On the stretch of Lincoln Boulevard, where Santa Monica and Venice blur into one community, a once forgotten nursery has been brought back to life, and for Jasper Watts, Monarch Nursery co-founder, is more than a business, but a second chance born from loss. After nearly a decade building a life in Altadena, where he and his family had poured themselves into a home and a garden that became both sanctuary and expression, everything was lost in the fires. “We lost everything, and it all happened overnight," said Watts.
What followed was a period of displacement, uncertainty, and recalibration. His family relocated to El Segundo, his children enrolled in new schools, and the business he had been building, rooted in landscaping and plant care, was suddenly stripped of its tools, its infrastructure, and physical foundation.
In that in between, the instinct to rebuild never left. A serial entrepreneur by nature, Watts path has never been linear. From launching the streetwear brand Rogue Status in Venice with early backing from celebrities, to working in marketing and commercial agriculture, his career has consistently lived at the intersection of creativity and commerce, but it was always the garden that grounded him. “I’ve always been into gardening, even as a kid with my mum,” he said, sharing his upbringing from North London. “My real passion kicked in when I had my own home and could build something of my own.”
That passion became something more than personal when opportunity appeared, almost unexpectedly, just weeks before Monarch opened its doors last month. A friend called with news of a neglected wholesale nursery for sale. When Jaspar first stepped onto the property, it was far from what it is today with rows of plants left untended, many on the brink of dying, a space that had been closed off from the public and, in many ways, forgotten.
What happened next speaks to a deeper philosophy of care. Before any deal was finalized, before ownership was secured, Watts asked for one thing - a chance to save the plants. “We hadn’t even worked out the deal yet, but I said, can we at least take care of them? Because if we do get it, they’re going to be dead by then,” he added
For weeks, together with his co-founder Anton Van Der Woude worked working daily on the property trimming, repotting, reorganizing, and restoring the plants in the process, an act that now mirrors the broader arc of his own story.
One month later, the nursery stands as both a business and a symbol, a place where loss has been translated into growth,where community is at the center of what comes next. That community is not an abstract concept for Watts. It's deeply personal, shaped by the neighborhoods that first welcomed him to Los Angeles more than two decades ago. “This is where my journey started,” he said, reflecting on the same streets in Venice and Santa Monica where he once lived and built his first company. “To me, this is the best part of America.”
He is building again with his family alongside him. His young son has already become part of the business, spending spring break at the nursery designing planted arrangements, experimenting with living walls, and learning firsthand what it means to create something from the ground up - a generational story rooted in teaching, in patience, and in discipline of nurturing something over time.
Looking ahead, Watts envisions Monarch as more than a place to buy plants. He sees it as a platform for connection - a space where education, creativity, and community intersect. From hyperlocal collaborations with neighboring businesses, to pop ups and workshops that teach residents how to care for plants, soil, and their own environments, the goal is to make something that feels both accessible and intentional. “A lot of people ask what the easiest plant is to take care of - they’re all pretty easy, you just have to know what to do,” said Watts.
As Monarch marks its one month anniversary, it's a reminder that even after devastation, growth is possible, and that sometimes the most powerful stories are not just told, but cultivated one plant, family, and community at a time.
Monarch is located at 3280 Lincoln Blvd. Visit https://monarch-nursery.com/ for more information.