quick trip to the “A” mountain is a must. You can spend hours on top simply watching and “scratching” airplanes landing and taking off. Also, it’s a great place to get an excellent view of the East Valley. A trip to the ever-expanding ASU campus is also “mandatory.” It’s huge and you can admire old and new architecture of buildings. My husband loves going there and showing me around (He is an alumnus.) We can go to one of our parks and just lay down on the grass and look at the sky … For some reason the sky in Arizona is one of the most beautiful skies on earth. Next step would be at the Grand Canyon. It is one of these places where you feel how small you are – how powerful is mother nature. The views are breathtaking! What’s next? Sedona – another magical place close by. The red mountains are majestic. You can enjoy a great selection of locally made wines. Good cuisine as well. We will pick the Salt Rock restaurant. Food and drinks are excellent and you can’t beat the service. I won’t even mention the views.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to take the opportunity to say “THANK YOU!” to at least couple of people without whom I would never reach this point in my life. First of all, I want to thank my family. To my husband – a beloved and humble guy, who gave me all his love and support – thank you honey 🙂 To both of my strong, smart and beautiful daughters – you’re my best motivation. Remember girls – only sky is the limit 😉 And finally, last but not least – huge THANK YOU – to Angelica Elliott, Assistant Director of Public Horticulture, in our Desert Botanical Garden. I still remember one quote that she shared with us: Sustainability is not about doing “less bad”. It is about doing “more good”. You always share with us your smile, passion and joy.

And of course, a HUGE thanks to all my clients. Without them this wouldn’t be even happening especially in these though times.