Jackie learned gardening from her grandfather, a farmer who rose at 4 am to guide a donkey, loaded with the pigeon peas and bananas grown on his mountain farm, down the steep St. Thomas hills to the market place to barter for beef, fresh and salt fish, and other supplies the family needed.

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Her happy childhood, wandering through gardens and playing in nature,
taught her the lessons she now uses to create Plantation Crown and Hawk’s beautiful landscapes.

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She graduated from Florida Southern with a BA in horticulture and landscape design and traveled Europe, meeting her future husband Klaus, in Germany. She came home and worked in the family nursery, growing food, flowers and landscaping plants. Determined to make her  botanical garden dream a reality, she and Klaus purchased the Crown & Hawk acreage, and opened Villa Botanica, which then became the island’s premier wedding venue.

After much hard work, In 2015 she and her family were finally able to do just that, and would love for you to join them in sharing the beauty and adventure of this singular place.