Tulsan finds his true calling in his own backyard

All of us hope for a career in something we really love. The work seems easier and the time goes faster. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Rick Wells found a Tulsan who believes he's found his true calling

Monday, September 20th 2004, 10:29 am

By: News On 6

All of us hope for a career in something we really love. The work seems easier and the time goes faster.

News on 6 reporter Rick Wells found a Tulsan who believes he's found his true calling right there in his own back yard.

Not hard to imagine the home of Todd Hudspeth belongs to a landscaper and gardener. "I don't put anything in anybody elseâ€™s yard that doesn't do well here."

But all of it looks like it's doing very well. Even some things that are not supposed to, like ginger. Wait a minute this is a Florida plant. â€œIt's a ginger and it grown from a rhizome, it's one of the hardy gingers but technically not supposed to be hardy here, but it comes back every year."

He seems to get a kick out of successfully growing plants that aren't supposed to. When he bought his house it had no landscaping at all, now he has a little bit of everything. Including several kinds of banana trees, all doing well. "This is just what I love that's why I know about it. I don't know anything about cars."

He ran his own landscaping business for about five years after college, and then decided he needed a real job. He was downsized three times and had enough of the real jobs to last a lifetime. "Finally decided a couple of years ago I wasn't gonna lay myself off."

So his love of growing things once again became a full time gig. He built a greenhouse, so he can pot and grow the plants he likes, so he can always find them. If a project needs it, he'll draw up a landscape plan, each one personally checked and approved by Sadie, his cat. "I'm hoping I'm one of those people Oprah talks about; I've found my true calling."

Todd Hudspeth has a Landscape design and maintenance company it's called Discover Eden. You can reach him at 582-3508.