Seeing double?
We're identical twins from a small farmtown in North Carolina. We geek out over all things plants, fashion, photography, home decor, design, and large power equipment!
We never seem to fit inside a box. We felt like we didn't fit in; like we needed to choose either fashionable + cute OR hardworking + dirty, but never both.
But why? Let's do both! We're on a mission to empower women to step into their true calling... even if it looks a little different.
FAWN + HEATHER here!
Hey there, Plant Lady!
Our love for plants and getting our hands dirty started as kids...
Growing up on a small farm in North Carolina, we learned how to work with our hands to produce all the food that we ate. We harvested acres of crops, developed a strong work ethic, and the true meaning of resilience. These humble beginnings are what made us who we are today.
We knew at a very young age that we wanted to use the skills we learned working on the farm but we weren't sure exactly where it fit in our careers and our lives.
Co-Owners identical Twins Best friends Business partners Risk Takers
Go-getters
For over a we’ve been pursuing
our own
decade,
passions + careers...
horticulturalist + Turfgrass manager
destination wedding photographer
leader
and
educator
Visionary creative director
Exterior + Landscape designer
branding & graphic designer
LARGE + SMALL EQUIPMENT
GURU
content
creator
guru
fAWN
HEATHER
Now we're on a mission to
Inspire, Educate & Empower
We've always talked on the phone every single day. One day in October 2019, everything changed. We had a profound realization from God: what if the past ten years were meant for us to perfect our own craft and learn different skills so we could bring our worlds together? This is it. This is exactly why our paths have brought us to this place. We sat in tears. We knew this was from Above. That evening, we created Those Plant Ladies.
We’re uniting ROUGH + DIRTY with SOFT + CURATED and creating a change that redefines normal.
We're showing women what it looks like to play in the dirt AND embrace being a woman!
Meet FAWN
I've always been the only female on all of my crews. After college, I started my career in sports field management, maintaining high-profile athletic fields, mowing, weed eating, painting fields, and more. Most people would probably consider it grunt work but I loved it! I worked my way up the ladder to becoming assistant supervisor of my crew. On the weekends, I worked with the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Knights, always trying to learn and grow as a professional in the green industry. I was still the only female in sight.
The amount of times I heard, "Women just don't want to do this as a career," or "Our generation doesn't want to work with their hands..." it's astounding. It would make my blood boil! I remember telling myself that I wouldn't make these same statements and excuses, but instead, be the example. I 100% believe I've walked this path so I can show other women what it looks like to be in a male-dominated industry and love working with my hands every day.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My love for community and empowering women was sparked from a longing for female camaraderie in the green industry.
Meet HEATHER
After I graduated college, I moved to the North Carolina coast to begin my next adventure as a newlywed. My husband bought me a camera and I dove in headfirst. I was in fight or flight mode and I didn't stop there. I built my own website, mastered photoshop, and perfected my craft to capture intentional moments through film. Imagery is my jam; every movement, word, and fleeting detail tells a story. Anybody else guilty of only looking at the pictures in a book instead of actually reading the words? (Oh... just me?)
I broke out of my small-town shell and traveled the world to capture moments for my clients. Images tell a powerful story without using words. The aesthetic, colors, and mission all come together to tell a piece of that narrative.
Creating a luxe, high-end brand wasn't something I set out to do but I realized that it was important for me to work with people who valued creativity. That luxury brand had me feeling like I couldn't show my most genuine self behind the camera. The old saying of, “You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl,”... yeah, that’s me! I needed an outlet to express my authentic self.
My love for captivating images and telling authentic stories was ignited in my soul when I picked up that camera for the first time.
We're breaking stereotypes
Women can do manual labor, run powerful equipment, tackle big projects, and have fun doing it.
This is redefining normal in the green industry. Having a crew of all females is showing the next generation of girls that they can choose this career if it's their calling. It's showing the world that women are strong, capable, knowledgeable, and powerful. Let's break barriers together.
Our newsletter has all the exclusive content delivered each month to your inbox. You'll get tutorial videos, sneak peeks, and discount codes!
Want to volunteer with us? We get so excited to meet new friends and play in the dirt together. It doesn't matter if you're a plant rookie or a plant expert, we're about community.
We have a full crew of professional ladies and we're committed to the highest quality in horticulture care. We'll take your virtual rendering from Fawn Renae Designs and turn it into a reality.
We'll Install Your Design
Get Your Hands Dirty
Get On The List
support this movement
Grew and harvested our own food
Raised on a small farm in North Carolina
October 29th, 1989: born two minutes apart
CHILDHOOD
Our Journey
It didn't just happen overnight. Here's the dirt on how it all went down...
1989-2021
Led our turfgrass classmates on our first landscape installation
Presented our landscape design to the county commissioner
Took horticulture and turfgrass management classes
HIGHSCHOOL
Double-majored in horticulture and turfgrass management
COLLEGE
Heather: got married & picked up her first camera
START OF NEW CAREERS
Fawn: moved to Charlotte, got married, and worked on the crew at Charlotte Country Day School
Heather: moved to the coast & created Heather Payne Photography
Graduated college
SEPARATING TO CHASE PASSIONS
phone date every afternoon at 2:30
Dove into our childhood and how it made us who we are today
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Fawn: started working the grounds crew at the Carolina Panthers on the weekends field
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Heather: transitioned her business to focus on luxury destination weddings and became a worldwide jet-setter
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Heather: pursued the skill of photographing flowers and nature at the Team Flower Workshops and Floret Workshops
Fawn: hired for a management position at Charlotte Country Day School
ADVANCING OUR SKILLS
Heather: landed in major publications including People Magazine for wedding photography
Heather: perfected her creative process and produced large wedding and bridal photoshoots
Fawn: worked on the grounds crew at the Charlotte Knights
BUILDING GRIT
Heather: photographed destination weddings all over the world
Fawn: became a mama
TAKING THE LEAP
Created Those Plant Ladies
Fawn: created Fawn Renae Designs
The first all-female installation crew happened
Heather: Covid postponed all scheduled weddings
Fawn: left her salary job to pursue Those Plant Ladies and Fawn Renae Designs
PURSUING OUR PURPOSE
Grew Those Plant Ladies + added women to our team
Completed 10 installations with teams of women
Created our own branded merchandise
Hosted our Summer Container Workshop
Landed our very first brand partnership with Mike Johnson Toyota
CREATING CHANGE
The fun has just begun!
Always together... same schools, same jobs!
Keeping turfgrass alive became a passion
A Gypsy soul in action
photographing over 500 flower arrangements & bouquets
The blessing + The motivator
The day that changed everything...
Learned the meaning of hard work and reaping what you sow
fawn
heather
Meet the Team
Teamwork makes the dream work
alexa
CLaire
Team Leader & Culture
Brand Manager & Creative Visionary
Plant Genius & Educator
Content Strategist & Marketer
Click their cute faces to peep our crew!
All things creative. From creating graphics + working on digital creations to creating imagery + videos that help us spread our mission further. I wear the the aesthetics hat and “heather-ify” everything
Boss Babe + Brand Manager + Creative Visionary
Team Member
socialize
TITLE:
MY ENNEAGRAM IS:
YOU CAN USUALLY FIND ME WORKING ON...
I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT...
Heather Payne
Two
Creating! I believe everyone is creative. It’s a muscle that we have to exercise every day to get stronger.
PLANT LADY LEVEL:
I’m your average plant lady level, with lots of experience implementing!
Designs for TPL to install, networking and building relationships within the industry, and leading the team of amazing ladies! Leadership is my jam. Whether I'm leading a team virtually or in person at our installations, I love empowering others to tackle tasks themselves. My motto is: "Teamwork makes the dream work!"
Boss Babe + Team Leader + Designer
Team Member
socialize
TITLE:
MY ENNEAGRAM IS:
YOU CAN USUALLY FIND ME WORKING ON...
I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT...
Fawn Wilson
Eight
Creating a life and culture around me that isn't necessarily what the world would consider inside the box. I want to live a life that's true to my calling and purpose, and in turn, give others permission to do the same. There's nothing wrong with working with your hands as a career. I want to change the negative stereotype and show the world what it looks like to be feminine, successful, AND work with your hands!
PLANT LADY LEVEL:
Plant Expert
I get to have my eyes (and hands!) on anything written -- blog posts, social media captions, documents we create… anything! I also spend a lot of time behind the camera at our events. I love doing anything that gives me the chance to collaborate with the team.
Content Strategy + Marketing + Copywriter
Team Member
socialize
TITLE:
MY ENNEAGRAM IS:
YOU CAN USUALLY FIND ME WORKING ON...
I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT...
Claire Hoots
One
My family. Bringing other plant rookies into the TPL tribe. Basketball. A good glass of wine. Diving into Scripture. Fashion + home decor. Being outdoors. Laughing as much as possible. Checking things off of a list. Music.
PLANT LADY LEVEL:
Plant Rookie
All things educational on the blog, social media, and more! I love hearing what our community wants to know more about and making it happen! You can also catch me on installation day making sure all of the materials are in place and teaching all the things our crew wants to know!
Educator + Logistics Coordinator + Writer
Team Member
socialize
TITLE:
MY ENNEAGRAM IS:
YOU CAN USUALLY FIND ME WORKING ON...
I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT...
Alexa Smarr
Five
Living sustainably and in harmony with the natural world and with each other. I have a degree in horticulture and entomology (bugs!) and I love studying the complex and amazing relationships that nature gives us. The most beautiful landscapes, to me, are those that bring these ecosystem relationships into our own backyards to support and enjoy! I want generations to come to be able to witness the same plants, animals, and entire ecosystems that make our planet so spectacular!
PLANT LADY LEVEL:
Plant Expert
What do a couple of twins from a small farmtown in North Carolina love? This is everything from our favorite gardening tools to the business platforms that keep us productive.
Peep all the gear we love...
Our Favorite Things
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Let's Become
besties!
You're officially on the list and in like Flynn! See you on the inside!
Hot Damn!
