Interview with Richard Liu (co-owner)

Q. How did you get involved in the landscaping industry?

My first business was a nursery in Chung-Li Taiwan called Kuai Tsai Yuan. My wife Mary and I managed to turn a start-up business into a national success story. We became the number one nursery to turn to for the most aesthetically-pleasing plants and flowers before we left to expand in America. Kuai Tsai Yuan is presently located in my childhood town of Chung-Li, Taiwan and continues to be successfully run by my three brothers.

When we first arrived in the States, I started out as a Landscape Contractor. In the back of my mind I always had a dream to someday have a store like the one we have now, where people can find almost anything they need to improve their gardens.

I've been designing landscapes for over 30 years now, with many of my projects winning the City's "Most Beautiful" Award.

I was solidly booked for landscaping jobs every year, but I promised myself to make Rosemead Gardens happen. When a location became available that my wife and I desired, we opened this store. This is our 9th year at Rosemead Gardens.

Q. Where were you born and raised? What are your hobbies?

I was born in 1948 and raised on the countryside of Chung-Li, Taiwan. My father was a handyman. I became a professional musician when I was 20 years old, playing the trombone for the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. I collect and play practically every instrument, including the musical saw, all self-taught. I also make my own instruments. Music has inspired many of my favorite landscape designs. I hear it as I look at nature.

Q. What seperates you from others' in your field?

I am a perfectionist, and extremely detailed. Even when the home owner admires my work for their garden, I am often not satisfied myself. I take my time making the landscape exactly as it appears in my mind. I spend more time thinking of how something should look and what it would take to execute than the actual work itself.

I am true to my Libra Sun, the sign of the scales of beauty, harmony, and balance. I see all the little details that need to be done to make something as beautiful as possible, even when others already think it is wonderful.

Q. Besides hard work, what is the secret to your success?

My appreciation of beauty is most evident in my beautiful wife, Mary, who runs the business along with me. She takes care of all the necessary operations and management when I can be too artistically inclined to pay attention. Her pleasant demeanor combined with her sharp intellect has made our company a success. I would have to say she is the secret to our success. Mary and I have three grown children and 3 adorable grandchildren. They sometimes help out at the store.

What would you like to share with your customers?

I want everyone to visit and enjoy the beauty at Rosemead Gardens so that they are inspired with ideas for their own garden and be able to work on it themselves. They can go home with special collections that they can't find anywhere else. I try to provide the greatest variety possible from all over the world, even going as far as China a couple times a year to personally select and import unique pieces for this purpose.