I had the pleasure of getting to know Dane Jordan, co-founder of The Plant Daddies — the company taking LA by storm, crafting living art for interior designers and celebrities. "My dream is to bring horticulture and plant life, and elevate it into art," says Dane.
Rather than simply decorating with plants, the plants themselves become the star of the show. From finding form in plants and sourcing and curating the perfect vessels to pair them with, Dane Jordan and his family of 'plant daddies' turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
In today's homes, now more than ever, we are seeking spaces that tell an authentic narrative of our lives, that reflect how we want to feel, and that bring us closer to nature. I wanted to learn all there was to know about the dreamer who brings a — often large — slice of magic into homes through intentional, sculptural living forms. Dane tells me how The Plant Daddies' journey began, what it's like managing a business with his best friends, and what it's really like to work with interior designers.
How It All Began
It all started with Dane's first passion: cooking. His father was a professional chef who owned a restaurant in Virginia, and this restaurant was next door to The Great Big Greenhouse — a locally-run nursery supplying plants and patio decor, where you can also seek plant-related advice from professionals.
Dane recalls that he and his father would often bicker, and when they did, Dane would head next door to The Great Big Greenhouse to spend time with the young staff who worked there — and after a while, he started working there, too, as a 'mulch boy'.
"I would dig mulch in the back of people's trucks; I'd sleep in the mulch and wait for them to arrive," he says. This then led to becoming the 'water boy', all while learning and absorbing from the staff and students of the local horticultural program that worked there, everything from turf management to landscape architecture.
Dane would water the plants by tags, soon getting to know them very well, which was noticed by management, and he was offered a full-time job as a nursery assistant.
He then joined the same horticulture program as his colleagues, and those who were also part of the program had what Dane referred to as their 'side hustles,' and would poach Dane to work for them, too, from landscape architects to designers.
"I'd work for everybody — I got a good, rounded understanding of everything from turf management to large trees," Dane explains. He also did this while starting a side hustle of his own — Great Danes Planting Service — helping clients with their own planting, all at just 19 years old.
Of course, The Great Big Greenhouse didn't want Dane poaching their clients — which was not Dane's prerogative; they just kept coming looking for him after word got around — and he was told to stop. Dane did, but the phone kept ringing, so they ended up letting him go.
Dane went on with Great Danes Planting Service on his own — alongside managing a wine bar and training to become a level one sommelier — but following a stint in project management in Boston, he moved to LA to study architecture at the Los Angeles Institute of Architecture and Design.
There, he learnt everything from abstract design and negative space to understanding form and sculpture. "You learn that everything is designed — from stop signs to air ducts, there's a designer behind it," says Dane.
He then worked for the prestigious chef, Thomas Keller, where the beauty of plating came into its own. "Plating is an art form," he says. "Cooking is an art form. There's time, there's management, there's smells, there's textures. And it's like it's almost still living, but not anymore, you know?" Then COVID hits, and that's the end of that.
Surrounded by thousands of plants in his apartment, he starts selling them on Facebook Marketplace and styling them in friends' apartments. Then his best friend, Macy Lucarelli, quit his job in real estate to join Dane, becoming co-founder of The Plant Daddies. "He's the best partner anyone could ever have," Dane tells me.
And their friend Kenny Rickerd, who understood the fundamentals of business, joined too, as the third and final co-founder of the company. "I'm sure, without him, we would not be where we are today," Dane says.
All it took was some customers affectionately calling Macy and Dane their 'plant daddies', and the new company name was born.
What a Day in the Life of a Plant Daddy Looks Like
"It takes an army," Dane explains, with a large team of strong men and women needed to lift and maneuver these large indoor plants and trees and heavy vessels into often awkward spaces.
Now that the company is well established, Dane typically spends a lot of the day in client meetings. "Unfortunately, I don't get to play in the soil and dirt as much as I used to. We work with interior designers the majority of the time; they've very, very particular — the height of the plant, the size of the plant, the cut of the plant, the price of the plant, the price in the pot, too," Dane says.
"The pot's part of the whole thing. We have two showrooms, and keeping those clean is a whole task in itself. We have seven acres in Orange County, and in LA, we've got an acre, which is 40,000 square feet. We get containers coming in of pots, containers of plants, all of which we have to place and care for.
"Just before you called me, I'm over here spraying horticulture soap on everything — every plant needs attention. We've got thousands of little babies to look after all the time," Dane continues. It can be a gruelling job, but the family of plant daddies is grateful for every moment.
Working With Friends and Interior Designers
I asked Dane if he ever found it hard managing a business with his best friends, but he doesn't think so. "Our friendship is like no other. I don't think this is normal. We can argue and fight, but everything will be fine," he says.
And if Macy ever has a grand idea, Kenny will explain they can't afford it, "so both of you shut up," he laughs, affectionately, and that's that! They're a family at the end of the day, and each brings a different strength to the table, and they all believe in the collective dream.
"They believe in my dream as well," Dane says. "There's respect. I let go of everything and made this my number one, and proved that there was a market."
When I asked Dane how he identified the gap in the market, working predominantly for interior designers, he explained that he feels like everyone's got their own interior designer these days.
"Before this, I didn't know anyone with an interior designer — you just went to IKEA! Now there are lots of homes that are basically little businesses; they get designed and purchased, and then everyone who buys their house needs to redo it. Plants have become almost mandatory for a home now — part of the design aesthetic," Dane says.
And it's true — in today's interior design trends, it's clear that what we are yearning for are spaces that bring nature in, that are intentional, and that are, ultimately, real.
Finding Form In the Plant
How Dane and his team can manipulate the plants is key. "It's finding form in the plant; finding negative space, and then pairing that with a vessel, which makes it look like it's been there, as opposed to put in there," Dane explains.
It's all in the presentation, a lot of which comes from Dane's background in the hospitality industry — "each pot, plant, pairing; it's almost like plating. You need hierarchy and color, and knowing how the pairing will make you feel," he explains.
"My dream is to bring horticulture and plant life, and elevate it into art," says Dane. And that is absolutely what he and his team are doing — and they're doing it beautifully.
Large Indoor Plants to Style at Home
Size: W24cm x H130-140cm
Also known as 'The Dragon Tree', this is also an air-purifying plant, making it as practical as it is stylish.
Size: W30cm x H130-140cm
Requiring little effort yet giving maximum impact, this Fiddle-Lead Fig Tree is another air-purifying plant for your space.
Size: Height 100cm
The Money Tree's distinctive braided trunk is sure to make a statement in any space, and it also happens to be a low-maintenance indoor plant.
Large Indoor Pots to Style Them In
Size: H48 x Dia 62cm
Made from rattan, OKA's Mandalay Planters are hand-woven by artisans into their diamond-patterned form over the course of two days — a story in itself.
Size: H48 x Dia 58cm
Instantly elevate your plant and space with this Matley Rattan Basket from Abigail Ahern — it's textural, organic, and statement-making.
Size: H 41cm D 46cm
This extra-large Belorado Beige plant pot, with its smooth curves, would make the perfect plant pairing for a stylish addition to any space.
On another call I had with Dane, he told me everything I needed to know to style bamboo spirals like a plant artist, so that you can learn from the best, too.
