As Jeff Sousa strolls across the beautiful two acres of land that Sousa's Gardens consists of, he recounts for The Royal Gazette how he became interested in the field of horticulture.

"My grandmother had a green thumb and the outdoors have been a passion of mine my entire life. I was about 10-years-old and had dish gardens and terrariums," explains Mr. Sousa, whose life-long love of nature was the catalyst for him to eventually begin his landscape management company, Sousa's, more than 20 years ago.

He began the company at the age of 24 after much of his teenage life was spent learning the facets of the Bermudian horticultural trade from selling flowers on the side of the road to a stint as head gardener at the former Stonington resort to attending the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (now the Department of Environment) Apprenticeship Scheme.

"I also attended an Audubon Society natural history course when I was a teenager and it truly opened my eyes to Bermuda's landscape," he says.

Now his company has three divisions including Sousa's Gardens, which consists of a plethora of flowers and fauna.

Mr. Sousa reflects on the success of his business and how he feels he has given the landscape trade recognition within the community.

"Sousa's has been a pioneer in the landscape business," he proudly states. "I can list off 100 things that Sousa's has introduced to the Island over the years including the first uniformed landscape employees, the first to utilise mulch, the first to bring in the hydrostatic walk behind mowers, the first to use mini skid loaders- the list goes on. I've worked really hard to get the respect that landscapers deserve in this community"

Six years ago the company, which is only just celebrating its grand opening this year, was still looking for the perfect spot to house their retail section, nursery and offices and eventually found the Camp Road location on Middle Road.

"This has been a dream come true," Mr. Sousa says surveying the gardens, much of which have been built as a virtual showroom for customers to see how Sousa's can turn their drab gardens into a serene outdoor living area.

Sousa's has about 40 employees from 11 different countries manning the three divisions- Landscape Design-Build, horticultural maintenance and the retail division.

"Anyone who has come to Sousa's would have met one of our very charming retail sales staff or one of our helpful landscapers," he says.

Along with his dedicated staff, Mr. Sousa believes the success of the company comes also through his own dedication to the daily grind at Sousa's.

"I'm here seven days a week- you have to be hands-on to be successful." He adds: "Making your living in something that you truly love is great. This is my hobby and my occupation."

He also feels that keeping his staff up-to-date on horticultural education and trends by promoting seminars, on-site education programmes and Bermuda College classes is also an important part of the success of the company.

"As a company we really believe in educating our employees. I'm always taking staff from the company to seminars overseas," Mr. Sousa explains. "From certified chemical applicators to safe use of chainsaws- our staff is prepared. We have people on this Island who spray chemicals and they shouldn't because they are not certified and it's dangerous. We really believe in health and safety."

And the company has received wide spread support from many in the community which Mr. Sousa attributes to the quality of service and products.

"My vision has always been to do the best and offer the people of Bermuda the best."

Celebrate with Sousa's on October 15 (rain date October 16) at the Grand Re-Opening and Family Fun Day. Refreshments, pumpkin carving, face painting and demos such as pot planting will all be part of the fun.