About Us

 

Hi! I'm Leslie! I haven't always been into plants because I used to kill them! But after realizing I just had to choose the right plants that fit my plant personality, I found success! Succulents are my first love (because they thrive on neglect LOL) but I have now fallen in love with ALL THE PLANTS!

But don't get me wrong, I still kill plants when I choose ones that need more care than I'm willing or able to provide! I like to focus my collecting on different varieties that suit my "lazy plant parent" personality. At first it was strictly succulents. In late 2016 I saw a gorgeous succulent wreath online and thought "I have got to make one of those!". After I made my first one, I was hooked and The Seaside Succulent was born! I grew my succulent workshop business while teaching at Satellite High School full time - I know, I'm a little bit crazy LOL! When my mom passed away in October 2018, I was thrown into a full-on mid-life crisis. It was then I have the realization that life can be short and I wanted to spend my limited time on Earth doing what I loved!

So in May 2019 I decided I was ready to take my little side gig and do it full time! And I'll tell you...while I did love my students...playing with plants is so much more fun (and a lot less stressful) than teaching high school!

Fast-forward to 2020...I'm teaching workshops all over Florida (and sometimes beyond) crafting new and interesting projects with succulents and having so much fun. I was even getting into other low maintenance plants beyond succulents and actually kept them alive! Turns out you just have to pick the right plants that will thrive with YOUR plant personality!

Then 'Rona joined the party, all workshops were cancelled, and I decided I had better get my business online! Now we're focused on supplying easy care plants that will bring you JOY! And wow...so many people became obsessed with plants during COVID! I think it's because of how they make us feel. I think it's safe to say we've all felt stress in one way or another and plants can ground us, give us something positive to focus on, and just bring us a sense of well-being...something I expect we can all use a little more of!

Our shop grew in 2021 to include my husband, Tanner, working by my side full time to bring you even more planty goodness, and in March 2022 we opened our storefront! We enjoyed meeting so many new customers and so many of you have turned into friends! Fast forward to summer 2024. The shop had grown and was doing great, but the stress and overhead of running a plant shop and workshop business was taking a toll on my mental and physical well-being. I wasn't finding as much joy in the business as I did when I was solely focused on teaching workshops. So we made the tough decision to close the retail location and go back to being a mobile, workshop-based business and I couldn't be happier!

We invite you join us for a workshop at one of the awesome businesses we partner with throughout Brevard County! We hope you find our workshops fun and relaxing, and we hope they bring more joy to your life!

Thanks so much for supporting our small, family-run business as we have evolved through the years! We wouldn't be here without YOU!

xo,
Leslie, Tanner & Hazel