Fuzzy Petioles

The plants I grow are from somewhere.

Each one evolved in a specific place, shaped by a particular climate, geology, and ecosystem. That context is worth understanding.

I grew up in Florida and took the climate for granted: hot, humid, stormy, and full of plants adapted to those conditions. It was not until I left, and later traveled into the western edge of the Amazon in Ecuador, that I understood what I had been walking past. The plants I loved did not begin on greenhouse benches or windowsills. They came from cloud forests, mountain slopes, river valleys, and ecosystems that took millions of years to form.

I returned from Ecuador in 2019 with a renewed sense that those places, and the plants shaped by them, deserved more attention. Later that year my brother died, and soon after COVID made the fragility of time impossible to ignore. Fuzzy Petioles began at home, initially as a way to offset what I was spending while teaching myself to grow. It became something more: a way to share the joy of these plants, the knowledge required to care for them, and the connection they offer to places most people may never see for themselves.

What it became

The first few years were spent learning in public. I grew whatever interested me, shared successful plants through local groups and Market Days in downtown Columbus, and gradually learned what I wanted the business to be.

Today, Fuzzy Petioles sits at the intersection of horticulture, education, conservation, and commerce. I grow and hybridize Anthurium, share what I learn, and keep most plants priced within reach. Stewardship is not a price-point thing. It is a relationship.

In March 2024, a fire destroyed the attic grow space, mother plants, seed batches, and much of the infrastructure I had built. We rebuilt in a different form. At my wife's suggestion, we converted our carport into a dedicated 14-by-24-foot greenhouse with proper electrical service, climate control, and room to work. The business has grown considerably since, both in the number of plants and in the clarity of its purpose.

My work with the International Aroid Society is part of that same purpose. Research, education, conservation, and growing should not be treated as separate concerns. The context of where these plants come from should inform how they are grown, shared, and understood.