Travis Kelley
From a young age, I loved all things nature, and spent countless hours exploring the woods behind my childhood home. My love for storytelling and photography led me to pursue film school at Emmerson College, where I received a BA in Visual Media Arts with a concentration in Writing for Film and Television. My pursuit of a creative job after college led me to work as a florist, where I honed my eye for color, form, and texture.
My time as a floral designer led to an opportunity at Winston Flowers, where I joined the garden design division and embarked on a career as a horticulturist. I initially focused on interior plant maintenance, then moved into interior plant and container design and sales. But soon I found myself being sent to exterior jobs from Boston to Rhode Island, Wellesley, and Cape Cod, planting containers and performing fine gardening estate maintenance tasks, and I loved it!
Eventually, I made the switch to work at a boutique fine horticulture company, Walter Prayzner Custom Gardening. During my three years there, I learned to emulate Walter’s distinctive container brand, while developing a style of my own. I also deepened my horticultural knowledge and estate maintenance skills, finding a passion for herbaceous perennials and naturalistic garden planting styles. I took numerous classes from the Native Plant Trust during this time, learning about soil health and ecological gardening, among other topics.
Looking for a new challenge, I took a position at Parterre Garden Services, where I grew the modest downtown book of business by 350% over 4 years. During this time, I developed my managerial skills, designed and enhanced countless small gardens, and developed what has become the Parterre brand of container design and holiday decor. In a newly-created position, Director of Signature Services, I continue to manage new client sales while taking on creative direction for the company’s many specialty services and assist field managers throughout the company as they enhance their client’s properties seasonally.
Travis Kelley 