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Photo courtesy Tim Arpin
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Photo by Nick Gould
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Photo by Nick Gould
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Photo by Nick Gould
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Photo courtesy Tim Arpin
Spring is the season that always shows up fashionably late. Or at least it feels that way after months of driveway shoveling and windshield scraping. Finally, the grass has returned to its healthy shade of green, the tulips have opened, and we are taking stock of weeds that are also coming to life. Many of us are stowing away our snow shoes and gathering the trowels and hedge trimmers. However, as we begin to prepare our gardens for the new season, Tim Arpin is already elbow-deep in gardenias, dahlias, ferns, and foliage. Even in February he was clearing grasses and leaves, cutting back vines, and making room for new life on its way, he says. As the owner of The Gilded Lily in Lancaster, Arpin spends all his seasons following his passion for plants, design, and freshly cut flowers.
Arpin founded The Gilded Lily nearly 30 years ago. His early work consisted mostly of flower bed planting and minor landscaping, but it gradually grew into container gardening, seasonal decorating, special event design, and year-round landscaping. When The Gilded Lily opened, container gardening did not exist as a business sector. Arpin played a local part in the growing trend and, consequentially, set a high standard for businesses to follow. The Gilded Lily continued to flourish, and Arpin continued to instigate trends throughout Lancaster County that would expand by entire states. “Our growth is bursting,” Arpin says, explaining that his Lancaster-based business has served clients as far as Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York City. Because Arpin says he will “never say to no to a client,” he and his small staff are pushing their boundaries of experience, skill, and inventory. As he works feverishly to maintain enough plants and supplies for larger-scale, more detailed projects, his creativity also runs wild with fresh design ideas. Most of Arpin’s clients call on him every season to add life to their outdoor living space, design arrangements for parties, decorate their homes for holidays, and more. Some clients have been loyal for more than 20 years; some have yearly budgets of $500,000. Recently, Arpin worked what he calls “the largest party of my life,” for which the flower bill alone rocketed to $100,000. With a swelling client base and project scope, Arpin explains that one of his greatest challenges is crafting new, unrepetitive designs.
He takes on that challenge by letting the creative vision come naturally. Arpin says, “The first time on a new or potential job, I do everything in my power to absorb my surroundings—down to the smallest details. I absorb the client’s style, from the home to their furnishings. I look at the client’s color choices and the scale of the environment in which I am working. I try to ask as many questions as possible, from a client’s most favorite flowers to their least favorite flowers, or whatever the theme of my work may entail.” After that, Arpin will brainstorm concepts and begin gathering materials. “I arrive at a job with a concept in my head; however, most everything is created on site, whether inside or out,” Arpin says. He and his team load the truck with various plants and design elements, then spend anywhere from an afternoon to a week installing a design on site. “Although I arrive at a job with an overall design concept, the end product develops as we begin building. The end product is never truly known until I say, ‘I think we have done it, guys. This is a wrap; load the trucks back up,’” Arpin says.
Clients love the surprise of a finished project, and Arpin loves knowing they are thrilled with their newly beautified space. Even after decades in business, Arpin says he has never had an unhappy client. “Creating beauty for people to enjoy in their daily life is what makes me thrive in my happiness,” Arpin says.
And when all his clients are happy, Arpin turns his attention towards his own home—a wonderland of gardens overflowing with hibiscus, jasmine, and ferns; hummingbirds and honey bees; lounge areas and even an outdoor shower. He loves diversifying designs with strong colors and textures, he and holds a soft spot for anything tropical (partially inspired by his annual trips to Costa Rica—the gem where he hopes to retire someday). “I live most of my life outside,” Arpin says, explaining that he eats, sleeps, showers, works, and spends nearly all his spare time in the outdoors. And this creator of plant-based treasures takes none of it for granted. Regarding his business, daily responsibilities, clients, and lifestyle, Arpin says, “I am one of the most fortunate people in the world. I am very blessed and very thankful.”
