Kidder Perennial Works & Co. began long before it had a name. It started in the gardens I grew up in — places built by hand, tended with care, and filled with the perennials my family loved. Some of my earliest memories are walking through nurseries with my mom, choosing plants that would bring new interest to our yard. Those moments rooted me deeply in the world of plants.

As I grew older, that love became a calling. I worked across Michigan — Kalamazoo, Lansing, East Lansing & Tip of the Mit — for residential landscape contractors with nurseries, seasonal nurseries, and the MSU campus nursery, arboretum & constructed main campus. I learned every part of the work: installation labor, crew coordination, propagation, nursery planning, inventory oversight, soil structure inspection, construction supervision, residential sales, planting design, and project management. Over time, I became a registered Landscape Architect for the State of Michigan, shaping projects where the built environment and the natural environment meet. My instincts have always been wired for this work — understanding how landscapes function, how people move through them, and how plants bring life to every space.

Through all of that experience, one thing stayed constant: my love for plants. Trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses — especially natives and nativars that support ecological health. We value plants that are hardy, resilient, and beneficial to pollinators and the environment. We hold a strong defense against invasives, and an even stronger excitement for perennials and grasses. Sharing that excitement with friends, family, and clients has always been one of the greatest joys of this journey.

Kidder Perennial Works & Co. is the next chapter. We’re building our nursery now — preparing for our first season in spring 2027 — right here on the 45th Parallel. This unique latitude gives our plants a natural advantage: strong seasonal rhythms, reliable vernalization, and the kind of northern hardiness that helps perennials thrive year after year. We grow with intention, using customized soil media from an award‑winning Michigan manufacturer and vernalized liners from an in‑state grower, allowing our plants to bulk up naturally and take off quickly in spring.

We may be small, but we are rooted in experience, passion, and place. Kidder Perennial Works & Co. is committed to growing strong, healthy plants and helping our community build landscapes that feel intentional, enduring, and connected to the land beneath them by ROOTWISE Design Studio.

Our story will continue to grow — just like the nursery, just like the plants, and just like the people who will bring their gardens to life with us.