This time of year is the perfect moment to reintroduce some green back into your life— after all, with the impending fall and winter, lush, vibrant plants can do much to cheer you up. And Kate Holl’s Wildewood is just the spot to stop for a pick-me-up. Her sunny, minimalist space is stocked with all types of succulents, container plants, small trees and cute home accessories—all perfectly suited for indoors.
Holl, a Waukesha native that moved to Nashville, had opened a similar shop down south that did very well. When she and her husband moved to Madison in 2018, she tested the waters by selling her plants and accessories at One-OneThousand, and then Good Day Collective, a pop-up shop that was open last fall and winter. Her items were popular, so she knew she had to open Wildewood for good in the energetic East Johnson neighborhood.
“The small business community here seems to be very thriving and supportive,” says Holl. “It was kind of a no-brainer [to open] a shop up here.”
Holl comes from a line of gardeners—her great-great-grandfather owned a greenhouse and was a florist. Her grandfather also had a greenhouse in his backyard. “I just remember the smells … so growing up around that, I always had an interest [in gardening].” The shop receives new plants from Florida monthly and eventually, Holl wants to grow her own plants to sell.
The wild, wonderful specimens draw shoppers in and tempt the eye—like spiky cacti, tubular starfish snake plants and fiddle figs. Holl also carries plant-based skincare (like Everyday Oil out of California and Brooklyn-based PLANT Apothecary), gift items and plant-care tools.
“It gives me a lot of energy and excitement for me to talk to people about plants, and connect them with plants that will make them happy in the long run,” says Holl.
Wildewood, 702 E. Johnson St., wildewoodshop.co
