Our Staff

Michelle Albanese Graduate Horticulturist. A Greenville native, Michelle has lived all over the country. She is a Navy veteran, and brings diverse experience to the nursery. When not working you will find Michelle at the gym, in her garden, or in the kitchen trying out new recipes.

Megan Knight Megan has been with SPN since 2022. She has a BS in Zoo and Wildlife Biology from Bob Jones University. You will find Megan’s smiling face at the register or up front at our cart checkout gazebo. When not working, Megan enjoys painting, guitar, learning new hobbies, and hanging out with friends.

Jim Borenstein Retired, Former owner. Graduate Horticulturist. Certified master pond builder and consultant. Over 40 years in the industry. Jim retired in August 2024 after spending his career building South Pleasanburg Nursery into what it is today.

Josh Borenstein Certified landscape professional and consultant. Josh grew up at his family’s business, but was officially employed fresh out of high school in 2015. Josh’s favorite aspect of the business is helping customers and talking about his love for plants with other plant lovers. When not at work you will find Josh at home tending to his growing collection of blueberry bushes, designing and consulting in his client’s yards, or spending time with his family.

Kara Castellano With her endless supply of energy, enthusiasm and plant knowledge, Kara is a joy to have on the SPN team! Originally from Akron, Ohio, Kara has worked at garden centers and her own landscape design and installation business called Moonbeams and Morning Glories!  When not tending her own garden, Kara enjoys cooking, traveling, remodeling projects and her Great Danes.

Ben Childress Ben has been with SPN for 2 years and does a little of everything around here. He handles our receiving, maintains the fish, sets up our fountains and concrete displays, and does general maintenance around the nursery. He is also pretty knowledgeable about plants. Ben is an all around “get-it-done” guy! When not working Ben enjoys biking, hiking, traveling, and searching out delicious culinary experiences.

Sue Crull A native of New Jersey and a former resident of Illinois, Sue has called Greenville home for the past 23 years.  With a passion for container gardening, she loves helping customers select the right plants for their containers and window boxes and is happy to create custom arrangements!  Although she hesitates to call it work because she enjoys it so much, Sue has been employed in the nursery business for 12 years.

Jennifer Czapiewski Jennifer received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Southern Wesleyan University.  After working in administration for the Spartanburg County Parks department for nearly five years, she decided to bring her administrative skills to the family business of SPN.  When she isn’t in the office doing the behind the scenes work at the nursery, she loves to spend her time hiking, kayaking and just enjoying nature.

Michal Dennis With a masters degree in music composition and seventeen years as a cabinetmaker, Michal is a man of many talents. He is a former nursery manager, grower, buyer and landscape designer.  Michal buys most of our conifers and Japanese Maples, and writes our informative pamphlets and plant signs. At home you will find Michal in his impressive garden or his conservatory that he built from scratch.

Beau Hawkins With a career in landscaping spanning several decades, Beau is an incredible asset to SPN.  He is a Greenville native, but spent many years in the Lowcountry working in the landscaping and aquatic plant industries.  A hard worker and a great garden resource, especially with aquatics, Beau can often be found repotting and fertilizing plants in the potting shed or assisting customers out in the nursery.

Michael McCarter Graduate Horticulturist. With 40 years at SPN, Michael is a long time favorite of many customers for his expert knowledge on all things horticulture! Michael buys our annuals, tropicals, fountains, gifts, and containers.He has a keen eye for what really looks good. Michael Is the go to guy if you have questions on fountains, house plants or decor.

Davis Sanders With over 40 years of experience in the horticulture and landscape industry, Dave has an encyclopedia’s wealth of plant knowledge and a great eye for design.  With his keen memory and sharp wit, Dave is a fan favorite as a regular panelist on SCETV’s hit show “Making it Grow.”  When not gardening, Dave enjoys contributing his tenor voice to the Greenville Chorale.

Arlan Schweitz One of the most helpful guys in the nursery, Arlan is SPN’s carpenter, mechanic and stocker.  Originally from Nebraska where he farmed for 40 years, Arlan is a great asset to the nursery.