Growing Community at Enchanted Gardens with Joey Lenderman
We’re joined by Joey Lenderman, owner of Enchanted Gardens, to talk about the plants, animals, gifts, and expert advice that can be found throughout the 13 acres of his incredible nursery. With over 2 decades of experience and a strong following in the Fort Bend community, Joey is proud to offer a wide variety of Texas-grown plants to local gardeners of all skill levels and still finds time in his busy schedule to give back to local nonprofits with causes near and dear to his heart.
In this episode, Joey, Aimee, and Emily discuss:
- Getting started as a family business in Joey’s childhood
- Defining the amazing Enchanted Gardens
- Showcasing the variety of offerings within the nursery and gift shop
- Giving some expert advice on everything from soil to pest control
- Finding opportunities to give back to the community
Growing something new in Fort Bend county
From humble beginnings as a small family-run weekend plant stand, Joey and his parents have built a massive nursery that has an even bigger following in Richmond. With a gift shop, fairy gardens, barns, animals, and so much more to explore, we could spend hours with the kids at Enchanted Gardens. More than just things to buy or look at, Enchanted Gardens also employs a staff of hardworking experts ready to give you advice on all things gardening.
“It’s not just a regular nursery…it’s an experience.”
Staking supports during the big freeze
Owning a business is hard enough, but last year, during our horrific winter storms, Joey felt himself tested once again by the hardships of running his business. Instead of giving up, Joey talks with us about the innovative methods he used to keep his many plants safe through the storm, and tells us of the unique reward of being able to help so many Fort Bend locals rebuild and regrow their gardens afterwards.
“I didn’t know what to do, so we loaded up all those baby plants and put them in our living room.”
Planting hope for Fort Bend locals
Like many of our other guests we’ve highlighted this season, Joey does so much more than his job description at Enchanted Gardens. Growing up here and owning his family business for years, he gives back to Fort Bend in huge ways, always providing auction items or donated funds to local charities and nonprofits needing help. Although he won’t toot his own horn, Joey has been a great source of growth for our community.
“We’re not just here for ourselves, you know? There’s other people who need these things more than we do.”
Helping autistic kids blossom with the #MilkweedMovement
As a special needs dad, Joey feels called to help the community with an important focus: assisting autistic children thrive into adulthood. He recently started the #MilkweedMovement, where every single milkweed plant sold at Enchanted Gardens generates profits for local nonprofits. In just 3 years of doing this amazing work in our community, Joey has donated close to $100,000 to organizations helping autistic people in Texas thrive.
“We want them to morph into something beautiful, the best they can be.”
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Find out more about Joey and Enchanted Gardens on their current website, their future NEW website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Visit Enchanted Gardens 7 days a week at the following address:
6420 Fm 359 Road, Richmond, TX 77406, United States.
Support the #MilkweedMovement year-round by purchasing a Milkweed plant from Enchanted Gardens, with all proceeds going to local nonprofits that support autistic children and adults.
Additional resources to check out: Hope For Three, Mustard Seed Farm and Market, Reining Strength, Arms Wide Adoption, HomeShow Garden Pros Radio Show.
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