Botanical Interests was launched in 1995, a labor of love. Judy Seaborn and Curtis Jones, both  experienced gardeners who had firsthand knowledge of the workings of independent garden  centers, saw a niche in the seed world. The pair began their business in their  garage by designing a beautiful seed packet that would appeal to shoppers at  retail garden centers. Their attention to detail did not stop with packet   design, however, but extended throughout their business. Seed selection, testing, and storage; planting instructions and growing tips; variety trialing,  and even instructions on how to read a seed packet were all part of their thoughtfully conceived business model. Botanical Interests seed packets are now available in more than 4500 stores.

These unique seed packets announce Botanical Interests’ business model loud and clear. Judy and  Curtis began by working with trained botanical artists,  many of whom were graduates from the Denver Botanic  Garden School of Botanical Art & Illustration. Full of useful information as well as seeds, the beautiful packets represent both the art and the science of gardening. Inspiring and educating gardeners has always been the main focus of Botanical Interests. This emphasis on helping gardeners succeed ran through every product, and every business decision.  

Leigh Pond has been with the company since 2018, starting in customer service, then joining the wholesale team. She now shares the job of seed buying, heading up the purchasing of flowers and ornamentals, while her counterpart Lesia purchases vegetables and herbs. After earning a degree in Environmental Science and Agriculture, Leigh spent a year in the AmeriCorps program working with local farmers to reduce food loss by bringing their extra produce into food banks. It was through that work that she was introduced to Botanical Interests’ seed donation program, and then to its customer service team.

Epic Gardening acquired Botanical Interests in 2023. Judy and Curtis were looking for a successor who shared their mission, and they found one in Kevin Espiritu, Epic Gardening’s founder. “Together, we share a passion for providing exceptional varieties of high-quality seed, detailed educational information to help the home gardener succeed,” Judy said at the time of the merger. As part of Epic, Botanical Interests continues to offer more than 650 varieties of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds chosen specifically for the home gardener. And their art department continues to generate the artwork the brand is known for. 

Epic Gardening has a robust online gardening community and an extensive library of gardening guides and videos, complementing the information Judy and Curtis had compiled over the years. The majority of the company’s 85 plus fulltime employees are based in Colorado, though about a third are located in San Diego, Kevin Espiritu’s home, and other spots around the country. This fall, Epic Gardening will be opening a new facility, not far from the existing Colorado warehouse, that will double their seed storage capacity and office space. 

“Epic Gardening and Botanical Interests have different customer bases,” Leigh notes. Botanical Interests has traditionally served experienced, older gardeners, many of whom have large gardens. Epic caters more to beginners and younger, urban gardeners with small growing plots. We exist to help you grow is the company’s tagline. To that end, the company is proud of its exceptional customer service department, consisting of six team members who can call on other company experts as needed. The information Epic Gardening offers is easily digestible, and offered on multiple platforms. “Epic has also introduced their own seed line,” Leigh offers. It is a curated collection of 40 packets, designed to take the guesswork out of seed selection for novice gardeners.

“I’m an avid gardener,” says Leigh, “and I love the home garden seed niche.” At the same time she thrills at being part of a huge global industry that runs through everything—the supply chain, the complex logistics involved in moving seed, the fields and fields across the world that form its base. “The seed industry is the foundation of agriculture, and an important part of so many other industries.”