Jon Carloftis

Jon Carloftis grew up on the banks of the Rockcastle River in South Central Kentucky, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It was there he began a love affair with nature that has culminated in his being recognized as one of the nation's premier garden designers.

Jon is a popular speaker, with a 60-minute presentation entitled PUTTING STYLE IN YOUR GARDEN that includes visual illustrations and plenty of how-to tips for gardeners at all levels of expertise. Jon is a contributing editor of Garden Design Magazine, and a regional writer for Country Gardens. His designs also have been featured in House Beautiful, Country Home, Interior, The New York Times and Country Living Gardener. He has made television appearances on The Style Channel; The Home and Garden Channel, in which two of four designs in a show called The Secret Gardens of New York were Jon's; and ABC's Good Morning, America, where two of his gardens were featured.

Jon is the recipient of a landscaping design award, given for his overall body of work, from the Museum of the City of New York City. His customers have included the Lauder family (of Estee Lauder fame), Sotheby's auction house and actors Julianne Moore and Edward Norton.

It was in 1955 that Jon's parents, Carlo and Lucille Carloftis, settled on a lovely, verdant spot in Livingston, Kentucky, where they built a riverside home and opened a popular tourist attraction called Fort Sequoyah that offered unusual merchandise including American Indian artifacts. The shop has since evolved into the Rockcastle Trading Company, run by Jon's mother. The beautiful gardens, designed by Jon, that surround the Carloftis home and shop are featured in the August 2002 issue of Country Home.

During the time Jon was growing up there, the Fort Sequoyah area was very remote - "a piece of property in the middle of nowhere," he says. His parents, with their own appreciation of nature, "set the stage" for his interest in landscaping and gardening. Young Jon's days were spent outdoors: "We had no TV, and were totally surrounded by nature." He began to study the natural surroundings and "knew most of the native trees by the time I was in high school."

Jon attended elementary school in Livingston, Kentucky, and graduated from Laurel County High School in nearby London. He then attended the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1986 with a B.A. degree in communication. But he knew he was not meant to work behind a desk under florescent light. "I decided I wanted to do professionally what my hobby was...growing things and being outdoors." He returned to the University of Kentucky and studied horticulture, landscape architecture and art history.

In 1988 Jon moved to New York City and started his business. "I made up cards and went to the Upper East Side and gave them out," he recalls. His first clients were noted art collectors Barbara and Eugene Schwartz. "They gave me a chance, and it all started from there. They entertained a lot, so many of my initial clients were art collectors, and still are to this day." Word of mouth became his advertising vehicle, and demand for his services grew.

In 1993 Jon moved to picturesque Bucks County, Pennsylvania, his current residence. (A layout featuring his home and gardens appeared in the Fall 2001 issue of Country Gardens.) But much of his work is still done in New York City, where the lack of backyard space has led him to specialize in rooftop gardens, balconies and courtyards. That focus eventually made him an expert on container gardening, including trademark "granny pots" where numerous plants spill over each other in colorful and competitive abundance.

Whatever your available area, Jon believes there is a way to create a beautiful garden. "Take a look at the space you have, determine how to use it and start giving definition to that space," he advises. "You can use it to entertain or just escape from the day-to-day pressures."

As a speaker, Jon charms audiences with his movie-star good looks, elegant down-home manners and soft Kentucky accent. Of his calling, he says, "I work in garden design because it is my passion, trying to make the world a little more green, a little more beautiful."