A Finer Touch, the background story

My husband, Francisco, and I founded A Finer Touch in 2003. Here’s our background story:

How did two people who grew up 2,000 miles apart end up married, operating a small business, and working side by side day after day? Good fortune is how we like to describe it. Francisco and I met at the Chicago Botanic Garden (more about that in a bit). From there, we embarked on a journey that is our life.

I grew up on a farm in southwest Wisconsin, so digging in the soil was part of my upbringing. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993 with a major in horticulture. My studies and work as a research assistant at the university, combined with retail experience at a nearby garden and landscape center, all led to a great opportunity to work for the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois as a plant evaluation assistant under the watchful eye of Richard Hawke.

Evaluation work was my "grand introduction" to the larger world of horticulture. I thrived on the intricacies of plant qualities, discovering I enjoyed being out in the field learning how each plant performed on its own or in a blended setting. Later, I also worked in private estate gardening, greenhouse production, plant buying, education, and finally operating A Finer Touch.

Francisco (Paco) grew up on a farm in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1980s. He started at the Chicago Botanic Garden in 1988, where he worked as a member of the grounds department. During his time at the Botanic Garden, Francisco developed a keen eye for detail and aspects of garden maintenance from his mentors.

Francisco and I met in the summer of 1993 while I was working in the Plant Evaluation department. A unique job opportunity led us to a private property located in Northbrook in 1994, where Francisco worked as the head gardener and caretaker. He helped create and tend gardens filled with perennials, annuals, vegetables, and roses. He managed a greenhouse where he became adept at seed starting, transplanting, propagation, and other greenhouse skills. We transformed the property into a series of beautiful gardens and relaxing spaces.

While our time at the private property was an educational and opportunistic step in our lives, we dreamt of operating our own company one day. In 2011, after seventeen years on the property, we moved on and made A Finer Touch our full-time work. We continue today as we did then, a two-person small business focused on providing exceptional service to our valued clients.

What do we do? We specialize in garden maintenance with a focus on perennial garden care. That may be too simple for what we do so, stay tuned for another post about services and our maintenance philosophy.

While I've never written a blog before, I love sharing my knowledge. I hope to offer writings that are informative and inspirational. Feel free to leave a comment, question, or idea for future blogs.

Wishing you gardening joy throughout the seasons!

Lynette Rodriguez

Gardens are the result of a collaboration between art and nature.

Penelope Hobhouse

Lynette and Francisco Rodriguez