Check Out Natalie Lattimore’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Lattimore.

Hi Natalie , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a little different than your average florist. My background spans environmental conservation, garden design, farming, and large-scale art production at music festivals and other events. I spent years working on farms, in succulent nurseries, nature centers and with nonprofits producing events—each experience deepening my connection to plants, people, and place. In 2018, I settled down and founded Plant Co.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started Plant Co. in 2018, after moving back from California and setting up a tiny studio at a table in my living room. I wanted to use the power of plants to bring people together—so I began hosting ‘Plant Co. Parties’ at local wineries, where guests sipped wine and built succulent arrangements at DIY bars. It was joyful, creative, and community-driven, though not always consistent in sales.

In winter, I teamed up with a friend to sell preserved plant art—moss walls, wreaths—at holiday craft shows. Again, beautiful work, but the time and return didn’t quite align. Then came 2020, and like many in the event world, I had to adapt. With time to refocus, I leaned into seasonal rhythm and created a ‘wheel of the year’ to guide Plant Co.’s offerings: festivals and gardening in spring and summer, weddings in fall, preserved art in winter. Weddings began to pick up, especially in our region, and I focused my energy there. I am still working on getting to fully embody the wheel of the year rhythm I have planned out for plant co. and myself.
2025 was shaping up to be a dream year—my gardens were thriving, I was planning my own wedding in May, and I had a full calendar of festivals and floral events. But in February, while I was away on my bachelorette trip, our house caught fire. My studio, tucked in the basement, was lost—along with over 400 plants, including a rare aloe collection I’d nurtured since 2017. It was devastating. Everyone was safe, but the plants were not.

Still, we’re rebuilding. I’ve relocated over 40 garden plants, including fruit trees, to make way for construction. My new studio will be attached to the garage, with a spacious workshop and room to grow. We’re putting in windows and doors this week. It’s been a season of loss, but also of renewal. Plant Co. has always been about joy, resilience, and connection—and this next chapter will be no different. I’m just trying to be like a blueberry plant and thrive after fire.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I describe my work as ‘living and preserved plant art’—that’s the best way I’ve found to explain the range of what I do. Sometimes I’m designing gardens, sometimes it’s moss walls or preserved pieces, and sometimes it’s a bridal bouquet or a installation at a music festival with 40,000 people. The scale shifts, but the core is always the same: plants are my medium, and I use them to create art and evoke feeling.
I’ve never felt quite right calling myself a florist. I do floral design, but I also build things—fabricated pieces, custom arbors, large-scale scenes. That ability to design and construct sets me apart. I think of myself more as an installation artist who works with plants.
I’m probably most proud of my gardens—the ones at home that not many people see. I’ve grown plants from seed that now have grown taller than me, and those relationships feel really personal.
In the wedding world, I’m known for bespoke floral design. I work closely with couples to bring their vision to life, sourcing from local farms and drawing on my event experience to make the day feel seamless.
Recently, I’ve started designing custom arbors for ceremonies and making them available for rent. I’d love to partner with more venues so couples can choose a ceremony arbor that really fits their style and story.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The water, the trees & the ability to visit so many open public lands. I love that people travel here to visit “Up North” and its a nostalgic feeling we get to live in all the time. Of course the farmers also are a big part of why I love it here. To be able to drive around and find farm stands on the side of the road is truly special. I love to support our local farms with my business and for cooking meals at home. I would say least favorite is a Sunday brunch mission in summer when you are hungry… it is not for the faint of heart.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leelanauplantco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leelanau.plant.co/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leelanauplantco/