Hi, I’m Jay. I started Dada & Sons in the Spring of 2026. I’d been environmentally conscious since my teens, had gotten increasingly worried about climate change and the loss of biodiversity with every passing year, and was wondering what I could do to help.

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of global problems. Sure, I could ride my bike instead of driving. I could turn off the lights. I could use less plastic. But those are small potatoes in the face of the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

About a decade ago, I had started learning about native plants and all the benefits they provide - to bees, butterflies, birds, their ability to control and filter stormwater runoff, their resilience, all that good stuff. Rather than feeling powerless, here was something I could do to feel like I was making a difference. I could start adding native plants to my garden. Maybe people would notice and I could let them know why it was important, and then they’d do it too. So I started planting, I started learning, I started talking.

My fears about climate change and dwindling biodiversity were magnified in 2021 and 2023 when my sons were born. What kind of world was I bringing them into? When they’re older and they ask, “Dad, what have you done to help? What did you DO?”, what would I tell them?

So what else could I do beyond what I currently was? Well, I could take my native plant hobby to the next level. I could design gardens for people, tell them where to get their plants, how to manage them, and heck, even plant them myself. Coupled with my growing distaste for the corporate job I’d been slotted into, and noticing that my little boys were becoming gardeners in their own right, I felt I now had an answer for that future “Dad, what did you DO?” question:

“I took a leap outside my comfort zone and started my own business. I inspired and helped people and spread the good word of native plants. I created Dada & Sons because I love you guys and wanted to grown a better future for you.”