Happy Gardener ( The ) Review and Profile

Happy Gardener ( The ) no longer appears to be active as a direct sales company.

The Happy Gardener was a gardening-products direct-sales company founded in 2003. The original business is no longer active.

Original Npros business profile for Happy Gardener ( The ), preserved below for archival purposes:

The Happy Gardener, Inc. was founded in Ashland, Virginia, in 2003 by Annette Pelliccio, a third-generation garden-business owner and former elementary-school teacher. Pelliccio developed the company as a home-based business that combined environmentally responsible gardening education with a flexible direct-sales opportunity. The company expanded from a small local operation into a network of Independent Garden Consultants serving customers in multiple states. Lori Braxton was identified as the company's garden-consultant manager and founding sales leader. In 2006, The Happy Gardener received the Direct Selling Association's Vision for Tomorrow Award and supported the Garden Writers Association's Plant a Row for the Hungry program.

The company marketed organic, vegan and environmentally conscious lawn-and-garden products under its Happy Naturals brand. Its catalog included soil conditioners, plant foods, micronutrient solutions, lawn treatments, natural pest-control products, composting supplies, bulbs, garden tools, indoor and container-gardening products, bird feeders and birdhouses manufactured from recycled materials. Products were sold through educational home demonstrations, individual customer presentations, farmers markets, fundraising programs, community events and consultant websites rather than conventional retail stores. The Happy Gardener was still promoting its products from an Ashland commercial address in 2012.

Independent Garden Consultants could join by paying a basic enrollment fee of approximately $39 or purchasing a $169 starter kit containing more than $300 in products and business materials. Published descriptions of the compensation plan stated that consultants earned approximately 20% to 30% on personal retail sales, a 5% monthly team-building or sponsorship bonus and 2% on qualifying downline sales. Consultants could also advance into leadership positions by recruiting and supporting additional sellers. The company provided online training, live meetings, newsletters, catalogs, customer-order forms and access to an online consultant resource center. A separate customer club charged $39 for the first year and $20 for annual renewals and provided a reported 30% discount on selected proprietary products.

The Happy Gardener later ceased operating without a widely reported closing announcement, acquisition or bankruptcy proceeding.