Meet Our Sister Company: Seeds of Life

For the Love of Nature & Life’s Cherished Moments

Everyone has their “thing.”

For some, that thing is a hobby: reading, crafting, sports, cooking, music, art… the list goes on.

For others, that thing is a career: teaching, technology, medicine, entrepreneurship… and again, the list goes on and on.  

And sometimes, that thing is a full-time gig, like parenthood, homesteading, or travelling the world. 

Regardless of what “it” is, everyone’s got one (yes, including you).  It’s the thing that lights your fire.  You can’t stop talking about it, and you might have even built a group of friends or an entire community around it.  Been there!  Maybe it keeps you up at night from time to time, while also helping get you out of bed in the morning during life’s more challenging seasons.  You’re good at it, you love doing it, and you don’t know who you’d be without it. 

If you’re lucky in this life, your thing checks more than one box – hobby turned full-time gig turned career.  Once you get on that train, you don’t ever really step off… and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s about how it all happened, here at The Magnolia Company. 

It started in the kitchen.

The Magnolia Company has been in the Underhill family tree for generations.  If you’re reading this, it’s because you’re already familiar with our love for magnolias.  For a time, that was the extent of what we did: we grew our gorgeous magnolias and used their foliage to create the fresh handmade home decor that you know and love. 

But as it happens, life’s paths twist and turn in unexpected ways. 

Julie found a hickory nut, which she brought inside and placed on the kitchen counter for her 4 youngins to inspect over breakfast. 

After some deliberation regarding the fate of this little hickory nut, the Roth Family Council of Siblings determined that the nut should be planted in a pot, which would live on the kitchen counter facing the sunroom. 

This would be the start of more than just a seed’s life – this is the moment that would eventually sprout into Seeds of Life.   

Ordinary Moments, Extraordinary Memories

“As the moisture in the soil was absorbed by the seed, we noticed rapid changes as the seed swelled, cracked, and eventually sprouted a little hickory tree,” recounts Matt. 

The seed and its changes became the subject of every breakfast discussion in the Roth household. 

“Mom, today it opened up two more leaves!”
“Dad, it’s growing so fast!”

“Where are we going to plant it?”

These comments, full of wonder and curiosity, are like bookmarks in Julie & Matt’s parenting story.  It’s a collection of memories that told them “hey, there’s something special going on here.” 

To some, it may have been just a sapling.  But to the Roths, it’s their family tree. 

“To this day, our hickory tree reminds us of those joyful years with our young children running around our small kitchen.  Today, our children are all grown up, but we still remember the power of that little seed,” says Matt.  

Ultimately, this is what inspired Seeds of Life.

What is Seeds of Life?

Seeds of Life is the sister company to The Magnolia Company, but instead of focusing on artisanal home decor, we’re growing living bookmarks for your life’s story. 

The lemon tree you bring to a housewarming.

The Mother’s Day hydrangea you plant with your mom in her front yard.

The rose bush you keep to remember your grandfather by. 

Every plant is a living reminder of a legacy, a feeling, or a celebration, and that’s why we adore them so much: like the person or moments that shaped you, your tree grows and changes with you.

Treasured Stories

Businesses are more than just LLCs registered at the Division of Corporations.  They’re a way we connect to each other.  When you hold the soil of your new plant in your hands as you transfer it to its new home, you’re holding the same soil we raised that plant in from its days as a seed.  We have the unique opportunity to touch your life, and you ours, through these plants.

We ship every plant with love and care (cheesy, I know, but it’s honest), and folks often repay us tenfold by sharing their stories about how these plants have changed their lives, helped them through grief, or given them a new lease on life.

We read every. Single. One.

Julie even keeps a folder… right next to her box of tissues.

“My friend’s pet passed away, and she called to tell me the magnolia tree I ordered was the most beautiful gift she’d ever received.”

Chuck, AL

“The best gift other than love and prayer was a magnolia tree we received from you folks.  The flowers, plants, and cookie baskets were appreciated, but receiving a Seeds of Life tree somehow gave us a sense of peace that we could have with us for the rest of our lives.”

Jenn, CA

“I had a tree sent to my brother in law who lost his brother way too young.  It gives the family comfort to enjoy the beauty of the tree in their yard where a lot of memories with him have taken place.”

Massa, FL

“My brother’s family dog passed away, rather than sending flowers or another rainbow bridge poem, I came across this tree.  They were surprised and genuinely loved the tree, planting it in their dog’s favorite corner of the yard.  A week later they sent another picture showing a bloom.  It feels so special to memorialize him in this way.”

Melissa, LA

Snapshots that share with us a glimpse into the lives of the people who have put down our roots is exactly why we do what we do.  We’re farmers; sharing the good times and the hard is what we’re built for.  Simply put, we care.  A lot. So, what’s your Seeds of Life story?