Palmera Plants

Joel and Palmer Crippen are two horticulturists who are proving the old adage, “Like father, like son.”

Joel credits his own father with instilling in him a love for gardening. He was always out playing in the dirt alongside his siblings.

“...whenever there was a pile of soil anywhere, we’d always go out there and play in the dirt…I found myself taking parts of bushes and start landscaping.”

What began as a career path into architecture soon changed into landscape architecture when Joel went to college. After school, he moved from Oregon to California and eventually to Florida where he felt right at home in the tropical environment. 

Inspired by the vibes of Key West, he created his own tropical island paradise in West Palm Beach.

As his father did, Joel introduced his sons to plants at an early age and the knowledge that son, Palmer, gained has stuck with him.

“I loved being outside…this was like a playground for us.”

Palmer’s own passion for plants drove him to get a degree in horticulture and art. While for many, the pandemic was a setback, Palmer’s return home gave him a laboratory of plants to play with and begin his own online plant business, Palmera Plants.

“It had a new meaning and when I started growing my own plants, I all of a sudden had an abundance of different kinds of tropical plants.”

For Joel and Palmer, their individual passions for plants also inspire each other. They also both work as horticulturists at Mounts Botanical Garden and it’s clear to see how well they work together.

For Joel, it all comes back to the joy that plants bring.

“There is no world without plants.”

Film & Photos by Jacopo Fantastichini.

Original score by Fabrizio Bondi.

Currently, Palmer’s Etsy shop is on a break, but you can follow Palmera Plants on Instagram for updates!