Daily Inspiration: Meet Grace Schmalz And Jackson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Schmalz And Jackson

Hi Grace, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
John Noble has had a passion for flowers since he was born and took botany classes at Mesa College. He further fell in love with plant identification and learning through being in the field and collaborating with others. John was inspired by many botanists who came before him and wrote books about their collective findings, amazed by their teamwork. At the time of the creation of Botany for Kids, John had already been running an organic landscaping business, Coastal Sage Gardening which is located in Point Loma. John wants to share his love for plants with kids, acknowledging that we now have much broader access to plant knowledge through the internet. Another goal is to bring wilderness and connection back into kids’ homes by involving the whole family, sharing knowledge, and encouraging conversation. Botany for Kids aims to engage and enhance kid’s senses, knowledge, awareness, and love for the outdoors.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Every step of the way has been a joy, despite random setbacks that naturally occur on the journey. I think everyone experienced some sort of changes during COVID-19, and we were no different. Coastal Sage Gardening, Botany for Kids, and many of our services had to pause due to the lack of in-person gatherings. Since revamping the Botany for Kids program, we have also experienced some difficulty reconnecting with the local community and spreading the word to those who would be interested. We have noticed that since the COVID-19 era, people seem to keep to themselves more and it has been tough to reignite the same passion from the community. These events are low to no cost and hosted with passion and purpose, so we are super hopeful that there will be a shift in turnout soon. We have been reaching out to local news outlets and organizations as well as schools to engage and encourage presence at our events. Additionally, John’s kids have since grown up, so we are less in touch with younger families nowadays. No matter what challenges we face, we are determined to continue providing accessible plant and garden education.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We offer an abundance of services related to our love for nature and the community. Coastal Sage Gardening is a landscaping business that specializes in garden design & execution, maintenance, irrigation, etc. Coastal Sage Gardening has a homefront shop filled with plants, plant supplies, and magic. Our amazing owner, John Noble, has been leading the team for over 4 decades. His proudest Botany for Kids moment was when we provided a botany lesson for students at a school for the blind; being able to connect them with plants and engage their senses with the magic of nature was an honor. Currently, we host bi-monthly native plant walks at a local park, Point Loma Native Plant Reserve, a park that Coastal Sage & Botany for Kids had a hand in creating. We also offer bi-monthly plant walks around Balboa Pond, an area that we adopted and are responsible for planting and beautifying. These events occur on the second Saturday of each month, with the next Balboa event being on December 14th, and the next Point Loma Native Plant Reserve walk on January 11th. Our Instagram, @coastalsage_garden, always has updated details regarding our events. We are known for bringing people into the present moment and guiding them to appreciate and learn about the environment around them, as well as creating joyful experiences outside. We’ve thrown other events such as Easter Egg Hunts, an Earth Day celebration, and native plant sales. Possibly our favorite service we offer is school garden education and installation. We meet with the school to discuss their garden dreams, and offer assistance wherever is needed, whether it be planting, layout, irrigation, compost, etc., and we provide hands-on lessons to engage students in the process. What sets us apart from others is our flexible pricing and creative freedom, as there is really no limit to what we can do in terms of gardening.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
There is so much to love about San Diego. No surprise here, our favorite part about the city is the land we live on. No matter how you feel on the inside, stepping outside provides a jolt of inspiration and elevation. There is NEVER an end to the adventure as there are countless beaches, parks, trails, and other sites to explore. What makes it even better is exploring these beautiful pieces of nature with the community and those you love. If we had to pick what our least favorite aspect of the city is, it would be the cost of living around here. Yes, it’s beautiful and amazing, but sometimes eating dirt for dinner is the only way to get by. (kidding of course! We don’t eat dirt anymore!)

Pricing:

• We sell plants at our shop starting at $5.00
• Events are always free with donations appreciated
• School garden education and set-up pricing is very flexible, with usual ranges from $1,000-$5,000

Contact Info:

• Website: http://coastalsage.mysite.com/index.html
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/coastalsage_garden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastalsagegardening