North meets South
Kimberly Kenney & Olivia Brakenbury
It would be an understatement to say Kimberly was destined to work with plants. Kimberly grew up in Cromwell, CT. There her family owned A.N. Pierson’s Inc., which at one time was the largest commercial rose grower in the United States. Tracing plants even further back in the family, her great-grandfather George was an extensive orchid breeder. One of Kimberly’s first garden memories is gathering transplants from her aunt’s amazing garden in Durham, CT so she could start her first perennial garden at home.
Kimberly attended Elon University (BS Business Management) but followed her love of being outdoors to professional gardening positions in Connecticut, Charlotte, NC and Vail, CO where she fine-tuned her already keen attention to detail. Since 2002, she has been an expert gardener in and around the Durham/Chapel Hill area.
Kimberly is Mom to two sons, Pierson and Peyton, and two fur-babies, Beige and Buttercup. You can usually tempt her away from the garden with a good cup of coffee or Monuts.
Olivia comes from a family rooted in plants as well. Her father grew up a farmer in northeastern Georgia and her mother’s family owned an apple orchard in East Flat Rock, NC. Olivia’s great-grandfather owned and operated a plant nursery also in the Hendersonville area.
Olivia grew up in North Augusta, SC. One of her earliest memories is helping her parents plant ‘Blue Rug’ junipers (and also remembers when they were ripped out years later). After graduating from the College of Charleston, she started a career in environmental consulting. But finally she realized a desire to work with plants and returned to school at North Carolina State University (Master of Horticultural Sciences).
While at NCSU, she focused on landscape design and received a certificate in Permaculture Design. Olivia interned and later worked as a member of the Horticulture Staff at the NC Botanical Garden at UNC-CH. While at the NCBG, Olivia developed a dedication for ecological gardening practices and native plants. Since 2009, she’s worked designing, installing, and maintaining gardens in the Durham/Chapel Hill area.
At home, Olivia keeps going with her two kiddos, June and Ben, and husband, Adam. She enjoys a good craft project and has been known to stress bake (to the benefit of neighbors and friends).
Kimberly and Olivia combined the best of horticultural knowledge, fine gardening skills, and garden design experience to form North Meets South Fine Gardening, LLC in 2023. With almost 40 years of knowledge between them and 13+ years of working together, they share a desire to create and nurture fine gardens in the Durham, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough, NC.
