About us
Started in a backyard, grown by curiosity.
Maria Chen spent a decade teaching botany at CU Boulder before she realised her favourite students were the ones who showed up in her garden, not her lecture hall. In 2011, she started Greenleaf — and hasn't stopped digging since.
How we started
Maria's garden on the north side of Boulder became an informal classroom — neighbours, friends, and eventually strangers would stop by to ask what was blooming, why their tomatoes wouldn't set fruit at altitude, or how to get anything to grow in that clay-heavy soil. In 2011 she turned the question she'd heard most — "can you just come do this at my place?" — into a business.
Where we are now
Six people, a shared workshop in Gunbarrel, and over 400 gardens across Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, and the foothills. James Okafor handles operations and scheduling so the field team can focus on growing things. Priya Ramachandran, our lead designer, joined in 2018 and brought a sharper eye for structure and seasonal colour — the kind of garden that looks good in February as well as June.
What we believe
A garden should earn its keep — beautiful, yes, but also useful: habitat for pollinators, food if you want it, a place that works with Boulder's climate rather than fighting it. We don't do high-water ornamental lawns. We do gardens that get more interesting every year.
2011
founded
14
years in Boulder
6
gardening specialists
400+
gardens built