Transforming a House into a Place You Call Home
For the Big Moments…
We founded Seeds of Life on one simple idea: that precious moments in time and our memories of them grow with us through every season. A picture immortalizes the moment, preserving it exactly as it was when it happened. A plant grows and changes, and much like us, it is uniquely and irrevocably shaped by all of life’s moments.
There’s a tree for every milestone – births, birthdays, housewarmings, holidays, memorials, just because – all of the chapters we like to bookmark in life’s story.
And the Small Ones, Too
A towering tree represents millions of tiny moments of care. Daily waterings, seasonal prunings, raking leaves, fertilizing, repottings, and all of the nurturing rituals you engage with as a steward of nature.
There are also the quieter moments, the ones where the tree cares for you back. You feel it in the breeze that invites you to pause and take a breath before walking in the front door. The blooms you can’t help but stop and smell when summer comes at last remind you of the person you miss. Sitting beneath its shady branches gives you the treasured place of respite you need to relax after your long days.
A Seeds of Life tree was never just a tree; it’s a place to give your soul a rest. A way to share the joys and sorrows we all experience in a way that connects us to something greater than ourselves.
Our Roots
One of the most beautiful parts of nature is its generosity. When well cared for, there’s very little the natural world won’t offer up.
Such was the inspiration for The Magnolia Company, Seeds of Life’s older sister company.
1800
The Underhill Farm, where we grow our beloved trees, has been in the family for years. It begins with a fellow named Jerimiah Underhill, a farmer who came to Florida in the 1800s. His son, Joseph, would go on to serve in the Seminole Indian War, and he was awarded a land grant of 250 acres for his service. For six generations, that very land is the place the Underhill family calls home.
1900
Fast forward to the 1930s, and we meet Frank Jr. and Ganny Underhill. The two grew and supplied freshly cut foliage to local florists, and the business eventually expanded its way to wholesalers across the United States. This would set the stage for a whole new venture.
2001
Julie, the founder of Seeds of Life, recalls the days when the farm was dedicated to ferns and handmade creations. It was something she grew up doing, caring for the farm. Long before either company, the farm was the family legacy.
When Julie came of age and married Matt, the two of them joined Julie’s dad in the family business. Matt spent a lot of time at trade shows, where he learned from other farmers the joys and beauties of magnolia trees. He quickly fell in love and brought an idea home to Julie. The two had no clue that this idea would shape the course of their lives. Both with a penchant for creativity and big dreams, The Magnolia Company was born in 2001.
Today, Underhill Farms boasts luscious magnolia groves, in addition to fields of roses, figs, lemons, limes, and so many more trees. Between Matt’s ideas and Julie’s execution, the two are full blown tree huggers – focused on creating a world where the trees hug you back (in their own special way).
What is The Magnolia Company?
The Magnolia Company prides itself on creating the trappings that turn a house into a home: wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, even small plants to delight your comforts in life’s everyday moments.
Every year, we harvest thousands of magnolia boughs from our groves. Magnolias are generous: the harder you prune them, the harder they flush! Each and every bough passes through the hands of our Growing & Care team. Ones that don’t quite make the cut for decorations become mulch and natural fertilizer for our trees. The rest make their way to the workbenches of our artisans, who fasten together boughs into our products. Some are fresh, some are lacquered for longevity, and some are dried for a more textured look.
Every product is handmade. Even the tools our artisans use to create these wreaths are often designed and built in-house by our engineer. When the base product of magnolia is complete, the team arranges adornments, such as other dried botanicals, ribbons, and ornaments, to unveil the final look!
Our shipping team carefully packages every wreath, garland, and centerpiece with a care card, securing both to the box we strategically designed for you store your new natural decor in for seasons to come.
While our fresh products will eventually transform into dried creations, proper care and storage ensures that your wreath looks gorgeous for year after year. We’re big on sustainability around here, so we want you to have a piece that lasts for seasons, not just while it’s fresh. It’s kind of our whole thing.
Aside from our products, we take a lot of pride in leading by example. Matt is always looking for new ways to make the farm as environmentally neutral as possible, from utilizing fungal networks to create drought tolerant trees, to beneficial bacterial fertilizer brews, to a whole water reclaiming system that ensures not a drop of water goes to waste.
In Short?
Gorgeous, handmade, one of a kind luxury home decor products.
Family business, owned & operated in the USA for generations.
Actually sustainable – not just saying we are to make you like us.
We’re good enough at what we do that even the White House has boasted our work. And Southern Living. And HGTV. And Oprah.
Need we say more?
Welcome to The Magnolia Company, family. Make yourself at home!
