Astrid Bowlby, the proprietor of Honey Petal Plants, is a self-taught keen gardener as well as a plants-person and her ideal customer is "any wonderful human that I can inspire to love and plant more plants, right now, in any way possible."

The nursery is low input and continues to make changes in that direction. Water conservation is one example of this. Water is used sparingly and rainwater is collected where possible. There are plans to develop this further. The nursery does use plastic pots and will gladly take them back for re-use. Astrid is researching options for creating cardboard replicas of her square pots so a plant can be slipped out of its plastic pot and get tucked into a compostable one for the customer to take home. That way the plastic stays on the nursery where it belongs. She has invested in heavy duty plant trays which will last for years and years with proper care. Astrid has opted not to use hoop houses, landscape fabric, or heated greenhouses, and the nursery stock is wintered over outdoors or in an unheated shed. It is not that she is against these growing practices, but she has chosen a business model that allows her to avoid them. The nursery is almost peat-free. Astrid uses Organic Mechanics Professional Growers Mix with biochar. This mix is also certified organic. No herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides are used at Honey Petal Plants, including certified organic ones. All of Astrid's partner nurseries are neonicitinoid-free and she fertilizes with organic fish emulsion during the growing season.

Astrid is interested in the many ways we can appreciate and experience plants and avidly researches their contributions to ecology, medicine, foodways, literature, history, and crafts. She encourages lush garden matrices filled with food and habitat for our wild friends as well as for ourselves. For her, beauty is useful and use is beautiful.