Meet Our Staff

But we believe that what truly sets us apart is our people. We are fortunate to have a team of folks here at Monches Farm who are truly passionate about what they do. Our floral designers have decades of experience in working closely with our clients to create custom floral pieces. Our landscape staff is hard working and enthusiastic about their garden creations. The combined horticultural knowledge of our outdoor staff is vast. We're here for you. Visit. Ask. We can't wait to see you!

Scott Sieckman

Scott is the man behind the magic of Monches Farm. He studied Art and Anthropology at Ripon College and later Ornamental Horticulture at UW Madison. He pursued his dream of having his own business in 1980 by starting a small perennial nursery near the future site of what we now know as Monches Farm. To build up the business Scott also sold his harvest of plants and dried flowers at Farmers Markets as far as Madison. At that time he never imagined that it would grow to the multifaceted and inspirational place it is today.

Matthias was born  in Germany into a family of Winemakers. He came to the US as an Archaeologist, and for the first years worked for a research company in Milwaukee, locating and studying prehistoric and historic Sites in Wisconsin. He then obtained a degree in Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and joined Scott at Monches Farm in 1996. Matt’s interest is focused on naturalistic garden spaces, which  he and his crew are creating.  Matt and Scott started Salisbury Hill-Garden Design as a sister Company to Monches Farm.

Scott and Matt

have identical interests in many ways. First and foremost Flowers and Gardens and everything that comes with it.

History and Historic Buildings.
In their travels Scott and Matt explore historic places in the US and Europe to learn more about gardens and historic architecture.
Both of them have separately and together restored many Pioneer buildings in Wisconsin and have a special interest in Fachwerk  (Half Timber) Buildings.
They recreated a Rural Homestead near River Edge Nature Center in Newburg, Wisconsin where they relocated Historic Buildings,  and created Fences,
Pastures and Gardens. This years project will be to establish a 14 acre prairie.

Antiques
The beauty of things old is something that both Scott and Matt hold very dear. “ It is the soul in these things that brings warmth into our lives” Matt says. “The passion for these things is not something we learned it is something we had and build upon”.

Food and cooking
Scott and Matt love good home made food and despite long hours at work enjoy cooking every day. For that they grow vegetables in their large kitchen garden that produces enough to also preserve for the winter.

Zannah has been working in the field of horticulture for over 25 years. She holds a degree in Landscape Architecture and, before joining our Monches Farm staff in 1996, managed a specialty perennial nursery in Connecticut and acted as Executive Director of a local community gardening program. Although she loves all plants she has a special interest in Daylilies and is a hobbyist hybridizer. Zannah also has a fondness for companion birds which has gained her the moniker "The Bird Lady" here at the Farm.

Nancy is the backbone of our outdoor staff. She has been with the Farm for over 20 years and has been instrumental in the growth of the nursery side of the business. Nancy is a tireless worker and a wealth of plant knowledge. Her special interest and expertise is with native prairie plants and Hosta. Nancy has strong opinions about plants and doesn't hesitate to voice them. This candor has gained her a loyal following of customers who won't take a plant home without Nancy's "OK"! A retired English Professor and dedicated docent at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Nancy has a busy life with many interests outside the Farm so  joins our staff on weekends only.

Bob is a lifelong gardener who, after retiring from a career as an attorney, went back to school to study horticulture. He joined us in 2006 with a strong knowledge of shade perennials, having gardened on a heavily wooded lot for years. Since then his knowledge of sun perennial has grown tremendously and he's searching out bright areas on his property to add some to his garden. Bob is always good for a laugh and is a good sport about joining in the spirit of our special events, witnessed by his "Bob The Elf" persona for our 2010 Fairy Festival.
 

Bette is back with us again after retiring (for a second time) from a career in banking. She is an enthusiastic gardener  whose special interest is annuals. Bette thoroughly researches the new annual introductions each year and is a wealth of knowledge. Her love of flora is contagious and her creativity with plant combinations is noteworthy.

Johnell is an exceptional plantswoman with a wide knowledge base, although her special interest is in ferns.  Johnell is juggling a lot in her life right now so is only able to join our staff one day a week.

Johanna has been bringing her distinctive design flair to the Monches Farm Shop for over 20 years. She possesses an exceptional artistic imagination that she applies not only to floral design but also to her many other handcrafts, ranging from Fairy Furniture & Couture to felted wool accessories. Her artistry is on display in every nook and cranny of the shop  where her beautifully crafted vignettes bring our gift items, antiques, and floral creations to life. Johanna's unique creative vision has become the Monches  Farm "Look".

Sue has been creating custom dried and everlasting floral designs for as long as she can remember! She was a customer at the Farm before she joined our team in 2003. Sue has an eye for color, texture & form that results in breathtaking floral creations. Her work has been featured in several publications and routinely appears on the cover of Wisconsin Country Life magazine. She works closely with clients to custom design  pieces that are reflective of their personal style.

Diana's warm smile welcomes visitors to the shop two days a week. Her pleasant presence always adds a touch of brightness to the day! When not at the Farm Diana is busy raising three wonderful children, caring for a hobby farm full of animals, tending her treehouse,  and sharing adventures with her talented musical husband, Stan.
 

Sharon's flexibility and willingness to give us a hand at a moment's notice is much appreciated at the Farm. She's always there when we need her as a back-up assistant in the shop. It's people like Sharon that help to make running a small business possible. Sharon is a devoted mother and grandmother who loves to knit, read and cook.

Our production staff are our behind-the-scenes workers. Although visitors might catch a glimpse of them weeding the gardens, re-stocking plants in the sales yard or lining perennials out in the growing fields, for the most part they are not seen. The work they do, however, is the basis of our entire nursery operation. These are the folks who sow the seeds, take the vegetative cuttings, tend the "baby" plants, divide & pot field stock and generally manage the entire production of our plants. They are a hard working group of individuals!

Linda, Production

Linda is a great asset to the Farm in terms of her flexibility and multitude of skills. She not only works in production but also helps the Salisbury Hill landscape crew when needed and assists in the sales yard. Her constant good humor and cheerful outlook make her a pleasure to work with in any venue.  Linda is an avid outdoors person who enjoys kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and horseback riding.

Chris is a neighbor in the Monches area who has been working with us since 2002. She is a constant presence in the production area carrying out a multitude of tasks including weeding, watering, fertilizing, dividing, potting, and field maintenance. She is also informal guardian to our poultry flock and on many nights makes a sunset trip over to the Farm to close the poultry barn door for the night safety of our chickens. Chris is a nature and wild bird lover who spends much of her free time canoeing, hiking and bird watching.

"Whirlwind" is the only word to describe Susan. Delicate as a bird and strong as an ox, she races from one task to another on the Farm, carrying each out with efficiency and competence. She has an extensive knowledge of prairie plants and in 2010 successfully  established a beautiful prairie on what had been a corn field behind our production area. Susan works in the medical field and frequently travels internationally so only helps out at the Farm when she can squeeze it into her schedule. Every minute of her time here is much appreciated!

Bruce is our handyman/jack-of-all-trades. He's diligently in the background repairing, painting, and generally tending to whatever needs to be attended to. He is an avid gardener and his home garden has been featured in the gardening column of a regional publication.
 

Beth and Dick Sieckman,
Scott’s Mom and Dad

Monches Farm would not be the same without the two of them. Both gave countless hours, Dad working in the nursery, doing sales, watering, making deliveries, picking flowers, and all else that needed to be done. Mom spent countless  hours, making arrangements, picking flowers, watering and the like. Today she still does most of the office work. Beth  taught  Paleontology, and Oceanography at the University school of Milwaukee and has always been passionate about traveling. My dad was in insurance sales and is a talented wood worker. We're glad to have them help out all the time, when they're not working in there own large gardens.

Ivan spent many years working in our growing fields ; digging, dividing & potting perennials and weeding & watering the  fieldstock. If you've attended any of our special events or Open Houses you have probably been greeted by Ivan's friendly face and warm "Hello". During busy events he assists us with managing traffic and parking. His hearty welcomes & farewells are legendary. Ivan is an enthusiastic fisherman and bicyclist.

Salisbury Hill Garden Design

is a small Garden  Design Company that offers design, installation and maintenance of true gardens. Matt and his crew of five use the Monches Farm grown plants to create magic. Every garden space we do is different and  depends on the character of the property and it’s owners. But all gardens we create have  one thing in common; they reflect the harmony of nature. In addition to gardens Salisbury Hill does container plantings, seasonal decoration  and creates fresh holiday wreaths, garlands and arrangements. Matt also offers personal consultations for people that need a jump start in to gardening on their own property or just need some ideas what to do with their landscape.

Matt Kastell can be reached at 262 224 3787.

See photos for some of our work!

Brenda Hesselink

Brenda is the head gardener at Salisbury Hill, she first worked with Matt since 1997 at Monches Farm and continued to practice her garden design  skills at Salisbury Hill.
Brenda has a degree in Horticulture and  developed a special love for naturalistic gardens and container gardens. For the Christmas season Brenda continues to show her talents at Monches Farm making her incredible wreaths from unusual fresh greens.

Ruben Padilla and Silvia Casdaneda

A brother sister team with an incredible sense for beauty and perfection. Ruben and Silvia joined Salisbury Hill  with  previous experience in landscaping. What makes them stand out is a skill that can not be learned. It is the gift to understand the harmony of plants.