In the foothills of Nipomo, there’s a quaint nursery where, on any given day, resident cats Sindy and Eve may greet you as you walk through the gates.
Look a bit, and you’ll find eccentric owner and Nipomo resident Ahly Mueller, with her bright-red hair, backward baseball cap, and a troop of chickens following closely behind her.
Mueller, who’s a one-woman show at the nursery, founded a place to help locals “create their own delightful place on Earth” by adding her own flair and passion for gardening to the nursery scene.
Earthly Delights is filled with a variety of flowers, succulents, and small trees, with rock pathways to take you through the gardens. Mueller said all the plants are locally grown and are already adjusted to the local climate. Her personal gardening specialty is cultivating irises, also for sale at the nursery.
Mueller uses only organic fertilizers and refuses to use pesticides; that’s what the chickens are for. They lay the free-range organic eggs she sells at the nursery and act as natural pest-eating protectors of the plants.
“They eat sow bugs and snails, and they actually eat aphids off of a plant without harming the plant itself,” Mueller said, adding that the cats also ward off any other unwanted pests, like gophers and rabbits.
Besides plants, the nursery is interspersed with eclectic garden art such as tricycles, miniature wagons, shelves, ceramic pottery, and even a bright green bowling ball—all for sale. Mueller said the reclaimed art and pottery comes from junk, garage, or estate sales. Since she hasn’t had much time to shop, her friends or her mother (people who know her taste) pick up stuff for her.
“I’ve even had people come in here, see some of the items, and they’ll come back with items to give or sell to me,” she said.
Mueller admits she’s picky when it comes to the art and garden decorations; the items have to be wood or metal and very durable.
While her knowledge and passion for gardening would suggest this is something she’s always wanted to do, Mueller didn’t have her first nursery job until 2006. A native of Humboldt County, Mueller moved to the Central Coast in 2000. When she graduated from college, she worked as a graphic designer from 1992 to 2005, until she decided she wanted a change of pace.
“I realized that I didn’t want to sit in front of a computer anymore,” she said.
Mueller began working for the nursery’s previous owner, John Godfrey, when it was still called Lone Pine Nursery. According to Mueller, Godfrey wanted to focus more on his other venture, Benjoy Nursery in Arroyo Grande, and her decision to take over as owner was happenstance.
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” she said.
The nursery celebrated its grand opening on May 19, complete with Twinkies, champagne, and outrageous discounts. Mueller said she was surprised by how many people showed up for the event. With business off and running, she’s started to think about setting up display gardens for customers. She’s even toying with the idea of turning vintage kitchen appliances into oversized flowerpots.
Though she could be sitting in front of a computer designing graphics for big companies, Mueller would rather take the pay cut.
“I’d rather be poor and make people happy,” she said.
Earthly Delights is at 652 N. Thompson Road in Nipomo. For more information, visit earthlydelightsnursery.com.
Highlights
• After 14 weeks of training in finance, marketing, and leadership skills, 16 Northern Santa Barbara County women graduated from Women’s Economic Ventures’ (WEV) flagship Self-Employment Training program on May 22 in Santa Barbara.
Graduates ranged from first-time business owners to people who wanted to expand their existing businesses. Among the ready-to-launch businesses from North County graduates were a home brew and wine supply store, several clothing companies, an indigenous art gallery focusing on Chumash art, a real estate investment consulting firm, and a mobile fruit juice truck.
For more information, visit wevonline.org.
Staff Writer Kristina Sewell wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Highlights were written and compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in May 24-31, 2012.