Inspiring Conversations with Janice And Helen McCracken of The Garden At Portridge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janice And Helen McCracken.

Hi Janice and Helen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
From the Garden at Portridge, heritage plant nursery.
Janice and Helen McCracken-
As lifetime entrepreneurs with background in the arts and current occupation in luxury fashion, we chose to stay in Franklin County and share what we’ve been blessed to learn and create with the community..
Always fascinated with the architecture and horticulture of the East coast such as Janice’s homeland of Charlottesville Virginia and nearby Colonial Williamsburg, we saw the inherent value of this true hidden gem, national register listed Portridge house.
Janice and husband Eric, pro violinist, along with three grown children, bought the house as a family in 2000. Since then we have been gradually building the garden into the Sanctuary it is today- for native plants, the creatures they support, and the people who love to grow them.
Our stories are slightly different
For Janice, gardening was an art, aligning with her values of fine fashion, music, home keeping and literature.
Helen was definitely the type A – Alpha go-getter and the business brain behind this enterprise- a comeback from life threatening health battles brought this overachiever back to all their childhood obsession with creating, building and doing what everyone said couldn’t be done.
In 2020, when lockdown forced many businesses to pivot, we saw the opportunity to share our growing collection of native plants with the new Franklin and Wake county market of people earnestly looking for something they could do.
Gardening is proactive, and you just can’t define the sense of peace and happiness people get when they find some plants and start growing what they love.
So when we welcome you to ‘Pollinator Row’ as it known, just tell us what you love. Maybe you’re new to the area and are concerned about the environment so you want to grow a pollinator garden. You’ll see examples here to show how you can create this in your own backyard. Or perhaps you’ve had gardens but airbrushed uniform landscapes leave you wishing for a more natural but artistic outdoor space. We as garden designers are inspired by the New Perennial movement of Dutch designers like Piet Oudolf. This approach shows that patterning after nature in a prairie or meadow style of design can give you a serene welcoming atmosphere in which to interact with the natural world around you.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Far from smooth! Bootstrapping a business is always challenging and even though we have gardened for decades doing it professionally is a whole new level of complexity.
Working out in all weather will test your endurance, looong days ending an digging in the hot sun and NC humidity, long nights if admin wondering if you’re crazy, plus the lean times in the winter when gardening is low, all make for a challenging work life.
Also when you are doing something this intense, you can forget who you are or get lost in the grind
But the upside is a life you own, the liberty to work in clean air and a peaceful setting that make it all worth it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Garden At Portridge?
People need gardens! And they want to know they can do something to better their corner of the earth. So often you come to the Nursery with a vague sense of needing to grow plants but not knowing what to grow or where to begin, and that’s just what we help you with.
What sets us apart? Knowledge plus personality! And a serious work ethic. Helen will run around and create an instant garden layout for you. Our background in Design plus years practical skills learned from previous generations are here for the customers benefit. We listen to what you need, love and wish to feel in your garden. You will carry a load of plants and excitement back home from your visits to Portridge, along with the confidence that you can grow both your own backyard native pollinator ecosystem and your connection to the natural world.
With everyone’s’ concern for the environment and the increased appreciation for Native plants, we are uniquely poised to offer this beautiful piece of North Carolina’s heritage and the State’s rich native botanical resources.

What matters most to you? Why?
To give our “Utmost most for His highest” is the compelling motivation of our lives. Sharing with others what God has given us brings a daily sense of meaning and purpose to all we do. The Garden At Portridge has created a sanctuary of restoration and calm for all who come here.

Pricing:

• ~ Pollinator Garden Starter collection $85.00
• ~ Scarborough Herbs combo Pot $60.00
• Planter Potting Service – $55-$325. Minimum 3 plants max 12
• On-site Garden Design Consultation $150.00
• Custom Garden Design Installation $3,000 – $50,000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://the-garden-at-portridge.square.site/
• Instagram: @portridgegarden
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1NKWUzMY2x/
• Youtube: @GardenerMcCracken-hp1nh
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/the-garden-at-portridge-louisburg
• Other: https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=6a81f2bd04fd845e&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS1037US1037&hl=en