The story behind Yen's Garden

Hi there,

My name is Yen, and I’m the owner of Yen’s Garden in Saint Cloud, Florida.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share the story behind Yen’s Garden. If you’re not interested in reading my story, that’s perfectly okay. Feel free to skip this page and return to the main page to browse for the plants.

I was born in a small village in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. During those difficult years, many people struggled to find enough food to eat. I was fortunate that I never went hungry because my grandma grew a wide variety of vegetables and fruit trees around her home. She also raised chickens, ducks, and pigs.

As a little girl, I loved my grandma’s garden because it provided us with so many delicious fruits and vegetables. She cooked wonderful meals, and most of the ingredients came straight from her garden. We also enjoyed fresh fish and shrimp caught from the river in front of her house. I loved picking vegetables and fruit and working in the garden with my grandma and my siblings.

Dinner was my favorite time of day. After school, we gathered to enjoy my grandma’s home-cooked meals. My siblings and I would fill our bowls with fish and vegetables and sit together outside in the small yard with the neighborhood children. Those simple moments are some of my happiest memories.

Later, I moved to Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam. Although I was no longer eating food grown at home, every meal reminded me of my grandma and how hard she worked to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for our family.

Some of my favorite fruits are mangoes, avocados, sugar apples, lychees, longans, star fruit, soursop, guavas, bananas, and many more. I will never forget the fragrance of the gardenias blooming in her front yard, where we often sat together on a wooden bench under the full moon. My grandma would tell us fairy tales while we enjoyed mooncakes and gardenia tea. I almost always fell asleep before her stories ended.

When I moved to the United States ten years ago, I dreamed of having a large yard where I could grow plants just as my grandma had. We were fortunate to find a home on five acres of land, where we live with our three dogs and many ducks, surrounded by neighbors with horses, cows, goats, and other animals. We wanted to create a beautiful garden where our children could enjoy homegrown fruits and vegetables and develop a love and appreciation for nature.

Unfortunately, our only child passed away in 2022, just 30 days after my grandma passed away. The grief was overwhelming, and I was unable to work in my plant nursery for more than three years. After taking time to heal and process these tremendous losses, I decided to reopen my garden and continue growing plants in honor of both my grandma and my daughter.

We also operate a nonprofit organization that supports orphanages in Vietnam. We are committed to donating a portion of our profits to help children in need.

My hope is to inspire more people to grow their own fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables so they can experience the joy of harvesting fresh food, appreciate the gifts of nature, and create meaningful memories with their families and friends.

At Yen’s Garden, I’m not just selling plants. I also hope to share my love of gardening, along with the knowledge and experiences I’ve gained over the years. I truly believe that planting something in the ground is like growing love in your heart. With patience and care, your plants will reward you with beauty, nourishment, and joy every day. More importantly, the memories you create while gardening will stay with you for a lifetime.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story.

Happy planting!

Yen’s Garden