Chip Jones: Landscaper and Nursery Owner

Chip Jones is not your average nursery owner. When he’s not tending to his greenhouses in Florida, he’s traveling the world to discover brand new plant species. 

Even though his life is centered around plants now, there was a time where he never even realized this was something he could pursue. It took an internship with the New England Wildflower Society to give him that lightbulb moment. 

“People use plants for money. People eat plants. But how do you learn about plants and how do you make plants more important in the world? And at that time, I decided I wanted to be serious about plants.”

Cycads draw Chip in the most. He admires the way they’re more elusive than other species - you have to actively seek them out to find them. 

Even after he has been away in other countries exploring the environment and making new discoveries, the first thing he wants to do upon arriving home is check on his greenhouses. 

“I want to say, are they happy, did they miss me? Do they need me? Are they okay without me? Or am I the one that makes them what they are?”

A film by Jacopo Fantastichini.