Rooted in Passion: How one Morganton woman’s dream has sprouted and bloomed
Sanchez prepares a ‘head planter’ for display.
Courtney Sanchez has used her green thumb to create a floral paradise in her back yard.
With the help of her family, Courtney Sanchez built a small greenhouse in her Burke County yard. Sanchez’s business, Sprout and Bloom, is based in the small structure.
Sanchez spends time each day, watering and pruning the plants in her small greenhouse. She said it takes about two hours to water all of the vegetation.
Courtney Sanchez feels right at home among her plants.
Courtney Sanchez of Sprout and Bloom has created a paradise for plants in her Burke County back yard.
Courtney Sanchez of Sprout and Bloom has created a paradise for plants in her Burke County back yard.
Sanchez is always on the lookout for unique planting containers for her gardening workshops.
Sanchez’s greenhouse provides a place of peace and serenity for the gardner.
Years ago, while other toddlers were busy finger painting with mashed peas, Courtney Sanchez was likely digging in rich garden soil, coaxing tender shoots to grow into lush green vegetation. Sanchez says gardening is in her blood.
“I’ve loved plants since I was a little girl,” the Morganton resident said. “I grew up in Florida, so we always had tropicals. We had big patios, and my mom always had plants.
“I would grow sunflowers during the summer, and it was just always something that I enjoyed,” she said. Sanchez’s uncle now owns a garden center in Virginia. Carrying on the family legacy comes second nature to her.
“My mom would talk about my grandmother, that she had such a green thumb, that she could grow a plant in a bucket, and it would just thrive and be wonderful,” Sanchez explained. “So, it’s just passed down from generation to generation.”
She said a move to Burke County provided more than just a new view.
“I felt like I was just opened up to a whole new world of flowers,” Sanchez said, “like, we have all the perennials here, and a lot of the flowers that are here, you can’t grow in Florida, because it’s very tropical.”
The move also provided a new world of opportunity for the mom of three boys. Her focus on flowers led to a job at a local greenhouse, then eventually, to her own glamorous greenhouse in her backyard. Yes, it’s glamorous — perhaps even boujee. Some might call it a “she shed.”
The small, white, neat building is filled not only with plants, potting soil, and terra cotta containers, but also with beautiful watering cans, glass birds, vintage teacups and saucers, gardening tools, and even a comfy armchair.
Whether you are a plant lover or not, Sanchez’s greenhouse is a wonder to see. Surrounded by clean glass windows and topped with translucent roof panels that allow a soft light to filter in, the oasis looks like a piece of paradise.
It’s so pleasant, Sanchez doesn’t mind the tasks associated with gardening that others often consider mundane.
“I love the outdoor flowers,” she explained. “That’s what my passion is.
I spend two hours a day watering. I just start at the front and work my way down. Just to have my music going, and the kids are outside doing things, and the dogs are running around, I enjoy it so much.”
Sanchez said time with her plants is a treasure.
“You really get to take it all in and enjoy the beauty of the flowers as you’re watering,” she said. “I thoroughly enjoy watering when I can go out there and just listen. I do it in the evening and it forces you to stop and just sit there and focus on what you’re watering and to look at what you’ve done.”
Now, her passion for growing things is growing into a thriving business. Sanchez owns and operates Sprout & Bloom, a small business bringing big fun and natural enjoyment to Morganton and surrounding areas.
Her weekends are filled with pop-up events in many local businesses. She hosts planter workshops, often with seasonal themes, where guests make and take planters, terrariums, or teacups, filled with dark soil and healthy plants.
She also brings a load of her potted greenery into local breweries, pubs, and small businesses, where she hosts “plant bingo.” Participants purchase one or more bingo cards and vie for the opportunity to choose a plant to take home. Sanchez is a gregarious and enthusiastic hostess for the games, calling letters, cheering for the winners, and offering on-the-spot care guidance for the plants they select.
It seems Sanchez has found her own Garden of Eden.
Sanchez keeps a busy schedule (see info box) and is making plans for the future of her business. But regardless of what that future holds, Sanchez will continue to do her part to ensure the beauty of nature, like her garden, will always flourish.
Sandra Wilkerson Queen is the arts & entertainment editor. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2002, or sandra@thepaper.media.
